The way I evaluate greatness is how someone has inspired the newer generation to be like him. I think its very obvious that more children (regardless of country) play cricket with a dream to become a Sachin Tendulkar than a Ponting or a Lara. In that sense, Sachin has added more excitement to the game than anyone else.
Even before Sachin, India had great players like Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar, but its only after Sachin came to the game, that Cricket became a religion in India. Just look at the standing ovation the Australian crowd is giving to Sachin every single time Dravid is out.
Sachin is human, and he fails certainly. But he is someone Ricky Ponting dreams about.