Its a year since God has retired. I am sharing, rather resharing the post I put on 15th Nov 2013, the day before he hung up his boots. Kishore December 1989 Sialkot, Pakistan. It is still so fresh in memory as though it was just yesterday. India tottering at 38 for four in the second innings against the fiery pace of Wasim and Waqar and at the verge of a familiar batting collapse. In walked the sixteen year old boy in the last innings of the last test of his debut series. A vicious Waqar bouncer hit his nose as he started to bleed profusely and was in a daze. While we were expecting him to be taken off the field, he washed his face and came back to the crease to take guard. The next ball was sent for a four. He scored a fifty in that innings and saved the match. Congress party under Rajiv Gandhi had lost the elections after the Bofors scam and V P Singh had taken over as the new PM amidst much drama with the managed help of Choudhary Devi Lal (Om Prakash Chautalas father). South Africa was under apartheid, Russia under communist rule as part of the USSR, Germany was not united and I was doing my Engineering. Later in that tour in an exhibition match the boy hit Abdul Qadir the Paki ace leg spinner for 27 runs in one over with four sixes in a row. For a country that was always awestruck at the batting prowess of Viv Richards at the top of the order, or grudgingly appreciated Miandad and Salim Malik when they thrashed the bowlers, Sachin was a new sensation. Not that we did not have good batsmen until then. But not those who could take the attack back to the bowling, that too on top of the order. We had to settle with a Srikkanth whose batting gave us more tension than confidence, that he was in a hurry to get out, or once in a while Kapil smashing the bowlers, batting lower down the order. What we got through Sachin was a regular top order batsman who could hit a Wasim Akram for a six as though he was a spinner, which until he arrived, we never really had. In a way, Sachin Tendulkar catalysed a transformation through Indian cricket which India itself as a whole was undergoing that time after decades of slow pace and defensive approach to a more open economy with aggressive policies and growth rates. We were getting back the pride and honour not only in the cricket field, but in almost every field, slowly but surely. People around the world started to look at us with more respect, especially at the new wonder kid who could wield his willow as though he was born with it. Twenty years back this month in Kolkata, during the Hero cup semifinal, South Africa needed just 6 runs to win off the last over. Azhar, the captain ignored Kapil Dev and Manoj Prabhakar and tossed the ball to the young Sachin. In that one over, he bowled off spin, leg spin, medium pace, varied the length and line and won the match for us by 2 runs. Later we defeated WI in the final to win the Hero Cup. The whole nation by then started to believe in a new messiah who could convert whatever he touched as gold. So much so that people used to remember many of their own personal milestones like graduating, or getting a job or marriage through many of Sachins innings. Like my good friend used to wonder how I remember his wedding anniversary date correctly. I told him it was easy as it was during his wedding, Sachin hit that famous desert storm back to back centuries in April 1998 against Australia and won us the championship in Sharjah. The way he moved further to the leg side and danced down to hit Michael Kasporowicz out of the ground is still etched in everyones memory, or the way he hit McGrath for a six in Nairobi. I dont know if that was what prompted Kasporowicz to say later - Dont bowl bad balls to him mate, he hits good balls for boundaries!. Through three generations and for about a quarter of century of years, having played with or against almost 1000 international players in more than 100 different grounds throughout the world, Sachin did not just bring glory and joy to us by his cricket. He gave us much much more than that in fact. He taught us what endurance and resilience are all about, battling through many career threatening injuries to come back even stronger. Right from his debut series when he braved that bouncer hit, or when he struggled with cramps and a bad back, yet almost saved or even could have won the match for us single-handedly against Pak in Chennai during Jan 1999 with that second innings 136. Who would have imagined he would hit another second innings century at the same venue to help us win against England almost ten years later, after his tennis elbow and shoulder injuries. Or the 175 he hit against Aus in Hyderabad in 2009, especially in the way he hit that century, or to hit the first double ton ever in a ODI against SA. He also showed us how we can remain grounded even when reaping success after success and not allow that to get to our heads. He renewed our faith in hard and honest work and gave us hope, even when the world around him was falling apart in match fixing and spot fixing allegations. He proved to us that we can indeed be world beaters and of world class, no matter from which corner of India and what background we come from. He replied to sledging with his bat and to the critics in his own words, by converting each stones thrown at him to a new milestone. Above all he inspired many Sachins to be created, not just in cricket but in every profession, sport and art. Yet the one thing that I sadly differed with him was on his choice of timing his retirement. Not because I would not love to see him bat and score more. But having seen him do all those that make me write all of the above, I and am sure some other fans of his did not want to see him struggle, and walk back to the pavilion with a dejected face getting out to the likes of Panesars and Clarkes or rookie bowlers from Newzealand and Bangladesh. However it was his choice and decision so I respect it. As we saw this morning being in his elements, perhaps God had a better plan than what we mortals could foresee to decide how his swan song is going to be. Who knows there is even greater glory in the next one as at this moment, for just one more time to see the great man do his half squat before taking his stance and then hit the high back lift flick off the stumps for a boundary, that too a fast bowlers good length delivery, or the poetic carpet on drive by presenting the full face of the bat, in the only way that he alone could make the wood meet the leather, the whole nation prays and waits. To tell our grandchildren what Mathew Hayden said - that we had seen God batting live, at No:4 position for India.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 03:48:46 +0000
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