MUMBAI: An eerie silence enveloped the Wankhede within seconds of what might go down as the most talked-about dismissal in Test history after Don Bradman. From unbearably loud to intolerably hushed, the passing of a mere two minutes between a batsman leaving the field and a new one walking in, broke innumerable hearts. Sachin khel raha hai kya? (Is he playing?) No. Switch off. Sachin Tendulkar, knowing he had edged, walked. South of Wankhede to the dressing room which is right under the VIP presidents box from where his wife, mother and family members were watching. Sachin Tendulkar Timeline From above the presidents box, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi stood and clapped. A little to the left, Mumbai Indians owner Nita Ambani and good friend Aamir Khan did the same. The entire Wankhede crowd did the same. It didnt matter who you were that afternoon. You had to stand up and bid goodbye to the biggest superstar of all. Tendulkar took his helmet off, looked left, looked right, raised both hands - bat in one, helmet in the other - and turned around to acknowledge the ovation. Cameras held him in focus as he climbed the stairs to the pavilion, past his teammates clapping in rapt attention, inside the relative darkness of the dressing room, into history, into a void thatll emerge the moment this Test match is over. Hell never walk out of there again. Until he was around, it was as enjoyable as it could get for the elders who had seen a son in him; for the middle-aged who grew-up with him; for the young who wanted to be like him; for fans who simply couldnt get enough of him. There were twelve boundaries in his innings of 74. Six had come on Thursday afternoon, six on Friday morning. On the backfoot, past point; the paddle-sweep; the unmatched straight drive; the backfoot drive was in the closet on Day 1. He brought that out on Day Two. The strokes, written Tendulkar all over, combined the ferocity of his early days, the elegance of his post-30 days, the maturity of the recent years and the simplicity of his batting from when it began till it lasted. It was a short, sweet highlights package for those who had spent their lives and Friday morning watching him. As enjoyable as it is to watch him, there were also moments of anxiety. Especially when he swished at Tino Best. A rookie off-spinner took his scalp. Hell join many in history, bowlers who hes played first time and got out to. Sachin Tendulkar c Darren Sammy b Narsingh Deonarine — there are quite a few like this one if you go looking.
Posted on: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:56:58 +0000
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