This day 16.11.2013, I was forced to get back here as I felt it was something I needed to document, my journey and probably the journey of every Indian with a fellow indian called Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar....I can still remember that famous knock of his in sharjah amidst sandstorms and after that breathtaking knock I thought to myself as to how it would feel when this fellow retires and now sitting in future,I have the answer.
It was not as bad as I had thought because today, India can win a cricket match even without Tendulkar, a dream the master himself would have had all the in numerous times he waged a one man battle in vain. He would feel safe leaving his legacy at hands of talented and promising youngsters like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Dhawan and Co. After all in a time when India's only batsmen was Sachin all of these fellows would have watched him play and never would have thought that they would play alongside him
In many ways Sachin is a blessed soul. A man to have fans all over the world in all age groups spanning 24 years.....wow. For all great batsman until today he has been the benchmark....I remember not so long time ago every team had a great, India: Sachin: West Indes: Lara; Australia; Mark Waugh; Pakistan: Inzamam: Sri lanka: Aravinda De Silva....All of them had their peaks but this man Sachin had reached the peak and managed to hold on to it for an unbelievably long period of time and people fail to understand what it takes to do that.....I get angry when people say...."Ya he is a born genious".....Yes agreed he had the talent but it was that coupled with relentless hardwork day in and day out that has got him where he is.
The word "Master Blaster" has sort of become redundant these days with all T20 hitting and huge bats. Let me take myself and others to the period between 1996 and 2000. Whenever India played a cricket match...we all were waiting every match to see Indian batting and that too the opening, nobody missed it....Whether it was chasing or first innings....Sachin coming out and absolutely creaming the best of the best.....straight drive, cover drive, on drive....whenever the ball went up in the air our heart in our mouths because we all knew if Sachin is gone the match is lost...people no even leaving for a comfort break with the superstition that if they leave their place Sachin would get out. Imagine what pressure he would have had...Every match that he played people wanted a hundred from him nothing less and they blindly believed that he could d it easy. This was even until 10 years ago in 2003 world cup final when we had the likes of Sehwag,Yuvraj and Co. When Sachin got out to Mcgrath India lost the final in many people's minds.
People have many choices for his favorite knocks but mine is the 100 against Pakistan at Chennai in a test match. Though it was on a losing cause, for me it best summs up what Sachin was to Indian cricket. India was in tatters with half the side gone for around 50 or 70 runs. Needing 268 or 270 to win Sachin got together with Nayan Mongia.....5th day of the test, a Sunday....Playing the likes of Wasim, Waquar and Saqlain....he took India to the brink of victory, suffering from back trauma he finally got out to a hasty shot. As usual the Indian tail collapsed and there are articles which say Sachin cried...not because of the back pain but because he did not take India through. I too had a tear or 2. A Sachin hundred and we felt as if we had done it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QewO3vrPXjw
Another instance Eden Gardens 1996 world up semi-finals against Sri-Lanka, a gruesome memory for all of us. See that match until Sachin played...After that match people said the pitch was tough but as long as Sachin was there it did not seem so......Even with fielders crowding the off-side the cover drives were thundering and bowlers looked hapless. He made 65 and got stumped and that was the end of India's chase.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqn74Nf7u1k
Today people comment...."Yes Sachin is great but why all this fuss"..."Why so many facebook status messages"....'Dravid was actually greater than Sachin".... above all the worst which has been for years
" When Sachin scored a hundred, India lost".....Imagine what would the scorecard have been in those matches that we lost ,had he also got out cheaply. There is nothing wrong in celebrating him to this extent...We are not sure if this sport in India will see a legend of his stature. If Sir Donald Bradman had been the benchmark until now Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar will be the book of batsmanship for decades to come. It is simply the years when Sachin was India's one man army that made people to say he is the "GOD" of cricket and that impact stayed till his last walk when people chanted " Sachin.....Sachin". The brief silence after he got out the final time reminded me of all the other innumerable similar reactions over the years
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is undoubtedy a blessed soul for GOD gave him the stage of his homeground and a respectable 74 in his last innings filled with his vintage shots to take a final bow....people will say that even at 42 on his last match he was up to the level.... You can say it was West Indes...but still you have to score and it is a International game.
