The News channels of India have been obsessed with only one news in
the last few days.... retirement of Sachin Tendulkar..alias God of Cricket... alias 'Little Master' ..alias 'Master
Blaster' and so on....
Braking news....Braking news.... in BOLD and so unthoughtful font & colour ....covering almost half of the TV screen, loud outbursts and repetitive sentences from the News anchor...hardly any analysis..and habit of making a big thing out of nothing!! For me...this is the usual sight when I switch on most of the Indian News channels, with only few exceptions, be it Hindi or English news.
I have always been very appreciative of the way in which News anchors of BBC presented the news - In a cool & calm manner with a moderate voice without that loud pitch, without any fuss, concentrating solely on the matter and presenting it in a precise language. Also, the news running at the bottom is kept in proper font...not that half screen font of our news channels! No wonder my grandfather used to advise us to listen to BBC news (It was radio in those days.. till the Dish Antenna arrived), for improving our spoken English!
How ever, this time around, interestingly, I was not frustrated with or angry over the ways & manners of our news channels on the day when Sachin Tendulkar played his last Test match and gave an emotional speech at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. I had mixed feelings - I was happy, I was amused, I was surprised..and ...I was not surprised.!! I don't know how to express it. Even after knowing already that it was bound to be a braking news for all these news channels and it is going to be that way almost for the whole week, I was feeling good about it....I indeed was happy to see Sachin all over the place and I was thinking he deserved it! Yet It was amusing to see on these very news channels ....that how so many people...almost the whole India cared so much about this man....how so many people were moved by his parting words.......yeah of course he has many records to his name but still.....after all, it is just a sport...and he is just another sportsman......then what's so special about him? And then I recalled my childhood memories to find out what's special about him at least for me!
I remember my childhood days....like any other boy in India, after finishing up the romance with domestic and local games like, 'Kanche, Gilli danda, Patang (Kites), Chain, Kho-baithni' etc... I too started playing Cricket (of course with plastic ball and later with tennis ball...and hardly once with the leather ball....but that shouldn't make you think I wasn't a serious cricketer! :-) ) and soon had started imitating various bowling actions and batting styles. Playing Cricket and watching India's matches on TV and more than these two activities - discussing Cricket was the passion of almost all middle class small town teens like me. :-)
I don't recall exactly when I started watching Sachin....but it must be in the 90s....I do remember watching the 1992 world cup...as Australia is around 5 hrs ahead of Indian time.... we used to get up early at around 4-5 am to not to miss out on India's batting. Sachin & Vinod Kambli immediately drew attention of everybody....for their fearless batting and agile legs! I do remember what poor team India used to have.... poor fielders...no prominent pace bowler to name except the aging war horse Kapil Dev....and that infamous batting lineup which had only one motto ' tu chal...mai aya' ....literally it was like that - If India lost 1 wicket....they used to loose the rest so quickly that we hardly used to win while chasing a target.
Then came Sachin Tendulkar...this 5 ft 5 inch little boy....small may be in size...but huge was the potential in him....tremendous power in those arms...very quick between the wickets...wonderful cricketing mind....street smart.... flawless technique...as they say pure...copybook technique...and above all his hunger to perform, hunger for runs...hunger to win....and preparedness to toil hard....work hard...practice hard...to achieve his goals!
