Why he remains so popular in the dressing room..

Sachin is special in many ways. There is lot to learn from him. When I walked into the Indian dr­e­ssing room for the first time — in 1996 against South Africa at Ah­medabad — I was greeted with a big smile by Sachin. That has not cha­ng­ed, he still greets each newcomer the same way, even cracks jokes to make them comfortable. He is also affectionate towards the family members of other cricketers. It is not without reason that so many pl­ayers idolise him.

I have enjoyed many memorable partnerships with Sachin and Rahul Dravid. While Rahul would tap my bat, gloves and then return to the crease, Sachin pats me on the back or nods to show he liked a shot I played. At the same time, he norm­a­l­ly warns me about the kind of de­livery he expects the bowler to co­me up with next. He has an intuiti­on for bowlers’ tactics.

Sachin has good taste in music and he enjoys dressing up. He is fond of shopping and checking out new restaurants. He is always restless. If it is raining, he will be busy knocking with tennis balls or doing shadow practice. He is very particular about his bat, especially the weight. If he is not happy with his bat, he removes glitches with sand paper. He is a perfectionist.

- VVS Laxman

Also Read :

Sachin's mantras: Hard work, discipline: Pravin Amre

Top international, domestic tons: Venkatapathy Raju

How I would bowl to Sachin: EAS Prasanna