Sachin Tendulkar, Viswanathan Anand or Leander Paes - Who is India's biggest sports ambassador?

The three stalwarts – Leander Paes, Sachin Tendulkar and Viswanathan Anand

3rd August 1996. Ranked 126th in the singles circuit, a 23-year-old Leander Paes was one of the 49 athletes representing India in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Without a single win in any round in the main draw of a Grand Slam to his name, a medal from Paes seemed like a far-fetched dream.

But competing as he was without the burden of expectations, the muscular Kolkatan knocked off higher ranked players almost at will to reach the semifinals.

Playing like a “bundle of hyperkinetic energy”, Paes stretched world number 3 Andre Agassi to a first set tie-break before losing steam in the second set to go down 6-7,3-6 in the semis.

Up next was world number 93 Fernando Meligeni in the crucial bronze medal match. Unable to shake off the nerves that the match elicited, Paes succumbed in the first set as the Argentine won 6-3. But with the hopes of a medal fast vanishing, Paes managed to ward off the pain incurred by a wrist injury that he incurred in the duel with Agassi and played like a man on a mission, eventually taking the match 3-6,6-2,6-4.

A tearful Paes, wrapped in the tricolour, the bronze medal hanging proudly on his neck, had managed to clinch an individual Olympic medal for India for the first time since KD Jadhav’s bronze in 1952.

22nd April 1998. The sandstorm which had threatened to interrupt the crucial India-Australia game in the Coca-Cola Cup in 1998 was just a mere glimpse of the actual desert storm that was to burst forth from the magical willow of the Master Blaster. Chasing a steep target of 276 runs in 46 overs and needing 237 to qualify for the finals, Sachin Tendulkar produced what can possibly be described as his best ever innings, scoring 143 runs in 131 balls. He made a mockery of Australian stalwarts Shane Warne, Damien Fleming and Michael Kasprowicz and sent the crowds in Sharjah ‘dancing in the aisles’.

Despite losing the match, Tendulkar had ensured India’s smooth passage into the finals of the tournament, where he produced another monumental knock to help his team clinch the title.

The world couldn’t help but express awe at the little genius who had sent the Aussies into a state of trauma and acute helplessness with two ruthless destructions in as many days. India adored the player who would go on to become a demigod in the years to come.

24th December 2000.Starting off at the young age of 6, Viswanathan Anand achieved the title of World Champion for the first time in 2000. Playing sizzling chess in a series of knockout games, the “Lightning Kid from Madras” lived up to his billing as the first seed should – knocking off his opponents in the first four rounds without any tie breaks.

By defeating Michael Adams 1.5-0.5 in the semi-finals, Anand inched closer to clinching the coveted title, which he achieved in what was a one-sided final. Programmed as a 6-game encounter, the Indian needed only 4 to achieve the required score of 3.5 and defeat Alexei Shirov.

Anand became the first Asian to be crowned world champion in chess, as India celebrated the birth of a new hero and a new era.

The trio’s immense contribution to Indian sport and India as a whole

For a country plagued by a stagnating economy and rampant corruption in the latter half of the 20th century, these three inspired performances by three maestros appeared like a breath of fresh air, providing relief from the drudgery that modern India had become so accustomed to.

After the Cricket World Cup triumph in 1983, where Kapil Dev’s India beat the favoured West Indies, sporting glories seemed to have dried up, with the odd success being relegated to the back pages of the newspapers. The world welcomed globalisation with open arms, but India remained cast in its ancient world, taking just baby steps into modernisation.

The youth of the country, for whom the eight hockey gold medals and Milkha Singh’s exploits were only tales that were told by ancestors, were desperate for heroes and trend-setters. There was a crying need for gallant individuals to be the torch bearers for the country in the years to come, motivating the youngsters with their consistent display of hard work and passion.

Enter Tendulkar, Anand and Paes who ensured that India’s sporting achievements weren’t just a flash in the pan. By churning out jaw-dropping performances well into the first decade of the new millennium as well, the trio ensured that the blaze of fire which had been lit in the Indian sporting circuit almost 20 years ago still continued to burn bright.

With their undiminished brilliance, the trio made a huge name for themselves in their respective fields, and were respected by both their countrymen and opponents alike. Conquering the world and stamping their authority on whichever pitch, court or chess board they came across, they ensured that the tiranga perennially fluttered on all shores.

Viswanathan Anand: The Chennai Chess Wizard

Viswanathan Anand receiving the World Championships crown

“Having met all the great chess players and many World Champions, this Indian boy from a country that didn’t have much of a chess culture, intrigued me.”

Mauricio Perea, before taking up the job of mentoring Anand, recounts how a 21-year-old attracted his attention by playing chess at a “pace that was till then not imaginable.” Having already defeated Anatoly Karpov and Gary Kasparov, considered the toughest players back then, Anand seemed destined for greater achievements in the sport in the years to come.