Soon he became the backbone of the ailing Indian batting......started wining matches for India, single-handedly with his explosive batting. I remember us switching off the TV as soon as Sachin got out in a run chase...and that was not just our case....but the whole neighborhood used to be out on street...and the typical dialogues I used to hear were - "there is no hope...match is out of our hands now....Sachin was not out....Empire is sold out to Pakistani team (specially if they were playing in Sharjah! :-) )...the ball was missing leg stump....he didn't nick the ball...batsman at other end was wasting balls, he didn't get enough strike"....etc..etc....! :-)
Gradually this boy named Sachin had captured the imagination of all Indians with his consistent performances on the field...and some of them being almost charismatic....some even saw divine hand in him....specially when he helped India reach the Final of the Hero Cup 1993, bowling that magical last over in the Semi final against South Africa. Who can forget the world cup of 1996 where he was the highest run getter of all, but could not win the world cup for India, after the tragic loss in the semi final at Eden Gardens. Till the time he was at the crease, we all were so hopeful that this time India is going to make it to final, but as soon as he got out in an unfortunate dismissal.....the rest of the batting line up simply started crashing down within an hour or so, only to frustrate and infuriate the Kolkata crowd!
I do remember his captaincy days during 1996-97 - most of the games played abroad - Sahara Cup in Canada, West Indies Tour, South Africa Tour. What comes in front of my eyes, is - Sachin calling the new comer Saurav Ganguly his 'secret weapon' when India beat Pakistan 4-1 in Canada, thanks to Saurav's all round performances with bat & ball! Sachin (169) & Azhar's (115) wonderful partnership to save the follow-on in 2nd test match against South Africa, and that forgettable test match against West Indies, wherein India failed to chase down a target of just 120 runs in 2nd innings and lost the match.
As a captain, he hardly was successful - though he has a very sharp mind and deep understanding of the game, but somewhere he missed the leadership skills? Can we say that?...I don't know.... it is very difficult to judge that, because very few people reach there where he was standing. I think only Sachin Tendulkar knows how it feels being Sachin Tendulkar...carrying the burden of never ending expectations of billions of Indians!
His successive breathtaking centuries in Sharjah (1998) against Australia, are my most favorites. What a match it was when the sand storm struck in Sharjah, while India was chasing a stiff target (284) set by Australians, and more importantly needed to achieve a better net run rate in case of a loss, in order to qualify for final. Sachin was at the crease, and he was determined & totally focused, to get India through to final. The match was interrupted due to the storm, but Sachin didn't untie any of his stuff, pads, guards, helmet etc...he just wanted to go back to the field and win! Though we couldn't win that match as Sachin got out after scoring 142, but Sachin made sure India was in the final, by going past 240 odd runs within 45 odd overs.
Then what happened in the final was no surprise to those who had watched his Desert storm innings! 2nd century (134) on his birthday, in the final and India easily chased down the Australian target of 272. Both of these innings are still a treat to watch and Tony Graig's spontaneous commentary makes it even more enjoyable!
Shane Warne's bowling was completely destroyed by Tendulkar in 1998 - first in the Test Series at home and then in the One-day series in Sharjah - No wonder Warne had nightmares at the very thought of bowling to Tendulkar! All his bowling into the rough, outside leg stump, coming round the wicket, getting that famed turn, was made to look so ordinary by Sachin, when he used to hit him for fours & sixes, hitting against the turn!
An unforgettable innings of 136, against the fearsome Pakistani pace attack with the likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Yunis and the inventor of 'Doosra', Saqlain, in the 2nd inning in the test match at Chennai in 1999 is also one of my favourites. Akram was swinging the ball both ways and the way he clean bowled Dravid was a frightening sight, Dravid had no clue how the ball moved , pitching at around leg stump and swept away the off stump in a split of a second!
Tendulkar,showed tremendous temperament to see off the aggression of Pakistani attack and gradually he opened up and played beautiful shots all over the park, but his chronic back pain flared up and we could see him in pain, yet he played a gem of an inning to bring India so close to victory, as India needed only 17-18 runs to win with 4 wickets still left. But once again the same old story was repeated, as soon as he got out, the rest of the batting collapsed like a pack of cards and India lost the test match - Can you believe it!
What a wonderful display of courage, guts, temperament, innovation and batting skills by the little master!
Then there was 1999 world cup in UK, most difficult time in his personal life, as we know he lost his father. What a man Sachin was - he goes back to India, performs the last rites, his duty towards the family, comes back and hits another century - 140 in 101 balls against Kenya! Nerves of Steel...I must say he has got!
