Cricket's 'Little Master' Sachin Tendulkar bids final farewell

Sachin Tendulkar, Indian's most beloved cricketer, stepped up to bat at his home stadium to a deafening roar and a show of honor from his opponents as made his farewell Thursday in his final international five-day match.

Tendulkar's 200th international, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, will also be his last, as the “Little Master” ends a storied 24-year career at the age of 40.

With his heavy bat sporting a grip in the colors of the national flag tucked under his arm, Tendulkar trotted out to bat against the West Indies.

"A billion hearts are beating at the moment," his childhood idol and former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said from the commentary box.

The stadium, filled to its 32,000 capacity, erupted in joy as he got off the mark with a single hit off West Indies spinner Shane.  

Tendulkar notched up 38 runs by the close of play and had the enthusiastic crowd on its feet. He will resume his innings on Friday with fans hoping he will go on to make a century.

Tendulkar, who made his debut for India against Pakistan in 1989 as a curly-haired 16-year-old, holds the majority of batting records and enjoys unmatched adulation in cricket-crazy India.

His wheelchair-bound mother, Rajni, who has never before watched her son bat at a stadium, joined his first coach, Ramakant Achrekar, and figures from politics, sports, corporate India and Bollywood on Thursday to watch the master batsman in his cricketing farewell.

"I am really touched with #ThankYouSachin messages. Your support all these years have inspired me to give my best," Tendulkar said on Twitter on the eve of the match.

"I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for 24 years of support."

The match started in festive fashion with the Indian government releasing two commemorative stamps, while local organizers used a specially minted coin to mark the occasion as Tendulkar led the team onto the ground.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, with a grin on his face, said he would have to disappoint everyone present or watching the game on television by opting to field first after winning the toss.

"We will be very fortunate if we get another Sachin," Dhoni added after flipping the coin — which had Tendulkar's image on one side — at the toss. "So it is important that we learn from the great man."

Dhoni handed him a cap that had "200th Test" stitched on it, and the entire Indian team wore shirts with "Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar 200th Test" embossed on them.

The sense of occasion resonated from every inch of the stadium, with the sentiment best summed up by one banner in the crowd that grappled with the specter of the sport in India, post-Tendulkar.

"Now only humans will play cricket," it read.

Al Jazeera and Reuters