My favourite Sachin innings- His first double hundred, 204 for Mumbai against Australia at Brabourne Stadium (Mumbai) in 1998. It was an unbelievable innings and I watched it from 22 yards away. It was hitting at its best and the ball travelled from his bat at supersonic speed. I have never seen a cricket ball being hit so hard.

He went in to bat one hour before lunch and 30 minutes after tea, he had a double hundred. My other favourite innings was the 233 for Mumbai vs Tamil Nadu in the 1999-2000 Ranji Trophy semifinal. The manner in which he got the double was out of the world.

His greatest strength- His mind is his greatest strength. His greatest quality is the way he thinks out of the box, only a genius can be that way. If he sets his mind on something, he has to achieve it.

Weakness- What weakness can you point out about Sachin? His only weakness, as far as I know, is his passion for cars and the fact that he drives so fast you have to fasten your seatbelt and hold on tight. He has a fascination for speed and is often drawn into long, intense discussions on the speeds of BMWs and Ferraris.

Sachin & me- He is very mischievous. About 10 years ago, he was coming to my place for dinner and we had prepared a lot of things and were eagerly awaiting his arrival. He called me from downstairs to say he could not make it. I was completely zapped because this was so unlike Sachin. Two minutes later, my doorbell rang. I was very upset and did not answer. In walked Sachin and made my day. I was so happy that I still remember his face and the bright red T-shirt he was wearing. The aura around him is something unbelievable, this despite knowing him from our school days.

My message to Sachin- Just carry on, but please, a humble request! Leave one odd record for someone else to get to!