There are so many other innings of his, to discuss....to talk about...to cheer about...and the associated memories, but that would require chapters after chapters of my blog...can't have all at one place here...
I am sure, every Cricket lover, had witnessed one or more or even all of his innings I wrote about here. And I am sure everyone must have had a similar feeling for this man....his game was indeed special..... he meant cricket to many of us....people knew Sachin Tendulkar....though they may not know anything else about Cricket!
It is really amazing when I look back, that it was not only the children or teens like us, but also the elders in the family, not only men but also the women folk - mothers, grandmothers, sisters all knew about Sachin and all they cared was whether he is still there on the field or not! I remember my aging grandmother lying on her bed asking me whether Sachin is still playing or not....she was not bothered about the score, about the current situation of the match....for she believed in only one thing.....just like many others....that as long as Sachin was at the crease..nothing was impossible! - And I think I can safely say that this was the 'common sense' of the common man in India those days. That's what Sachin meant to the whole Nation.
This used to be the case only for first 8-10 years of his career, and as we saw a surge of new talent and new stars emerging from 1996-96 onwards such as Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sehwag, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj and the younger lot now having Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan & Rohit Sharma, there was no more switching off of the TV if Sachin got out! Now Indian batting line up is known as one of the strongest batting line up in the world, and Sachin's immense contribution - direct or indirect, in that, can't be denied or neglected by any means.
I think, a lot has been already written about his humility - Even after achieving so much success, fame & money over the years - I have seen many of his team mates, friends saying the same thing that he is still the same old Sachin - Simple, Shy, humble, soft spoken & smiling boy! How he managed to remain the same, how he maintained the same focus & dedication for the game, how he did not allow complacency to come in, how he did not allow his ego to take over, how he managed to remain far away from controversies? This is something for everybody to learn from him - not only for the new cricket stars but even for a common man.
So I am not complaining if Sachin.....is the only word I hear on all our beloved Indian news channels! :-)
Braking news....Braking news.... in BOLD and so unthoughtful font & colour ....covering almost half of the TV screen, loud outbursts and repetitive sentences from the News anchor...hardly any analysis..and habit of making a big thing out of nothing!! For me...this is the usual sight when I switch on most of the Indian News channels, with only few exceptions, be it Hindi or English news.
I have always been very appreciative of the way in which News anchors of BBC presented the news - In a cool & calm manner with a moderate voice without that loud pitch, without any fuss, concentrating solely on the matter and presenting it in a precise language. Also, the news running at the bottom is kept in proper font...not that half screen font of our news channels! No wonder my grandfather used to advise us to listen to BBC news (It was radio in those days.. till the Dish Antenna arrived), for improving our spoken English!
How ever, this time around, interestingly, I was not frustrated with or angry over the ways & manners of our news channels on the day when Sachin Tendulkar played his last Test match and gave an emotional speech at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. I had mixed feelings - I was happy, I was amused, I was surprised..and ...I was not surprised.!! I don't know how to express it. Even after knowing already that it was bound to be a braking news for all these news channels and it is going to be that way almost for the whole week, I was feeling good about it....I indeed was happy to see Sachin all over the place and I was thinking he deserved it! Yet It was amusing to see on these very news channels ....that how so many people...almost the whole India cared so much about this man....how so many people were moved by his parting words.......yeah of course he has many records to his name but still.....after all, it is just a sport...and he is just another sportsman......then what's so special about him? And then I recalled my childhood memories to find out what's special about him at least for me!
