Sachin Tendulkar saw the best and worst of times in 2012! He started with a blast and then went from hero to zero for fans who saw him fail consistently with the bat. He did manage to create history by becoming the first cricketer on the planet to record 100 international centuries (114 vs Bangladesh ), but it’s been a year of more disappointments than achievements for the Master Blaster.

At the Asia Cup, Sachin made the world stand up in applause when he scored his 100th ton against Bangladesh (never mind that India went on to lose that match). It was followed by a low-key performance at the 2012 Indian Premier League, and even though Mumbai Indians reached the semi-finals.

June saw Tendulkar deliver a master stroke when he took oath as a Rajya Sabha member and became the first active cricketer to do so. His move drew praise and criticism from ex-cricketers and fans and every move was closely covered by the media (including discussion about whether he would use the government bungalow during his visits to Delhi ).

Apart from the century, Sachin had a forgetful 2012 on the pitch. He scraped together two half-centuries to his name in the year and during the Test series versus New Zealand at home, he was bowled out thrice by the Kiwis, raising questions about his future in the squad. He had last scored a Test century in January 2011, 146 against South Africa  With the likes of VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid calling it a day, Tendulkar was the only representative from the 'famous four' (Sourav Ganguly completed the group) still figuring in the Indian batting line-up.

The fear amongst the bowlers when the 'Litte Master' walked on to the crease has somehow vanished into thin air. The likes of James Anderson have had the better of Tendulkar (dismissing him nine times so far) and there seems to be no end to it!

After Australian batsman Ricky Ponting hanged up his boots, all eyes turned towards Tendulkar and even former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said that Tendulkar should discuss his future plans with selectors. On 24th December 2012, the 'Little Master' announced his retirement from the 50-over format of cricket. In the 463 ODI games he played, Sachin scored a staggering
18,426 runs at an average of 44.83. Tendulkar's record in ODI read: 96 half-centuries and 49 tons.

Here's a quick look at Sachin's Test cricket scorecard during the year

41 & 80 v Australia , 2nd Test

15 & 8 v Australia , 3rd Test

25 & 13 v Australia , 4th Test

19 v New Zealand , 1st Test

17 & 27 v New Zealand , 2nd Test

13 v England , 1st Test

8 & 8 v England , 2nd Test

76 and 5 v England , 3rd Test

2 v England , 4th Test

Will 2013 be the year Sachin finally calls it quits? We’ll have to wait and see!

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