Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar: God of Indian Cricket

Ever since I started watching cricket,I have seen the same small sturdy man come up to the crease,donning my country’s colours.He would do little sit-ups,look around,and then go into a hawk like pose.Full of concentration.Full of commitment.It was oozing from every part of him,from every nook and cranny of him.And when he did start playing,he was a ballerina with a bat.Graceful,perfect,and sometimes powerful.He was Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar,a batting legend,a cricketing maestro.As he struck a new world record of the first man to score two hundred runs in one day cricket this year,I cant help but think of him as one of the only constant factors of an Indian’s television viewing life.He brought pride to a billion people,who have been starved of any great sporting feats.He was hope,a role model for youngsters.A ray of light for thousands who wielded the bat and threw a ball.

Born on 24th april,1973,into a family from Maharashtra,in Western India,he was the youngest among three.He had a keen eye for the game right from his childhood days.His coach,Ramakant Achrekar,noticed the precocious talent and honed it by placing one rupee coins on the cricket stumps,challenging Sachin to save his wicket while batting in the nets.

If he gets though the day without letting the bowler dislodge the one rupee coin,he would get the coin.Sachin would later go to say that those coins were the greatest memento he treasured.At school,he impressed with great and invincible innings and made an unbroken 664 run partnership with good friend, Vinod Kambli,who would later go on to represent the Indian team along with Sachin.The deadly pair destroyed bowler morale and would be an unchallenged duo in inter school matches and ranji trophy matches.Though,Sachin would continue his dominance in world cricket as well,Vinod Kambli couldn’t hold on to the same success in the international stage.

Sachin was selected into the Indian team at the juvenile age of sixteen,and on his very first outing,had to face Pakistan,and deadlier bowlers like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.He made just fifteen runs in his very first innings,but was noticed for the way he handled the most lethal pace attack at that time.In the same series,he would go on to thrash 53 runs of just 18 balls,even taking great spinners like Abdul Qadir to the cleaners.There was no stopping Sachin after that,scoring an unbeaten 148 against Australia at Perth and he had come to stay.

Sachin’s meteoric rise continued throughout the nineties,and at his physical peak,one could hear his name after every big innings.Sachins personal life also looked up,with him marrying Anjali,a Paediatrician.But then the bad times began.

He was greatly saddened by the loss of his father inbetween the 99 world cup in Nairobi where he flew back to attend the last rites.His back troubled him during the match against Pakistan at Chennai,where India lost.Sachin was made captain and he fared poorly as a leader,often suffering successive defeats and coming under immense fire from critics.Sachin’s apparent decline began from 2001.

There was no real decline since Sachin would continue to score heavily in a few games,while flopping in a few.Sachin could never be in decline,and he proved it under the able captaincies of Sourav Ganguly and Mahendra Singh Dhoni,that with the weight lifted from his shoulders,he could play without any strings attached.

Sachin broke numerous records,notably the highest number of runs in one day cricket,as well as tests,standing at 17,598 and 11,953 runs respectively.Sachin also scored the maximum number of centuries till date both in one days and tests,standing at 47 and 46 respectively.He received various Indian awards,Including the Padma Bhushan and the khel ratna.The late Sir Don Bradman,the greatest batsman ever,commended Sachin,and was pleased to acknowledge Sachin’s batting was very similar to his own.

Perhaps,more than the records,Sachin loved to play for India,and his stature in India and among the Indian diaspora,think along divine terms.This year,Sachin turned 36 and India are on top of the ratings table.Is Sachin getting old???

we ponder..well..I think we are the only ones who keep thinking about his age,cause he most certainly does not.The timeless legend will live on.Even after he downs his gloves.