Sachin's 100th 100 will bridge generations

His first international hundred came in the second innings of the second Test of the 1990 series against England at Old Trafford when he was still only 17 years and 122 days old. As Sachin Tendulkar turns 38 on Sunday, the master blaster is just one century away from a 100 international hundreds. And after the World Cup triumph, this is the most anticipated moment in world cricket.

When the World Cup started on February 19 in Dhaka, Tendulkar was three short of that magical figure. In only the second game for India, he scored 120 against England at Bangalore. Then as India chased a quarter-final berth, he hit another sublime 111 vs South Africa at Nagpur. Everyone was certain that the 100th hundred will come soon, maybe against Australia in the quarter-final or better still against Pakistan in the semi-final or the best of all in the final at Wankhede. But it was not to be. The closest he came to getting that 100th ton was in the game against Pakistan where they gave him five lives. When he was finally dismissed for 85, one heaved a sigh of relief. That hundred, if it had been achieved, would have brought him the milestone but it would not have been a masterpiece. It was too flawed an innings and the 100th hundred deserved a better show.

With Team India set to play the West Indies, England and Australia in the ensuing months, Tendulkar has plenty of chances to bring up that 100th hundred and even go past it. He is expected to be rested for the ODI series against West Indies, which means he will probably be seen in action at the international level with the first Test at Kingston starting June 20. The three-Test series is immediately followed by a full series in England that consists of four Tests, one T20 and five one-day internationals. Expect a premature Diwali this time.

Tendulkar has over the years raised the bar so high that very often his feats look more than just statistical achievements. Cliched it may sound, but Tendulkar's hundredth hundred will be celebrated for going where no other man has ever gone before and for having - at the age of 38 - blended the boldness of his youth with all his experience.

Over the years there have numerous debates over his best knocks or how his knocks have helped win matches, save games or come in lost causes. But the very fact that he stands on the threshold of a 100 hundreds points to his consistency and his ability to withstand expectations and that is what sets him apart from all cricketers.

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