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The 10th of October, 2013 is a day no Indian will ever forget. It was the day when Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement from cricket.
It is only a matter of time before we see the maestro playing International cricket for the last time in his career. It is hard to digest, isn’t it? Sachin Tendulkar would step out on to the field for the last time in his life on November 18. It is just the second day to which he made his debut 24 years ago.
He made his debut at the tender age of 16 years and 223 days, a time at which most kids wouldn’t have even completed their schooling. From a very young age, this kid stood out among the others. His coach, the legendary Ramakant Achrekar knew then that he was no ordinary player. He was one destined for greatness.
He caught everyone’s eye in his first series against Pakistan in 1989. The way he smashed Abdul Qadir for 27 runs in an over is still fresh in everyone’s eyes. But the greatest innings of his teenage years was the century against Australia in Perth before the 1992 World Cup. On what is known as the fastest pitch in the world, the terrorizing Australian pace attack of Merv Hughes, Bruce Reid and Craig Mcdermott was taken to the cleaners by Sachin. Hughes commented to Allan Border at the time that “This little pr***’s going to get more runs than you, AB.”
Even as a child, he displayed brilliance and the ability to make it to the big stage. His coach would often become tired and set a coin on the stumps. The kid who got Sachin out would earn the coin. But more often than not, Sachin would end up taking that home. It is a well-known fact that he still treasures the 13 coins he earned from his coach.
He always took up the responsibility of leading the batting line-up and did it perfectly. The world’s greatest players have all been humbled by Sachin. He has never been the one who does the dirty fights or has spats with others. Instead, every time he walks on to the pitch, he lets his game do the talking. He earned the respect of his fellow teammates and the opposition through his flawless batting and amazing technique
He was the greatest player India ever had and was the greatest player the world had ever seen. Never before had they seen a man who was so impeccable at the crease and scored runs with such ease. Australia, the best team in the past two decades were Sachin’s most favourite opposition. They were the team who suffered most at the hands of Sachin. He always seemed at his best when playing against the mighty Australians.
Glenn Mcgrath and Brett Lee, arguably the deadliest combo in Sachin’s era were torn to shreds by him. Mark Taylor, said after the 1997 Chepauk match, “We did not lose to a team called India. We lost to a man called Sachin”.
The game’s greatest players, like Don Bradman and Brian Lara have always rated Sachin one step above themselves. Don Bradman once said, “I saw him playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I felt that this player is playing with a style similar to mine, and she looked at him on Television and said yes, there is a similarity between the two…his compactness, technique, stroke production – it all seemed to gel!”
For all his credibility and achievement, one thing always eluded him in his prime. It was his greatest dream, his goal in life; it was to win the World Cup for India. Often, he carried India on his shoulders in the World Cup. In the 1996 World Cup, he was the top-scorer, only to be denied a shot at the trophy by Sri-Lanka in the infamous semi-final. Even in that match, he was India’s best player.
In 2003, he was so near yet so far from realizing his dream. He had carried the team to the final, but was once again devoid of the ultimate achievement by some spectacular batting from Australia. The 2007 World Cup was a fiasco, to say the least. The team was unsettled under new coach, and they exited in the group stages. But in 2011, he finally realized his and the dreams of millions of Indians. A six off Nuwan Kulasekara by MS Dhoni would see the ‘little master’ touch the ultimate spectacle in cricket after 22 years of dominance.
It was like the World-cup was tailor-made for Sachin to win. He was the second highest scorer in the tournament, finishing with 482 runs, and he won it at the Wankhede Stadium, his home. It was the heavens showering praise on him that day, as Sachin was taken around the Stadium on a procession by his teammates.
Coming to his records, words are not enough to describe them. Every one of his records is a mammoth one and reaching anywhere near it is a herculean task. However, the greatest of all his records is his 100 centuries. There is nothing quite spectacular like that. I can safely say that his records will not be broken in the near future.
Above all this, there was one thing that separated Sachin from the rest. It was his passion, his love for the game the made him what he is today. He just loved to hold the bat and whack the ball. He loved to step on to the field. Every time he wore the shirt, he did it with passion and pride.
After all these impossible achievements, as a human being, Sachin still remains most humble. A modest person, he never disgraced or discouraged anyone. Never has he ever been even remotely connected to any fixing or cheating allegations. Even to this day, he attributes all of his success to his coach, Ramakant Achrekar.
Sachin will go down as the greatest player ever to have walked on to a cricket pitch, and it would be safe to say that no one will ever dispute that claim. His ever-smiling face, picture-perfect straight drive with no follow-through, the stunning cover drive, the square-leg scoop are few of the things that will be missed when this Maestro walks into the dusk on November 18th.
It is not hard to replace Sachin Tendulkar, it is impossible. His partnership and understanding with ‘Babu Moshai’ will always be missed, and the millions whom he inspired will be shedding tears when he descends into a life without Cricket. He may have retired from Cricket, but he will always remain in our hearts.
Take a bow, Sachin Tendulkar