I remember my childhood days....like any other boy in India, after finishing up the romance with domestic and local games like, 'Kanche, Gilli danda, Patang (Kites), Chain, Kho-baithni' etc... I too started playing Cricket (of course with plastic ball and later with tennis ball...and hardly once with the leather ball....but that shouldn't make you think I wasn't a serious cricketer! :-) ) and soon had started imitating various bowling actions and batting styles. Playing Cricket and watching India's matches on TV and more than these two activities - discussing Cricket was the passion of almost all middle class small town teens like me. :-)
I don't recall exactly when I started watching Sachin....but it must be in the 90s....I do remember watching the 1992 world cup...as Australia is around 5 hrs ahead of Indian time.... we used to get up early at around 4-5 am to not to miss out on India's batting. Sachin & Vinod Kambli immediately drew attention of everybody....for their fearless batting and agile legs! I do remember what poor team India used to have.... poor fielders...no prominent pace bowler to name except the aging war horse Kapil Dev....and that infamous batting lineup which had only one motto ' tu chal...mai aya' ....literally it was like that - If India lost 1 wicket....they used to loose the rest so quickly that we hardly used to win while chasing a target.
Then came Sachin Tendulkar...this 5 ft 5 inch little boy....small may be in size...but huge was the potential in him....tremendous power in those arms...very quick between the wickets...wonderful cricketing mind....street smart.... flawless technique...as they say pure...copybook technique...and above all his hunger to perform, hunger for runs...hunger to win....and preparedness to toil hard....work hard...practice hard...to achieve his goals!
Soon he became the backbone of the ailing Indian batting......started wining matches for India, single-handedly with his explosive batting. I remember us switching off the TV as soon as Sachin got out in a run chase...and that was not just our case....but the whole neighborhood used to be out on street...and the typical dialogues I used to hear were - "there is no hope...match is out of our hands now....Sachin was not out....Empire is sold out to Pakistani team (specially if they were playing in Sharjah! :-) )...the ball was missing leg stump....he didn't nick the ball...batsman at other end was wasting balls, he didn't get enough strike"....etc..etc....! :-)
Gradually this boy named Sachin had captured the imagination of all Indians with his consistent performances on the field...and some of them being almost charismatic....some even saw divine hand in him....specially when he helped India reach the Final of the Hero Cup 1993, bowling that magical last over in the Semi final against South Africa. Who can forget the world cup of 1996 where he was the highest run getter of all, but could not win the world cup for India, after the tragic loss in the semi final at Eden Gardens. Till the time he was at the crease, we all were so hopeful that this time India is going to make it to final, but as soon as he got out in an unfortunate dismissal.....the rest of the batting line up simply started crashing down within an hour or so, only to frustrate and infuriate the Kolkata crowd!
I do remember his captaincy days during 1996-97 - most of the games played abroad - Sahara Cup in Canada, West Indies Tour, South Africa Tour. What comes in front of my eyes, is - Sachin calling the new comer Saurav Ganguly his 'secret weapon' when India beat Pakistan 4-1 in Canada, thanks to Saurav's all round performances with bat & ball! Sachin (169) & Azhar's (115) wonderful partnership to save the follow-on in 2nd test match against South Africa, and that forgettable test match against West Indies, wherein India failed to chase down a target of just 120 runs in 2nd innings and lost the match.
As a captain, he hardly was successful - though he has a very sharp mind and deep understanding of the game, but somewhere he missed the leadership skills? Can we say that?...I don't know.... it is very difficult to judge that, because very few people reach there where he was standing. I think only Sachin Tendulkar knows how it feels being Sachin Tendulkar...carrying the burden of never ending expectations of billions of Indians!
His successive breathtaking centuries in Sharjah (1998) against Australia, are my most favorites. What a match it was when the sand storm struck in Sharjah, while India was chasing a stiff target (284) set by Australians, and more importantly needed to achieve a better net run rate in case of a loss, in order to qualify for final. Sachin was at the crease, and he was determined & totally focused, to get India through to final. The match was interrupted due to the storm, but Sachin didn't untie any of his stuff, pads, guards, helmet etc...he just wanted to go back to the field and win! Though we couldn't win that match as Sachin got out after scoring 142, but Sachin made sure India was in the final, by going past 240 odd runs within 45 odd overs.
