Sachin Tendulkar

Ironically, in the midst of the over-the-top veneration and in spite of the pedestal he has been placed on, it is his humility and the ability to cast it all out that has allowed him to put forth his best performances on the international stage for over two decades. Having played across generations, Tendulkar started playing Test cricket in a white shirt that could just as easily have been used as a school uniform, and scored his last Test hundred in a niche Nike jersey that was impossible to buy over the counter, and would later be auctioned for millions.

In a game riddled with statistics, he owns almost every batting record worth owning, including that of the most runs in Test and ODI cricket, the most hundreds in the two formats, and the highest number of centuries in international cricket – a mind-numbing 100. Despite a tough start to his ODI career, Tendulkar found his calling at the top of the order when he was sent to open against New Zealand in 1994 and struck a 49-ball 82, and made the opening spot his own. He went on to compile 49 ODI hundreds by the end of his career – eclipsing the second-best by nineteen hundreds.