Fans' love and support brought a tear to my eyes
03:26AM Wed 26 Dec, 2012
New Delhi: Overwhelmed by the tributes that have poured in ever since he announced his retirement from one-day cricket, senior Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar today said the "love and support" brought tears to his eyes.
The 39-year-old, who quit ODIs on Sunday, has been holidaying in Mussoorie after announcing his decision.
Opening up on his Twitter page after the decision which left quite a few surprised, Tendulkar said the emotional reaction to his retirement left him overwhelmed.
"Words are not enough to express my thanks to each of you for all the love & support I have received over the years...& especially now in the last couple of days. Your expressions have brought joy to my heart...& at times a tear to my eye!" Tendulkar wrote.
"... Those magical moments of our ODI journey will stay with me for the rest of my life. Thank you so much :-)," he said.
Tendulkar retired from the ODI format at the top of the run-getters' list with 18,426 runs which included 49 hundreds and 96 half centuries.
The diminutive right hander, who played six World Cups, was also the first batsman to score a double hundred in the 50-over format.
Considered the most complete batsman in modern cricket, Tendulkar celebrated the biggest moment of his ODI career last year when the Indian team won the World Cup for only the second time in its history.
Tendulkar remains active in the Test arena where he has 15,645 runs in 194 matches, including 51 hundreds.