1999 Cricket World
Cup: As a 6-year old, cricket seemed too complex a thing for me way back in
1999. I used to wonder what was so special about the game that hooked the
attention of all grown-ups. My association with cricket was restricted to the
plastic bat I owned which was used by me for purposes other than batting. There
was something called the World Cup going on then. It was the topic of
discussion everywhere around me. And there was this guy called Sachin whose
surname I could not pronounce properly for a long time. I remember breaking his
surname into parts, as in 10-dool-kar, and pronouncing it. I had no idea who he
was, what he did, where he was from. All I knew was he was omnipresent. In the
discussions of every cricket fan, on the front pages of every newspaper, in
every TV commercial, on the walls of every other shop, one simply could not
ignore the enigma called SACHIN TENDULKAR.
1999-2003: Soon,
my knowledge of cricket became better and better. Those were interesting times
in Indian Cricket. The entire batting order used to revolve around Sachin
Tendulkar. The manner in which he used to hold the innings together match after
match was something special. Being a novice cricket fan, it really hurt to see
India lose at times because nobody supported Sachin at the other end. It was
also a time when I realized that I have missed some of the greatest knocks of
the master blaster. The Sharjah knocks against Australia, the hammering of
Shane Warne in the home test series which reportedly gave him “nightmares”,
the fighting century against Pakistan in the famous Chennai test in which he
almost won the game for India single-handedly, the 186* against New Zealand at
Hyderabad which remained his highest ODI score for a long time, are some of the
finest knocks of the master blaster. When I watched those innings’
subsequently, it was hard for me to contemplate how a human in flesh and blood
could play cricket in a manner in which he did.
2003 Cricket World
Cup: This World Cup was a turning point in the history of Indian Cricket
and also in the way an average Indian cricket fan perceived the game. Team
India’s road to being the runners up itself was astonishing and the way in
which Sachin played throughout this World Cup stamped his authority on the
game. The game against Pakistan is one of my fondest memories till date. It was
on the day of Maha Shivaratri and at
Centurion, Sachin was batting as if he was doing a modern day rendition of the Tandava of the Mahadev. The likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar were
at the receiving end of a Tendulkar blitzkrieg. The six off Shoaib Akhtar over
backward point, which is heralded as the “shot of the century”, remains to be
my favourite sight in cricket.
2003-2011: This
was a period of a roller-coaster ride for Team India. Many overseas victories,
some embarrassing losses, a shock WC exit, leadership changes, back to winning
ways, the #1 ranking – Team India experienced everything during this phase.
But, it was also a time when the master scored some of his finest masterpieces.
Who can forget the 241* at the SCG? And what about the series winning knocks
against the Aussies in the CB series finals? Every knock of Sachin seems to be
better than the other. It is hard to comprehend that a man of 36 years could
score a mammoth 175 runs against Australia while chasing a towering total at
Hyderabad. And if this was not enough, a few months later, he went on to make
history by becoming the first cricketer to score 200 runs in an ODI. I vividly
remember that match against South Africa at Gwalior. Right from the first ball
one sensed that history was about to be re-written. Having said that, one feels
the same way every time the master blaster comes to bat. “Sach” is the impact
of Sachin. A billion hearts palpitate every time he comes out to bat. The
tricolor on his helmet, the fiery eyes symbolizing the intense desire to
represent the country, the emotional connection he makes with the fans, all
amalgamate into something called the idea of India. It gives you a feeling that
“Sachin is India, India is Sachin”.
2011 Cricket World
Cup: The only thing missing from the master’s cabinet was the coveted World
Cup trophy. By his own admission, it was something he dearly wanted. Several
critics wrote him off but as they say, “man
proposes, god disposes”. Destiny
beckoned him on April 2, 2011 and after a long wait of more than 20 years, he
finally lifted the World Cup with tears in his eyes. The entire country cried
with him. Only a god-like figure can move a nation in such a manner.
24th
February, 2013: As destiny had it, I too had my opportunity of seeing
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. It was at one of his favourite hunting grounds – M.A,
Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai. One simply cannot understand certain
things unless one feels it oneself. Watching Sachin Tendulkar come out to bat
on Day 3 of 1st Test between India and Australia, it was as if time
stood still. One could sense that something was special. The line between
humanity and divinity was blurred like never before. It was, as they say, “The Tendulkar Moment”.
