At the tender age of 16, in 1989 at Pakistan,
He started his Test Career
Facing fiery pacemen of the likes of Imran,
Wasim and Waqar, without a hint of fear
In his 17th year and ninth test match,
He scored his first test century
It was at Old Trafford in England,
Displaying all shots in his armory

In Dec 2005 at Delhi, he surpassed Gavaskar’s record, the 34th hundred
By then, against and in each test playing country, he had scored a test hundred

He relinquished India’s captaincy,
At the young age of 27
Realizing importance of his role as a batsman,
In the playing eleven.

All along he has been a splendid sports ambassador, who is very humble
During his long career, he ensured most
Batting records took a tumble

From 1000 runs till 10000, he was the youngest to reach each milestone,
With hard-work, good technique and excellent temperament,
What a cricketer can achieve he has clearly shown

Lets hope he continues to perform well,
Helping India win many more matches,
Scoring runs galore, taking wickets when required
And holding onto all the catches.