SACHIN
TENDULKAR
SACHIN
TENDULKAR – in many ways – is ONE
IN A BILLION. He is my favorite cricketer, just as, he is YOURS. Today, he is
on every TV screen for so many hours, in place of movies, episodes, news and
all other programs – for an unpalatable reason. He is signing off from CRICKET
and that is not a heart-warming reason
for any one of us.
But that is how life
is. We all retire from our professions some time or other. Sachin’s retirement
is of course, tremendously special, because, a billion pair of eyes are
watching him sign off from Test cricket. Perhaps much more than a Billion, if we
include spectators from all other
cricket loving nations. Are Sri Lankans watching CHGM or SACHIN – it will be
interesting to find out.
If you hadn’t sees SACHIN
with TEARY EYES all these years, today was the day to catch him with teary
eyes.
Which were his best
Partnerships in cricket - I don’t know. But, his Best partnership, as Sachin
confirmed today, was / is with Anjali, his lifelong partner and wife. And, today,
you could catch her with teary eyes too. That’s not all. You could see tears in
the eyes of many young boys and many not-so-young BOYS AND ELDERS too.
He had always made
people hilarious and made them go into raptures with his batting (and at times)
bowling miracles. Today, he made people sad and teary–eyed, after making 74
runs at the crease. He walked back after those 74 runs. And, it was HISTORY.
I don't feel there is
any need for me to recall any of his Greatest feats. I am anyway sure - he is
the greatest Cricketer of this Generation.
As I see from
Wikipedia and other web sites - he was born on 24 April 1973; started his
cricketing at the age of eleven; made his test debut against Pakistan at the
age of sixteen; was the first player to score one hundred International
Centuries; was the first player to score a double century in a one
day International; thus far the only one to complete 34,000 runs in
international cricket; now quitting test cricket - after 200 tests ; Cricket
Pundits can perhaps reel out many, many more Great achievements of Sachin
Tendulkar – with greater accuracy and uptodate statistics. Unfortunately for
them, there will be no more UPDATES.
For me, what I Know
of Sachin is enough indicator of his Greatness in Cricket and his greatness as
a human being too. He undoubtedly is the most famous cricket legend from India
– and perhaps from the world – for these 24 years that he has been around in
cricket.
As is inherent in any
such great sport - money, riches and
Fame also came to him naturally. He was the icon sought after by Ad Agencies
for many products - Like Band-aid of Johnson and Johnson, Boost, Gillette,
Action shoes, Pepsi, worldTel, Visa, Philips, MRF tyres, Adidas, Colgate
Total and so on, as I find from some of
the web sites. There may be more and some of these here may be insignificant
ones.
It is not that, he
was beyond criticism in his life. He was criticized by many on occasions; like
- when he requested for a Customs duty waiver on his Ferrari, which was gifted
to him by auto major Fiat, or when he made a request to the Maharashtra
Government to grant him extra Floor Space Index to set up a gymnasium at his
plush house. But, in my view, these are trifles and small stuff.
He was bitterly
criticized when he failed with his bat for long periods – on the cricket ground. People cried for his blood.
People said – he was more interested in his own statistics – not in his
country’s winning. Sometimes, even his
cricketer colleagues had said that it was time he retired. But, all these
happen, in any sportsman’s career. He can’t always be hitting centuries or Half
Centuries.
A cricketer in his
blues can hit plain Ducks, incredible zeroes, when people are expecting a
century or a double century to shore up his Country’s image. Times are not
always with anyone.
But then, people
expected centuries only from him – not
even from Captain Dhoni, not also from any other recognized batsman in the team.
Only Sachin was expected to hit centuries – and not hitting one – was regarded
as an unpardonable sin. It is all part of the Love-Hate game with the Fans.
Any mad love is bound
to have elements of hate embedded within. But, the hate is still love. Had
Sachin quit then, the fans would have been madder.
Now, let us see the
recognition that he got - for these achievements.
Sachin was honoured
with Padma Vibhushan, India's second
highest civilian award, and the Rajiv
Gandhi Khel Ratna award, India's highest sporting honour. Tendulkar won the
2010 Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for
cricketer of the year at the ICC awards. In 2012, Tendulkar was nominated to Rajya Sabha, the upper
house of the Parliament of India. He was also the first sportsperson and the
first one without aviation background to be awarded the honorary rank of Group Captain by the Indian Air Force. In 2012, he
was named as an Honorary Member of the
Order of Australia.
I think, more and
more honors will get heaped on Sachin - now that he is quitting the Test
cricket.
Many call him God of Cricket. it is their love for
him. For those who have nothing to do with cricket in the world, what does he
mean to them? I don't know.
There is talk that he
may be given Bharat Ratna. Does he deserve the award. He does. But, there is
still time for it. Forget for a moment what India got from Sachin Tendulkar.
Sachin Tendulkar also got much more from India.
