1989 to 2013: The Ethereal Tendulkar Journey

It has been 5 years, isn’t it? If you don’t get what I am trying to tell you, I shall be more precise. The 15th of November 2013 when a certain Sachin Tendulkar delivered that 20-minute odd farewell address in front of his adoring fans. Grown up men weeping like children. The whole of India coming to a standstill, the eyes of over a billion people on one man, five foot something with curly hair and a squeaky voice.

A man who bewitched an entire nation with a piece of willow in his hand, a man who captured our hearts with his unwavering modesty-a man who allowed our hearts to swell with pride when you told others that you too were from his country.

If you are a kid who started watching cricket in the post-Tendulkar era, then you have missed something- something intangible that no amount of YouTube videos on Tendulkar can get you. For, Sport is experienced best “in” the moment.

But then, if you were lucky enough to have watched him play, or privileged enough to have followed his entire career right from the start, then travel 3 decades back in time. Travel to that 4th Test match of his debut series where Tendulkar, all of 16 years and 7 months came out to bat on a minefield of a wicket. That ball from the mercurial Waqar Younis took off venomously and hit him ping on the nose. There was blood splattered all over his T shirt and his nose was cut open.

But then, two words followed, just 2 words “Mein Khelega”( I will bat) that gave you assurance and made you feel that you could face the big bad world too. And then, the next ball from the same bowler was smashed to the boundary for four. He spoke with his bat on that day, just as he would do for the next quarter of a century.

Then, that innings at Perth in 1992. Most of cricket’s youthful fans were not born when that classic unraveled on the fastest and bounciest wicket in the world. An innings where our hero, all of 19 sparkled in an ethereal knock of 114- an innings that was the beginning of a love affair between him and the Australian public, a bond that continues to exist even till today. Then, we move to Auckland in 1994. At a time when scoring at even a run a ball was considered a miracle, Tendulkar conjured a 49 ball 82. My God! Has anyone made your heart skip a beat like how Tendulkar did on that day?

Move forward to 1998. If there was any doubt over Tendulkar being the best, then 2 nights settled the issue- two glorious nights in Sharjah when the best bowling attack of his generation was smashed to pulp- nights when the greatest spinner of all time responding to the name Shane Warne was left baffled. Tendulkar illuminated the night sky sending the ball into the crowd and Tony Greig screeching” That’s on the roof. Sachin Tendulkar, What a wonderful player!”

Fast forward to the 2003 World Cup. That six off Caddick that went out of the ground, that back foot punch off Akram through the off side. And then, the most famous shot of his career. The shot which is now part of Tendulkar folklore-that incredibly slashed six over backward point off Shoaib Akhtar off a ball bowled at over 150 kmph.

Then came the tennis elbow. Ah! Those were the most painful days of his career. The dark days when the big ‘R’ word(Retirement) was whispered in some corners. But, he came back, didn’t he? And oh my god! He carried on for another 9 years. And then, those months when he made you wait, excruciatingly before finally going past his hero, Sunil Gavaskar by scoring his 35th Test hundred.

And then, the runs started flowing again. Do you remember that bullet of a drive past Lee in that 2008 CB series? What a shot! The ball bowled at over 150 Kmph. Tendulkar connects it in the middle of his bat with minimum fuss, the ball bisects Mid Off and Mid On with surgeon’s precision and travels back in the same direction from which it came. Even Lee would have secretly admired that shot!

Then that 163 in Christchurch and that 175 against Australia in 2009-the greatest knock ever played in a losing cause. Then that 200 at Gwalior against South Africa- the first double hundred ever in ODI cricket and it came in the 21st year of his career. Can you imagine anyone playing for that long?

And then, that glorious night- 2nd April 2011 at the Wankhede where a dream that was ignited in him when he was just 11 years old, got fulfilled when he was 38. Kohli carries our hero on his shoulders. Did a tear drop trickle down your cheek on that day?

And then, finally we come to that day-15th of November 2013 as Tendulkar delivered that farewell address. You had to surrender to the moment isn’t it?

You might very well ask, why did a nation have to weep for a sportsman who was, after all, retiring? The answer is simple. Letting go of Tendulkar, for a generation of Indians, was like letting go of their childhoods. When he walked into the sunset, he was also taking a part of us with him.

And by the way, kid, if you have not experienced all of this, then let me tell you... you have missed something very significant as a cricket lover. Ah! What a journey it was, 1989 to 2013. Thank You Sachin. There will never be any other like you.