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Thousand Words Not Enough: A Fan’s Tribute To an Enigma Named Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar was the first man to score an ODI double ton [Source: Twitter]Sachin Tendulkar was the first man to score an ODI double ton [Source: Twitter]

March 01, 2003, Centurion. 

Lights were brightest, Crowds were the loudest and pressure was the highest at the iconic Supersport Park, as the arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, were up against each other in a high-voltage World Cup face-off. 

As any sane cricket fan would expect from an Indo-Pak classic, this game was well on course for a nail-biting finish, as the legendary Saeed Anwar had once again brought his A-game against India, composing a magnificent hundred and propelling Pakistan to 273, a pretty much defendable total in that era. 

To make matters worse for India, Pakistan were blessed with the deadly duo of Wasim-Waqar to spearhead their bowling, besides a certain Shoaib Akhtar who could shatter anyone’s timber at his will. 

At the halfway mark, Pakistani fans were ecstatic, dreaming to witness their three-match losing streak to India in the ODI World Cup being broken. 

But it’s the twist that makes a tale interesting and that day the twist arrived in the form of a 5’ 5” high human figure named Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. 

Over number two, ball four. Akhtar bangs it short and Tendulkar uses the pace to script the most iconic six ever played over the backward point fence. 

Akhtar goes full the very next delivery and Tendulkar uses his rubber-like wrists to flick it through the square leg for a four. 

And to conclude the over, in comes the Tendulkar-trademark on-drive, something that prompted me to think that I had witnessed the most beautiful three-ball cricket match of my life. 

Let me tell you, those three deliveries clocked 150.9, 151.9 and 154.1 Kilometres per hour. Even after two decades, a physicist in me is curious to calculate the flexibility of those magical feet and wrists, that worked like elastic springs to stun the fastest bowler the game has ever seen.

Besides speaking volumes of the great man’s unmatched batting attributes, these three shots germinated the by-then dormant belief in millions of Indians, including my father, whose face lit up as he smelled the victory. 

That man from Mumbai had already assured a father-son duo, belonging to two entirely different generations, of a peaceful sleep by the end of the second over. 

India eventually won the game, but Tendulkar, unfortunately, departed for 98. He couldn’t complete his ton, but I can bet my life on the fact that it’s still the most-celebrated 98-run knock in the glorious history of Indian cricket. 

From amusing the spectators with his flamboyance to saving the team as a lone warrior against ruthless attacks, the master did it all. He could blow teams away with a stormy knock some day, shifting gears to compose a super-gritty inning on another. 

If he failed with the bat, he could be the captain’s ‘man with a golden arm’ with the ball and an athletic fielder who could change the course of the game in the blink of an eye. 

Sachin Tendulkar was a useful bowler too [Source: Twitter]Sachin Tendulkar was a useful bowler too [Source: Twitter]

Be it the desert-storm knock, where he unleashed himself on the mighty Aussies in Sharjah, or the famous double-ton in Sydney, where he swallowed his ego, not playing a single cover drive, only Tendulkar could make it worth-remembering, thriving in two entirely contrasting situations. 

Added to that, his unparalleled ability to make completely different cricket shots- a picturesque defence and a cheeky paddle scoop- look like a child’s play makes him the trickiest-ever customer with the willow, even for the bests in business.

Being someone who graced the game for 24 long years, Tendulkar played across eras, still maintaining stupendous records in all formats. From nailing the aggressor's role in red-ball ODIs to winning the orange cap in the IPL 2010, he aged like a fine wine to stamp his authority over every single format he held a bat in. 

Even after ten years of his international retirement, it's his wicket that causes pin-drop silence in a jam-packed stadium during the annually-held Road Safety world series. Cricket-crazy Indian audiences don't want him to get out even in a meaningless road-safety match; imagine the scenario when he used to wear the national jersey. 

Tendulkar shouldn't be compared to anyone, Tendulkar can't be compared to anyone; he can only be celebrated. And who knows how to celebrate Tendulkar better than us, the Indians? So, on his 50th birthday, let's cheer for the God of cricket. Sachiiiiiinnnnn, Sachiiin.