From 1989 to 2010, Tendulkar has always been the talking point

Sachin Tendulkar has the ability to force a nation to hold its breath, the skills to defy odds and determination to overcome every obstacle.

To some, he also has the talent to roll back years.

It's been more than two decades to the time when Tendulkar, who will be the most-capped Test player today, had still not earned the India cap and yet was the most-talked about cricketer in the country.

Kiran More remembers those days as if it were yesterday.

"I saw him for the first time batting in the nets when he came to play a Ranji Trophy game in Baroda. Then, I saw him facing India bowlers at the Cricket Club of India nets just before the Pakistan series," says More, who stood behind the stumps in Tendulkar's debut series against Pakistan in 1989.

"On both instances, more than his talent, what struck me and a lot of other people was that he was very different as a cricketer. I have played with some really talented batsmen like Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar to name a few. But Sachin was different in the way he came on to the ball or the way he hit the ball. Also, he always wanted to hit the ball hard. That made him even more unique," the former national chief of selectors adds.

At just 16, Tendulkar was the talking point in the whole of Pakistan too. But More and Co, now his teammates, could not stop discussing the finer points.

"His bat was a major talking point," says More. "The bat he used at that age was heavier than most India players as well. We were surprised that someone so young wanted to use such a heavy bat. Many felt he would not be able to play with it at the international level. But he proved all of them wrong."

More is now used to seeing Tendulkar prove people wrong. "In a way, everything about cricket came very easily to him. Apart from wicketkeeping, he can do everything on the field. And while many would be more than happy with that, he was never satisfied," says More.

"He always tried to go one step ahead. That's why he has dominated the game for so many years. He is always looking to change his game so that the opposition does not have a plan against him. At the same time, he would prepare a Plan A, B and C for the opposition.

"Even most good players don't have a plan C. But Sachin always did. That's what sets him apart. The way he prepares for a game or a series is phenomenal and I am sure even now he will be sitting with a bat in his hand in Colombo thinking about the Test match."

Not many would be willing to bet against it.