Calcutta: Sachin Tendulkar, who has been named the ambassador for the 2015 World Cup, has narrated his Cup story in a column for the International Cricket Council (ICC), as part of the build-up for the upcoming mega event.

Starting from the 1983 edition till the 2011 competition, Sachin has revealed his memories and experiences surrounding cricket’s most precious trophy.

While 1983 was the first time that The Master became aware of the World Cup, it was in 1987 that the seeds of ‘Sachin the cricketer’ were sown.

“My first ‘live’ piece of World Cup action was during the 1987 edition of the World Cup, which was co-hosted by India and Pakistan. I was fortunate to be picked as a ball boy for the matches played in Mumbai (in the 1987 World Cup). As I stood there watching the Indian greats on the field, I kept telling myself that I needed to be a part of the action in the middle,” Sachin wrote in his column.

It’s obvious that the 2011 triumph at home was Sachin’s favourite World Cup experience. He narrates how the failure in the 2007 Cup egged him on to prove a point in the following edition.

“The most forgettable World Cup for me has to be 2007 edition in the West Indies. The early exit from the tournament ranks among the worst moments of my cricketing career. We had a fantastic team, but it was not to be! My pursuit to be a part of the World Cup winning team continued.

“The disappointment in the tournament served as a boost… I remember in 2009, I spoke to the media about looking forward to the 2011 World Cup and ‘being able to achieve what we want to achieve’. As the tournament progressed, we did worry our fans in the group stage with our performance, but it started generating momentum as we entered the quarter finals.

“In defeating top sides like Australia, Pakistan and eventually overcoming Sri Lanka in the final, India emerged as the first nation to win the World Cup on its home soil.

“It was even more special as I had finally been part of the World Cup winning team after 22 years of pursuit. The victory in 2011 was the highest point of my career as a nation unified in its celebrations,” Sachin wrote.

Speaking about the 1992 edition, when Sachin first played in the World Cup, the icon wrote: “In 1992… the tournament was different to the previous events as it was the first time that players’ coloured clothing, white cricket balls and black sightscreens were introduced… A number of matches were played under floodlights.

About his first match, versus England, in Perth, he wrote: “I did not have an exceptional match; going wicketless in my 10 overs and scoring 35 runs, including a 63-run stand with Ravi Shastri. We fell short of the target by 9 runs.”

He added: “India failed to qualify for the knock-out stage with the only consolation being defeating Pakistan, the eventual champion, in a match where I also received my first Man of the Match in the World Cup.”

Another World Cup incident which rankled Sachin's mind for long a time was his dismissal in the 1996 World Cup semi-final against Sri Lanka.

“The World Cup 1996 was special as it was jointly hosted in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. My dismissal in the semi-final against Sri Lanka rankled me for a long time as it was the start of a batting collapse, which brought an end to the India campaign,” Sachin wrote.

“I scored my first century in an World Cup during this tournament and also scored another one against Sri Lanka, the eventual champion, during the league stage. The highs experienced during the league stage came crashing down and we were left to enjoy the brilliant batting of Aravinda de Silva, as Sri Lanka won their first World Cup defeating Australia,' he added.

According to Sachin, the 1999 edition in England was a difficult tournament for him personally as he had to cope with the loss of his father in the midst of the tournament.

“It was very difficult as I tried to focus on the game in spite of my grief.”

Sachin said the Indian team of 2003 World Cup in South Africa was probably “a little too charged up” as it suffered a big defeat at the hands of the Australians in the final.

“The 2003 World Cup... The entire team had been playing well and we were extremely charged up to take on Australia in the final. A little too charged up, as we realised, as we lost losing the final by a big margin!”

In the end, Sachin said that he is eagerly looking forward to India defending their world title in 2015. “The Indian team's preparation to defend the title in the 2015 World Cup began some time ago and I look forward to following their performance in February and March 2015, when I return to the World Cup as an ICC Ambassador.”