He had to wait for 22 long years.
And seemed it would be an endless one, the only regret in an otherwise glittering career.
However, on a fateful Saturday evening it was realized.
Three weeks short of what would be his 38th birthday, Sachin Tendulkar, without doubt India's best cricketer ever, got possibly his best birthday present ever. And it was his teammates who ensured this will be a birthday to remember by winning the ICC World Cup.
The Master Blaster had won the trophy that had eluded him for long. It took him six attempts. But India's six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the final at the Wankhede made Tendulkar part of a World Cup-winning squad.
It was an honour he probably deserved earlier in his career; an honour that probably justified his greatness. And, definitely, something that made him emotional.
"I lived a dream," said Tendulkar, adding, "Winning the World Cup was my biggest dream.
"And today it is my biggest achievement."
The Master Blaster admitted that the feeling is yet to sink in completely.
"April 2, 2011 was my biggest day in life," he said, adding, "I became extremely emotional, which is rarely the case, and those tears in my eyes were happy tears.
"The moment had never happened before. We had to pinch one another to make sure that it was actually happening in our life."