The chants of Sachin… Sachin… turn back the clock to…
186 vs NZ in 1999 or for some it could be the 241* vs Australia in 2004, or the 98 vs Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup, 193 vs England in 2002, 200 vs South Africa in 2010, there’s a never-ending list…
Many might not remember the numbers, the venue, the opponent or the staggering records he made but the name, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, still rings a bell- a bell so loud that it brings a smile to every Indian’s face. This, irrespective of their reservations about the game of cricket--- of which Sachin is considered the ‘God’
On 15th November 1989 in Karachi, a 16-year-old strolled out who was already being hailed as the next big thing in Indian cricket. In front of a formidable Pakistan bowling line-up consisting of Wasim Akram, Imran Khan & Waqar Younis, Sachin Tendulkar, the 5'5'' teenager scored 15 before being cleaned up by the sensational Waqar. But what followed in the years to come was beyond anyone’s imagination.
Also read Cracking Tendulkar's longevity code: the cricket god who ‘saw bigger picture & made the most of his body'
The Mumbai-born young man who felt, ‘clueless’ on his Test debut in 89 suddenly was being seen as an heir apparent to Sir Donald Bradman. The legendary Australian cricketer himself acknowledged Master Blaster’s talent in his dotage when he found Sachin’s playing technique similar to his own. This was in 1998, Sachin was 25 at that time.
Sachin, now 50, retired in 2013 after over 24 years of service still rules the heart of cricket lovers. In November this year, a decade would have passed since Sachin last played for Team India. Despite this lengthy stretch, Tendulkar, the fear-instilling master is still talked about, and the gold standard that he set, remains unachieved.
Former Australian cricketer Brett Lee once spoke about Virat Kohli’s talent. He predicted that Kohli could attain Sachin’s remarkable feat of hundred 100s that he achieved at 39 years of age. While that is still due to happen, Lee had also appended, ‘How can you say someone can go past Sachin Tendulkar- this is God here, can someone go better than God’
Kohli, who has become India’s heartthrob, modelled his career around precocious talent. Not just him, but current Indian captain Rohit Sharma, Mithali Raj, Virender Sehwag, Suryakumar Yadav, Jemimah Rodrigues, Pooja Vastrakar are just some other names from the lengthy list of cricketers for whom Master Blaster became the inspiration.
The ex-Indian captain carried Tendulkar on his shoulders after the memorable 2011 World Cup win at the Wankhede. He had then aptly said, ‘Tendulkar carried the burden of the nation for 21 years so it is time we carried him on our shoulders'
The ones who are considered the greats of the game hail Tendulkar as the greater one. While Brian Lara had conceded, ‘Sachin is a genius, I am a mere mortal’, Viv Richards had said, ‘he is 99.5% perfect’
On the 0.5% --- that could be human mistakes--- banked on by some of the best bowlers and captains around the world. England’s Nasser Hussain had once recalled in an interview how he used to call many meetings when he was the captain just to get Sachin out. Michael Clarke too agreed to it and added that technically the Indian star did not have a weakness. ‘Part of you hoped that he made a mistake’, Clarke said.
For Mathew Hayden, he had seen God. He said, ‘He bats at number 4 for India’
The emotion reverberated across India when Sachin batted.
For Indian fans, Sachin, the immortal idol is God, if cricket is their religion.
But the humility of India’s superstar who successfully carried the aspirations of 1.2 billion people for over 2 decades is such--- that he always behaved as ‘the most dutiful servant of the game’