There is a gentle charm in watching Sachin Tendulkar bat. There is a patient charm in waiting for his turn to come. And when he does bat, there is a tense charm, the fear that he might get out and the charm would end. Yet, you watch him bat. There is a gloomy charm while he is at the non-striker's end, the charm that he would not get out off this ball but he is not the one at the striker's end. And, when he gets out, there is a charming eagerness to wait for the next match. You know you can watch him bat only after a few days. There is a certain joy in watching him score runs. Centuries can only prolong that joy. And when records are broken, you enjoy recollecting the memories of those happy moments he has showered upon you.
Today, I was sitting on the edge of my seat, chewing 'peanuts' so steadily as if they were chewing-gums. My heart was beating nervously and eyes were anxiously fixed to my computer screen. I kept pressing the 'Refresh' tab on Google Chrome. The page at cricinfo.com was taking ages to reload. Tendulkar was on strike, batting on 99. It seemed as if the ever-so-lively environment at my workplace had suddenly come to a standstill. Then came the moment... the moment much awaited by the cricket fraternity. I heaved a sigh of relief.
The moment has been experienced many a times by Tendulkar, but never was it so special. The fact that it was his 100th international century didn't make it a special one. To add to this, the innings was in no way a reflection of how Tendulkar bats. It was a meticulously executed exorcism of the devils playing in his mind. And, even the man himself must have heaved a sigh of huge relief after getting to the milestone.
100 international centuries is a 'cosmetic' statistic, contrived so cleanly by the media that it was on the heart and mind of every cricket fan for more than a year. Then, what made this century special? It was because it made us believe that even Tendulkar is fallible, that he is mere human. If you go by statistics, this century didn't make him any greater than what he already was. But, if you go by emotions, it certainly raised him to another level of greatness.
This century was long overdue. Of late, Tendulkar seemed to be in sublime touch but just wasn't able to get the big one. Every now and then, he would give a feeling that a big knock was around the corner. But, he just couldn't get to the finish line. Such is sports!
What next? All of a sudden, the same journalists who were calling the shots for Tendulkar's retirement started talk-shows to congratulate him. Tendulkar was glorified, but for a mere three and a half hours, after which they starting referring to him as "Match ka mujrim" (the culprit of the match). Such is the Indian media!
Anyway, Tendulkar made me feel proud today. No article can be enough to describe him. I can very well write a book on him. But, for now, it gave me a joyful hour thinking about him.
Hats off to the legend! He is here to stay.
Today, I was sitting on the edge of my seat, chewing 'peanuts' so steadily as if they were chewing-gums. My heart was beating nervously and eyes were anxiously fixed to my computer screen. I kept pressing the 'Refresh' tab on Google Chrome. The page at cricinfo.com was taking ages to reload. Tendulkar was on strike, batting on 99. It seemed as if the ever-so-lively environment at my workplace had suddenly come to a standstill. Then came the moment... the moment much awaited by the cricket fraternity. I heaved a sigh of relief.
The moment has been experienced many a times by Tendulkar, but never was it so special. The fact that it was his 100th international century didn't make it a special one. To add to this, the innings was in no way a reflection of how Tendulkar bats. It was a meticulously executed exorcism of the devils playing in his mind. And, even the man himself must have heaved a sigh of huge relief after getting to the milestone.
100 international centuries is a 'cosmetic' statistic, contrived so cleanly by the media that it was on the heart and mind of every cricket fan for more than a year. Then, what made this century special? It was because it made us believe that even Tendulkar is fallible, that he is mere human. If you go by statistics, this century didn't make him any greater than what he already was. But, if you go by emotions, it certainly raised him to another level of greatness.
This century was long overdue. Of late, Tendulkar seemed to be in sublime touch but just wasn't able to get the big one. Every now and then, he would give a feeling that a big knock was around the corner. But, he just couldn't get to the finish line. Such is sports!
What next? All of a sudden, the same journalists who were calling the shots for Tendulkar's retirement started talk-shows to congratulate him. Tendulkar was glorified, but for a mere three and a half hours, after which they starting referring to him as "Match ka mujrim" (the culprit of the match). Such is the Indian media!
Anyway, Tendulkar made me feel proud today. No article can be enough to describe him. I can very well write a book on him. But, for now, it gave me a joyful hour thinking about him.
Hats off to the legend! He is here to stay.
"Enjoy your game and chase your dreams. Dreams do come true." -Sachin Tendulkar
