NOV 14 - Sachin Tendulkar is a demigod in India. No one quite captures the country’s imagination like the diminutive Mumbaikar. Outside India, there are two camps on Tendulkar. The first, like the Indians, are fanatic fans, sidelining all their work to watch him in action, constantly updating his records in their notebooks and comparing his achievements against other greats. You don’t want to get them started on his tough luck—the head-before-wicket in Adelaide, anyone?—in front of the wickets, which has done so much to dent his even otherwise stellar records. The second group is loath to seem him bat: Just ask them how lucky he has been with the umpires over the years. In Nepal, some hate him because he plays for their ‘overbearing’ neighbour due south. Others, because they can’t stand the sight of him hammering their favourite bowlers to all corners of the park.

But one thing his admirers and haters—the latter grudgingly—admit is that Tendulkar is a cricketing phenomena unlike any other. He is someone who gets people talking about cricket, one who sparks heated debate over coffee: “He is the greatest batsman since Don Bradman.” “You kidding? A mountain of runs doesn’t make anyone great. It’s his part in determining the team’s fortune that counts.”

For the record, Tendulkar has scored 12,773 Test runs at an average of 54.58, which places him at the top of the runs chart and fourth in overall batting average. In ODIs, he has amassed 17,178 runs at 44.50 and an impressive strike rate of 86.44.

These are formidable stats. So as we mark 20 years of Tendulkar since his Nov. 15, 1989, Test debut against Pakistan in Karachi, like him or not, you must give him credit for spawning legions of supporters around the globe and as many critics. In doing so, he does for cricket what Mohammad Ali and Mike Tyson did for boxing, and what Michael Jordan did for basketball. These are the people who get the folks talking about their sport. Sachin Tendulkar is THE opinion-maker and easily the most talked-about person in cricket.

During the ball-tampering charges against him in 2001, the whole of India united behind their idol who, they believed, could do no wrong. His detractors jumped at the opportunity to pull cast suspicions about his sportsmanship. This brouhaha over Tendulkar would perhaps surprise someone new to cricket, but not those who have followed Indian cricket for any time. The little master is taken pretty seriously out there.

Another amazing feature about Tendulkar, besides his consistency with the bat, is his fitness. Yes, he has had his share of injuries, most notably with his elbows, but I can’t recall him missing any match on the grounds of overall fitness. To play at the top level for 20 years with the burden of over a billion people on your shoulders couldn’t have been easy. Overall, I believe, Tendulkar has handled both bouquets and brickbats thrown his away pretty well.

He will, of course, be remembered the most for what he achieved on the field, no more so than his twin knocks in Sharjah against Australia in 1998 that almost single-handedly won India the tournament. But I will also remember him getting out after scoring a wonderful century against Pakistan in Chennai, virtually throwing away the match. I will remember his match-winning 98 against Pakistan in the 2003 world cup, but also his 175 in a losing cause against Australia recently. I will remember the ball-tampering incident. His appearance in KBC with Amitabh Bachchan. His mention in every other Hindi movie. His outrageous endorsement fees. His singsong voice.

I could go on and on. If you are reading this, think back. Whichever of the two aforementioned groups you fall into, if you have followed cricket for some or most part of the last two decades, you will be amazed at much you know about Sachin Tendulkar, both on and off the field. As a life-long fan of Mark Waugh, I will tell you that he is the best batsman in the last 20 years; Waugh that is. I have never seen a player carry himself with such grace and nonchalance. There was that lazy elegance to everything he did. (Imagine my horror at finding him in a match fixing scandal!). Despite his modest test average of around 41.81, I could come up with a hundred reasons for why he is right up there with the best. That’s what fans do: inflate the persona and achievement of their favourite sportsperson to divine levels.

So with the millions and millions of Tendulkar fans. I have no idea when Tendulkar will hang his boots, but when he does, trust me, his fans will come up with a million reasons to immortalise him as the greatest cricketer. Ever. His critics will pull their hair out at people losing all sense of proportions. Some might even come to fisticuffs. That is what Tendulkar does and why a figure like him is so important for any sport, not just cricket. He leaves people asking for more of his majestic drives and cute late cuts while some others hold their breath every time he goes out to bat, to see his stumps flying.

We have watched this drama unfold for 20 long years. And the show just keeps going on and on and on.

Posted on: 2009-11-14 09:15

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