Note: This is reproduced from the post that I had written a couple of years ago, when Sachin Tendulkar announced his Retirement from International Cricket.
It is tough to digest that it's all going to come to an end!! For 19 years, I had seen him play; and the great man has left behind a great deal of memories for me and his innumerable fans.
There were times when we were wondering whether he'll get dismissed early after seeing him struggle to hit a couple of deliveries initially; only to see him craft a brilliant 100 in the end; and there were moments when he brought the ecstasy levels to a high for the fans after a couple of blazing drives; only to see him get out to a poor shot. And then there were times when it appears like he is in the zone and he simply can't do any wrong- this was on display in both formats (ODIs and Tests) on plenty of occasions and these innings are the reason why a legion of fans get tempted to call him 'God'. If the purity of his technique could amaze the purists; his tendency to go for the risky low percentage shots keeps his fans on the edge of their seats; occasionally making them wonder whether he'll succeed, fail or at-least escape with it; but more often they click and that's what makes him a genius!! It's due to his ability to score at-least a couple of breathtaking shots; almost every time he comes to bat that people wait for his arrival at the crease. At his peak, fans can't be satisfied with just a couple of shots-they want 'more' and even more when the opponents have scored quite big; the disappointment that fans express even when he scores a decent 40-something cameo; speaks high about how much the fans expect from him and also to a big extent- the standards he maintained for himself over the years. The greatness of a genius lies in the fact that even when he is operating at below his peak form; he can still do a lot of things that mere mortals couldn't. It's true that the last 2 years were quite painful and 2006 was a torrid year for Sachin in Tests. But even in those worst phases, he had the ability to come up with a mini-gem here and there ( Like the 44 in Wanderers' 2006, 63 in Durban 2006 or The Chepauk innings,2013) and it's due to this reason that I kept waiting for his arrival at the crease regardless of his form. I knew he'll soon call it quits; but before that I expected him to score big in the proposed South Africa tour. Alas, that's not going to happen as he has decided to retire after the 2 match home series against West Indies.
I know that the game is always bigger than the man, there were greats in the past generation, many more will arrive in the future; but no cricketer's arrival at the crease created as much excitement as Sachin's, no man could offer as much joy as Sachin did with his batting exploits. I can't forget those fond moments when I shouted with joy the moment Sachin reached the magic 3 figure mark, nor the innumerable curses I uttered in frustration when there is a power cut or cable connection problem right when Sachin was hitting fiercely.
I watched several matches featuring other Teams and innings of other greats; when I had time, but if it's Sachin at the crease; I just left all the other things aside and watch him play; there was nothing more important to me than watching him score big and sometimes even if he gets dismissed early; I felt satisfied that I was able to watch at-least one great shot. I may watch some matches in the future too; but it's unlikely that I'll stay glued on to the Television even when the batting team needs 8 runs off 4 balls with just 2 wickets left.
There are 2 more Test matches left and I am sure Sachin will offer a few more great moments to relish!! And I'll wait till then to pay a bigger tribute to the Superman who's occupied my childhood!!
It is tough to digest that it's all going to come to an end!! For 19 years, I had seen him play; and the great man has left behind a great deal of memories for me and his innumerable fans.
There were times when we were wondering whether he'll get dismissed early after seeing him struggle to hit a couple of deliveries initially; only to see him craft a brilliant 100 in the end; and there were moments when he brought the ecstasy levels to a high for the fans after a couple of blazing drives; only to see him get out to a poor shot. And then there were times when it appears like he is in the zone and he simply can't do any wrong- this was on display in both formats (ODIs and Tests) on plenty of occasions and these innings are the reason why a legion of fans get tempted to call him 'God'. If the purity of his technique could amaze the purists; his tendency to go for the risky low percentage shots keeps his fans on the edge of their seats; occasionally making them wonder whether he'll succeed, fail or at-least escape with it; but more often they click and that's what makes him a genius!! It's due to his ability to score at-least a couple of breathtaking shots; almost every time he comes to bat that people wait for his arrival at the crease. At his peak, fans can't be satisfied with just a couple of shots-they want 'more' and even more when the opponents have scored quite big; the disappointment that fans express even when he scores a decent 40-something cameo; speaks high about how much the fans expect from him and also to a big extent- the standards he maintained for himself over the years. The greatness of a genius lies in the fact that even when he is operating at below his peak form; he can still do a lot of things that mere mortals couldn't. It's true that the last 2 years were quite painful and 2006 was a torrid year for Sachin in Tests. But even in those worst phases, he had the ability to come up with a mini-gem here and there ( Like the 44 in Wanderers' 2006, 63 in Durban 2006 or The Chepauk innings,2013) and it's due to this reason that I kept waiting for his arrival at the crease regardless of his form. I knew he'll soon call it quits; but before that I expected him to score big in the proposed South Africa tour. Alas, that's not going to happen as he has decided to retire after the 2 match home series against West Indies.
I know that the game is always bigger than the man, there were greats in the past generation, many more will arrive in the future; but no cricketer's arrival at the crease created as much excitement as Sachin's, no man could offer as much joy as Sachin did with his batting exploits. I can't forget those fond moments when I shouted with joy the moment Sachin reached the magic 3 figure mark, nor the innumerable curses I uttered in frustration when there is a power cut or cable connection problem right when Sachin was hitting fiercely.
I watched several matches featuring other Teams and innings of other greats; when I had time, but if it's Sachin at the crease; I just left all the other things aside and watch him play; there was nothing more important to me than watching him score big and sometimes even if he gets dismissed early; I felt satisfied that I was able to watch at-least one great shot. I may watch some matches in the future too; but it's unlikely that I'll stay glued on to the Television even when the batting team needs 8 runs off 4 balls with just 2 wickets left.
There are 2 more Test matches left and I am sure Sachin will offer a few more great moments to relish!! And I'll wait till then to pay a bigger tribute to the Superman who's occupied my childhood!!
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