Sachin Tendulkar: The cricketer who inspired a nation

The cricketer who carried the burden of the expectations for 24 long years

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The cricketer who carried the burden of the expectations for 24 long years
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Sachin Tendulkar

“I have seen GOD, he bats at no 4 for India in Tests”. This famous quote by former Australian opener Mathew Hayden just speaks volumes about a man who dedicated his life to cricket and went on to break every possible batting records in the process. But what strikes the most about Sachin Tendulkar is his humility and the conviction with which he conducts himself both on and off the field. For a cricketer who has almost achieved everything in his life and despite that remained so down to earth for a period spanning over 2 decades is extraordinary.

In a cricket frenzy nation like India where people are always there to criticize and to still carry the burden of expectations on him of a billion Indians and still remain at the top of the game for 24 years shows his immense dedication to the game. His balance both on and off the field has made him maintain his shape in the sport for so long. He literally played with 3-4 generations during his illustrious career.

“I don’t know anything about cricket, but still I watch cricket to see Sachin bat. Not because I love his batting, it’s because I want to know the reason why my country’s production goes down by 5% when he is batting.”.This famous quote by US President Barack Obama goes on to prove the impact of the man even in a country where most of the people don’t even know that a game like cricket even exists. He made all of us better human beings. The grace with which he carries himself sets him apart from the other greats. He was the sole reason for many to start playing cricket.

First introduction to cricket

His long journey from being a mischievous Bandra kid and going on to score 100 international centuries was a mega event and it will be extremely difficult to break this stupendous record. The turning point in his life took place when his brother Ajit took him to his coach Ramakant Achrekar and there was no looking back from there on. Achrekar played a pivotal role in the making of Sachin. In the school days, Sachin used to hop back on his scooter and play a couple of practice matches a day and he would be taking him all through the city just to ensure he got enough match practice.

It requires immense dedication from both parties to produce a once in a lifetime cricketer like Sachin.  He went on to score a record 664 run partnership with his childhood mate Vinod Kambli for his school Shradyashram Vidyamandir and it was the highest partnership in any form of cricket till very recently and from then records started to tumble.

He was selected in the Mumbai Ranji Trophy squad at a tender age of 15 and made an immediate impact by scoring a century on debut. He went on to score centuries in his debut match of all 3 major domestic tournaments in India, The Ranji Trophy, The Duleep Trophy and The Irani Trophy. He made a strong case for himself in getting selected in the Indian squad but the selectors wanted to shield the young phenomenon from the fiery fast bowlers of West Indies.

International selection

He didn’t have to wait for long as he was selected in the Indian squad for the Pakistan tour in the year 1989. His international debut was far from a fairytale one and he soon realized this would be a much sterner test. Though he couldn’t make an impact in the first few games but went on to score a fighting fifty in a greenish Sialkot track against the likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Imran Khan.

In an exhibition match at Peshawar, he hit the famous leg spinner Abdul Qadir for 4 sixes in an over and Qadir later went on to say that he had played for so many years but no cricketer had ever hit him like that before and this kid would go on to break all possible batting records in the years to come. At the age of 17, he went on to become the 2nd youngest in the history of cricket to score a century and courtesy his innings, the Indians were able to draw the Test from a hopeless position.

His transformation from a boy to a man was evident when he scored two magnificent centuries in the Australian tour in the year 1992.  Against the likes of McDermott and Whitney on the world’s fastest track –The WACA, he made batting look ridiculously easy. He scored runs all throughout the park and his backfoot punch and the way he timed the ball, made it clear he was a man from a different planet.

Emergence in ODIs

His one-day career got a kick start in the year 1994 when Sidhu was injured and Sachin opened the innings against Newzealand and made an immediate impact by scoring 82 of a mere 40 odd deliveries. That literally changed his one-day career. He got much more time to bat and started making one-day hundreds and he became a much better player in the shorter versions.

The 1998 season was the best calendar year for Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar and he literally toyed with the bowlers from all over the world. The year 1998 also saw the legend score two back to back centuries against the Aussies which would arguably be the two greatest ever one-day innings. The little man treated the Sharjah crowd with audacious strokeplay and after the twin games, the great Shane Warne said, “I had nightmares Sachin dancing down the track and hitting me back over the head for a six”.

Difficult times

The most difficult phase in his life came in between the 1999 World Cup when his father passed away. He went back to Mumbai, attended his funeral and returned to score 140 in his next match. The coming decade saw the emergence of Virender Sehwag and with Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman all becoming pillars of the Indian batting line-up, the burden on Sachin diminished to a certain extent.

The tennis elbow was one more difficult phase in his life. He would wake up in the morning and think his career was over.He was unable to hold his son’s bat and that shows how much he went through during that time. But you can’t write off a champion. He stormed back into the national colors and again started scoring big runs. He was awarded “the Cricketer of the Year “ in 2010 and he was already in his 21st year of international cricket. He went on to prove again and again that age is not a barrier. He went on to become the first cricketer to score a double century in ODIs in 2010 when he demolished the Proteas bowling attack during an exhibition of strokeplay.

Finally a World Cup

The only feather which was missing from his cap was the World Cup. For a man who has given so much to the nation, to the world, the game was bound to pay him back and he got his prayers answered in the 2011 World Cup which the Indians won in their home territory. The little master was unable to hold back his emotions after the match and he was enjoying and jumping like a teenager. It was the proudest moment for him and for the whole nation.

The whole team wanted to win the Cup for Sachin and in his 22nd year, the little master realized his dream.  He went on to become the first cricketer to score 100 international centuries in 2012 against Bangladesh –a record which is unlikely to be broken in the coming decades.

The final goodbye

He hung up his boots from ODI during the same year and went on to play Test cricket for a year more. He played his last international match against the West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium and showed glimpses of magic during his innings of 74. With the fall of the last Windies wicket, the illustrious career of the Superhero of India Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar came to an end.

He made the whole country cry when he delivered an emotional farewell speech which moved people across the globe. He thanked each and everyone who played a role in the making Sachin. He went to pay his last respect to the 22 yards which served him for 24 long years. Sachin has not only been a cricketer for the Indian people but he is like a collective pride for the whole nation.With his retirement, it was also announced that he would be awarded the highest Indian civilian award- The Bharat Ratna- the first sportsperson to receive the award. We all feel very proud that we are a citizen of a country where Sachin belongs to.

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