2013 Update: This was written four years ago.
And while the world didnt quite end in 2012, we finally have to reckon with the prospect of cricket without Sachin.
I dont need to overemphasize that it wont be the same anymore.
Excellence, a lot of other players have in loads, but genial humanity and strength of character? Try searching a coaching book for those chapters. He has always been driven and happy to contribute to the game he loves so much, and that love has made millions of others feel a rush that they will never forget in their lives. Look at the picture above and seeing Sachin acknowledge the congratulations of the groundsmen after winning the Chennai test against England in 2008 tells you all you need to know. If you are looking for a soundtrack to describe his legacy in the world of cricket I have the perfect piece - Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 whose last movement contains the words from the poem 'Ode to Joy'! Yes, Sachin will retire one day (I can't imagine that day because all my proper cricket watching life I've never had to confront that possibility).
If the world is coming to an end on Dec. 21, 2012 like the Mayans say, my only wish is that Sachin retires on Dec 20!
And while the world didnt quite end in 2012, we finally have to reckon with the prospect of cricket without Sachin.
I dont need to overemphasize that it wont be the same anymore.
"Cricket lives in my heart and whenever I'm on a cricket field I enjoy it, and somewhere there's still a 16-year-old hidden inside who wants to go out and express himself" said Sachin Tendulkar in an interview to Cricinfo.com as he completes a phenomenal 20 years at the international level, pretty much all of them at the top of his game. Genius is such a cliche and legend such a trite adjective that they do no justice in capturing the luminosity of Sachin's radiance in the cricket world.
Newspapers, magazines, TV channels and of course websites on the internet have been working up a frenzy as the master hit a rare milestone (quick, think of another international cricketer who's spent 20 years indisputably at the top. Can't think of any? Thought so!) and all his innings, achievements and impact on the game have been super analyzed to bits. I would spare you a re run of all that, dear reader, because I wish to offer my connection with the Tendulkar universe. Firstly, in the interest of disclosure, I have never met Sachin Tendulkar. The nearest I have come to him is about 20 feet, and there was still a boundary rope, a gutter, and a six feet high fence between us. And yes, there happened to be an India Pakistan test match going on. Further disclosure, in my three years as a (sort of) sports writer, I have never had the fortune of an interview (telephonic or e-mail. What about a personal interview, you ask? Well, hello! I told you I have never met him! And I'm sure it's illegal or something to try and hurl questions at a cricketer fielding at fine leg during an test match!) or even a press conference (lousy press pass!). Truth be told, it's perhaps a good thing that I've always admired him as a fan for the pure joy he has brought to our lives through his expression of the game and his dedication to it.
My view and connection remains untainted by the need to criticize or compare or the urge to sully or sensationalize. To me, he remains the embodiment of Bob Dylan's classic song 'Forever Young'. And that's why that line at the beginning makes so much sense. For Sachin, I wish to remain the 10-year old cricket fan forever who doesn't have to analyze why his average drops in the fourth innings of a test match, or figure out why India lose even when he bats brilliantly, or suspect that he plays for a milestone sometimes, or question his captaincy credentials or theorize that he has a weakness against the ball that seams in. Of course, I can talk about Sachin's great innings - Sachinnings (one Sharjah paper called a hundred of his against Pakistan in 1996 'Sachinnings!' and I've stuck to that ever since!). Like that hundred in the desert storm in Sharjah against Australia and the one immediately after that in the final of that tournament. Or the outstanding pain barrier conquering yet Greek hero like tragic epic at Chennai against Paksitan. Or the masterfully manipulated and controlled 'look ma, no off side' double ton at Sydney. Or the cracking 114 on a fast Perth wicket where men twice his age were after him trying to take his head off. Or that poignant return against Kenya at the World Cup 24 hours after his dad's funeral. Or even that un-batting contribution of a nerveless over against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in the Hero Cup semi final in 1993 where he had just six runs to defend! I mean, you get the picture.
Almost 30,000 international runs and a mind boggling near about 100 international tons and the numerous other records, the innings and the achievements cannot be captured even in a fraction of their grandeur in a puny blog like this. But there is a perfect Sachin moment I'd like to share with everyone. It was the fifth and deciding ODI on India's historic tour to Pakistan in 2004 and India, having put 293 on the board were looking to pile on the pressure. But Inzamam Ul Haq unleashed a few classy strokes and was growing in confidence threatening to bring Pakistan back into the contest. He lofted the left armer Murali Karthik over mid on and the shot looked good enough for a six, before Tendulkar plucked it off right on the boundary rope pulling off a superb catch.
"The flat hit seemed to have just enough strength to clear long-on, but Tendulkar, skirting dangerously close to the boundary, hung on to the ball even as he ensured that he didn't step on the rope" wrote Cricinfo in their match bulletin. He ran wild with enthusiasm having contributed vitally by cutting Inzamam's dangerous looking innings short and the childlike excitement on his face as he celebrated was impossibly infectious. Seeing Sachin celebrate with such boundless mirth was an uplifting experience in itself. As the umpires confirmed that he was not touching the rope when he held the catch, what Sanjay Manjrekar said on commentary was telling. He said, 'If Sachin's claiming the catch, it has to be out!' He has always been a sportsman first, a superstar much, much later. And to top it all, it was Sachin's 100th catch in ODIs. Of course, with Sachin you're never far from a milestone. That one moment captures almost everything about what Sachin Tendulkar brings to the game.
