It
was 1997 and I was just a 8 year old Kid who had already taken cricket as his
passion. At that time, there was a myth, when an Indian batsman goes out to
bat, people switched on their television sets and switch off their lives and
when he was out, people switched off their television sets. His wicket was
equivalent to be India’s lose even opposing player used to feel that his
dismissal meant they could win the game. Former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna
Ranatunga once said,” You get him out and half the battle is won”. But as I
grew up, I realized that why this myth has been created. How many times, he
drove the Indian team on a winning note singly handed. I am not talking about
“Sachin Ramesh Tendulakar”. I am talking about “God of cricket”.
No indivual is bigger than the game, But in the case of Sachin, one could definitely say that he is bigger than game. It is right that the glory of his name exists because of cricket. But in some cases he has defined cricket. Most of the Indian initiated to follow cricket due to Sachin. For the people living in Indian subcontinent country’s like Nepal, Bhutan and China, Cricket is a game which is played by Sachin Tendulkar . On one occasion, President of the most powerful nation, Barack Obama said,” I don’t know about cricket but still I watch cricket to see Sachin play. Not because I love his play it’s because I want to know the reason why my country production goes down by 5 percent when he’s batting”.
Some of the greatest cricketing legends praise the Sachin in one way or other…
Brian
Lara - Sachin Tendulkar is a genius. I’m
a mere mortal.
Mark
Taylor – We didn’t lose to a team called
India …… we lost to a man called Sachin.
Andy
Flower – There are two kinds of batsmen in
the world. One Sachin. Two all the others.
Waqar
Younis – He can play that leg glance with
a walking stick also.
Daniel
Vettori -”He has been in form longer than
some of our guys have been alive.
Anil
Kumble – I am very privileged to have
played with him and seen most of the runs that he has scored. I am also
extremely happy to have shared the same dressing room.
Rudy
Kortzen – I never get tired during umpiring
whenever Sachin is on crease.
Harsha
Bhogle – There is no better sight on
cricket field than watch Tendulkar bat.
Australian
Fan – Do your crime when Sachin is
batting, because even god is busy watching his batting.
Tendulkar is not just a name its like a habit to Indian people. I still remember, how my grandfather used to ask those two questions during India’s Match- First India ka score kya hai (what is India’s score)? Second Tendulkar kitna banaya (how much runs did Tendulkar score), without even confirming that whether Sachin is in India’s squad or not. Still all non cricketing fans are in the practice of asking these two questions. For more than two decades now, People have been debating with their friends and fellows for him, have sticked to their television and radio sets as long as he was out in the field with his willow, students bunked the classes, people skipped there important meetings just to see him play, there are people who wish that India should be 2 down as soon as possible in test match so that the little genius could walk out to play and if he was out without putting up a good show, they wished India’s 2nd innings should came as early as possible even at the cost of a few less runs for the team in the first innings. Sachin was the reason why the apparently innocent power supply staff had to experience the ugliest possible abusive languages from us and our friends for his guilt of power-cut in our area during his batting. If by chance, after the power supply resumed, one more wicket down then we wished that fall wicket was not of Sachin.
One good cover drive or a late cut made their day. A vintage video from youtube could bring us back to our childhood. The more we see him, the more we want to see him. He made us do so many stupid things and we enjoyed doing us because Sachin was such an obession of everyone. We didn’t want him to quit because it would mean our childhood was over. There is a saying that “21 days are enough to change a habit”. But how can we change this habit which is a part of our life for the last 24 years. From kids to old folks, from teenager to senior citizen, from followers to co-players, it has been a hard thing to imagine an India team without Tendulkar. Also it couldn’t have been easy for Sachin Tendulkar to bid an adieu to the game since cricket has been his life, his dream his solitary love outside the family. But he leaves behind an aspect of cricket that he defined. It’s going to be an emotional time for the whole of India.
His deeds on the field are folklore, but it was the way he carried himself off the field that sets him apart. Despite all the adulation and love which can be stifling at times, he was the perfect role model for youngster, and that is why parents want their kids to be like Sachin. He has been an ambassador of cricket around the world. For past 24 years he is the lightning rod for our emotions; a Tendulkar century could lift spirits on the gloomiest of days, a failure could plunge the country into deep despair. No other single Indian has had the ability to make the entire country smile. Definitely, Sachin retirement’s day would be a gloomy day not only for Indian cricket, but as well as for world cricket also. In the honor of the Master Blaster, BCCI should retire India jersey number 10 and preserve it forever. After 200th test, Sachin will retire from cricket, but he lives in the memory of all who saw his batting wizardry. Cricketers like Sachin come once in a lifetime and we have privileged he played in our time and literally, we are feeling blessed.
Definitely, it is worth to saying that who knows even GOD has just sent him to play this beautiful game on his behalf as he might himself wanted to play Cricket.
Tendulkar is not just a name its like a habit to Indian people. I still remember, how my grandfather used to ask those two questions during India’s Match- First India ka score kya hai (what is India’s score)? Second Tendulkar kitna banaya (how much runs did Tendulkar score), without even confirming that whether Sachin is in India’s squad or not. Still all non cricketing fans are in the practice of asking these two questions. For more than two decades now, People have been debating with their friends and fellows for him, have sticked to their television and radio sets as long as he was out in the field with his willow, students bunked the classes, people skipped there important meetings just to see him play, there are people who wish that India should be 2 down as soon as possible in test match so that the little genius could walk out to play and if he was out without putting up a good show, they wished India’s 2nd innings should came as early as possible even at the cost of a few less runs for the team in the first innings. Sachin was the reason why the apparently innocent power supply staff had to experience the ugliest possible abusive languages from us and our friends for his guilt of power-cut in our area during his batting. If by chance, after the power supply resumed, one more wicket down then we wished that fall wicket was not of Sachin.
One good cover drive or a late cut made their day. A vintage video from youtube could bring us back to our childhood. The more we see him, the more we want to see him. He made us do so many stupid things and we enjoyed doing us because Sachin was such an obession of everyone. We didn’t want him to quit because it would mean our childhood was over. There is a saying that “21 days are enough to change a habit”. But how can we change this habit which is a part of our life for the last 24 years. From kids to old folks, from teenager to senior citizen, from followers to co-players, it has been a hard thing to imagine an India team without Tendulkar. Also it couldn’t have been easy for Sachin Tendulkar to bid an adieu to the game since cricket has been his life, his dream his solitary love outside the family. But he leaves behind an aspect of cricket that he defined. It’s going to be an emotional time for the whole of India.
His deeds on the field are folklore, but it was the way he carried himself off the field that sets him apart. Despite all the adulation and love which can be stifling at times, he was the perfect role model for youngster, and that is why parents want their kids to be like Sachin. He has been an ambassador of cricket around the world. For past 24 years he is the lightning rod for our emotions; a Tendulkar century could lift spirits on the gloomiest of days, a failure could plunge the country into deep despair. No other single Indian has had the ability to make the entire country smile. Definitely, Sachin retirement’s day would be a gloomy day not only for Indian cricket, but as well as for world cricket also. In the honor of the Master Blaster, BCCI should retire India jersey number 10 and preserve it forever. After 200th test, Sachin will retire from cricket, but he lives in the memory of all who saw his batting wizardry. Cricketers like Sachin come once in a lifetime and we have privileged he played in our time and literally, we are feeling blessed.
Definitely, it is worth to saying that who knows even GOD has just sent him to play this beautiful game on his behalf as he might himself wanted to play Cricket.
very nice bhai
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