..as yet another milestone is achieved, by the one and only Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
Almost right from the time he made his debut, cricket experts and enthusiasts alike have fallen over themselves in complimenting and eulogizing the batman from India.
What I find most amazing amidst all this, is that the man himself is never ever fazed or dazed by the hyperbole and incessant 'tributes' paid to him.
Writers have run out of superlatives, but the man has not run out of steam yet. And are we happy about it!!
His humility, level-headedness, composure, focus and zeal to enjoy and keep evolving and keep honing his already supreme skills is what is worth emulating and makes him truly remarkable. Not to also forget that he's been a humble achiever unsullied by any blot against his name for the last 21 years at the international cricket level. And still counting!
We've written, read, before having again re-written and re-read, about all his achievements and abilities. But such is his greatness, and such are his qualities that he never makes repeating them seem unfashionable. Unfathomable - yes, for it is unbelievable to think that someone could do so much so regularly for more than two decades and still counting, under so much constant pressure without being in the bad books of anyone. Ever. Amazing, just amazing!
Find all this unfathomable? - yes. Unfashionable? - NO!
Many times, we tend to skip the fact that the genius that he is, could also be a human being - prone to emotions, troughs and errors of judgement. But the fact that he has managed to remain untouched by any controversy, any dissent (despite having borne the rough end of some real howlers) or anything undesirable both on the field as well as off it, is a testament to not only the man's greatness, dedication and focus towards the game, but also to his integrity, disciplined life and impeccable personality.
We all know of every shot in the book (and even those that he has created out of the book, like his vertically-pointed ferocious paddle sweep and the crisp upper cut) that he has enthralled us with, so many times. But if one also realizes the nature and attitude of the man behind the batsman, it makes Sachin worthy of being adored and regarded, all the more.
ToI aptly put the importance of Sachin's latest achievement in perspective, by writing thus: "In a year when adjectives like ‘biggest’ and ‘unprecedented’ were mostly used to describe scams, it was left to India’s sportspersons to provide cheer to the nation with their stirring feats. It is fitting, therefore, for 2010 to draw to a close with a stupendous achievement by a hero who has epitomized sporting perfection for over two decades and given millions of Indians countless moments of pride and joy."
For being the hope of a billion people for 21 years and counting, for still being the best batsman and the most prized wicket in the team even now, for being the motivation for innumerable teammates, youngsters, and cricket fans all over, for carrying the expectations and pressures of a billion hearts every time he sets foot on field so wonderfully and humbly over all these years, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - take a bow!!
More power to you, SRT - The Bharat Ratna that India is yet to call a Bharat Ratna!
Oh, by the way, if you'd also like to savor a moment from each of his 50 centuries (till now), here it is - go, indulge!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
I say NO to empty rhetoric. Do YOU?
There we go, another year gone by...26/11/2010 now marks a couple of years since the entire nation endured the gruesome spectre of the 26/11 tragedy.
Just as 2010 also marks:
17 years since the Bombay serial blasts,
11 years since the Kargil war,
9 years since the Parliament attack, and
hardly a few days since we heard of the latest terror strike alerts.
Oh, and this is most certainly and most unfortunately, not even an exhaustive list.
Anyone aware of the way we have approached revisiting such bitter and tragic instances would know that such dates have turned into nothing, except a time for ceremonial platitudes.
Time for dishing out the usual rhetoric on every such anniversary.
Time for talking about the 'spirit' of a Mumbai and praising the much-abused Indian patience, resolve and statesmanship.
Sorry leaders, but we can totally do away with all the useless, spineless tokenisms that you choose to vomit/spurt/blurt out, on such days with unfailing regularity and predictability.
I tried to reflect on, and list, what all has happened/changed in the last two years since 26/11/2008:
WHY and for how long should we be expected to stay content with just pledging to act, repeatedly?
Hand on heart - have we done whatever it takes and is in our capacity to act? What have we done to improve our intelligence systems and beef our security apparatus, so that we are not sitting ducks, just waiting for the next bomb to go off somewhere?
I'm not one for blindly aping the US/West/anyone but what's good and worth emulating, must not be ignored.
Did the US do anything similar in the two years since 9/11?
Sure, we are not a superpower but can't we even show our intent (if we genuinely have one, to prevail against terrorism)?
How many years has it been since 9/11? How many repeats of (forget such attacks) any subsequent attack have we seen on US soil?
It's not even about results, for God's sake. It's about genuine, persistent intent translating into concrete action.
Have we seen the same earnestness and zeal to protect its borders and citizens from the Indian leadership and security agencies, as we have seen from those in the US?
As I said, it's not even just 26/11 - there are so many other instances that have left us bruised, battered, bereaved, and grieved. What has ever become of any of them?
Which is why, it is high time our leaders acttually be proactive and ACT to do everything to bring the perpetrators to book, and do all in their might to prevent a recurrence of any terrorist misadventure - instead of just vomitting their usual, empty rhetoric on such times.
Surely, we can do much better than just being dependent on Pakistan to act - expect (action against terrorists) and then regret and re-issue a strongly worded statement especially on such occasions, re-expect and re-regret, and on and on and on.
Till then, all that the Indian public can do is to keep its famed spirits alive by humming and believing in these lines:
Kuchh baat hai ki hasti..
Mit-ti nahin hamaari,
Sadiyon raha hai dushman..
Daur-e-jahaan hamaara.
Saare Jahaan se Achchha - Hindostaan hamaara!
Just as 2010 also marks:
17 years since the Bombay serial blasts,
11 years since the Kargil war,
9 years since the Parliament attack, and
hardly a few days since we heard of the latest terror strike alerts.
Oh, and this is most certainly and most unfortunately, not even an exhaustive list.
