Sachin's New Book 'Tendulkar's Opus' Reveals His Childhood

Sachin, 33 is now the lauded as the best batsman since Sir Donald Bradman His forthcoming book 'Tendulkar's Opus' reveals how he evolved from being an unmanageable child to India's youngest-ever Test player.

"Cricket is something very, very special to me. It has never been about owning this or that car and the other things that come with this life. My parents taught me that it is important to live every day of your life with grace and honour," the ace batsman says in the book to be published at the end of next year.

"An obsession with money or worldly matters was always thumbed down. My only dream was to wear the Indian cap and the Indian colours. In that respect, my childhood dreams have come true."

However, Tendulkar says cricket wasn't his only love. He also played a lot of tennis and believes he was pretty good at it too.

"My big-time hero was John McEnroe. I just loved that guy. All my friends and family would support Bjorn Borg. I was the only one supporting John McEnroe -- everyone used to call me 'Mac' because I styled myself on him."

"I made my father buy me the same headbands and sweatbands and even grew my hair long. You wouldn't believe the pictures of me from that time. I was also extremely naughty. Very, very difficult to handle."

"I would climb the trees around the apartment complex and polish off all the guavas and mangoes. The fruit trees were strictly off limits, but I used to time it to perfection by waiting until nobody was around, normally in the evening when everyone was inside watching television."

"I had a nanny who used to run after me virtually 24 hours a day, because I never wanted to go home," he says.

Tendulkar says he settled down when he started playing a lot of cricket in his early teens - "all my calories were being burnt on the cricket pitch and my energy was being focused."