Newspapers, magazines, TV channels and of course websites on the internet have been working up a frenzy as the master hit a rare milestone (quick, think of another international cricketer who's spent 20 years indisputably at the top. Can't think of any? Thought so!) and all his innings, achievements and impact on the game have been super analyzed to bits. I would spare you a re run of all that, dear reader, because I wish to offer my connection with the Tendulkar universe. Firstly, in the interest of disclosure, I have never met Sachin Tendulkar. The nearest I have come to him is about 20 feet, and there was still a boundary rope, a gutter, and a six feet high fence between us. And yes, there happened to be an India Pakistan test match going on. Further disclosure, in my three years as a (sort of) sports writer, I have never had the fortune of an interview (telephonic or e-mail. What about a personal interview, you ask? Well, hello! I told you I have never met him! And I'm sure it's illegal or something to try and hurl questions at a cricketer fielding at fine leg during an test match!) or even a press conference (lousy press pass!). Truth be told, it's perhaps a good thing that I've always admired him as a fan for the pure joy he has brought to our lives through his expression of the game and his dedication to it.
My view and connection remains untainted by the need to criticize or compare or the urge to sully or sensationalize. To me, he remains the embodiment of Bob Dylan's classic song 'Forever Young'. And that's why that line at the beginning makes so much sense. For Sachin, I wish to remain the 10-year old cricket fan forever who doesn't have to analyze why his average drops in the fourth innings of a test match, or figure out why India lose even when he bats brilliantly, or suspect that he plays for a milestone sometimes, or question his captaincy credentials or theorize that he has a weakness against the ball that seams in. Of course, I can talk about Sachin's great innings - Sachinnings (one Sharjah paper called a hundred of his against Pakistan in 1996 'Sachinnings!' and I've stuck to that ever since!). Like that hundred in the desert storm in Sharjah against Australia and the one immediately after that in the final of that tournament. Or the outstanding pain barrier conquering yet Greek hero like tragic epic at Chennai against Paksitan. Or the masterfully manipulated and controlled 'look ma, no off side' double ton at Sydney. Or the cracking 114 on a fast Perth wicket where men twice his age were after him trying to take his head off. Or that poignant return against Kenya at the World Cup 24 hours after his dad's funeral. Or even that un-batting contribution of a nerveless over against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in the Hero Cup semi final in 1993 where he had just six runs to defend! I mean, you get the picture.
Almost 30,000 international runs and a mind boggling near about 100 international tons and the numerous other records, the innings and the achievements cannot be captured even in a fraction of their grandeur in a puny blog like this. But there is a perfect Sachin moment I'd like to share with everyone. It was the fifth and deciding ODI on India's historic tour to Pakistan in 2004 and India, having put 293 on the board were looking to pile on the pressure. But Inzamam Ul Haq unleashed a few classy strokes and was growing in confidence threatening to bring Pakistan back into the contest. He lofted the left armer Murali Karthik over mid on and the shot looked good enough for a six, before Tendulkar plucked it off right on the boundary rope pulling off a superb catch.
"The flat hit seemed to have just enough strength to clear long-on, but Tendulkar, skirting dangerously close to the boundary, hung on to the ball even as he ensured that he didn't step on the rope" wrote Cricinfo in their match bulletin. He ran wild with enthusiasm having contributed vitally by cutting Inzamam's dangerous looking innings short and the childlike excitement on his face as he celebrated was impossibly infectious. Seeing Sachin celebrate with such boundless mirth was an uplifting experience in itself. As the umpires confirmed that he was not touching the rope when he held the catch, what Sanjay Manjrekar said on commentary was telling. He said, 'If Sachin's claiming the catch, it has to be out!' He has always been a sportsman first, a superstar much, much later. And to top it all, it was Sachin's 100th catch in ODIs. Of course, with Sachin you're never far from a milestone. That one moment captures almost everything about what Sachin Tendulkar brings to the game.
Excellence, a lot of other players have in loads, but genial humanity and strength of character? Try searching a coaching book for those chapters. He has always been driven and happy to contribute to the game he loves so much, and that love has made millions of others feel a rush that they will never forget in their lives. Look at the picture above and seeing Sachin acknowledge the congratulations of the groundsmen after winning the Chennai test against England in 2008 tells you all you need to know. If you are looking for a soundtrack to describe his legacy in the world of cricket I have the perfect piece - Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 whose last movement contains the words from the poem 'Ode to Joy'! Yes, Sachin will retire one day (I can't imagine that day because all my proper cricket watching life I've never had to confront that possibility).
If the world is coming to an end on Dec. 21, 2012 like the Mayans say, my only wish is that Sachin retires on Dec 20!
