Sachin - This is for you !

An Intro-

Well, for many years now, I had almost forgotten that I used to even write blogs. Took me a while to figure out how to even open mine. But I had to ! Everything I've written so far is the result of that sudden urge from within, to write about things I've felt most passionate about. Mysore, Bollywood, Betta,  F.R.I.E.N.D.S, novels, Aashayein Foundation... Myaaan the list is small but it sure covers everything that is supposed to be covered by me, but one! Something that has been a major part of my life - Indian Cricket; and someone who's been THE ONE throughout - Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar ! 

23rd Dec 2012 almost marks the end of an era; and I say ALMOST only because he's yet to retire from Cricket as a whole. An era that we should feel proud to be a part of! So no matter what, I just HAD to write this !

Well, SO much is written and said about him all these years that there's hardly anything left. But I still feel there's so much left unsaid. Mere words and appreciations can never do justice for some people in this world and this man is certainly one of them. 

Records say that the 16-year old boy debuted in November 1989! If I calculate, I was just above 3 years old so I honestly don't remember anything about it. It just feels nice to know that it happened after I was born! But i know this for sure- ever since I started watching cricket, ever since I started understanding cricket, ever since I started admiring the fours and the sixers and the centuries, its been primarily about one player- Sachin! 
Here's an unseen video- Check this out!

My early memories of Cricket-

I remember the really-dark blue jerseys and the really light blue ones. I remember Sachin opening with Sidhu, I remember the Azhars and the Jadejas, the Nayan Mongias and the Kiran Mores, the Prabhakars and the Srinaths and I totally remember the fact that there was this really long period of time, probably the whole of the 90s decade, when chasing a big total meant Sachin having to play a long innings and nothing else. I so vividly remember people immediately switching off their TV sets as soon as he got out because there was simply no more hope left.

It's been a long long journey since then- the world has changed, cricket has changed, hundreds of players have come and  gone, but this man just kept playing and playing and playing, giving us so many wonderful memories to live with. 

His best knocks-

Who can forget the Sharjah series in 1998! The two big matches against the mighty Aussies, 142 in the semi-final to take India into the finals, and then 134 in the finals to win the series! Those lofted sixers off Kasprowicz's bowling, Shane Warne coming around the wicket and Sachin coming forward and smashing him over his head! And to add the icing on the cake, Tony Greig's commentary- "OOOHH WHATTA SHOT" , "THIS IS ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE",  "SACHIN TEN-DULKA", "WHATTA PLAYAA", "OOOOHHHH IT'S A BIGGIIEEE "!!! Seriously, Those were the days! What cricket, what excitement! That was a time when chasing a total of 280 was considered nearly impossible and a time when back-to-back boundaries in an over used to send goosebumps to the millions of people watching the match. And this man showed the world how it needs to be done,  with sheer class and brilliance! Cricketing entertainment personified! Take a look, you'll totally love the 2 videos ! 

Sachin the bowler-

Something else that I've always been really really fond of, is his bowling. Wonder what was in it that every time he was given the ball, there was this sudden rush of excitement, a sudden belief that he would do something miraculous and change the course of the game. And he actually managed to do that quite a number of times. Each ball of his was a mystery before it was bowled- the off-breaks, leg-breaks, cutters , medium pacers, he just could bowl anything. I don't quite remember watching his famous "Give me the ball" last over saga in the 1993 Hero cup. But when I saw the video recently, just increased the respect I have for this guy, ten-fold. 6 runs required for the Proteas in the last over and even the mighty Kapil Dev refused to bowl. This young lad snatched the ball and won the match for India! In case you've missed it, here's the video- don't miss this- Click Here

But i certainly remember the 5 for 32 against Aus. Watch this video and you'll know what a genius of a player he is! And look at the happiness on his face after every wicket! That million-dollar smile and the juggling of the ball in his hands will remain in my memories forever. Click Here

Sachin The Fighter-

The 1999 World cup in England. India had lost the first two games and was on the verge of exiting from the competition. Sachin receives the news of his father's death. He misses the 2nd game, flies back to India for the final rituals and then comes back to play the next match against Kenya. And boy did he make it count! 140 not out and he brought the Indians back into the tournament with a bang! During the presentation ceremeny, when he dedicated the innings to his dad, it nearly brought tears in my eyes. 