So what? – readers will ask. I have a strong request to make to
Sachin. Think of Bill Gates. Think of Warren Buffet. Think of our very own
Wipro chairman, Azim Premji. Think of Ratan TATA. They too earned. They too
made equally great and permanent miracles, in their respective spheres. But now, they are
sharing what people gave them – their riches, their compassion, their time,
their heart - with the poorest, the suffering people of the world.
Now, is your
opportunity, Sachin. For all that I know of your humane nature, you may already
be doing something in that direction. For doing some service to cricket, you will
of course be the natural choice. But, for doing something to the poor and
suffering people of India, You will have to choose yourself. Nobody else will
do it for you. When you will choose yourself for the service of the poorest and
the suffering, You will realize that you are REALLY THE GOD ON EARTH. After
all, LOVE is God. Compassion is God. I wish you a long, long life, in the service
of Humanity.
Yours
(V.VIJAYAMOHAN)
NOW A FEW GREAT QUOTES ON SACHIN
“When
Sachin Tendulkar traveled to Pakistan to face one of the finest bowling attacks
ever assembled in cricket; Michael Schumacher was yet to race a F1 car, Lance
Armstrong had never been to the Tour de France, Diego Maradona was still the
captain of a world champion Argentina team, Pete Sampras had never won a Grand
Slam.
When Tendulkar embarked on a glorious
career taming Imran and company, Roger Federer was a name unheard of; Lionel
Messi was in his nappies, Usain Bolt was an unknown kid in the Jamaican
backwaters. The Berlin Wall was still intact, USSR was one big, big country, Dr
Manmohan Singh was yet to “open” the Nehruvian economy. It seems while Time was
having his toll on every individual on the face of this planet, he excused one
man. Time stands frozen in front of Sachin Tendulkar. We have had champions, we
have had legends, but we have never had another Sachin Tendulkar and we never
will.” = Time magazine
Beneath
the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is
something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that
allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those
who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes
out to bat, people switch on their TV sets and switch off their lives. = BBC
The
joy he brings to the millions of his countrymen, the grace with which he
handles all the adulation and the expectations and his innate humility - all
make for a one-in-a-billion individual. =
Glenn McGrath
I'd
like to see him go out one day and bat with a stump. I tell you he'd do OK…. I
just get the feeling because of his mental strength that Sachin will be
definitely the best player of his era and probably the best 2-3 of all time. = Greg Chappell
I
had to remind Gary Kristen often that he was in the covers to field against Sachin
not to applaud him. = Hansie Cronje
We
did not lose to a team called India... we lost to a man called Sachin. = Mark Taylor, during test match in
Chennai (1998)
Sachin
was so focused. He never looked like getting out. He was batting with
single-minded devotion. It was truly remarkable. It was a lesson. = Martina Navratilova - Tennis legend
On
a train from Shimla to Delhi, there was a halt in one of the stations. The
train stopped by for few minutes as usual. Sachin was nearing century, batting
on 98. The passengers, railway officials, everyone on the train waited for
Sachin to complete the century. This genius can stop time in India! = Peter Roebuck, Aussie journalist
The
last time I watched Sachin was last week when he was on his way to a
spectacular 175 and once again I felt that I was watching a player who comes
but once in a century. It can be said that he is the Bradman of our times and I
do feel privileged to have played a lot of cricket against him,” = Steve Waugh
He
can play that leg glance with a walking stick also. = Waqar
Younis
I
have delayed my shoots many times to watch Sachin bat = Amitabh Bachchan
There
are 2 kind of batsmen in the world. One Sachin Tendulkar. Two all the others. = Andy Flower
Sir Don Bradman:
"I saw him playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I
asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I felt that
this player is playing with a style similar to mine, and she looked at him on
Television and said yes, there is a similarity between the two...his
compactness, technique, stroke production... it all seemed to gel!"
Brian Lara :
"The only batsman I would love to see by paying for the tickets and
sitting in the stand just to watch him is none other than Sachin
Tendulkar" and "Sachin is a genius. I'm a mere mortal"
Vivian Richards :
"I think he is marvellous. I think he will fit in whatever category of
Cricket that has been played or will be played, from the first ball that has
ever been bowled to the last ball that's going to be. He can play in any era
and at any level. I would say he's 99.5 per cent perfect."
"I
have seen God, he bats at no. 4 for India," = Australian batsman Matthew Hayden
A placard at the SCG:
Commit all your crimes when Sachin is batting. They will go unnoticed because
even the Lord is watching.
Hashim Amla:
Nothing bad can happen to us if we're on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar
on it.
There
are over 200 million illiterate women in India. This low literacy negatively
impacts not just their lives but also their families' and the country's
economic development. A girl's lack of education also has a negative impact on
the health and well-being of her children.
= Sachin Tendulkar
Schools
across India do not have teachers, libraries, playing grounds and even toilets.
I do not want to see empty classrooms, empty libraries. I do not want to see
cattle grazing on fields meant to be cricket or football grounds. = Sachin Tendulkar
Today’s
TV channels give the Stats as : 664 matches, 34357 runs, 164 Fifties, 100
Hundreds, 200 wickets. God of cricket
Hats
off to you, God of Cricket! You too are retiring. What a Life!
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