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

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.