A Tribute to Sachin Tendulkar

A Tribute to Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

23^rd December 2012, it is one of the days which I’m pretty sure that every Indian cricket fan would like to forget. Our hearts sank and eyes were moist after hearing the news of Sachin’s retirement from the ODI format without giving us a last chance to watch our god play in the blue coloured jersey with no. 10 on his back. All his fans around the world were in a state of shock and must have checked various sources over and over again to confirm this news and then hesitantly convince themselves that it had to happen.

After hearing the news of his retirement from the ODI format, I personally thought that we as his fans should respect his decision and not raise questions about it.He made cricket larger than entertainment, greater that a sport and more than a religion. He redefined the reputation of the game and made it part of everyday banter between friends at the canteen, elderly people at their poker tables and even the circles of the gossiping lady folk. From the stadiums and grounds to the smallest of nukkads, Sachin has inspired each and every one.

 Generally every inning began with an outward bending knee movement, an adjustment of the abdomen guard followed by a tap on the top of the handle and then the Sachin guard would be taken. Over the years as he has scored more and more runs everything about him has become cricket. People all over the country shut down their shops and offices, youngsters bunk their classes and the cab drivers call it a day off just to see him bat. More than the records which he had created, it is his ability to get the whole nation to a standstill which makes him the greatest cricketer India has ever had. 

Whenever I think about this legend, the 1^stimage which pops up in my mind is his cover-drive off Wasim Akram’s delivery, which went for a four. It was in the 1^stover of the Indian innings in the Indo-Pak World Cup clash in 2003. That boundary set up the momentum for an Indian win in a high-voltage game, chasing a respectable target of 274 against the team which had one of the finest bowling attacks in world cricket at that time, on the fast pitches of Centurion (South Africa). In that inning it seemed that the only thing which could stop this man who was out on a mission to make India victorious, were the advertisements and the drinks brakes.

Indian cricket fans can recall numerous instances when this legend has managed to make them feel proud of being an Indian. Fans respect him because of his sheer love for this beautiful game called cricket as well as his commitment towards his country.For me some of the prominent innings were, his 175 vs. Australia at Hyderabad in 2009, where he silenced his critics who had asked him to retire and proved to the world that he still had a lot of cricket left in him. His back to back 100s at Sharjah against the Australians, who were the No.1 ODI team at that time, is another personal favourite. Every Indian took pride in watching that marvellous inning, because there are very few moments in a fans’ life where their team outperforms the best team in the world. Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie were taken apart and it seemed that nothing was going in their favour. Then came Shane Warne, who was treated so badly by this legend that later he was quoted saying Sachin Tendulkar had appeared in his nightmares after that series. Irank his century against Kenya at Bristol in the 1999 Cricket World Cup higher than his 201* at Guwahati against South Africa, since the special thing about that century was that he scored that one after attending his father’s funeral. Three days after his father’s death he left for England to join his team for the World Cup. This shows how much he’s been committed towards our country. He dedicated that century to his father and wished that he would be satisfied after watching that knock from above.

He also teaches others the importance of respect. During a net practise session, a young Ishant Sharma kicked the ball in frustration after a poorly executed delivery. Sachin calmly went over, picked up the ball and returned it to him, telling him in a gentle manner, “it is because of this ball that you have what you have got in life, without this ball you have nothing. Treat it with the respect, it is due.”

So much has been said about his selfishness as a batsman. They say he plays for his personal records and is not a team man. He could have easily attained the feat of 50 centuries in the ODI format, by scoring one more century, but he decided to call it a day off so that a youngster could take his place in the team and the team has ample time to work out the strategies and the game plans for the 2015 Cricket World Cup in Australia.

We shall consider ourselves lucky that we are a part of an era which belongs to this legend. We still have the golden opportunity to watch him playing test cricket for India. Without giving us a warning, he went ahead and broke a million hearts retiring from the ODIs. A humble request as a die-hard fan would be that he gives us a final warning before retiring from the tests, allowing us to remember a final inning. Allow us to discover our religion for one last time, for if there is no god, there can be no religion.