Sachin Tendulkar's 24 years in cricket: 5 sports personalities who achieved similar greatness

So, one of the greatest batsmen the world has ever seen has finally announced his retirement from all forms of the game. Sachin Tendulkar has so many records to his name that it is hard to think they will ever be broken any time soon. But along with the plaudits that he has received, for the best part of a decade he also has had to contend with a lot of people doubting his loyalty and his contributions to Indian cricket.

But it doesn’t matter any more. Whether people like it or not, Sachin has and will always be one of the greatest sportsmen to grace the game.

How does one gauge the greatness of the records that Sachin has made his own over the years? Will there ever be another cricketer who can come close to achieving what he has?

There has perhaps never been any other cricketer who has lasted this long in the game with the same or a better level of performance. Therefore, we decided to take help from similar legends in other sports – legends that were at the top of their game for nearly long as Sachin has been.

Michael Jordan

What Sachin has been to cricket, Michael Jordan has been to the NBA. Instantly recognisable even by those who are not fans of the NBA, Michael Jordan, since his arrival on the scene, became an international star thanks to his performances on the court and was instrumental in the NBA getting an international following.

He made his debut in 1984 for the Chicago Bulls, and it didn’t take long for people to notice that he was a special talent. His defensive game was deemed the best and he quickly became popular for the number of points he kept scoring in every game. He helped his team do the “three-peat”, winning the NBA Championships 3 times in a row – in 1991, 1992 and 1993. Though he retired at the beginning of next season, he couldn’t keep himself away from the game for long, rejoining the Bulls in 1995. He helped them to another “three-peat”, courtesy the championships in 1996, 1997, 1998. Along with the title wins, the number of individual awards that he won is mind boggling!