Sach is the Man

(I took this picture during the 3rd test between India and Sri Lanka at Brabourne Stadium Mumbai, December 4th 2009. Sachin is walking out to bat in this picture)
I may have been about 2 years old when my dad gave me my first cricket bat. It was a small plastic bat with the word “Thunder” written on it, but before I could say the word bat, I learnt to say “Sachin Tendulkar”. As a toddler, one of the first things I learnt about cricket was Sachin Tendulkar. Still in his teens then, he had taken the cricket world by storm. All the other kids in my locality would get their bats and we used to make our nannies bowl to us. Almost every kid in the colony wanted to be like Sachin. The image of him striking the ball came to our minds the moment we picked up out little bats. Sachin had mesmerized the entire nation, young and old alike.
I write today, a day before he would become the highest capped test cricketer in the history of the game. This is another record that is going to be added to his already huge kit of milestones. Over 600 international matches and number of milestones, but his hunger and enthusiasm for the game is the same since the day he first walked out to play for India. There are no more words to describe the man, no more words to appreciate his achievements. All we can do is to sit back and take pride in the fact that we have been witnesses to a great career. We have shared his good times and bad. We have always wanted him to perform as he symbolised the hope of Team India.
There are many moments in his career that symbolise the great man. As 16 year old, playing his fourth test against Pakistan, he got hit on his nose by a Waqar Younis bouncer. He told his partner Navjot Singh Siddhu “Main Khelega” when asked if he wanted to go back to the dressing room. The net ball he faced was carted to the boundary. On the same tour he took on Abdul Qadir’s challenge and hit him for four sixes in an over. I wasn’t born that time, but from what I have heard and read, people were saying “This kid can not only bat, but can dominate bowlers.” At 16 he had shoed the maturity and determination we have seen for the past 20 years. In these 20 years there have been many successes, and along with them come heartbreaks. Heartbreaks at Chennai in 1999 and Hyderabad in 2009 got tears to our eyes and made us feel that we should have won those matches atleast for him. I was too young when the Chennai incident took place, but I remember the Hyderabad match distinctly. The last ball of the Ausralian innings, Sachin had taken a great catch in the outfield to dismiss Cameron White. He threw the ball back in anger, which is uncharacteristic of him. This just gave me the feeling that we were in for a special. When he got out on 175 there was still hope of a win but the Indian tail fell short by 3 runs. This was a huge heartbreak and I remember it took me three days to get over it. What I am trying to say is that we have always shared his feelings. His father passed away during the middle of the 1999 World Cup. He rushed back to be with his family and returned to play for India immediately. The entire nation felt his pain when he walked out to bat against Kenya. The hundred he got that day won’t be forgotten by anybody considering the loss he has suffered. When there were protests against the team during the 2003 World Cup, it was Sachin who delivered a message to the nation promising better performance. This instantly calmed people down and the next day people were on the streets with his posters shouting “Sachin, hum tumhare saath hai”(Sachin, we are with you). Whenever he got injured, almost the entire nation would get worried and pray for his quick recovery. John Wright wrote in his book that whenever Sachin gets injured, the whole of India gets an anatomy lesson. He has always spoken of his pride of being an Indian and this has appealed to everyone in the country. He is one man who can unite the nation. His aura transcends the boundaries of the cricket field and enters into the hearts of every cricket fan, not just Indian cricket fans. Whenever he walked out to bat in Australia, the crowds would give him a standing ovation. His hundred were cheered with similar enthusiasm. Last week, when he scored his 48th test hundred, I distinctly remember the Sri Lankan supporters chanting his name when he was on 98. Such or should I say Sach is the man.
There are many great moments in his career but if I have to pick one that would sum him up, it would be the moment he got his one day double hundred earlier this year. He just took his helmet off, waved his bat to the heavens and the crowd. There was no fist pumping, no aggressive celebration, but a humble acknowledgment. This just shows the man’s humility. In spite of achieving almost everything there is, he is as humble as ever. This is what I learn from him. No matter what you do, where you reach, always be humble. No matter the time is good or bad, always do your best, the bad times will go away and the good times will become better. Sachin, you just taught us how to live.