Tendulkar and his bats

Like every top-class batsman, Sachin Tendulkar is particular about his bats. Veteran cricket journalist Sunandan Lele, who has known him for 25 years, says: "One of Sachin's favourite pastimes is to switch on music, put on his earphones, and sit with a bat in his hand, fiddling with its grip or knocking on it with a mallet. He carries his own toolkit and if he is on his own in a room, he is bound to be working on his bat like it is some piece of art."

 And the number of grips he would like to have.

A lot of fuss is made about cricket balls, but for a batsman, the right bat is like being comfortable in your own skin.

 
He has to see what the grain feels like.








 








 But when you are a run-machine like Tendulkar, you can't prevent your bat from looking cherry-kissed.











There are times, however, when even legendary batsmen will happily trade their bat for a guitar. Tendulkar and his wife meet Dire Straits lead guitarist Mark Knopfler in Mumbai in 2005. Dire Straits was one of Tendulkar's favourite bands growing up.