20 Years of Sachin Tendulkar – A TRIBUTE to a Genius

November 15^th 1989, was a special day for the world of cricket. The little “BIG” man played his first international match, and to make the occasion more special, it was against India’s arch rival, Pakistan. Since then, he has enthralled billions around the world with his delightful strokeplay. It just seems like he was sent here by god, just to play cricket, and get back. He is no ordinary player. He is a phenomenon. He is a god himself to many. He is the little master. He is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

Sachin Tendulkar is one person capable of bringing his whole country to a standstill. When the second wicket falls for India in a test match, something strange happens; there is an unusual silence, people hear the sound of the leaves swiveling in the air, television TRP ratings along with the tension levels of the Indians hit an all time high, and expectations soar to unprecedented levels. Roads are empty, shops are shut and everyone is in front of a television set when this man is batting. It is also said that when Sachin Tendulkar is batting against Pakistan, the Indian television audience exceeds the population of Europe!  

I am not going to talk about his achievements here, for two reasons. First, it is very well known to one and all and second, the list is endless. He has played the sport with great enthusiasm, passion and dignity. He has had a tremendous impact on the sport, its audience and on the people in India.  

He attained demi-god like status before he was twenty five. He is absolutely adored by the billions in the country. And, if one person was majorly responsible in turning cricket into a multi – million dollar sport, it was him. He signed record sponsorship deals at every point in time of his career. All of this is attributed to the sheer hard work and dedication he put in over the years. He handles fame and adulation with such ease and still firmly keeps his foot planted to the ground. Such is the greatness of the man.

The pressure he has had to handle over the years is unimaginable! He has had to carry the hopes of his entire country on his shoulders for two full decades and he continues to do so. For a person, to whom anything less than a century is considered an ordinary score, the expectations are ridiculously unrealistic. Still, he does not disappoint on most occasions.

If one has to describe Sachin Tendulkar as a player, he would soon run out of superlatives. Words like awesome, brilliant, magnificent are certain to cross your mind though. He is a genius, with god given talent no doubt. He stands at the crease, with such wonderful balance and poise, and at the same time intimidating the bowlers. His footwork is near perfect and he is the nearest thing to Bradman there’s ever been.   

What makes this man so special and adorable? Well, everything about him. He is a perfect role model if you ever were looking for one. He has his head firmly on his shoulders in spite of all his towering achievements. The best part is, he is still hungry for a lot more. Nothing means more to him than representing his country in what he does best – play cricket. For a person like him, no praise is ever enough. He holds almost every record in the book. After twenty long years in the game, he still continues to live in a bubble unflustered and unaffected by controversies and just lets his bat do the talking. Sometimes this makes you wonder – is he human?

Every Indian and I am sure a million others around the world would want Sachin Tendulkar to play forever, but that unfortunately is not quite possible. I just cannot imagine how many rivers in this country would be overflowing with the tears from the eyes of people when the great man decides to hang up his boots. I just hope that day is very far off. Until then, let us all continue to celebrate the wonderful and the most illustrious cricketing career there has ever been, and keep saluting the great man – SACHIN RAMESH TENDULKAR.

Cheers,

Aswath

Aswath is a regular iSporter and also contributes to the Cricket Paddock on www.isport.in