After his side completed the formalities of a victory over West Indies, Tendulkar collected a stump as a memento and wiped tears from his eyes as he slowly made his way off the field through a mobile guard of honour formed by his team mates.
As television coverage broadcast images of a huge banner in the stands proclaiming “Legends Never Retire”, the 40-year-old Tendulkar shook hands with opposing players and staff before climbing the stairs leading to the dressing room.
Earlier, responding to chants of “We want Sachin, We want Sachin” from a packed Wankhede Stadium crowd, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni allowed Tendulkar to bowl two final overs in his 200th test match, fittingly at his home ground.
A wicket was not forthcoming for the world’s most prolific run-scorer but he did show off a full repertoire of deliveries in his cameo, offering leg-spin, off-spin and an immaculate googly which tail-ender Shane Shillingford somehow defended.
The regular bowlers returned to finish off a match that will be largely forgotten as a contest but remembered as a fitting farewell for a man who may be small in stature but cast a giant shadow of greatness over cricket in India and beyond.
His son Arjun, who was doing the duty of a ball-boy, stood applauding at the boundary line.
Starting the day at 43 for three, the West Indies were skittled out for a paltry 187 in their second innings as Pragyan Ojha completed a match-haul of 10 wickets taking his second five-for.
Starting with a 8-1 off-side field, Ashwin bowled on Gayle’s pads as he was clipped for three boundaries in a single over by the big-bodied Jamaican.
Marlon Samuels (11) stepped out to a flighted delivery from Pragyan Ojha, only to find that Dhoni had effected the easiest of stumpings.
Gayle also followed suit as he edged a straighter one from Ojha for Dhoni to take a sharp catch. At 87 for five, there was a fear that the match may well get over even before lunch session as Narsingh Deonarine (0) offered a simple return catch to become Ojha’s fourth victim of the innings and ninth of the match.
However Chanderpaul, playing his 150th Test match offered some resistance in company of Denesh Ramdin (53) as they added 68 runs for the seventh wicket before the veteran padded up one from Ashwin that went straight after pitching. Chanderpaul scored 41 with four boundaries.
Skipper Darren Sammy (1) who had demoted himself in the batting order didn’t fare any better.
Ramdin, however, continued hitting the odd boundaries in between as he reached half-century as wickets fell at the other end.
It was Mohammed Shami, who brought an end with a typical inswinging delivery that brought curtains down on a wonderful career.
As Team India begins a life without Tendulkar, one question that will haunt everyone is that who will fill the void left by him.
Cricket lovers now look up to the likes of Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma to keep the flag of Test matches high for India.
The man who dominated the cricket scene in India and the world over has played his knock and will be missed sorely.
Sachin addresses the crowd at Wankhede
• Settle down, let me talk. I will get more and more emotional: Sachin
• It’s hard to believe that my life on the cricket field in coming to an end: Sachin
• It’s getting a little difficult to talk, but I’ll manage: Sachin
• It is getting difficult to talk but I will manage, says an emotional Sachin
• My life, between 22 yards for 24 years… It’s hard to imagine that this is coming to an end: Sachin
• I don’t know how my mother dealt with a naughty child like me: Sachin
• The most important person in my life is my father, every time I do something special I dedicate to my father: Sachin
• My father gave me the power to chase my dreams. Every time I have done something special and showed my bat it was for him: Sachin
• My eldest brother Nitin and his family have always encouraged me: Sachin
• The first cricket bat of my life was presented by my sister Savita. It was a Kashmir willow bat. She still continues to fast when I bat: Sachin
• Two diamonds of my life – Sara and Arjun. They have already grown up. Time has flown by: Sachin
• You are the best partnership I’ve had in my life: Sachin Tendulkar addresses his wife, Anjali
• Anjali took the responsibility of raising our family, I thank her for bearing with my frustrations: Sachin
• I wanted to spend so much time with my kids growing up, I missed out on all those things. Thanks for your understanding: Sachin
• Anjali, you are the best partnership I have had in my life: Sachin to his wife
• Thanks for bearing with all my dreams, frustrations and all the rubbish I spoke. You’re the best partnership of my life: Sachin to his wife
• My childhood friends have left everything whenever I needed them. Friends stood by me whenever I thought my career was over: Sachin
• The turning point of my career was when my brother took me to Achrekar sir: Sachin
• Sir took me to all over Mumbai on his scooter to make sure I got enough match practice: Sachin
• I would like to thank the Mumbai Cricket Association for taking care of me: Sachin
• I would like to thank the BCCI for supporting me during all times, good or bad: Sachin
• It is going to be difficult to not be a part of the dressing room: Sachin
• Rahul, Laxman, Sourav Ganguly are my family away from home: Sachin
Highlights from the award ceremony
• Pragyan Ojha is the Man of the Match for his ten-wicket haul.
• I enjoy bowling here at the Wankhede Stadium. Ashwin and others supported me well: Ojha
• This is a special test match, I’ll definitely remember this all my life and this is for Sachin paaji. The crowd likes that one: Ojha
• Rohit Sharma is the Man of the Series, in his debut Test series.
• The crowd at Wankhede was amazing, I don’t have words to express my feelings: Rohit
• This is just the start of my Test career, there is a long way to go: Rohit
• Rohit Sharma thanks Shami for his batting performance. ‘Wouldn’t have got to 100 without him’.
• Tendulkar gets the Star Sports Believe Trophy
• India really showed us how to play test cricket: Darren Sammy
• Wish Sachin all the best. We are honoured to share field with him: Sammy
• Darren Sammy says he is very disappointed. ‘When we came, we were expecting to play better cricket’.
• Sachin Tendulkar called up to receive another memento from the Sri Lankan government.
The post Sachin Tendulkar bids an emotional goodbye, fans say thank you appeared first on .