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Reception and legacy

Tendulkar is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential cricketers in the history of cricket. His consistent performances earned him a fan following across the globe, including among Australian crowds, where Tendulkar has consistently scored centuries. One of the most popular sayings by his fans is, "Cricket is my religion and Sachin is my God". ESPNcricinfo mentions in his profile that, "... Tendulkar remains, by a distance, the most worshipped cricketer in the world".

During the Australian tour of India in 1998, Matthew Hayden said, "I have seen God. He bats at no. 4 in India in Tests". However, Tendulkar himself is reported to have said, "I am not God of cricket. I make mistakes, God doesn't". Tendulkar made a special appearance in the Bollywood film Stumped in 2003, appearing as himself.

On 24 February 2010, the cricket website ESPNcricinfo could not handle the heavy traffic experienced after Tendulkar broke the record for the highest individual male score in a One Day International match against South Africa, also becoming the first player to score 200* in the history of ODIs as more than 5 million fans visited the website at a time.

There have been many instances when Tendulkar's fans undertook extreme activities over his dismissal in a game. As reported by many Indian newspapers, for example, a young man hanged himself due to distress over Tendulkar's failure to reach his 100th century.

At home in Mumbai, Tendulkar's fan following has caused him to lead a different lifestyle. Ian Chappell has said that he would be unable to cope with the lifestyle Tendulkar was forced to lead, having to "wear a wig and go out and watch a movie only at night". In an interview with Tim Sheridan, Tendulkar admitted that he sometimes went for quiet drives in the streets of Mumbai late at night when he would be able to enjoy some peace and silence.