Sachin Tendulkar is old, there's no escaping that.
I can say this because when I shake his hand out in the middle before play today, it will be as one-time adversaries.
And 18 years after I quit professional cricket, Sachin is the only man left on the international circuit that I played against.
Tendulkar ct Stewart b Botham 35, and it was a beauty if I remember rightly, back in 1992 during the World Cup.
If you'd have told me then that this little lad would still be playing in 2011, having just won the World Cup and be on the brink of reaching his 100th international hundred, I'd have said you were mad.
But then Sachin doesn't deal in the ordinary. He has batted andand batted his way into the record books and he has done it with the style and grace off the field under intense pressure that no-one could match - certainly not me.
I have nothing but admiration and respect for Sachin.
He is an all-time great of the game, whose love and passion for cricket is unparalleled.
If ever there was a role model to be had for a young cricketer, then Sachin is it.
The thing I look forward to most when I turn up for commentary duty is an England win, but a close second comes highquality cricket from high-quality players.
So I will walk through the gates at Lord's today knowing I'm guaranteed at least one of those things because Sachin's name will be on the team sheet.
This guy is a phenomenon and if I were the England team I wouldn't feel any better about the fact that his highest score at this ground is 37.
If anything, that would make me feel worse.
He will be totally focused on getting to his 100th hundred, and there is no place in the world that he would rather reach the landmark than Lord's.
It would be a dream, a fairytale for him if he were to make it there. The only problem for England is that he has a habit of having them come true, and when Sachin is on song there is very little you can do. Between us, I think we have the most appropriate nicknames in all of India. I'm called Iron Bottom and he's the Little Master and each time he goes to the wicket he tends to put on a masterclass.
As much of a fan as I am of his, I do think our bowlers can succeed in checking his progress.
In fact, I think England will win this series because in my opinion they are already the best team in the world and this summer will simply confirm it.
They are the coming force in world cricket and unlike India, who have a lot of playersintheir twilight years, this is a young, vibrant England with more power to add.
James Anderson and Chris Tremlett are forming the most potent opening attack in the game to rival Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.
Behind them is the best spinner in the world in Graeme Swann and alongside him should be the everimproving and impressive Tim Bresnan.
Stuart Broad might not be happy with that assessment - but I don't see how he justifies his place in the England team at the moment.
His lengths are all wrong, his frustrations are coming to the boil too often and, crucially, he is not taking any wickets.
So this is the 2,000th Test match of all time. Statistics don't thrill me - people and performances are what matter, so if Sachin gets to 100 hundreds at Lord's I'll be applauding him, not because of the numbers but because he is a great player, a great man and a great ambassador for the game.
I can say this because when I shake his hand out in the middle before play today, it will be as one-time adversaries.
And 18 years after I quit professional cricket, Sachin is the only man left on the international circuit that I played against.
If you'd have told me then that this little lad would still be playing in 2011, having just won the World Cup and be on the brink of reaching his 100th international hundred, I'd have said you were mad.
But then Sachin doesn't deal in the ordinary. He has batted andand batted his way into the record books and he has done it with the style and grace off the field under intense pressure that no-one could match - certainly not me.
I have nothing but admiration and respect for Sachin.
He is an all-time great of the game, whose love and passion for cricket is unparalleled.
If ever there was a role model to be had for a young cricketer, then Sachin is it.
The thing I look forward to most when I turn up for commentary duty is an England win, but a close second comes highquality cricket from high-quality players.
So I will walk through the gates at Lord's today knowing I'm guaranteed at least one of those things because Sachin's name will be on the team sheet.
This guy is a phenomenon and if I were the England team I wouldn't feel any better about the fact that his highest score at this ground is 37.
If anything, that would make me feel worse.
He will be totally focused on getting to his 100th hundred, and there is no place in the world that he would rather reach the landmark than Lord's.
It would be a dream, a fairytale for him if he were to make it there. The only problem for England is that he has a habit of having them come true, and when Sachin is on song there is very little you can do. Between us, I think we have the most appropriate nicknames in all of India. I'm called Iron Bottom and he's the Little Master and each time he goes to the wicket he tends to put on a masterclass.
As much of a fan as I am of his, I do think our bowlers can succeed in checking his progress.
In fact, I think England will win this series because in my opinion they are already the best team in the world and this summer will simply confirm it.
They are the coming force in world cricket and unlike India, who have a lot of playersintheir twilight years, this is a young, vibrant England with more power to add.
James Anderson and Chris Tremlett are forming the most potent opening attack in the game to rival Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.
Behind them is the best spinner in the world in Graeme Swann and alongside him should be the everimproving and impressive Tim Bresnan.
Stuart Broad might not be happy with that assessment - but I don't see how he justifies his place in the England team at the moment.
His lengths are all wrong, his frustrations are coming to the boil too often and, crucially, he is not taking any wickets.
So this is the 2,000th Test match of all time. Statistics don't thrill me - people and performances are what matter, so if Sachin gets to 100 hundreds at Lord's I'll be applauding him, not because of the numbers but because he is a great player, a great man and a great ambassador for the game.
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