But before meeting Perea, Anand had already carved an identity of his own, becoming the first Indian to win the World Junior Chess Championship in 1987 and then becoming India’s first Grandmaster, a year later. The recipient of the first Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 1991, Anand also became the first Asian to enter the quarterfinals of the FIDE World Championships in 1996.

Till his first FIDE title in 2000, Anand made rapid strides in his profession, winning titles, tackling the pace of Karpov and announcing India’s dominance in the world of chess.

2000 was a watershed year for Anand, as he not only won the 15th FIDE World Championship but also finished as the number 2, behind Kasparov.

From 2007 to 2012, Anand had possibly his best moments in the arena, winning four more world titles as well as occupying the number one spot for a period of 21 months. He achieved a FIDE rating of 2817, becoming only one of nine players ever to have reached that high a level.

Although the title slipped out of his hands in 2013, when he lost to Magnus Carlsen (also the winner in 2014), Anand can take pride in the fact that he is the only player to have won the world championship in tournament, knockout and rapid time controls, making him one of the most versatile players on the circuit.

With over 48 titles, Anand is a genius who has managed to bring chess into the limelight in a country that is obsessed with cricket.

Leander Paes: The Kolkatan who refuses to stop

“Leander plays like a man soaked in kerosene, who fires himself up by lighting matchsticks with his teeth.”

No other words can better express Paes’ contribution to Indian tennis in the last 25 years. Wearing his heart on his sleeve everytime he appears on court in a bid to outwit the opposition, the Indian has year after year inspired a nation of a billion with his exemplary displays of determination and fortitude.

With 15 Grand Slams already in his pocket (eight doubles, including a Career Grand Slam, and seven mixed), besides achieving the feat of being the oldest man to hold aloft a Slam trophy, Paes shows no signs of stopping. He is currently preparing to become the first tennis player to compete in seven Olympics, at the Games to be held in Rio next year.

On 27th May 2015, Paes, partnering Daniel Nestor, became only the seventh man in the Open Era to complete 700 wins in doubles – a remarkable feat considering the competition in current times.

A proud Leander Paes at the podium in Atlanta in 1996

The hero of innumerable and memorable Davis Cup victories, the 41-year-old was also honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1996 for his historic bronze medal win at the Atlanta Olympics.

Starting off as a junior Wimbledon champion in 1990, the tennis player became only the second man after Rod Laver to clinch Wimbledon titles in three different decades.

Be it partnering over 100 ATP partners or refusing to be bogged down after being struck by a parasitic infection in the brain in 2003, Paes is a sportsperson who continues to fight on even in his 40s, bringing more laurels to the country and adding more titles to his already glittering cabinet.

Sachin Tendulkar: The Mumbaikar who surpassed all mortal feats

“Sachin Tendulkar has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years. It is time we carried him.”

On a memorable night of 2nd April 2011 – a night which sent an already cricket crazy nation into a tizzy, Sachin Tendulkar was chaired around a packed Wankhede, moments before he would aloft the Cricket World Cup. The quote above was uttered by Virat Kohli, which aptly put to words how every Indian had felt the previous 22 years.

Writing down Tendulkar’s achievements would in no way do justice to his cover drives or his wristy leg flicks, or the way he got under the skin of the opposition, scoring runs on all sides of the park. But here’s a small sample of his statistical greatness anyway:

15,921 runs in 200 Test matches.

18,426 runs in 463 ODI games.

The first player to score more than 30,000 international runs.

100 international centuries.

51 hundreds in Test matches, 49 in ODIs

2,278 runs in 45 World Cup matches.

The first male cricketer to score a double century in 50 overs.

In a country obsessed with the number of ducks scored by the Master Blaster, mentioning his stats would be only stating the obvious. Uniting the nation with every run scored and leading the team to one victory after another in his 24-year-long illustrious career, Tendulkar managed to achieve a cult status in the heart of every Indian, which was replaced with a deep void when he finally bid adieu on 16th November 2013.

To say that Tendulkar is an Indian sporting icon would be a laughable understatement.

Anand, Tendulkar or Paes: Who is India’s biggest ambassador in sports?

Anand was probably the first player in modern India to show the world that citizens belonging to the country of the Vedas could be the best in a global sport. Chess – still scoffed at for being called a sport – requires mental skills faster than a calculator, in order to predict the next move that the opposition is going to make. It becomes doubly tough in a rapid fire round, and to see Vishy beat the best on several occasions was truly inspiring for all Indians.

But when you talk about a sports ambassador, you also have to consider the popularity and reach of the sport in question. Chess, for all its merits, is nowhere close to being a truly high-profile ‘event’. Indians and chess aficianados across the world will always laud and celebrate Anand’s achievements, but it will always be difficult to imagine a chess champion being synonymous with Indian sporting power.

Moreover, Anand played the game without having to toil on the field and without having to battle it out in unfavourable conditions. On the other hand, adapting from the subcontinent pitches to the bouncy conditions and from the hardcourts to the green courts of Wimbledon, Tendulkar and Paes respectively played a truly physical game and yet managed to stay ahead of their rivals in crunch situations.

