Farewell Tendulkar

It is very painful to imagine that Tendulkar will not be playing cricket again. I cannot write a great tribute with all the statistics and figures. Many have already written about his gigantic records and achievements. I just want to write about the deep impact that he had in my heart. I am so thankful to him for all the pleasure he gave me while watching him play exquisite strokes. Though he lost the exuberance with which he used to attack the bowlers during my school days, he kept adjusting his technique and choice of strokes as per the situation and age. Some instances of exuberance that come to my mind are as follows.

1. He reached century with a six of Courtney Walsh through a wonderful hook shot when West Indies toured India (I was probably in 6^th class then). I missed his hooks & pulls badly later.
2. He scored a boundary through a wonderful on drive just past the umpire in the bowling of Dion Nash (New Zealand). Captain Chris Cairns removed the fist slip fielder and put him in mid on position. The next ball was guided sweetly to the boundary through the first slip from where the fielder was removed. New Zealanders did not know where to put their heads in.
3. There is a story that Allan Mulally (England) bowling on his test debut complained to the umpire that Tendulkar is using a heavy broad bat. Tendulkar walked up to the wicket, pointed to the stumps, and stated that he would happily face Mulally’s bowling ‘with one of those’. He went on to make 124.
4. The desert storm against Australia in Sharjah is unforgettable. Specially the sixes against Shane Warne and Kasprowiz still come to my mind.

He also disappointed me many a time by failing to finish the game (I still remember me crying when India lost to Pakistan in 1999 Chennai test when he scored a hundred but India fell short by 12 runs). World cup finals of 2007 and many second innings matches come to mind when he failed to deliver when India needed it big time. Lara delivered much better for his team in such crunch situations. But, there is something more than these failures in Tendulkar. He gave joy and fulfilment to all the fans who watched him. He gave the nation a unique feeling of celebration all the time he played. I cannot express that excitement and exhilaration inside me whenever I watched his cover drive or straight drive. Who will now give me that feeling of contentment and celebration?

There is something more than cricket to Tendulkar being liked by many. As he told in his farewell speech, he strives to be good human being. It reflects in his attitude, demeanour and approach towards life. Whenever I read that he toiled hard in the nets before the beginning of every match, I tell myself to keep working and improving myself. In spite of playing all the master class strokes, he never let him feel arrogant and stop practising. He kept improvising his technique, kept learning like a boy who starts playing the game. ‘We should give our 100% in everything that we do’ is what Tendulkar conveyed throughout his career. He behaved responsibly on and off the ground, never lost his ethics and upheld the pride of the nation. When I saw his message that he takes bath with the use of a bucket instead of shower to save water, my respect for him increased manifold.

Injuries haunted him. Billion expectations weighed on him every time he went to bat. Still, he bore the burden of all the hopes and tried to deliver his best. When Tendulkar punched Brett Lee for spectacular straight drives in Commonwealth Bank series in Australia, commentator Ian Chappel said ‘that was young Sachin’. I always wanted Sachin to play with the same audacity. That is the reason behind the pain to see him getting bowled during his last years of career. Age probably reduced the speed of his reflexes. But, wish list in my mind never got dampened. I wanted him score 100 fifties and 20000 runs in ODIs. But, he ended at 96 fifties and retired from ODIs. Even, yesterday, I wanted him to cross 16000 runs in test cricket. He fell short by 79 runs at the end of the career. As I wrote before, figures do not sum up what Tendulkar gave to the nation. He gave lakhs of people reason to celebrate and enjoy in spite of their worries and engagements.

I always felt bad whenever somebody criticized Tendulkar for not being the true match winner. I felt bad because I did not have statistics to refute the criticism. His fourth innings hundred against England in Chennai is rather unfortunately an exception. When I read the gist of Sumit Chakraborthy’s latest book ‘Master Laster’, I could not but agree with him that Tendulkar should have retired before. But, there is heaviness inside imagining Tendulkar not playing again. 

The exemplary spirit of sportsmanship he displayed is what makes him dear to all. He had limitations. He failed as a captain. I vividly recollect the 3-0 bashing that Steve Waugh & Co gave to India in Australia under Tendulkar's captaincy. But, he always strived to rise above his limitations and deliver his best. His indomitable spirit is what made many believe him to be the God of cricket. ‘Bharat Ratna’ is an apt tribute to his spirit, service to the game, devotion for excellence that inspire fellow Indians to contribute to the nation. I join the nation and salute Sachin Sachin..