Most sports have one recognizable figure widely recognized at as the best to have ever lived. Basketball has Michael Jordan, hockey has Wayne Gretzky, and baseball has Babe Ruth.

In front of his home stadium in Mumbai, India, another great played his final game.

Over Sachin Tendulkar’s twenty-four year career, he reached almost every batting milestone there is to achieve. Among his other records, he has scored the most runs and centuries of any batsman in both Test and One Day cricket (the two main forms of cricket), he has the most man-of-the-match and man-of-the-series in One Day cricket, he was named cricketer of the year, man-of-the-series in the cricket world cup, and was world cup champion.

Tendulkar’s legacy, however, goes far past his play on the pitch. From his humble beginnings as a sixteen-year-old teenager to his retirement at forty, the man affectionately called the “Little Master” became one of the most important and influential figures in India. Rich or poor, all people growing in India, and indeed around the cricketing world, were touched by his magnificence on the field and his work off the field, and he became a role model for all.

His greatness has even brought him popularity at McLean High School.

“He is by far the most influential cricket player I have ever watched” senior Jack Parkhurst said.

As a testament to Tendulkar’s impact on the world, the atmosphere at his last game was simply amazing: passionate fans endlessly chanted his name and cricketers, active and retired, sang praises on twitter. What is more, Tendulkar’s mother, who had never before seen her son play attended the game, after parts of the stadium were modified to allow for wheelchair access for the event. In addition, what seemed like all of India tuned in to watch the match, and twitter (even in the United States) was taken over by the trending hashtag #ThanksSachin.

Though it is undoubtedly saddening that the best ever to play has finished his career, his greatness will not be forgotten. His reputation as a role model around the cricketing world, and as one of the more important figures in recent Indian history I will continue touching people around the world for the rest of time.