How I am jealous of sports writers. They get these awesome opportunities to chronicle unbelievable events. Yesterday - Sachin Tendulkars farewell Test and speech - was one such occasion. This is my fantasy report. Of how I would have reported it, in my style if I can call it that. --------------------------------------- If I had reported Sachins Farewell Day --------------------------------------- Sachin Tendulkar, the man who inspired at least three generations of children in India and across the world to pick up a cricket bat and hit a ball thrown at them as hard as possible, on Saturday ended on an incredible high his international career spanning 24 years and innumerable chart-topping records. He walked away victorious in his last Test Match at the Wankhade Stadium in Mumbai, with the Indian cricket team defeating a hapless West Indies, a team whose decline from the top of World Cricket coincided with meteoric rise of Sachin through the late 1980s and along with it the fortunes of Indian cricket too. On his last day wearing the official Test whites and the official hat, Sachin Tendulkar captured the hearts of the nation with a soul-stirring farewell speech that left many a fan, at the Stadium and in front of television sets, teary eyed. The boy with the baby face who debuted in 1989 and made every batting record possible his own, left the field to a standing ovation from every one present. His final stroke at his spiritual haven, the 22-yard-cricket-pitch, was a traditional Hindu pranam. My life, between 22 yards for 24 years, it is hard to believe that that wonderful journey has come to an end, but I would like to take this opportunity to thank people who have played an important role in my life, Tendulkar said in his farewell speech. His wife, Anjali Tendulkar, and two children - Sara Tendulkar (16) and Arjun Tendulkar (14) - were close by when Sachin spoke. Not far away, in the stands, were his three other big influences - his mother Rajni Tendulkar, his elder brother Ajit Tendulkar and his coach Ramakanth Achrekar. Sachins 20 minute address, likely to go down as one of the most heart-felt farewell speeches by any sportsman, was full of personal anecdotes and even humorous asides. He thanked every one from his family, to the cricket administration, to media, right down to the photographers. While referring to his coach Achrekar Sir, Sachin jocularly remarked that he had never once said well played out of fear that his ward might become complacent. But he cheekily added that maybe just this day he would relax and tell him that. His most personal remark involved his brother Ajit Tendulkar, the enigmatic other half of his cricketing life, whom Sachin said was a constant critique of his batting. So much so, that even the previous night had discussed on what went wrong when Sachin got out after stroke-filled 74 in the first innings. Without Ajits constant presence, Sachin said he would have been a lesser cricketer. ... ... ...
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 06:24:47 +0000
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