Sachin and His Influence in Average Indian Minds:
When we speak about the biggest role models in the Nation, personally I think the first name which comes to my mind is that of the diminutive figure of a Mumbaikar wielding his bat and on the unbelievable strength of his firearms and impeccable timing speeding the ball across the turf to the fence with immunity and alacrity.
On April 24, 1973, in a middle-class family, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar was born and his father was a professor of Marathi- the fact is known to most people. He carried his father’s name with reverence as a connector between Sachin (in memory of the music maestro) and Tendulkar (the clan) and S. R. Tendulkar became a historical name; so much so that his contemporary Aussie batter Mathew Hayden remarked once, “cricket is a religion in India and Sachin, the cricket God.” If ever anywhere an article on Test Cricket or- Day International is written, this name is bound to appear on multiple occasions- so stupendous and epoch-making were his exploits! But, Sachin- the persona inside had been seen looking skyward immediately after scoring a ton, especially after his father passed away in 1999; we saw him scoring 140* against Kenya in Bristol, England in ICC World Cup. This cricketer is special for many reasons. Therefore, as a follower of his game, I want to write down some interesting and memorable incidents this cricketer had given me and millions of cricket lovers all over the globe. It is entirely from my memory- bank; I want to dedicate this from whatever I could gather over 24 years of serious cricket this role- model did leave behind as his legacy.
Following the 1986 Reliance World Cup, Sunil Manohar Gavaskar ( ‘the ornament of cricket’, as referred to by none else than Sir Donald Bradman) hung his boots on scaling ‘the Mount Everest’ of Test Cricket aggregates and century- tally (10,122 runs in 125 test matches with 34 tons). He scored 4 runs in his farewell ODI knock (4 more than Sir Don in his own farewell innings), and observed that he lost all his appetites for runs- I was very sad to think that from then on, I have to see cricket sans the forward defensive prod by the little master with customary skull- cap.
Momentarily, I lost all interest in cricket till the day a child prodigy from “Amchi Mumbai” was making huge news when two favorites of Ramakant Achrekar took their names to Guinness book of records in scoring 664 runs unbeaten partnership for the third wicket in Harris Shield. As if the baton of Bombay- Gharana ‘khadosh’ batsmanship was transferred to the right heir.
In 1989–90, the visiting Indian cricket team under Krishnamachari Srikanth was in the last leg of their historic tour to the arch-rivals Pakistan. A benefit match was being played which was a real benefit for me personally as I was watching in my “Weston mini TV set” a diminutive batsman launch into an all-out offensive on established leg-spinner of Pakistan, Abdul Qadir. He was jumping out of the crease and lofting repeatedly the legendary leggie over his head to the sight-screen- thereby declaring his Regal arrival into the cricket scene. The baptism through fires was complete which started on a somber note being hit by a lethal bouncer from Waqar Younis. After being hit, all in blood, the boy was however impatient to take on and resume his innings- that was sheer guts. There was no surgical strike, neither an airstrike all right, but it was a strike to remember and cherish forever.
After missing the century in New Zealand (was dismissed by Sir Richard Hadlee on 88) to become the youngest- ever test centurion (which was in the name of Pakistani all-rounder Mushtaq Mohammed), Sachin was visiting England in 1990 for the first time. At Old Trafford, Manchester he scored his maiden test century 119* following 50- plus in the first essay. If I recollect, the then British commentator was lamenting, “when will England have a wonderful boy, a seventeen-year-old like him?” This was the ultimate recognition of an Indian by the modern-day colonial masters.
It was at Cape Town again in away series- I was wondering if this cricketer strived to excel in foreign soils! The test batting those days in overseas conditions was difficult and Indians were bundled out cheaply in the first innings. In the second innings Sachin, in the company of Azharuddin choose “attack as the best form of defense.” In my friend’s place that night I witnessed the onslaught on the “white lightning” Allan Donald and company mounted by the duo- by distinctively different styles of batsmanship. Sachin preferred front-foot drives while Azhar was demonstrating his lazy backfoot deft touches sending the ball racing past the outfield. The partnership, when both of them scored centuries in a couple of hours, of sheer brilliance will always be etched in my memory- 169 glorious runs from the blade of the “master blaster” flowed.
In ODI, in his initial 70- odd matches, he hardly got enough chances to display his prowess. In New Zealand, following the 1992 World Cup, when an Indian opener got sick in Auckland or Hamilton (don’t remember exactly), he got an accidental chance to open the innings. Sachin requested his “Wadekar sir”( who was managing the squad) to open the innings. The result was breathtaking batsmanship on display as displayed by Mark Greatbatch who introduced to utilize initial powerplay overs to loft and chip ball over the infield. He missed his first limited over century narrowly that day all right, but immediately after that series he achieved the feat of scoring first of his 51 ODI tons in Sri Lanka. That came in his 79 th ODI appearance.
Sachin as a captain was like a tragic- hero to me as I observed that his captaincy stint was affected by two factors- his perception of other ten players having abilities like him, and because of the musical chairs game played by the selectors, he hardly got a decent set of bowlers to bag twenty wickets in a test match. I was shocked as to how the Indian batsmen failed to chase down 100- odd targets in the final innings twice in the 90s- once in Barbados and on another occasion in South Africa. Therefore, when he relinquished captaincy and recommended Sourav’s name for the job in 2003 following debacle down under, he appeared much relaxed.
People mostly talked about his batting. I will try to throw light into another aspect of his game. I recollect how his throw from long-off was instrumental in the run-out of the Pakistani all-rounder Abdul Razaq in the Eden Gardens Test. In the split second, he had the presence of mind and extra power in his forearm (he could throw by both hands) to cover an additional 22 yards to throw directly to the wicketkeeper where the opportunity existed.
Also, the wickets he claimed at the right moment with his brand of a mixed bag of deliveries spoke volumes of his smart cricket acumen. Who could forget the wickets he claimed in the Eden Gardens in the famous match where Rahul and Laxman turned the tables on the Aussies under Steve Waugh? I recollect when in Kochi he failed in two ODIs to score significantly, he was itching to contribute with the ball, and on both instances, he bagged hauls of 4 wickets along with bagging the man of the match awards.
It was believed in the days of match-fixing that the bookies were really concerned about his wicket. In his autobiography co-authored by Gulu Ezekiel, it was hinted that “all was not well” those days. Somewhere down the line, he was pained at the state of affairs, and naturally, it did affect his cricket too.
When Mercanhas, the TV giant, after Sachin’s spectacular success in the World Cup in 1996, wanted him to give consent for a live telecast of his wedding with Anjali and offered him an astronomical sum, he pulled out politely declining the offer which shows his middle-class value as inculcated in him since his childhood.
Last, but not least, his farewell speech on the completion of a mammoth cricketing career will never be forgotten. Especially, a cricketer, who hardly did get time for traditional academic pursuits and always had been very economical in oratory opportunities, did speak that farewell day from the bottom of his heart. And boy! Did he not excel in the role and touch the hearts of every listener?
