As the God of cricket pads up for retirement, a fan congratulates the legend despite a personal sense of loss.
by Jatin Sharma
India’s Bharat ratna is going to retire soon. No, don’t even start on whether Dada is the greatest, or The Wall the strongest, or Kapil Dev the biggest achiever. Till my last breath, like a million others, I will say Sachin is our true Bharat ratna.
The Man from Mumbai, the boy who became a man at the age of 16 when he played against Pakistan, the man who scored a 100 centuries, the man who broke every possible record and the man who created the only religion in the world that united people rather than dividing them – wouldn’t you say he is truly the greatest?
I was born in 1986 and he started playing cricket a year later in 1987. Since the time I remember, I have not seen an international Indian Playing XI that did not have Sachin Tendulkar in it. My growing up years were defined by Sachin’s theatrics on the field, and it was truly a blessing to watch him play. So it’s a little unsettling to imagine a playing side without Sachin in it.
This Mumbai boy definitely deserves to get a Bharat Ratna for the joy he has given us for so long. And he deserves the Bharat Ratna not just 
for his cricketing skills but for the sportsmanship and dedication he has displayed all through his career.
I was once interviewing actor Abhishek bachchan, when he spoke of Sachin Tendulkar with great pride and fondness. He had said, “Sachin and my father are similar to each other in lot of ways. And that’s why both have achieved greatness in their lives. They are highly disciplined and still feel that they can learn something new every day.” He described an incident where there was a celebratory function with a bevy of cricketers and Bollywood stars in attendance. “All the cricketers were enjoying the show and having fun, and so was Sachin. But after half an hour he looked at his watch. It was 10 pm, so he quietly moved out of the venue, saying he has to be on the field the next day. The next day he had a practice match!”
As a child too, he would practice his game for eight hours a day. He owned only two pairs of pants, so he got used to playing cricket with his pockets still wet from the previous wash.
I can’t think of another cricketer who gave us all such unbridled joy, who made us all so proud, who upheld the standards of his beloved game so well. Sachin is probably the only batsman who comes to mind when we think of pure, classy cricket – can you think of any other player who walks off the field despite knowing that the umpire’s Out decision was wrong, or who still walked off it when the umpire gave him a Not Out?
Sachin keeps getting criticised for chasing records, for playing only for himself and not for the whole team. To all those who truly believe this, I say: you are idiots. While those records were being made or broken, he was doing his job of making runs and even taking wickets when needed. And why grudge him his records? It’s not like he stopped playing the moment he set a new record, though the team needed more runs. Only a cricketer truly in love with the game can create a record, and to create so many…Sachin tells his own story through his career. For everyone who has played cricket in his life, even at the galli level, knows how satisfying it is to hold a record. A record is not a bad word in any sport. It doesn’t mean you are going to throw your wicket the moment your record is created.
And he seems much above these petty discussions of records and personal glory, with his achievements going far beyond simply winning matches. This man won our hearts. He won hearts the world over. I have an Australian friend who says that he used to pray about Australia winning and Sachin Tendulkar not getting out in a match against Australia. I’m sure there are others like him all over the world, rooting for their home teams but actually rooting for the little man from Mumbai.
Our city bid adieu to its favourite God last month, not knowing at the time that another goodbye to another God was imminent so soon. This God’s name is Sachin Tendulkar and he will play his last test match in Mumbai against the West Indies. And even before he takes to the field, he will make another record there too: of being the first God to ever retire in this world.
Jatin Sharma is a media professional who doesn’t want to grow up, because if he grows up, he will be like everybody else. ‘Overdose’ is Jatin’s weekly take on Mumbai’s quirks and quibbles.
See also: ‘Heartbreak of the year’
(Pictures courtesy downloadhdwallpaper.com, sportzwiki.com, www.indianexpress.com)
