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midhunmenonp · (This post was last modified: 12-08-2010 04:57 PM by midhunmenonp.)

I am writing this article a day after Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar became the most capped player in Test Cricket. It is been a long journey for Sachin considering the amount of cricket he has played for the last 20 years. Two decades of career is a unique achievement for any sportsman and a very select few has done it, but none of them had to play with the burden of a billion people’s expectation. When Sachin comes out to bat, with his gears on, looking up to the sky and praying to almighty we feel a sense of security, as sense of pride that cannot be explained in words. When he fails the grief will spread not only in India but in the entire world. There have been many instances when we switch off the television set as soon as Sachin gets out. We criticize him during his failures yet we love him and wish him good luck in his next outing. Sachin Tendulkar has been a phenomenon, an enigma who has always been our national pride.

When a sixteen year old walked out to bat to face the deadly Pakistan Bowlers on a cool morning in Karachi, few would have thought 21 years and nearly fourteen thousand runs later the same man would be still playing international cricket with same passion and aggression. Some people are pre-programmed by god and sent to earth to rule, the people we call as Genius, Sachin is one of them. He was born to play cricket and he is still doing it with at most sincerity and dedication. Who will ever forget the fiery century he got against the Aussies on a fast bouncy Perth track or his attacking hundred at Cape Town four years later against the South Africans. Those are the two hundreds Sachin value the most in his career. Playing test cricket is the ultimate for any youngster who picks up a cricket bat to play. The cruel fact is that only a select few manages to do it. Some stays in the game, some fade away. Who remembers that Vivek Razdan and Salil Ankola began their careers along with Sachin? It is very important to stay focused on your game and to do it for 20 long years is by no means a small feat.

In his two decade spanning international career, he has been compared with past and present greats. The biggest compliment Sachin ever received was from Sir Don. Sir Donald Bradman, who averaged 99.94 in tests and is considered the greatest ever to play the gentleman’s game compared Sachin to himself. Sachin even met the legend on his 90th birthday. Sachin has said in many interviews that he has modeled his batting on two legends, Sunil Gavaskar and Sir Vivian Richards. In the present generation he has been compared with Brian Lara of West Indies and Ricky Ponting of Australia. Brian Lara was a terrific south paw and has the record of scoring the highest individual score in a test match innings. But Lara was a shadow of himself during his last years in international cricket and lacked the same intensity. Ponting is also a fine cricketer but one always has a question mark on Ponting’s integrity as a player. Also his batting average is poor outside Australia. Another factor that separates Sachin from these two counterparts is that of his greater adaptability. Sachin is also by far the highest run getter in one day internationals, almost 4500 runs ahead of Ponting. He opted out of Cricket’s latest baby- T20’S internationally but he still enjoys playing in the Indian Premier League where he is the captain of Mumbai Indians. He even was the highest run getter in this year’s IPL.

Sachin has captained India on two occasions, from 1996-1997 and from 1999-2000. Both the stints have not been memorable for him. Sachin may not go down in history as greatest captain India has ever produced but his contribution in every game is priceless. Just his sheer presence is enough to motivate the youngsters in the team. Team morale will be always high when Sachin is around. He wants to be in the peak of action all the time whether he is batting, bowling and fielding. This man has one of the safest hands in world cricket and rarely drops a catch. Being a smart bowler who can bowl all varieties of balls also adds to his resume. The wealth of experience he has gained over the last two decades is itself a great reference for a youngster who does not need to look into any coaching manual for help. Being low profile and a hard core family man also helps to groom your personality. We have hardly seen Sachin in any controversy during his career. The endorsements are still pouring for him and till recently was the highest earning sports person in our country. He always endorses products he believes in and do not endorse alcohol or cigarette companies. He also commands great respect from past and present players and umpires. Sachin has been honored with Khel Ratna – India’s highest sports honor, Arjuna award ad the Padma Awards. Talks are going on to give Sachin India’s highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna.

To have a long and distinguishing career as one Sachin has, ability and luck are not only the only factors; fitness also plays a major part in a sportsman’s career. Sachin is still the fittest cricketer around in the Indian Cricket Team. He still runs those 22 yards as he ran 20 years ago, with the same passion and enthusiasm. It was not surprising when Virender Sehwag passed a comment after the last test match that he was confused who was playing the first test match for India, Sachin or Raina. Such is the passion of this cricketer that every day he is picking something new and adding to his artillery. He has now invented the paddle sweep and has that trademark straight and square drives Playing cricket was his dream and he is still living that dream. He is the only cricketer in my memory who has not been dropped from the team because of his form. Yet there have been dark hours, the 1996 world cup semifinal, the 1999 Chennai Test against Pakistan braving back pain, 2003 world cup finals, tennis elbow in 2005 which threatened to shorten his career, 2007 world cup have all been stains. Winning a world cup is still a dream for the little master, a dream which can be fulfilled next year when the world cup stages in the subcontinent. That will be the crowning glory for a man who has spent more time in cricket field than with his family.

Any article on Sachin Tendulkar will be incomplete without the mention of his early days. Sachin was born in a middle class family; his father was a Marathi poet. He was named Sachin because his grandparent was a great fan of music director late Sachin Dev Burman. Sachin has two brothers and a sister. In fact it was his elder brother Ajit who took him to Ramakanth Achrekar, who was the premier cricket coach in Mumbai at that time. This is where Sachin grew as a person and was fine tuned as a cricketer. He played day and night nonstop which helped him to develop as a mentally tough cricketer. This is where he met Vinod Kambli, with whom he shared a then world record stand of 664 runs for Shardashram school in a Harris Shield match. A year later he got a call to the Bombay Ranji Team where he scored a hundred on Debut. He also hit a hundred in his Duleep trophy debut as well making the selectors to take notice of this teenage boy. He was finally selected for the winter tour to Pakistan.

Special credit must be given to Anjali Tendulkar, his wife for motivating him all these years. It is very tough to be a cricketer’s wife because of the amount of traveling a cricketer has to do. Anjali, who is a doctor by profession, took a break from her career to take care of their two kids, Arjun and Sara. Anjali also helps Sachin in conducting various charity events across the world. The little master do have a big heart when it comes to helping others, be it under privileged children or his old team mate, he is willing to help anyone who is in need. He recently generated about 1 crore rupees from a charity dinner hosted by him with the help of his twitter page. It was mayhem in the cyber world when he joined twitter, a popularity not even Amitabh Bacchhan can boast of. He is immortalized at the Madame Tuassaud’s wax museum two years ago. Sachin Tendulkar is only the second sportsman after Diego Maradona to have a Opus on his name. The Book will weigh 37 kg and will be out in 2011.

Now the main question is that how many years Sachin will continue to play? What more to achieve in this highly accomplished career? The answer probably he himself does not know. He will probably end up with hundred international centuries and the records he set shall never been broken. The fact remains cricket was not be same before Sachin and it will not be after him. The day Sachin hangs up his gloves is still a dreaded nightmare for every cricket lover in this country, though that day will come eventually. It is a wonder that a man’s emotion is whole countries. When he felt happy we too was delighted, we cried in pain along with him. Thank you Sachin for being a true Indian and if the government gives it or not you will always be our BHARAT RATNA

[Image: sachintendulkaropus.jpg]