He finished the decade with 20,960 international runs -- 5,775 more than anybody else -- and 69 hundreds -- 22 more than anybody else. This is a player performing at an extraordinarily high all-format level unseen in the history of cricket.
A selection of musings from around the cricket World Cup.
Champions Barcelona moved five points clear at the top of La Liga with a 2-1 win at Getafe, while Real Madrid fell to a 2-0 defeat by Real Sociedad.
Moving away from the mundane fielding drills, Team India tried something unique in Perth as they were involved in a 75-minute fielding session.
Wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha's battling half-century helped India reach 316 before the hosts were dismissed in their first innings against New Zealand on the second morning of the second test at Eden Gardens on Saturday.
Zimbabwe coach Dav Whatmore says Virat Kohli is one of the few players who have realised their potential after showing initial promise but the young India Test captain still has a long way to go.
On a roll after three successive wins in the ongoing cricket World Cup following today's nine-wicket spanking of minnows UAE, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said his "complete unit" has been doing well with consistent performances in all departments of the game.
India's batting at the death is one grey area that skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni would like to address.
Holders Real Madrid were sensationally knocked out of the Champions League on Tuesday after being thrashed 4-1 at home by an outstanding Ajax Amsterdam who overturned a first-leg deficit to reach the quarter-finals 5-3 on aggregate.
The national team manager Intikhab Alam has blamed captain Shahid Afridi for Pakistan cricket team's recent poor performances, including at the World Twenty20 in India. The report states that Afridi was involved in 'needless controversies' during the World T20. In the five-page report submitted to the PCB and fact-finding committee of the PCB, Alam said that the team failed to sustain the stress and the pressure associated with the world event. "The recent Asia Cup and the ICC World T20 have made it evident that we have critical gaps both in batting and bowling and our fielding keeps on leaking runs, thus releasing pressure. In bowling, with the exception of Muhammad Amir, we do not have a bowler who can win us matches. "Our death bowling also is way below par. And the same goes with our batting line-up, where we do not have reliable pinch hitters and the top and power hitter to clinch us games," Alam wrote in his report, leaked to media.
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was instrumental in keeping England under check after Keaton Jennings hit a century on debut for the visitors on Day 1, on the fourth Test match, at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. Ashwin claimed the wicket of Jennings (112) and Moeen Ali (50) in a single after the duo had put on 94 runs for the third wicket as England threatened to build towards a big first innings score. The off-spinner also got the wicket of England's batting mainstay Joe Root, caught at slip for 21, before he dismissed Jonny Bairstow late in the day.
Australia expecting a very different India in World Cup semi-final.
It compounded a woeful few months for the club as coach Julen Lopetegui came and went before former player Santiago Solari replaced him in November. They sat sixth in La Liga and appeared a team in decline, sorely missing forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who left for Juventus last summer.
'Freedom of Expression' in India is used liberally by people when it comes to having an opinion on cricket.
According to Sourav Ganguly, not facing Australian bowlers regularly has helped Dhawan and Team India.
Describing India's clinical win over arch-rivals Pakistan, in their World Cup campaign opener, as one of the biggest in his career, India batsman Virat Kohli said he was happy to have played his part in the "amazing" victory.
Gareth Bale ended a three-month goal drought in La Liga to give Real Madrid a nervy 1-0 win away to basement club Huesca on Sunday, taking his side back into the top four at the expense of Alaves.
India pacer Mohammed Shami, who is currently undergoing a rehabilitation program at the NCA in Bengaluru, also said that undisciplined bowling cost India the series in Bangladesh.
La Liga leaders Barcelona beat Real Madrid 1-0 to all but knock their rivals out of the title race on Saturday, while second-placed Atletico Madrid stayed seven points behind the Catalans with a 2-0 win at Real Sociedad on Sunday.
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos suggested after the Barcelona game that the players would not welcome him.
Refusing to rate his match-winning ton against Bangladesh in the quarter-final, Indian top-order batsman Rohit Sharma has said the ongoing World Cup campaign is a very prestigious stage and he wants to make the most of it.
Playing 'fearless' cricket has been Bangladesh's war-cry at the ICC World Cup but courage alone will not be enough to upset India and their army of blue-clad fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground where the teams play their quarter-final on Thursday.
India most buzzed team in CWC while 'favourites' Australia fail to impress fans on Facebook.
Praising his players for the emphatic win over South Africa in the World Cup, team director Ravi Shastri said the management's decision to stick with Shikhar Dhawan, despite his poor form in the run-up to the showpiece event, proved right.
Madrid recovered from an early goal by Anthony Lozano to take a 2-1 halftime lead thanks to a Lucas Vazquez strike and a cheeky 'Panenka' penalty from captain Ramos but were pegged back by Alex Granell's penalty midway through the second half.
Around a dozen people sitting on Sachin's table will have the pleasure of mingling with him for half an hour over cocktails and drinks, the organiser said adding that it would be only for a dozen people and has been priced for 3000 Australian Dollars.
Statistical highlights of the opening Asia Cup 2016 match between India and Bangladesh, in Mirpur, Bangladesh.
Rohit Sharma took his time joining the World Cup party but arrived in style on Thursday, rocking the Melbourne Cricket Ground with a match-winning century to sink Bangladesh and send reigning champions India charging into the semi-finals.
Chief selector Moin Khan, recalled from the World Cup for visiting a casino, returned to Pakistan to a hostile reception as cricket fans staged angry demonstrations on Thursday.
Sachin Tendulkar says the "sound" that came off skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's bat during the recent Asia Cup was a reflection of his positive mindset and it was a good news for already "favourites" India in the World Twenty20.
Saurabh Chaudhary claimed the gold medal in the 10m air pistol event at the Youth Olympic Games, in Buenos Aires, on Wednesday, capping off the Indian shooting team's best-ever outing in the mega event on a rousing note.
Here are five talking points from the weekend's action in Spain.
Barcelona beat Girona 2-0 in a Catalan derby on Sunday to maintain their five-point lead at the top of La Liga, while Real Madrid thrashed Espanyol 4-2.
Former Real Madrid striker Predrag Mijatovic criticised Gareth Bale for lacking leadership qualities
La Liga leaders Barcelona hit two goals in the final three minutes to earn a 3-2 win at Rayo Vallecano
Late Griezmann strike ends Atletico's away day hoodoo
'We are not hiding. We the players are primarily responsible and I, as captain, more than anyone'
However, if aggression was the buzzword during the Australia Tests, the Kohli that was on show against Pakistan was a different version, a restrained one, and if one may say, after the Border-Gavaskar series, possibly a more matured one.
Like, in Sunday's match at the Adelaide Oval, a lot of reasons will be apparent for Pakistan's loss, all that in hindsight, of course. So, after watching the match, that India won by 75 runs, former Pakistan captain Imran Khan analysed Pakistan's performance and drew up reasons for their loss.
Revolution is in the air at Real Madrid after their Champions League empire was razed to the ground with an astounding 4-1 loss at home to Ajax Amsterdam, with a huge clear out of players expected as well as a change of manager.
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