Sachin Tendulkar showed all the signs of being a cricket superstar at the age of just 19, former Yorkshire captain Martyn Moxon says.
Yorkshire, the most successful county in English cricket by some distance, did not call on the services of an overseas player for the first 128 years of their existence.
They were forced to finally succumb in 1992, though, in a bid to keep pace with their rivals, with skipper Moxon -- who played 10 Tests for England and is now Yorkshire's director of cricket--keen for a bowler to bolster the county's ranks.
Australian seamer Craig McDermott was contracted by Yorkshire but an 11th-hour hamstring injury saw Yorkshire scrambling for a replacement, which ended up being teenager Tendulkar.
The precocious talent -- who announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Thursday--had made three Test centuries prior to his arrival at Yorkshire, but few could imagine the impact he would have, as he scored over 1,000 first-class runs in a stunning stint that showcased his obvious ability.
"Craig McDermott pulled out at the last minute so we had very little time to get someone else in but fortunately Sachin was available," Moxon told Perform.
"Sachin was only a young guy at the time but he had already made an impact on the international scene. In hindsight, we could not have picked a better guy to be our first overseas player.
"I remember vividly the first time we met him at The Oval. You could tell he was a special talent. He was very mature for his age and the way he handled the media attention and the Yorkshire public…he quickly became a firm favourite.
"He took the time to speak to the fans and acknowledge them and it made him really popular. The whole package -- both on the field and off the field -- you could see there was something special about him.
"Sachin had an aura around him that the best players in the world have. He was always going to be a very fine player, even at that age."
Moxon -- an invited guest at Tendulkar's wedding -- repeatedly refers to the Indian's humble character and easy-going personality.
But it was his batting that made him a revered figure in India, with the man known as 'The Little Master' stroking 15,837 Test runs -- the most ever -- in a stunning career that has seen him hit 51 hundreds.
With 198 Tests already under his belt, Tendulkar confirmed his intention to retire following his 200th Test against the West Indies in November.
And Moxon hailed the efforts of the 40-year-old during his outstanding career upon learning of his retirement.
"It was always going to happen at some point but it is a sad day when a great of the game retires," he said.
"Sachin's record is second to none. The length of his career and the talent that he has got has allowed him to smash all the records.
"Being able to keep the motivation to perform at that level for so long is an achievement in itself, but to be able to perform so well for so long is remarkable. He is one of the greats of the game."