The evolution of Indian cricket in ODIs-

The late 90s and the early 2000s brought about a huge change in Indian Cricket. It saw the rise of the Gangulys, the Dravids, the Sehwags, the Yuvrajs and many more. They shared the burden of winning matches for India and people no more switched off their televisions after Sachin got out. But that did not bring down his hunger for runs one bit. The maturity with which he adopted to the game during this period and continued to play a pivotal role in the team is worth admiring. The opening pair of Sachin and Ganguly will remain as my all time favourite pair and I seriously miss watching that kind of one-day cricket anymore. And in spite of his lean patches after this period, time and again he showed the world what he is capable of. One of my all time proudest moments of Sachin is the Indo-Pak match at Centurion during the 2003 World Cup!

My all time favourite-

I so vividly remember how he was totally charged up on that day, and took the first ball strike himself instead of Sehwag, while chasing a target of 273! It was supposed to be a battle against the super-fast Shoaib Akthar and the experienced Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. But the sliced upper cut off Shoaib and the back-foot punch off Akram right in the beginning of the match left them all stunned! That's when we knew he meant business that day. And he went on to hit a flurry of boundaries and nearly took the game away from the Pakis himself. He started to struggle with his cramps but that didn't stop him. Once he reached his 90s, I remember taking few crackers in my hand and standing on the road eagerly waiting for his century. When he got out on 98, I was so so so shattered that I threw away the crackers and barged into the house. But what a knock! India eventually managed to win the game and keep their World Cup record against the Paks intact. And I managed to burst the crackers after the victory! For all those goons who keep saying Sachin hardly tries to win matches for India and plays for his own records, well no words for you, I just pity you all! 

Sachin The Gentleman-

Apart from his cricketing skills, the one quality of his that always stood out was his humility. How many times have we seen bowlers sledging at him and trying their level best to disturb his mindset? But I don't remember a single instance when he tried to react to any of it. He simply turned his head away and got himself ready for the next ball. He always believed in letting only his bat do all the talking. If the bowler tried to act too smart, we could be dead sure the next ball would reach the boundary. A true gentleman who took the gentlemen's game to its peak!

One of his best knocks gone in vain-

Another typical example of his fighting spirit to win a match for India was his innings vs Australia in Hyderabad in 2009. Chasing a mammoth total of 359, he nearly nearly got India home single-handedly as wickets kept falling at the other end. He made a classy knock of 175 but unfortunately got out towards the end with nobody else left to finish it off for India. It was probably one of his most painful defeats.

The Phoenix-

This was the period when people slowly began to write him off. His approach towards batting changed completely and he was beginning to be criticized for losing his attacking strokes. But true heroes rise from such situations, they build their lives with every brick thrown at them. And that's exactly what he did in 2010. In Ravi Shastri's words, he became the first man on the planet to reach 200 in One Day Internationals! And against one of the top teams in the world! Carrying his bat through the innings and scoring 200 off just 140 odd balls to get India to a mammoth total of 401, he announced to the world that he is not done yet! And this is one innings that would always repent in my life for not watching live! Click here if you had missed it too.

But the big question in everybody's minds, what next?! He had nearly all the records in his kitty and he'd done so much for the team, what is it that still made him hungry for runs and urged him to continue playing?? The world received the answer on 2nd April 2011!! 

World Cup 2011- A fitting tribute to the Little Master

After playing in 5 World Cups, after having hundreds of records in his name, after being called the GOD of cricket, it would have been totally unfair if he could not lay his hands on the World Cup. Seemed like a perfect script written for him and for the millions of Indian Cricket fans all over. Being India's leading run scorer in the tournament including 2 centuries, the stage was all set for the grand finale in front of his home crowd! I wish I was better with words to do enough justice to the feeling I experienced when India lifted the Cup! And for this great man, it was the final jewel in the crown! When he was lifted by his teammates on their shoulders and carried around the ground with the Indian flag wrapped around him, you could see the bliss of achievement and satisfaction in his face! Some of the team members rightly said- "He has lifted the burden of Indian Cricket on his shoulders all these years, its time we lift him on ours. This victory is dedicated to Sachin". And Sachin himself went on to say it was the proudest moment in his life! I remember watching the match in front of a big screen, and I remember literally falling on the ground to salute this genius ! Scenes that I will carry with me till my last breath.

My final words to him-

Sachin- Take a bow, master! You are a legend in its true sense. And this small piece of writing is a tiny tribute to everything that you've done! As I said at the beginning, I consider myself highly fortunate to be a part of this era, an era in which you conquered the world with your little piece of wood! I grew up watching you play and till date, there are very few other things in life that have been more exciting than watching you raise your bat after every century! You will remain as my greatest hero forever. Thank you for all the entertainment. One-day matches won't be the same anymore without you on the ground and probably after a few more months from now, I would say cricket won't be the same anymore.