On a personal note thank you Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar for all the entertainment over the years....You have made us proud as an Indian. Even in countries like Germany where they don't have an idea about cricket they know you....thank you, thank you and thank you. I always feel blessed that GOD gave me a chance to be born in an era where I was able to watch you bat
It was not as bad as I had thought because today, India can win a cricket match even without Tendulkar, a dream the master himself would have had all the in numerous times he waged a one man battle in vain. He would feel safe leaving his legacy at hands of talented and promising youngsters like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Dhawan and Co. After all in a time when India's only batsmen was Sachin all of these fellows would have watched him play and never would have thought that they would play alongside him
In many ways Sachin is a blessed soul. A man to have fans all over the world in all age groups spanning 24 years.....wow. For all great batsman until today he has been the benchmark....I remember not so long time ago every team had a great, India: Sachin: West Indes: Lara; Australia; Mark Waugh; Pakistan: Inzamam: Sri lanka: Aravinda De Silva....All of them had their peaks but this man Sachin had reached the peak and managed to hold on to it for an unbelievably long period of time and people fail to understand what it takes to do that.....I get angry when people say...."Ya he is a born genious".....Yes agreed he had the talent but it was that coupled with relentless hardwork day in and day out that has got him where he is.
The word "Master Blaster" has sort of become redundant these days with all T20 hitting and huge bats. Let me take myself and others to the period between 1996 and 2000. Whenever India played a cricket match...we all were waiting every match to see Indian batting and that too the opening, nobody missed it....Whether it was chasing or first innings....Sachin coming out and absolutely creaming the best of the best.....straight drive, cover drive, on drive....whenever the ball went up in the air our heart in our mouths because we all knew if Sachin is gone the match is lost...people no even leaving for a comfort break with the superstition that if they leave their place Sachin would get out. Imagine what pressure he would have had...Every match that he played people wanted a hundred from him nothing less and they blindly believed that he could d it easy. This was even until 10 years ago in 2003 world cup final when we had the likes of Sehwag,Yuvraj and Co. When Sachin got out to Mcgrath India lost the final in many people's minds.
People have many choices for his favorite knocks but mine is the 100 against Pakistan at Chennai in a test match. Though it was on a losing cause, for me it best summs up what Sachin was to Indian cricket. India was in tatters with half the side gone for around 50 or 70 runs. Needing 268 or 270 to win Sachin got together with Nayan Mongia.....5th day of the test, a Sunday....Playing the likes of Wasim, Waquar and Saqlain....he took India to the brink of victory, suffering from back trauma he finally got out to a hasty shot. As usual the Indian tail collapsed and there are articles which say Sachin cried...not because of the back pain but because he did not take India through. I too had a tear or 2. A Sachin hundred and we felt as if we had done it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QewO3vrPXjw
Another instance Eden Gardens 1996 world up semi-finals against Sri-Lanka, a gruesome memory for all of us. See that match until Sachin played...After that match people said the pitch was tough but as long as Sachin was there it did not seem so......Even with fielders crowding the off-side the cover drives were thundering and bowlers looked hapless. He made 65 and got stumped and that was the end of India's chase.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqn74Nf7u1k
Today people comment...."Yes Sachin is great but why all this fuss"..."Why so many facebook status messages"....'Dravid was actually greater than Sachin".... above all the worst which has been for years
" When Sachin scored a hundred, India lost".....Imagine what would the scorecard have been in those matches that we lost ,had he also got out cheaply. There is nothing wrong in celebrating him to this extent...We are not sure if this sport in India will see a legend of his stature. If Sir Donald Bradman had been the benchmark until now Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar will be the book of batsmanship for decades to come. It is simply the years when Sachin was India's one man army that made people to say he is the "GOD" of cricket and that impact stayed till his last walk when people chanted " Sachin.....Sachin". The brief silence after he got out the final time reminded me of all the other innumerable similar reactions over the years
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is undoubtedy a blessed soul for GOD gave him the stage of his homeground and a respectable 74 in his last innings filled with his vintage shots to take a final bow....people will say that even at 42 on his last match he was up to the level.... You can say it was West Indes...but still you have to score and it is a International game.
On a personal note thank you Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar for all the entertainment over the years....You have made us proud as an Indian. Even in countries like Germany where they don't have an idea about cricket they know you....thank you, thank you and thank you. I always feel blessed that GOD gave me a chance to be born in an era where I was able to watch you bat
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