Critics wrote him off. Fans were never satisfied. The Coach questioned his commitment while cricket experts found chinks in his armour. The little master bore them all without flinching. It was time for his reply and reply he did, in his own inimitable style. Yes, Sachin Tendulkar was in his element and weaved his magic yet again under a starry sky at the SCG.
Yes, it was not the usual Sachin knock. It might not feature in his top 5 knocks. It definitely didn’t have the trademark thundering drives and the pounding cuts. Neither did he manage to clear the ropes frequently. But it was a knock oozing with determination and grit. Sachin was out to prove a point though actually he had nothing much to prove. And when Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar raised his bat to acknowledge the cheers of the crowd, it was not pride and joy that were visible in his eyes. Instead it were the hurts and wounds that he had been forced to endure that were visible.
Sachin is one of those unfortunate excessively gifted men whose every action is scrutinized and non existent faults found. Every failure of his is discussed as if its the end of the world. In every outing of his, critics and fans alike, try very hard to find some thing to bicker about. Very recently it revolved around the so called ‘Nervous 90s’ problem of his. Instead of acknowledging a great innings of 90 runs people tend to speak only about the missing 10 runs. Instead of acknowledging the numerous centuries he has crafted, people tend to speak about his coincidental poor run in the finals. But who was the primary reason for reaching umpteen number of finals? Sachin ofcourse. But no one cares as long as they get some thing to criticize about him.
Yes, it was not the usual Sachin knock. It might not feature in his top 5 knocks. It definitely didn’t have the trademark thundering drives and the pounding cuts. Neither did he manage to clear the ropes frequently. But it was a knock oozing with determination and grit. Sachin was out to prove a point though actually he had nothing much to prove. And when Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar raised his bat to acknowledge the cheers of the crowd, it was not pride and joy that were visible in his eyes. Instead it were the hurts and wounds that he had been forced to endure that were visible.
Sachin is one of those unfortunate excessively gifted men whose every action is scrutinized and non existent faults found. Every failure of his is discussed as if its the end of the world. In every outing of his, critics and fans alike, try very hard to find some thing to bicker about. Very recently it revolved around the so called ‘Nervous 90s’ problem of his. Instead of acknowledging a great innings of 90 runs people tend to speak only about the missing 10 runs. Instead of acknowledging the numerous centuries he has crafted, people tend to speak about his coincidental poor run in the finals. But who was the primary reason for reaching umpteen number of finals? Sachin ofcourse. But no one cares as long as they get some thing to criticize about him.
Never before in history has a man been so borne down with expectations as Sachin has been. For that alone (if not for anything else) he deserves the tag of the ‘Best Batsman’. Yes Brian Lara was a contemporary great batsman and carried the Winidies expectations. But please, their population wouldn’t match that of a single state in our country. Yes Ponting amasses a lot of runs aggressively. But he always had good players to rely on even if his fails. But was it the case with Sachin? In the early 1990s the whole Indian team was a one man army. Teams planned ways to get him out in vain. Bowlers fear him worldwide. Yet we fail to realize the kind of star that he is.
Come on! Reflect on his achievements. Reflect on things that he has done which others could only stare at in awe. It is about time that we Indians respect his deeds rather than criticize his rare failures. Critics must reflect on their own achievements before questioning his credentials. And the only one who has better credentials than him is God and of course the legendary Don Bradman. So stop pointing fingers at him ‘cause it would be a sin. Enjoy the master’s innings ‘cause soon we might miss him. Yes , if Cricket is religion, Sachin is definitely the God and do your sins while Sachin is batting ‘cause God will not be watching you. He will be watching Sachin dispatch the ball to the cleaners.
By: one among Billions of ardent Sachin fans.
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