Jersey No 10

Back in the year 1989, a sixteen year old curly-haired boy with a huge domestic impression and standing at 5.5” is playing his first international test (5 day) game against the arch rival Pakistan studded with the games’ most devastating bowling attack when he is injured on the nose by an unexpected bouncer. With the cut on his nose bleeding badly and asked to sit back, he says, “Main vapas nahi jaa raha, main khelunga (I won’t leave the field, I will continue playing)”. This was the moment when the cricketing fraternity realized that someone out of the ordinary had arrived. Yes, he was Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, revered today as the God of cricket for the extraordinary service he has given to the game.

It has been more than two decades since the name Sachin has been synonymous with cricket. He has flourished Indian cricket to the extent where the game has become a religion in India. The country where nothing is more important than watching what the master is executing. As it is rightly said about him, “a raised finger can break a billion hearts.” 

But glory never comes without sacrifice. As the tiger never experiences luxury and goes through the most brutal struggle for food and shelter, in the same way, Sachin has had his share of struggles as well. The most disgraceful moment was when little master was found guilty by match referee Mike Denness for ball tampering (ball is altered from the seam to get the extra advantage from bowling prospective) and was handed a suspended ban of one game. There were also times after the World Cup in 2011 (which India won) when the master was forced to retire from the game, there were times when he was badly injured and took ages to recover. Even the so-called God of cricket had to go through the litmus test, but he stood fast at every occasion because when the roads get rough, the tough gets going.

Now it’s time when the master has called it quits and there won’t be any other who could fill his shoes at least for the moment. But what he has endeavored to achieve in these past twenty four years is impeccable and mind-boggling. It is finally time for him to calm down, as it is always good to leave when you’re on top. The world will remember and cherish his astonishing contribution to the game and Indian sport. Some countries won’t be losing their productivity watching him bat, there won’t be any hushed thunderous sounds of broken billion hearts and no more silent but ruthless thumping to the opponents. To commemorate his departure, the Wisden has added his name in the Wisden All-Time World Test Eleven in its famous book the Cricketer’s Almanac.

Even one of the newspapers made the FrontPage headline as national holiday on 15^th of November as he was to bat on the second day. Looking at the scenario where the country is unable to absorb the exit of the champion, I believe that the graph of respect would never hit the height to this extent, as it is difficult to lose someone for whom we have such sensitivity close to our heart.