NEW DELHI, MAY 11: Sachin Tendulkar became the first Indian sportsperson to adorn the cover of the American prestigious newsweekly Time which says that the Bombay Bomber's batting performances have earned him comparisons with soccer champ Diego Maradona.Though cricket is little known in the baseball-crazy United States, the latest issue of the magazine carries a write up on this week's World Cup in England with the Indian batting maestro shown in the follow through of a cover drive.Comparing Tendulkar and Maradona, the magazine noted that both were short, stocky and curly-haired.``But unlike the Argentine ace, Tendulkar is a level-headed, even bland professional who does all his hell-raising at the wicket. He wields the heaviest bat in the game, both literally and figuratively, and is a quick reader of bowlers and wicket conditions,'' it said.The magazine added, ``It's difficult to single out a standout Tendulkar performance, as there are so many - and so many to come. He already owns the record for the most one-day international centuries, and he has at least ten playing years ahead of him. Gulp!''The four-page cover story celebrates the top batsmen in the shortened version of the game - who lift the game to dizzy heights as entertainers - and captures cricket's phenomenal growth in the Indian sub-continent thanks to India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka cornering glory in three of the last four editions.``Over the past decade, cricket has reaped an economic bonanza in Asia, fuelled by the on-field success of the World Cup holders (Sri Lanka) as well as victories by the more established cricket countries, Pakistan and India.''The magazine says, ``traditional cricket powers like Australia, England and the West Indies have been forced to alter their tactics to keep up with the teams from the sub-continent. Says Bill Sinrich, who runs the London Sports Management firm Trans-World International: `The centre of gravity of the game has moved to the sub-continent.'``Overall ECB expects that in Britain the World Cup will generate revenues of $70 million. In India, businesses are predicted to spend that much during the tournament in TV advertising alone''.
