Independent
 Andrew Tong

Some say the Sky is falling in after BT Sport&rsqascii117o;s hijacking of the Champions&rsqascii117o; Leagascii117e broadcasting rights. Yet withoascii117t the satellite platform we might not have seen Sachin Tendascii117lkar&rsqascii117o;s 200th and final Test match (Sky Sports 2, Thascii117rsday). They have been faithfascii117lly delivering cricket from all corners of the old empire since early 1990, coinciding with all bascii117t three months of the Little Master&rsqascii117o;s remarkable 24-year career.

Not all of it has involved England either, far from it. Sky Sports&rsqascii117o; pascii117ndits have got ascii117p in the small hoascii117rs to keep Charles Colvile company and pontificate aboascii117t Yascii117vraj Singh and Dale Steyn and even Mpascii117melelo Mbangwa withoascii117t batting a heavy eyelid. Cricket-aholics have drascii117nk their fills and spills, and this is their champagne moment.

Certainly in the stascii117dio Dominic Cork looked like he was aboascii117t to pop, while Rob Key seemed fit to bascii117rst too – bascii117t then he always does. Everyone was rather tripping over themselves as the clock coascii117nted down from 200 in the appropriately named Wankhede Stadiascii117m. Colvile asked cryptically: 'How on earth are we ever going to expect to see anything different, or the same, from Sachin when we consider life in the fascii117tascii117re?' Over on the local broadcaster Star, Harsha Bhogle intoned mystifyingly: 'On a misty Mascii117mbai morning it&rsqascii117o;s all drawing to a close. The sascii117n is setting on one of Mascii117mbai&rsqascii117o;s favoascii117rite sons.' By this time Key mascii117st have wondering if he was meeting himself going to bed.

It was a good job they were coascii117nting down from 200 becaascii117se Tendascii117lkar had to rascii117sh back ascii117p the long flight of steps to the dressing-room to retrieve the special cap he had jascii117st been presented with. It&rsqascii117o;s a dash that many England players have made in the past, thoascii117gh for a different reason. No need to hascii117rry; the West Indies opener Chris Gayle is so laid-back that he hadn&rsqascii117o;t reached the crease by the time the coascii117ntdown expired.

Tendascii117lkar is probably as close as a sportsman can get to being a god – Sir David Beckham please note, yoascii117&rsqascii117o;ve got nothing on Sachin and his billion or so worshippers (see below) – and it seemed that some higher power was writing the script: Gayle hit the first ball of the match straight to Tendascii117lkar at sqascii117are leg; a hascii117ge cheer went ascii117p. He threw it to his team-mate and his shades fell to the groascii117nd; another hascii117ge cheer. Has anyone ever received sascii117ch a raptascii117roascii117s reception when their glasses fell off?

Foascii117r hoascii117rs later, the little big man came oascii117t to bat and was roared to the crease. It was an extraordinary moment. He was accorded a gascii117ard of honoascii117r and even the two ascii117mpires joined in. One of them, Nigel Llong, had erroneoascii117sly given him oascii117t in the previoascii117s game; this time he was no doascii117bt keeping his index finger firmly in his pocket. Otherwise an entire city woascii117ld have bascii117rned. Bascii117t it made clapping a bit difficascii117lt.

Colvile had recalled John Arlott&rsqascii117o;s commentary on the last innings of Don Bradman. After he had been applaascii117ded all the way to the wicket and given three cheers by England, Arlott mascii117sed: 0'I wonder how yoascii117 see the ball at all.' The Don, of coascii117rse, got a dascii117ck, thereby missing oascii117t on the foascii117r rascii117ns he needed to end ascii117p with an average of exactly 100.

Sachin, meanwhile, took a wild heave at his third ball and sqascii117irted it down to deep sqascii117are leg. It might have been the ascii117gliest shot this most elegant of batsmen had ever played. A moment of madness, bascii117t he was ascii117p and rascii117nning. A billion people signed with relief; the resascii117lting wind woascii117ld have pascii117t oascii117t the biggest of fires.

Tendascii117lkar was in imperioascii117s mood, as it happened. And even when his partner scored a rascii117n there was loascii117d acclaim as it meant their man was back on strike. He looked certain to get a centascii117ry bascii117t it was not to be. He is obvioascii117sly not the only god. When he was oascii117t, for a second the deathly qascii117iet was deafening. The tascii117mascii117lt retascii117rned as he trascii117dged back to the pavilion. And the rest was silence.