8 reasons why Sachin Tendulkar will be missed at the 2015 World Cup

Sachin Tendulkar with the much-coveted World Cup trophyWhen Sachin Tendulkar played his first ICC Cricket World Cup in 1992, Narendra Modi was an RSS pracharak and a newbie in the BJP, the internet had just been invented, the price of gold in India was Rs 4100, and Arvind Kejriwal was working in Tata Steel as an aam aadmi.Just before that World Cup in 1992, he had played the innings of his lifetime and probably the one of the best ever by any international player against a petrifying Australian bowling attack, scoring 114 runs in Perth, aged just 18.He was the nucleus of the Indian Squad in ‘92, ‘96, ‘99, ‘03 and ‘07 before finally winning the elusive trophy in 2011. For us, he was a lord among peasants and played like God among mortals. He played to the audience, sometimes with Zen-like focus and sometimes with just pure genius.But this coming World Cup, he, unfortunately, won’t be there in the middle.Here are 8 reasons why we will miss Tendulkar at the World Cup:

#1 Encounters against Pakistan wont have the same feel without him

Remember the 2003 world cup India-Pak encounter? Remember how Sachin slaughtered the Pakistani bowlers? Didn’t it give you eternal happiness that Sachin with tricolor plastered on his helmet and on top of his form was toying with the Pakistan bowling attack and for all we know everyone in the nation slept sound that night.

His average against Pakistan in the world cup was a smooth 62 and he tormented those world class breed of bowlers on more occasions than one.

Also, his 141 in 135 balls against Pakistan in Rawalpindi while chasing a target of 330 in 2004 was a marathon innings and the fall of his wicket in the 39th over of the match was one of the reasons India lost the plot. It is still one of the most underrated centuries of all times and will always remind us of his genius stroke play.

#2 Because Sachin holds the record for most runs in World Cup history

Sachin scored 2278 runs in 45 matches in the world cup at an average of 56.95 which is almost 10 average points higher than the second best in the league i.e. Ricky Pointing, who will remain 4 centuries and 35 runs behind the master after the last world cup, forever!!

And considering that only 3 players in the top 30 of all time leading scorers list in the world cup will be a part of the next world cup in 2015, his record will stand the test of time and is unlikey to be broken in the next 15 years atleast.

#3 The team wont have the added motivation they had in 2011 of winning it for him

It seldom happens that an entire nation prays and wishes for the God and not for themselves. Winning the world cup and watching him jump in joy; full of emotions and tears in his eyes reminded us of the struggle and hard work it took to finally get his hands over the world cup.

But this time we have a new squad with aspirations and dreams of their own and they will find it difficult to match the intensity and the passion of the team in 2011 who wanted to win it for ‘Sachin Paaji’ at all cost.

And not to forget that before 2011 no other team had won the cup on its own soil as hosts. In retrospect it feels like a fairy tale story but it all happened and we will dearly miss those moments in Australia/New Zealand this time around.

#4 He has a good record on Australian soil and we will miss the breezy starts we were accustomed to during the peak of his prowess

He accumulated 1491 runs in Australia in his ODI career and 740 of those came against a petrifying and probably the best Australian attack of all times. He brought with him two decades of experience on fast tracks like the Gabba and Perth and his ability to put the pressure back on the opposition will surely be missed.

His innings in Perth is still considered the best century of all times by a long margin. He has scored 11 centuries against Australia which is only second to JB Hobbs who has scored 12, but Sachin has a better average than Hobbs and more contributions in winning games.

#5 The excitement of watching him bat was a fabulous reason to call in sick and abandon appointments

We skipped classes, postponed arrangements, planned leaves, called in sick and sacrificed our sleep just to follow his game like true disciples of a guru. The impact of his game was such that it even prompted Obama to enquire as to why the productivity of his country went down by 5% when Sachin batted.

His discipline and mental strength during the game was such that he didn’t play a single cover drive during his 241 vs Australia in Sydney. It was the stuff of legends and made believers of us all and motivated us to strive for perfection.

#6 His work ethics and devotion to the game were unparalleled and his mere presence in the squad would lift spirits

Have you ever had chicken tikka which looks bloody gorgeous from outside but is difficult to chew? Probably because it is half baked inside and that is exactly how the current Indian squad for the world cup looks. Sachin would have been an easy choice and an inspiration for the young guns had he not retired.

#7 He is still the ideal Indian good boy, a son every mother wants

He is a big brother to millions of young fans, an inspiration to those who play the game and a complete family person.

During his career spanning 24 years he never critiqued his teammates and supported them in tough situations (read monkey gate), to his team mates he is also the friend you would call in the middle of the night if world was coming to the end.

All in all he is a gem of a person, as humble as a dove and as wise as an owl. And not to forget he drives a Ferrari!!

#8 The class and the brilliance

We will miss the anticipation of the crowd, the roar and cheer of the fans as he entered the arena which would fill us with pride. The pure ecstasy of witnessing that front foot straight drive was a spiritual experience for most of us. He was a Superhero who always arrived just in time to stop us from savagely beating the TV set to pieces.

The fall of the second wicket will not hold much sentimental worth and ‘Cricket-is-our-religion-and-Sachin-is-our God’ posters will remind us of his absence.