In the secular polity that we know as India, there is one religion that has always reigned supreme-Cricket. From its fledgling days in the Thirties, through the decades till the present time, cricket has captured the imagination and heart of millions of Indians, more so than any other sport. From outstanding batsmen to sensational bowlers and fielders, Indian cricket has seen them all. Exceptional batsmen like C.K. Nayudu, Lala Amarnath, Vijay Merchant, Vijay Hazare, Syed Mushtaq Ali, Polly Umrigar, Vijay Manjrekar and the Nawab of Pataudi defied the odds and came up with great performances that attracted attention all over the cricketing world. Indian cricket has come far from the days of its infancy, as the batsmen of the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties have become the cynosure wherever the game is played. And after all these years we now have a player who is widely acknowledged as the world's best batsman.