If cricket wasn’t a team sport then India could have boasted of an undisputed champion of the world for the past fifteen years in Sachin Tendulkar. If cricket was a solo sport, he would have been to cricket what Roger Federer has been to tennis, Schumacher had been to F1(Yes he’s back.. but we’ll reserve judgement on that day). Sachin is still a colossus, but come the end of day you are always compared against what you have won and Sachin has the most important thing missing from his trophy cabinet- the World Cup. It’s not because of lack of trying- he single-handedly took us to the Semis in 1996 only to come up short against a spirited Aravinda and magical Sanath. Who could forget the magic of 2003, where a only a nervous Zaheer and a maniacal innings from Ricky Ponting stopped him from getting to cricket’s Holy Grail. He has had his share of disappointments in Tests as well, the most painful being the Chepauk test against Pakistan, where having taken India to the brink of victory after a century fighting severe back pain, rest of the batting order crumbled failing to get the required 20 runs for an amazing victory.
Now that we have got the disappointments out of the way, let’s talk about his achievements. He is the most capped test player, second most capped ODI player, owner of the highest score in ODIs, first and so far the only player to score a double century in ODIs, has the most runs in both Tests and ODIs, having close 100 International centuries...phew...and that’s just to name a few . His best in ODIs for me came in the Sharjah desert storm in 1998 and in tests his best moment was when he led India in the chase of a score in excess of 300 in the fourth innings against England in Chennai. True to form he dedicated his innings and victory to the entire nation, when the nation was reeling after the Mumbai attacks on Nov 26. Above all, he is the man who inspired an entire a generation of cricketers to take up the willow and perhaps involuntarily led to the dearth of bowling resources- everyone wanted and still wants to be a Tendulkar. But who cares... I would happily give away some of the so called bowling resources just to have another Sachin Tendulkar... wishful thinking on my part; there has never been and never will be another Sachin Tendulkar. He has just been amazing and continues to amaze followers all around the globe with his energy and childlike enthusiasm for the game. From what I remember, I have watched him don Indian colours since 1996 and it has been a privilege to watch him play. I have had to hear an earful at times, especially during the exam season.. but in the bargain I’ve learnt a few valuable life lessons along the way. He taught me, humility can be a virtue, always let your work do the talking for you and he has made me believe heck he has made the entire nation believe that miracles do happen.
Coming to his critics, the lesser said the better. When greats have refrained from criticizing his game, who are we judge him. To his credit, he has always kept his poise in the face of criticism, letting his bat do the talking. There was this discussion on Sachin’s fitness, come on guys, he has been playing for 20 years, there’s nothing he’s got to prove, if he thinks he can’t continue he’ll go on his own. The irony was that this discussion was floated after he had a scored a double hundred in humid conditions. Sure enough if he goes without scoring a 50 in a couple of innings, the tongues will start wagging again , but I know Sachin will answer them in the only way he knows- with his bat.
For me, it’s been a privilege to watch him play and I doubt if that emotion changes in the future till he retires. After he retires, cricket will not be the same. Speaking of retirement, some of the learned scholars of cricket have started speculating on when he should be retiring. He has handled his twenty years of international cricket better than most of us handle ourselves, why don’t we let him decide the final chapter in his international career. He will know when it’s time and he won’t be playing minute more after that. Steve Slater had this to say about Michael Schumacher when there was speculation about him retiring..” Forget whether he’s going to retire or not, we are seeing Michael Schumacher drive, let’s just enjoy it while it lasts”. This I believe holds good for all greats in all disciplines, be it Roger Federer in tennis(he’s far from finished) or Sachin Tendulkar in cricket. I intend to do just that enjoy every bit of it while it lasts.
P.S. As I write this, there is one more day in what has been a gripping test, with Sachin leading the Indian batting charge to restore parity to a rather forgettable India – Sri Lanka series(there have been so many of them). I hope leads India to victory, God knows he deserves it.