Further, unlike the Tendulkar-Paes duo, Anand hasn’t had to battle injuries in his 30 year long career, and hasn’t had to deal with issues that threatened to cut short his playing career. The tennis elbow injury, which required surgery, kept Tendulkar out of the game for almost two years in 2004 and 2005, and as noted above, Paes had to counter a serious brain injury in 2003. But playing with constant niggles never deterred the two champions from being at the top of the game.

So if we rule out Anand, who should get the nod fo this title – Tendulkar or Paes?

The Mumbaikar is by no means a mere mortal for this country; he had the added responsibility of carrying the burden of expectations on his shoulder every time he walked to the crease. Being born in a country which worshipped cricket, Tendulkar became the Bharat Ratna even before the title was officially conferred on him. Anything less than a 100 was criticised severely and any result except a win was blamed solely on the man.

But Tendulkar, in a perfect gentlemanly manner bore it all, never disappointing his legions of followers. He soon became a God in a nation where cricket transcended all boundaries of sport, gaining identity as a religion instead.

And yet, Tendulkar played a game which by no means is a global sport. Cricket struggles to expand its reach till today, and the concentration of its popularity in a handful of countries restricts the geographical recognition that Tendulkar, or any other cricket superstar, can garner.

Yes, the Little Master managed to outwit the most dominant team, Australia, on most occasions. But he also had the luxury of scoring a naught and still emerging on the triumphant side. The aura of Tendulkar often obscured the fact that cricket was after all a team game and that an individual needs the constant support of his 10 teammates.

It is here that Paes ‘aces’ ahead. Playing a game where there is no scope of getting your breath back, the way a cricketer can do while at the non striker’s end, and playing consistently for 25 years while warding off challenges from younger legs is an unmatched feat. 55 ATP titles with 100 different partners – adjusting to their style of play frequently – cannot be overlooked either.

Yes, Test cricket, lasting five days, has its own demands. But Paes has had to harness all his energy into a two-hour countdown with the world’s best, and he’s had to do it over 25 years.

Speaking of longetivity, Paes has enjoyed considerable success after reaching the ripe age of 40. The tennis player in his sleevless jersey shows no signs of stopping even today. With his eyes fixed on the medal in Rio next year, Paes has made clear his intention of continuing well into his late 40s.

Tendulkar, after playing his 200th Test match, bowed out of international cricket almost two years ago, and is today confined to the coaching sphere, only playing the odd match like the Lord’s Bicenetary last year. Despite not being at his best for the last few years in Test Cricket (he averaged 27.52 in the 15 Tests since 2012), Tendulkar was the enigma who would not have found himself sitting out of the squad. He continued playing at his own pace, often getting criticised for staying too long, and only walked into the sunset after playing his 200th game.

Around the same time as he bid farewell, Anand lost his crown as a world champion, stumbling under the pressure and losing to the 22-year-old Magnus Carlsen. Unable to overcome his mental block, Anand lost in 2014 as well, and a comeback at 46 looks nearly impossible.

Paes cannot afford such lapses in form. On a tennis court, you are your own hero and villain. Also, the willingness of players to partner him depends greatly on Paes’ ranking. The pressure on a player like him is constant.

Why Leander Paes is truly India’s biggest sporting icon

At 42, when his other contemporaries have started their second innings away from sports, Paes still has the zeal to win another medal for India in next year’s Olympic Games.

Choosing a winner out of the three is a tough task considering that they have managed to carve out their own niche in society, whizzing past their opponents on their journey to superstardom. Eyes glistening with tears when the Jana Gana Mana is played after every battle won, these sporting legends have ensured they will be forever etched in India’s sporting history.

From a country of challengers to a nation which is capable of producing champions, the trio have defined and redefined success like no other, all the while managing to maintain their distinct humility which separates them from the novices.

Anand has remained in the shadows of the other two more “popular” icons, escaping the scrutinising eyes of the country every time he has stepped out to play. But then again, he can hardly be blamed for being the numero uno in a sport that hardly garners eyeballs.

Tendulkar’s hard work instantly made him a national icon. Every Indian started identifying with the batsman who taught the world and the country to never get intimidated when the going got tough. But the exact impact of Tendulkar in a team game that isn’t the most geographically spread out is questionable.

Amidst all this, it is Paes who has remained the unheralded hero, fighting on despite being made the scapegoat in the federation’s politics a number of times, which even saw his own teammates refuse playing with him at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Tennis loses out to cricket as far as TRP ratings on TV are concerned, and it is true that Paes hasn’t faced the kind of expectations that Tendulkar had to go through. But even at 42, the Kolkatan has still managed to retain his fitness level, striking winners and stretch volleys with élan. His reflexes still look like those of a 16-year-old rather than those of an old ageing champion who has nothing left to conquer.

Paes represents everything that is good about Indian sport – great hands, extraordinary skill, tremendous stamina, fantastic athleticism, a never-say-die attitude, pride in his country, and above all, unrelenting humility. For all those things and more, to my mind, Paes is India’s biggest sports icon of this generation.