1.2 billion riding on Tendulkar to win World Cup

 Sachin Tendulkar has achieved just about every individual accolade in cricket and holds an almost divine status in India, where the TV audience soars every time he goes out to bat

However, his 21-year international career is missing one notable achievement: a World Cup title. That adds to the pressure on India, which is co-hosting the tournament with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and will stage the April 2 final at Mumbai, Tendulkar's home town."Every time I go out, the country needs me,'' Tendulkar said recently, adding that it only made him hungrier to keep scoring runs. He already has amassed more centuries and more runs in both Test and limited-overs cricket than any other batsman, and leads all runmakers at the World Cup heading into his sixth edition of the tournament.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni doesn't think the extra burden will hurt India's chances, and there is a determination to help Tendulkar complete his resume by delivering the country of 1.2 billion people its first World Cup title since Kapil Dev's squad shocked the all-conquering West Indies at Lord's in 1983.
The first challenge will come on the opening day, when Dhoni and co. travel to Dhaka to take on Bangladesh, which in 2007 produced a group-stage upset that played a large role in India's early exit.
Tendulkar is not the only big-name veteran traveling to the World Cup with strong personal motivation.
Just as Tendulkar has been the master batsman of the modern era, Muttiah Muralitharan has been the supreme bowler in the sport, taking more wickets than anyone else in both Test and ODIs. Unlike Tendulkar, Muralitharan has a World Cup medal, but is just as eager to depart the international stage with a gift to Sri Lanka: a second World Cup trophy.
Muralitharan was a young member in the team when Sri Lanka upset the cricket establishment to claim the 1996 title, the last time the quadrennial event was held in Asia.
Then there's South African allrounder Jacques Kallis, desperate to help the Proteas shake off their unwanted tag of World Cup underachievers, and Ricky Ponting wanting to guide Australia to a fourth consecutive title.