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Crowd-pullers are not new in Indian cricket. They have been around for a hundred years, ever since the Parsees gave the game glamour in the early years of the 20th century. Among the early breed was KK Mistry, described as the Clem Hill of the Parsees. One of India's early batting stars, the left-handed Mistry earned a name for his dazzling strokeplay, impressing the Englishmen on the path-breaking tour of 1911, during which he also doubled as private secretary to the Maharaja of Patiala.

Mistry was followed by DB Deodhar, CK Nayudu and Lala Amarnath in the 20s and 30s, and during the 40s, spectators filled the grounds to play witness to the rivalry between Vijay Merchant and Vijay Hazare in notching up tall scores. Polly Umrigar and Subash Gupte also had faithful fan followings in the 50s, and the Nawab of Pataudi was the supreme crowd-puller in the 60s. Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Viswanath continued the tradition in the 70s, and Kapil Dev became the darling of the crowd in the 80s. In addition, unorthodox stroke-makers like Syed Mushtaq Ali and Krishnamachari Srikkanth had the spectators flocking to the stadium.

But it is safe to say that not one of these great entertainers matched the unique effect that Sachin Tendulkar has on followers of the game in this country. Whether it is the crowd at the stadium or the millions following the game on television all over the world, they make one thing crystal clear ­ they are there because of Tendulkar.

Tendulkar has carried crowd support to another plane altogether. In the past, spectators may have come to watch a particularly brilliant player, but even after he was out, they would stay to watch the action. These days, the crowd comes to watch Tendulkar and Tendulkar alone, and they make no secret of this.

It is not even that the Indian team does not have other world- class players in its ranks. Rahul Dravid is a supreme technician, averaging over 50 in Tests. Sourav Ganguly is a player who mixes power and elegance in fantastic proportions and, when in the mood, can have the bowler begging for mercy. VVS Laxman is a Hyderabadi stylist, a noble torch-bearer of the flame lit by ML Jaisimha and carried by Mohammad Azharuddin. Virender Sehwag is the new batting star on the horizon, a Tendulkar look-alike who, only a few months ago, got a century against New Zealand in a one-day international off just 70 balls and then followed it up with a hundred on Test debut in South Africa.

But all this means nothing to the spectators; Tendulkar is all that matters for them. And when he is out, the crowd leaves in droves, and millions switch off their television sets. For them, even the end result is unimportant. Tendulkar is out, and for them the entertainment is over. Who won? Who lost? Who cares!

Tendulkar's phenomenal hold on the crowd was seen at its most emphatic towards the closing stages of the recent Test match against England at Ahmedabad. There was no chance of a result, the proceedings were drab, and the spectators were finding various means to entertain themselves.

One of them was to boo Shiv Sunder Das and Deep Dasgupta. Indeed, the two probably deserved cheers for the manner in which they blunted whatever little hopes England might have harboured of victory with some fine batting and an invaluable century partnership for the first wicket. But no, the crowd did not really care for all this. They were only concerned that the longer the two stayed at the wicket, the more limited the pleasure of watching Tendulkar in action would be. And even in an inconsequential situation, the cheer that went up when Tendulkar finally entered was something to be heard to be believed.

Affable, mature and level-headed, Tendulkar is fully aware of the hopes and expectations of the nation. His fan following possibly exceeds that of the biggest super-stars of filmdom. It is a tribute to his mental strength, then, that he has never got bogged down by expectations. The situation can be truly frightening when one considers that the country's population is one billion and that cricket has a fan following that rivals cinema, aside from the millions of Indian cricket fans worldwide.

It is a fair bet that, had Mike Denness not included Tendulkar in the list of six Indian players he pulled up for various offences in Johannesburg, the outcry would not have been half as vociferous. Tendulkar's name being dragged into an unsavoury affair like ball-tampering was something that his fans could not stomach, and the processions they took out in protest largely centered around defending Tendulkar rather than making out a case for the other five players.

To his credit, Tendulkar does not let these unhappy interludes affect his cricket. If anything, his batting is getting even better, as proved by his burgeoning Test average and his outstanding exploits in the one-day game. In a way, it may not be a healthy sign for one person to shoulder such a burden in a team game. But such is Tendulkar's influence that, even on the rare occasion when he does not get runs, his presence in the side is a source of confidence and inspiration to his teammates. There could be no higher tribute to a young man who is already a living legend, not just in Indian cricket but in the Indian nation. After all, Tendulkar's popularity has long since transcended cricket; he is an icon in a country where heroes are hard to come by.

Perhaps the time has come, paraphrasing a famous story concerning Dr WG Grace, to put a notice board outside the ground that reads "Entry fee - Rs 100. If Tendulkar plays, entry fee - Rs 500."

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