Then what happened in the final was no surprise to those who had watched his Desert storm innings! 2nd century (134) on his birthday, in the final and India easily chased down the Australian target of 272. Both of these innings are still a treat to watch and Tony Graig's spontaneous commentary makes it even more enjoyable!
Shane Warne's bowling was completely destroyed by Tendulkar in 1998 - first in the Test Series at home and then in the One-day series in Sharjah - No wonder Warne had nightmares at the very thought of bowling to Tendulkar! All his bowling into the rough, outside leg stump, coming round the wicket, getting that famed turn, was made to look so ordinary by Sachin, when he used to hit him for fours & sixes, hitting against the turn!
An unforgettable innings of 136, against the fearsome Pakistani pace attack with the likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Yunis and the inventor of 'Doosra', Saqlain, in the 2nd inning in the test match at Chennai in 1999 is also one of my favourites. Akram was swinging the ball both ways and the way he clean bowled Dravid was a frightening sight, Dravid had no clue how the ball moved , pitching at around leg stump and swept away the off stump in a split of a second!
Tendulkar,showed tremendous temperament to see off the aggression of Pakistani attack and gradually he opened up and played beautiful shots all over the park, but his chronic back pain flared up and we could see him in pain, yet he played a gem of an inning to bring India so close to victory, as India needed only 17-18 runs to win with 4 wickets still left. But once again the same old story was repeated, as soon as he got out, the rest of the batting collapsed like a pack of cards and India lost the test match - Can you believe it!
What a wonderful display of courage, guts, temperament, innovation and batting skills by the little master!
Then there was 1999 world cup in UK, most difficult time in his personal life, as we know he lost his father. What a man Sachin was - he goes back to India, performs the last rites, his duty towards the family, comes back and hits another century - 140 in 101 balls against Kenya! Nerves of Steel...I must say he has got!
There are so many other innings of his, to discuss....to talk about...to cheer about...and the associated memories, but that would require chapters after chapters of my blog...can't have all at one place here...
I am sure, every Cricket lover, had witnessed one or more or even all of his innings I wrote about here. And I am sure everyone must have had a similar feeling for this man....his game was indeed special..... he meant cricket to many of us....people knew Sachin Tendulkar....though they may not know anything else about Cricket!
It is really amazing when I look back, that it was not only the children or teens like us, but also the elders in the family, not only men but also the women folk - mothers, grandmothers, sisters all knew about Sachin and all they cared was whether he is still there on the field or not! I remember my aging grandmother lying on her bed asking me whether Sachin is still playing or not....she was not bothered about the score, about the current situation of the match....for she believed in only one thing.....just like many others....that as long as Sachin was at the crease..nothing was impossible! - And I think I can safely say that this was the 'common sense' of the common man in India those days. That's what Sachin meant to the whole Nation.
This used to be the case only for first 8-10 years of his career, and as we saw a surge of new talent and new stars emerging from 1996-96 onwards such as Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sehwag, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj and the younger lot now having Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan & Rohit Sharma, there was no more switching off of the TV if Sachin got out! Now Indian batting line up is known as one of the strongest batting line up in the world, and Sachin's immense contribution - direct or indirect, in that, can't be denied or neglected by any means.
I think, a lot has been already written about his humility - Even after achieving so much success, fame & money over the years - I have seen many of his team mates, friends saying the same thing that he is still the same old Sachin - Simple, Shy, humble, soft spoken & smiling boy! How he managed to remain the same, how he maintained the same focus & dedication for the game, how he did not allow complacency to come in, how he did not allow his ego to take over, how he managed to remain far away from controversies? This is something for everybody to learn from him - not only for the new cricket stars but even for a common man.
So I am not complaining if Sachin.....is the only word I hear on all our beloved Indian news channels! :-)
