Sachin

This day that year (2013) is when The Master last walked onto the field to represent India and to bring curtains down on a career spanning 24 long years. India hosted the (then) West Indies at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, for the last of the two-test ‘farewell’ series organized by the BCCI. Emotions were at an all-time high throughout the series. People had been speculating Sachin’s retirement for quite some time but when he finally announced his decision, it took a while for the fans and ‘devotees’ alike, to let that sink in.

To be honest, we did see it coming and it was doubly hard to come to terms with the fact that this series was going to be his last. For people like me, who literally grew up watching him, his retirement meant it was time for us as well turn a page in our lives, to move on, and that as we all know, is the hardest thing the human soul has ever known. For Sachin though, it must have been even tougher. To quit something which you have been doing regularly, day in and day out, almost as a ritual for most parts of your life must take a huge amount of courage and I am sure deep thought must have gone into arriving at that decision. And if not for anything else, just for its enormity, it must be respected.

It was because of players like him that our game became richer and more prosperous. And it’s not the monetary riches that’s been referred to here. It’s the unparalleled popularity and the acceptance in our country this great game has seen which makes it even more special. Sachin was not the regular sports personality who was famous for his on-field prowess. He was more of a household name and soon, would go on to become nation’s favorite son. In him, young children who wanted to take up this sport as a profession, found the perfect role model to look up to. The voice of Indian cricket, Harsha remarks that it is the extraordinary work ethic that makes the Sachin Tendulkar story extra special!

Since his retirement, Indian cricket has moved forward and built on the legacy left behind by The Master. He played the game with utmost integrity and more than anything else took great pride in representing the nation. On making the last walk back to the pavilion, he fought back tears and so did a billion others. He walked back up to the square a few moments later and bowed down to touch the pitch. Tears welled up out of the eyes of the fans as they saw their hero walk out for one last time. The chants of Sachin…Sachin… grew louder by the minute. Indian cricket and the fans will forever be grateful to you.

Thank you, Sachin!

There is no one who has given the billion plus people of this nation as much joy and happiness as this man has. We as a nation were so fond of him that it became nothing short of an addiction of sorts, almost to a point where India slept well when he played well!! Yes, I am referring to none other than Sachin Tendulkar. The child prodigy, as he was once called, went on to become the God of Cricket in this part of the world.

Born in April of 1973, he was only 10 years old when he saw India lift the World Cup at Lords. Little did Kapil and his team knew then that they had inspired a whole new generation of kids back in India and among them was this young curly-haired boy who was probably too young to understand the magnitude of the win, but old enough to dream big. It was then that he took up this sport and pursued it relentlessly. He used to bat for long hours at the nets and almost had no energy left while having his meal at the dining table. Soon people started taking notice of some special talent in this young kid and it wasn’t late until national selectors got him on board. He was fast-tracked into the national side and there he was, making his debut for India in Tests against Pakistan at a tender age of 16!

In a couple of years time, he was a regular in the side and by the mid 90’s he was an established international player and was the go-to man when India was in trouble. It was a time when India was liberalizing its market and with Sachin too coming to his own, it was a marriage made in heaven for the Indian spectators. Sachin was promoted up the order to open the innings and was smashing bowlers all around the park. He impacted the game in more ways than one as he could do damage with the ball in hand as well. Be it leg-spin, off-spin, seam-up, he could bowl it all.

One of the earliest memories that I have of Sachin is during the 2003 World Cup. He owned that tournament. He almost single-handedly took India to the finals and was very close to realizing his childhood dream before it was shattered by a formidable Aussie side who made their Indian counterparts look pretty ordinary in the finals. The highlight of the tournament, however, was the onslaught against top Pakistani quicks. Wasim, Waqar, and Akhtar all were taken to the cleaners by Sachin and his then doppelganger, Sehwag.

India was dominating abroad and had just started winning overseas when the tennis elbow kicked in and he had to sit out the whole season. It was so worse he could not even lift the bat. Was it curtains then, on a prolific career? No. He battled his way out and struck a scintillating century on his return against the Windies. He remodeled his technique. He had to listen to his body and could no longer be the attacking batsman that he once was. He worked hard on his defense and started a new chapter in his career. India had a forgettable outing during the 2007 World Cup. Having being knocked out in the league stage itself, India had many questions to answer and some sweeping changes were in order.

The preparations for the 2011 World cup started way back in 2009 and rightly so. The management had identified certain players that were going to be an integral part of the team going into the 2011 CWC. It was important then for them to have enough matches under the belt so that when it came to performing in tough situations, they didn’t have nowhere to go to.

2011 World Cup was going to be Sachin’s last. He came agonizingly close to lifting the trophy twice (’96 and ’03), but as for many other things in life, some things are only supposed to happen when they are meant to happen. India began their campaign on a winning note and looked set to bring home the cup this time around. There were emotions attached to this tournament and players too were determined to do it for Sachin. India’s road to the finals was not a smooth one either. The QF vs Aus, SF vs arch rivals Pak were as competitive as any could get, both for different reasons though. The final was to be played in Mumbai and it seemed as if puri kaaynaat ne saazish ki hai aur har zarre ne Sachin ko World Cup se milane ki koshish ki hai!! Dhoni hit the winning shot and with that, he brought all Indians out on the streets. Entire Indian dressing room rushed out and there we saw players hugging each other and crying tears of joy.

Finally, their dream had come true. Sachin’s dream had come true. After long, the people of the nation had something to cheer about. Sachin, again, was in the center of it all.

BLEED BLUE

The toughest goodbye…

‘Chase your dreams, they do come true!’