I saw him bleed. I saw him fight the bad guys all by himself. I saw him risk it all for his family’s honour. I clung to every turn, I prayed at every fumble. I cried and I screamed my lungs out, and when Aamir Khan finally peddled himself to that famous photo finish victoryin Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, I went berserk.
Twelve years on, I was (not exactly) sitting in the IIM Bangalore mess, still as animated, as eager as back then. The cricketing god was weaving his magic with the bat and the mighty Australians seemed mere mortals. The impossible target was just a few hits away, the entire country stood still. But then the unimaginable happened. One bad shot and the crowd went silent. Such is his presence that as soon as he left, the innings just crumbled and we finished 3 runs short.
As you can probably make out, the second instant was the fifth one dayer between India and Australia. By the end of it, there was one name that made all the difference – Sachin Tendulkar. “He should have played till the end. He failed yet again when it mattered the most”; commented most of the experts like myself. If one looks at his record, it further validates the theory that Sachin is not a crunch player. That he hasn’t performed every time India has needed him to come up with a match winning effort. I have never really been the stats sort of guy and hence I differ in my opinion of that one person who most believe was born to play the game (It’s only my opinion of course).
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, the phenomenon, the magician, the icon and most loved Indian ever. No adjective or superlative can ever describe what he has stood for all these years, not just for India but the sport as a whole. To be honest I would never want to be in his shoes. The weight of a billion expectations, the niggling injuries and the ageing body not helping, he is still there. The hunger, the motivation, the reflexes are better, sharper than ever. He loves the game and we love him. I wish I could go up to him one day and say,” Sir, please remember that for every critic who’s after you, you also have a million fans who love you and pray for you to continue as long as you can. Thank you for giving us a million reasons to love the game of cricket.”
And for the critics, if you aren’t an Indian, then just shut up, and if you are one among those sick backstabbing lot, may God be with you like the way he has always been with Sachin. Yes, God surely loves him. Was it his fault that there wasn’t a captain like Dhoni to lead a side as balanced as the current team to back him with the support he so evidently lacked when he was firing on all cylinders back in the nineties? Didn’t you switch channels every time Sachin got out early?
People never appreciate what they have. He is not a movie hero like Aamir Khan. He is for real and he can fail sometimes, unlike movie heroes. He is a jewel. Treasure him and treasure every match that he graces with his mere presence. When he finally bids adieu to his beloved game, there will be very few records that he will not have broken. But that hardly matters to the Little Master. He never played for records anyways. And when he steps in to that Oval one last time, I will not be surprised if I find myself crying like a baby for there will never be another Sachin Tendulkar.
