A phenomenon called Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar - The most loved son of cricket enthralling audiences world over since 1989 and still continuing to do so.

He is a class apart and lessons can be learnt from his achievements by a person of any field. I just happen to be one among millions who have Sachin as their role model. This is because the phenomenon – Sachin extends way beyond the 22-yard strip where he has broken multiple records.

He has carried the weight of expectations of a cricket-frenzy nation impeccably well. Even now, after a stellar career spanning 24 years and counting, his wicket brings the greatest sorrow to the fans, which sometimes translates to switching off the television . I am sure that no other player can boast of this unique loyalty.

The pocket-sized dynamo loves the game and that is the best part about him. Even after getting so many accolades, there is a drive in him which keeps him going, which keeps him striving for that much more. He keeps improving his game-play, which is a miraculous proposition in itself after such a long career.

There is no ego in the great man, no sense of superiority. He has unrealistic levels of humility and amazing modesty. The smile on his face, which greets the opposition players after their numerous attempts to sledge the great man, is a sight to watch and takes the wind out of their sails.

A lot many people have talent ,may be even more than the Master himself. A vivid example was Vinod Kambli. We all know what all he could have achieved and where he ended. A sad story indeed. Precisely, this is where Tendulkar’s greatness assumes insurmountable proportions and exudes a sense of awe in the whole cricket fraternity as such. A man becomes great not just by the talent in his profession but by the inner virtues that keep him grounded, keep him going on forever, improving his repertoire, ability to handle success and not let it get to your head, etc. And Mr. Tendulkar seems to have all of it in abundance and much more. Even as he turned 40 a few days back, the guy can be seen throwing his body around to save that one run and that is some spectacle in itself.

There have been endless speculations about his retirement. People have even gone on to the extent of indulging in blasphemy by saying that he is prolonging his career for monetary benefits. These people fail to understand that Sachin is above all this monetary talk and he plays cricket just because he loves this game and loves it like no one else. All these records have failed to satiate his love for the game and that is that. It is his love for the game that keeps him going and all other theories can safely bite the dust.

In a career so long, controversies are bound to come by. But then, the Master is made of a different material altogether. Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong went on to achieve greatness but could not evade controversies and were seen in bad light by people. But this is Sachin we are talking about. No controversies, no ugly face-offs with his team or opposition, truly set him apart and this is the reason that he has gone on to achieve all this. The man has been able to channelize all his energy in the right direction.

His presence in the dressing room is an exponential learning curve for youngsters and can really take their game up by several notches. He is a source of joy, inspiration for people in different professions and is the greatest professional for me in any field.

Sachin Tendukar is such a phenomenon that whatever you write, he can’t be demystified completely.

The little master inspired one and all when he, very aptly, said after scoring 100 international hundreds-

Sachin, may you never retire and let the coming generations have the bliss of seeing you conduct yourself.