Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year

In 1997, Tendulkar was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year. However, cricket's oldest almanac crowned him Leading Cricketer of the Year for his outstanding 2010 season.

Tendulkar's international cricket career appears to have been divided into three periods. He was a strictly aggressive batsman for a decade after making his debut as a 16-year-old in 1989. When he comes in at (say) ten for two, he wants to take the game away from the opponent, not to stabilize the innings. Through slicing square cutters and pulls, as well as drives past the bowler and wide of mid-on, he did so regularly and in brilliant fashion. He wouldn't play any shots, and he wouldn't bowl in any fashion that intimidated or restricted him.

For the first time, Sachin Tendulkar has been crowned Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World, capping off a historic year in which he became the first player to score 50 Test hundreds. He is the third Indian player to win the prestigious trophy in a row, following Virender Sehwag in the previous two years.