THIS will probably be the last time the great Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar will play in a World Cup.And Bermuda’s bowlers will have to try and not be awe-struck on Monday by the man called the ‘Little Master’ when they face him in Trinidad in their second group game.

Heading into his fifth World Cup, Tendulkar admitted recently that the expectation of millions of Indians isn’t as daunting as made out to be, and that if it was, he would have stayed home.

“It’s not just me, but the entire nation which dreams about this,” he told reporters after arriving in the West Indies. “It’s extremely important. We have tried our best in the past and we will continue to do that.

“If there has been no success in the recent past, it doesn’t mean that we will never achieve it. If we lose hope, then we may as well be back in India. But we have hope and we have pride.”

When he became the first batsman to score 50 hundreds in international cricket, Tendulkar established himself as the greatest of all Indian cricketers. Recognised by Sir Donald Bradman as his modern incarnation, Tendulkar has a skill — a genius — which only a handful have possessed. It was not a skill that he was simply born with, but one which was developed by his intelligence and an infinite capacity for taking pains. If there is a secret, it is that Tendulkar has the keenest of cricket minds.

At times in a Test series he looks mortal. But he learns every lesson, picks up every cue, dominates the opposing attack sooner or later, and nearly always makes a hundred. His bravery was proved after he was hit on the head on his Test debut in Pakistan, when he was only 16!

And his commitment to the Indian cause has never been in doubt. If captaincy — or rather the off-field management of men less skilled than himself — was beyond him at his first attempt, his reading of the game, and his manifold varieties of bowling, have shown the same acute intelligence. His cricket has been played in the right way too, always attacking, and because he knew that was the right way rather than because he was a child of the one-day age, as he himself modestly said. The awe of opponents was as great as that of crowds. But the finest compliment must be that bookmakers would not fix the odds — or a game — until Tendulkar was out.

He surpassed Sunil Gavaskar, his guru, as the leading century-maker in Test cricket with his 35th three-figure score in November 2005.

Tendulkar, one-day cricket’s highest run-scorer (14,783 from 381 games) missed India’s tour to the West Indies last year, but believed they could do well in the World Cup. “I am looking forward to having a good World Cup. I am hoping that both my batting and bowling will come good,” he said. “I am not under any pressure at this time I feel quite confident and I am ready to go.”

Tendulkar was a highlight at the 2003 World Cup, hitting a record 673 runs as India rode on eight consecutive wins to reach the final against Australia. Greg Chappell, India’s coach, said the side had a good chance of clinching their second title but wouldn’t let the pressure get to them.

“We are one of a number of teams who have a good chance of doing well. We are quietly confident that we have the make-up to do well in the tournament and that’s the important thing.”

Rahul Dravid, the captain, believed India were one of the most balanced sides in the tournament. “We have a pretty good team and we are very confident. I know that all the other teams will be aiming to play their best cricket but we are very confident that this is going to be a very good tournament for us.”