The diminutive colossus!!

There is almost nothing left for the man to achieve in cricket. In cricketing parlance he is a GOD. He holds every possible record in tests and one day internationals. His longevity is unsurpassed, his humility astonishing and his technique sublime. He is revered by one and all. Above all, the man's consistency is just unfathomable. Sachin Tendulkar has been adored, admired and idolized by millions across the world. It wouldn't be wrong to say he's been India's greatest sports icon ever. Innumerable articles and books have been penned on this cricketing genius and yet it seems we can never do justice to his remarkable achievements. He has provided spectacular entertainment for over two decades now whilst shouldering the all too enormous burden of expectations of a cricket crazy country. His competitive spirit and passion haven't been diminished at any stage. The man has had his fair share of critics, most unfair but some wise all through his career. Taking the criticism in the right spirit and answering his detractors in the best way possible, Tendulkar has been and still is the pre-eminent batsman of this era.

I for one, even after having grown up watching literally every innings of the great man never thought of him as the best. I did have my reasons. Sachin seemed to perform almost every time but the heart longed for more. Failures were unacceptable. This was in part to do with my cricketing knowledge being at a rudimentary stage. Sachin's failures were almost always synonymous with Indian defeats. Many a heroic effort in tests and one dayers also did go in vain all through the 1990's. Just to cite a few, the 90 at Mumbai against the Australians in the 1996 world cup, his 137 and 65 against Sri Lanka in the same tournament in which he eventually was the highest run getter, his exceptional 169 at cape Town when he saved India from certain embarrassment, his immortal 136 at Chennai against the arch rivals Pakistan when he guided India to the door step of victory playing with a sore back only to see them falter at the last hurdle. In between the great man had won many a contest and set the cricketing world alight with his genius. His twin hundreds at Sharjah against Australia form a part of cricketing folklore. His brilliant counter attacking 155 at Chennai in 1998 when he dismantled the great Shane Warne is the stuff of legend. Sachin delivering meant India had a chance. If he was dismissed, there was no hope. This view was echoed all over India and he knew this. The pressure of delivering every single time could not have been borne by most people bar Tendulkar.

It was not until the 2000's when India developed a strong and reliable middle order that the burden on the master batsman's shoulders eased. VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh among others have made sure that they can perform in times of adversity against quality teams. Not that this made any difference to the fans though. They may have stopped turning off the television sets when Sachin was dismissed but his batting made for compulsive viewing. The pressure was and is still immense. The great man's passion for the game and towards his country can never be doubted. Anyone who did doubt it should have watched him get back to England after his father's demise and essay a glorious 140 against Kenya. His extraordinary performance at Centurion in the world cup 2003 when he took a rampaging Pakistani attack of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akthar to the cleaners is still fresh in memory. Tendulkar continued his remarkable consistency against the world champion Australian team in the test series in 2008 and also helped India triumph in the one day series following the tests. No man can claim to have performed as well against the best team of the era as Sachin has.

Of all his contemporaries, Brian Lara was possibly the greatest. His batting as in case of Tendulkar was sublime, his backlift thrilling and shot making surreal. Lara has always been a favourite of mine. The man played in a team in its doldrums and single handedly sustained them for a decade. He led a bunch of dispirited cricketers who had none of the passion that had taken the earlier Carribean teams to dizzy heights. He never had a successful stint as captain which made him slightly similar to Tendulkar who also never enjoyed a successful captaincy stint. The burden of performing consistently while also leading ordinary sides got to both stars. But that is where the similarity ended. Brian Lara was a slave to his mood. When he felt right, nobody could come close to him. His appetite for runs was unimaginable. He could produce solo performances defying all odds such as the 111 in the world cup 1996 against South Africa, his remarkable performances in the 1999 series against the all conquering Aussies and his monstrous 688 runs in a losing cause in the series against Sri Lanka in 2001. Add to all this his 375 and 400 and his 501 in first class cricket. In between though, Lara had many a lean patch. His mood was not the best many times. When his mind took a walk, he could be painful to watch. This was not and has not been the case with Sachin ever. With Lara you could get something out of the world or a pitiful display and were never sure which face you would encounter. Tendulkar is more stoic, the more reliable and also the more humble. He has always managed to keep his feet firmly on the ground despite all the heady success which is all the more remarkable.

Many have written Sachin off at different points of his career only for him to astound them repeatedly. His longevity in this era is something to behold and applaud. A huge number of players have broken down in a short span of time and their passion has diminished over the years. Tendulkar in the course of his majestic 175 against Australia at Hyderabad showed that none of the passion is missing. He played one of the finest one day knocks replete with all his great strokes and it is rather unfortunate that the great man had to end up on the losing side. When asked how he could continue playing this well and keep producing awesome performances after 20 years, he replied with all his characteristic grace and humility that the passion for the game and love for the country keeps him going. For a cricket lover, there have not been many better sights than watching this diminutive champion play. He has provided unending joy to the masses whilst distancing himself from all controversies. His clean image and impeccable behavior on the field is something to marvel at. A fitting swan song for the little master would be lifting the world cup in front of his home crowd. I sure pray this happens!!