In a country where cricket is a religion , Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is seen as the Lord Almighty. THe pulse of indian cricket. Its force de majeure.
From his debut series in pakistan, where he refused to leave the field despite being bloodied by a bouncer from one of the pakistani quickies( he went on to score 50 odd runs), he has displayed an unparalleled sense of determination and devotion.
He is in my view, the world’s best cricketer. Im talking purely in terms of cricketing skills here.
For he may not possess the consistency Sir Don Bradman had. He may not be quite the leader, Imran Khan was. ANd quite arguably, he may not have the grittiness of Steve Waugh.
BUT when he is on song, when he is batting with all the fluency, grace and power, which he is famous for, then , I cannot think of anyone who is capable of batting the way he does!!
His blistering straight drives, his heart stopping hook shots ( especially if Mc Grath is bowling) leave you breathless....wondering if this guy is indeed mere mortal.
The highest run getter in One Day Internationals, over 7000 test runs at an average of about 60, Sachin Tendulkar’s on field exploits dont really need any introduction to any cricket lover.
But I would like to single out two occasions that stand out in my memory.
The first was in the 91-92 test series in Australia. In Perth on a pitch that was a fast bowler’s dream come true, and with more than half the indian team back in the pavillion, 17 yr old sachin hit a century, an innings he himself has oft rated as his best.
The second were his back to back centuries in Sharjah, again versus the Aussies. ( I dont know what it is about them , that seems to set off something in sachin....causing him to come up with one stunning performance after the other nearly every time he plays against them !! )
Coming back to the sharjah series, I thought i’d seen it all, when his 130 odd dazzling runs saw india through to the final. But tow days later on his 24th birthday, he did it yet again. In what can best be decribed as a ’’blitzkrieg’’ of an innings, sachin simply stunned the aussies, and the cup was india’s !
Indeed his knocks on those two days are in a league of their own, and it required horrendous decisions by the umpires on both occasions, to get him out !!
Im a DIEHARD Sachin fan ( as is quite obvious I suppose). But im not blind to his ’’faults’’. HE has several times, played reckless, over aggressive shots, costing india dearly in the process.
But you see, even in that statement lies an admission of the extent to which Indian cricket relies on him.Indeed, sachin’s early departure in a match, more often than not, spells doom for the indian team.
Sad but true. On the other hand when Sachin fires, india usually wins. And an indian cricket victory brings smiles on indian faces !!!
With reference to recent events, Sachin may or may not have ’’tampered’’ with the ball . ( Though I do not even for a second believe he is guilty). But what is outrageous is the way the match referee showed total disregard for the ICC norms in such an issue ( he is supposed to act on a complaint by either the umpires or the opposition captain..not play sherlock holmes !!) ( also the ball is supposed to be examined after the alleged tampering...not at th end of the day’s play !!)
Cricket- hailed as a ’’gentleman’s game ’’. Ironic then that gentlemen cricketers are a fast disappearing species today.
Which is what makes sachin the perfect role model he is today.
You’ll never be able to point out a single instance where sachin has argued with an umpire, over an unfair decision...not even a glare at the bowler or umpire. Nor does he ever initiate a verbal battle with his opponents.
In fact is is very rarely that he even responds to baiting by them. By his own admission , he’d rather let his bat do the talking.
It is all of this and much more which have made Sachin, the legend he is today.
This is why, ’’allegations’’ cast upon him by people like Denness the menace can never really tarnish his reputation.
This is why a whole nation is outraged when he is accused of ’’bringing the game to disrepute’’.
This is why Sachin Tendulkar is who he is!!!!!