When Sachin Tendulkar takes the field at the Oval in the fourth Test against England he will join an elite club - that made up by Indians who have played a 100 Tests. There are currently three other members - Kapil Dev, the greatest all-rounder India has produced, and two batsmen who dominated the bowling completely at their peak, the stylish Dilip Vengsarkar (116 Tests) and the peerless Sunil Gavaskar (125 Tests).

And yet, it is already amply clear that Tendulkar will go past these greats, not just in terms of Test matches for India but also in achievements on the field. Perhaps statistics are not the best way to judge a cricketer of Tendulkar's prodigious talent. However, a quick look at the numbers is revealing.

Kapil Dev being an all-rounder, it's difficult to make a head-to- head analysis, but the other two Mumbai batsmen can certainly be viewed through the same prism. After 99 Tests, Vengsarkar had scored 6356 runs at an average of 45.72 with 17 centuries. Gavaskar did better with 8479 runs at 52.33 with 30 tons.

And now have a look at Tendulkar at the end of 99 Tests - 8351 runs have flowed off his broad bat at an average of 57.99 and Sir Don Bradman's tally of 29 tons has been surpassed. On reaching the mark at Headingley, Tendulkar was humble enough to say, "Statistically, I have passed Don Bradman, but I can't be compared with him. He's not a normal person. You can only dream of scoring a hundred every three innings." Quite a characteristic statement from the man; modest to the core, he still strives hard to attain perfection despite his many achievements down the years.

Being Tendulkar is no walk in the park. Make no mistake about that. While fans hear mostly of the millions he makes in sponsorship and the adulation he sparks off, few understand how stressful life can be for India's favourite son. Unable to go out anywhere in public without being mobbed, Tendulkar has in the past resorted to wearing disguises when going out for a drive. If he wants to take his son Arjun to a movie or meet at his daughter Sara's teacher at school it would be nigh impossible.

It is the kind of adulation that could have destroyed lesser men. The list of minor geniuses who have fallen prey to such hero- worship would be too long to enumerate. Tendulkar, though, like the Don before him has taken it all in his stride - he remains cricket's finest ambassador both on and off the field.

This ability to absorb pressure stood Tendulkar in good stead this year. After the West Indies series and during the early part of the England series, Tendulkar was under the microscope for what according to some experts was a perceived lack of form. Even Sunil Gavaskar, one of Tendulkar's greatest supporters, began to wonder whether Tendulkar was had fallen prey to under-performing abroad.

A fallacious argument from the beginning, it fell apart at the seams after Tendulkar's second innings 92 at Nottingham and the big hundred at Headingley. In fact in the calendar year, Tendulkar has rattled off 932 runs at an average of 58.25 in the 10 Tests that he has played ahead of the Oval Test - this includes three hundreds and as many fifties. Now, exactly how does that constitute a lean patch? Most batsmen don't do as well at the peak of their powers.

With another Test against England, two more against West Indies and New Zealand later this year, 2002 might, ironically, work out to be a bumper year for Tendulkar. A look at the list of most runs scored in a year by Indians tells a tale. In 1979, when India played a record 17 Tests, Gavaskar made 1407 runs and Gundappa Viswanath added 1388 runs to their tally while Vengsarkar managed 1044 runs in the same year. Another Indian to score 1000 Test runs in a calendar year was Mohinder Amarnath, who in fact remains the fastest to the landmark. Tendulkar, might not have emulated Amarnath yet , but he has managed the feat more than once.

And he will again this year. It might be too early to predict it, but this might even be Tendulkar's most productive year and he could go past Gavaskar's record of 1407 runs, despite playing two Tests less.

It is interesting, however, that experts, mediamen and fans from all over the have expended so much time and energy wondering why Tendulkar is doing so badly off late. Bishan Bedi, outspoken as ever, said, "It must be hoped that this lean patch will make Tendulkar pick himself up, brush away a few cobwebs in his technique and concentrate on playing like Tendulkar. No one else."

Why, even the great Sir Viv Richards joined the debate and opined, "I have seen this problem with Sachin these days, and especially in Antigua; he doesn't look as relaxed as he used to at the crease. That I feel, in my mind, is because, maybe, he is getting close to some milestones. The freedom he used to play with is not there anymore."

Perhaps, then, it is just a matter of how Tendulkar is playing rather than how well he is playing that has caused this alarm. It's no secret that the little man has worked hard on tightening up his technique and scoring runs, rather than dazzling everyone with his formidable array of strokes. Take note though, that these strokes have merely been shelved for the moment not forever.

In the course for his 193 at Leeds, Tendulkar began slowly yet firmly, lifted his pitch to a more frenetic yet no less solid middle essay, and ended in an explosive crescendo that left you breathless. Offering almost no chances until India were firmly in the driver's seat, he straight-drove with pedigree, pulled with the power normally associated with four-wheel drives, and ran between the wickets like a hare with its tail on fire. A matchwinning innings abroad, just when the team needed it most. Isn't that what the critics said Tendulkar never did?

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