Well well!! Not everyone gets that kind of a retirement party do - TopicsExpress

Well well!! Not everyone gets that kind of a retirement party do they?? It just goes to show the kind of influence that this man has had on people’s careers and lives. And to top it up with a Bharath Ratna, well, are we reading a fairy tale here?? Keeping all the hype apart, one can easily say that Tendulkar has redefined batting once and for all. His punch off the back-foot through the covers off quickies, glorious straight drives, upper cuts, and paddle sweeps were copyrighted. Some were well-rehearsed, some were invented in the heat of the battle. His ability to pace the innings and finding the right mix between caution and aggression depending on the situation came like a breath of fresh air to the game. His supreme technique, a combination of strong defence and ferocious and clever offence, lent him the consistency across a sustained period of time. Amidst all those things that were spoken about him today, one line from Harsha summed up his career aptly when he said “A lifetime spent under scrutiny.” It truly was one. From making a match-saving maiden hundred in England when the whole team was coming apart under tough conditions, to making that attacking 114 in Perth as a 19-year old and catching the attention of the entire cricketing world, to truly choking me for the first time with that 136 against Pakistan in Chennai, those splendid WC knocks, the 155* against Australia, the list is endless. But each and every Indian could write a thesis about each of those knocks. And to carry on like a saint despite all this glare, criticism and pressure, boy, he must have had nerves and muscles of steel. This, to me, is what made him seem like GOD. And sir, that farewell speech of yours will become part of our folklore. It will become an inspiration-pill to sportsmen, businessmen, housewives, and musicians alike who will watch it with a sense of awe during their hard times. Fittingly, your last test match started on Children’s day. You were the catalyst of our childhood dreams. You gave life to those castles which we built in air. And if some of us are getting to build them for real now, then you know what you have done to us. Thanks for extending our childhood Sachin. It’s never over between you and your true fans. Whenever we think of you, we’ll find the child in us. Thank you Sachin for the memories. Have a great life ahead. Adios.