Anyone aware of the way we have approached revisiting such bitter and tragic instances would know that such dates have turned into nothing, except a time for ceremonial platitudes.
Time for dishing out the usual rhetoric on every such anniversary.
Time for talking about the 'spirit' of a Mumbai and praising the much-abused Indian patience, resolve and statesmanship.
Sorry leaders, but we can totally do away with all the useless, spineless tokenisms that you choose to vomit/spurt/blurt out, on such days with unfailing regularity and predictability.
I tried to reflect on, and list, what all has happened/changed in the last two years since 26/11/2008:
- The main conspirators hiding in Pakistan are still scot-free. Worse, we are even today, as helpless in apprehending them as we were a couple of years ago (despite all credible evidence and intelligence inputs).What has ever become of Dawood Ibrahim, for that matter, in the 17 years till date that we should expect anything better or new, now?!
- The predictably unrepentant terrorist - the captured gunman Ajmal Kasab - is still languishing in jail, having already cost the exchequer many crores.
- Home Minister P Chidambaram has, today, despite having issued thousands of pages of voluminous dossiers, yet again noted/appealed to/told (take your pick, if you find any one of them better than the other two stances) Pakistan that it has to act against the conspirators.
- India has re-re-re-re-re-re-re-issued a stern warning and re-re-re-re-re-re-re-said it is looking forward to stern action from the Pakistani authorities, and re-re-re-re-re-re-expressed its displeasure and regret over lack of enough action on the ground, despite enough incriminating evidence.
Keep looking, I say! What better can you expect of the Pakistanis? But what better have we done ourselves after just saying, saying and saying...and then expecting them to say and do what we'd like? Sure, we should just keep expecting, keep looking and keep hoping, all of us - before (God forbid!) the next one takes off. Even after that, what can happen? A new series of statements (yes, just those) of renewed, reaffirmed displeasure/regret/hope would be unveiled and there we go again.
- David Headley has been accidentally unearthed as the lynchpin of the 26/11 planning team but punishing him from our side, through our courts, stays elusive since it's unlikely he would ever get deported to India.
The only good bit is that we can act on the leads received (and to be received) from him, in advance, and use him to trace and track all his co-conspirators.
Alas, this too would be possible, only after the mercy of, permission from, and dependency on - USA's co-operation.
- A movement that looked to create a difference through public unity and an outpouring of emotions against terrorists in the immediate aftermath of 26/11 did seem to have some muscle in it but that too, has since fizzled out.
WHY and for how long should we be expected to stay content with just pledging to act, repeatedly?
Hand on heart - have we done whatever it takes and is in our capacity to act? What have we done to improve our intelligence systems and beef our security apparatus, so that we are not sitting ducks, just waiting for the next bomb to go off somewhere?
I'm not one for blindly aping the US/West/anyone but what's good and worth emulating, must not be ignored.
Did the US do anything similar in the two years since 9/11?
Sure, we are not a superpower but can't we even show our intent (if we genuinely have one, to prevail against terrorism)?
How many years has it been since 9/11? How many repeats of (forget such attacks) any subsequent attack have we seen on US soil?
It's not even about results, for God's sake. It's about genuine, persistent intent translating into concrete action.
Have we seen the same earnestness and zeal to protect its borders and citizens from the Indian leadership and security agencies, as we have seen from those in the US?
As I said, it's not even just 26/11 - there are so many other instances that have left us bruised, battered, bereaved, and grieved. What has ever become of any of them?
Which is why, it is high time our leaders acttually be proactive and ACT to do everything to bring the perpetrators to book, and do all in their might to prevent a recurrence of any terrorist misadventure - instead of just vomitting their usual, empty rhetoric on such times.
Surely, we can do much better than just being dependent on Pakistan to act - expect (action against terrorists) and then regret and re-issue a strongly worded statement especially on such occasions, re-expect and re-regret, and on and on and on.
Till then, all that the Indian public can do is to keep its famed spirits alive by humming and believing in these lines:
Kuchh baat hai ki hasti..
Mit-ti nahin hamaari,
Sadiyon raha hai dushman..
Daur-e-jahaan hamaara.
Saare Jahaan se Achchha - Hindostaan hamaara!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Guilty, until proven innocent
All of us are too aware about the current state of Andher Nagri, Chaupat Raja in our country.
I do not wish to dwell on the sheer scale (given the amount of misappropriation) of the scam - and it's not as if other scams of smaller amounts are any less deplorable.
A scam is a scam is a scam. Period.
It is nothing but a brazen breach of trust and honesty. The trust, commitment, transparency, and honesty that the citizens and electorate of the country expect and deserve. Nothing more, nothing less.
What I do want to write about, are the things that struck and hurt me even more than the obvious news flashes and beyond the usual platitudes of 'law must take its own course', 'we condemn such misuse of public money strongly', 'a thorough investigation is a must', 'innocent until proven guilty', and even 'it's a conspiracy'.
Excuse me, but whether it's CM Ibrahim or A Raja, who the hell wants to conspire against these people?
How often have we heard about the conspiracy theory against anyone who is accused of any malafide intent and wilful wrongdoing?
To put it in other words, have you ever heard someone accused of corruption, despite being confronted with raw facts, NOT putting up the 'It's just a ploy/conspiracy against me' front as his sole defence?
I bet, never.
Heard the DMK representative a couple of days ago, vociferously denying any possibility or need of Raja's resignation. After Raja was made to resign yesterday, it was quite laughable to then see him doing a shameless turncoat by taking a moral high ground by then shamelessly claiming how his party had displayed great virtues of probity and accountability.
Only, it wasn't funny. At all.
Where had all these values disappeared only a day ago when they had not been pressed for resignation?
To see such embezzlers being portrayed as 'scapegoats' of 'conspiracies', is nothing but a smokescreen of the highest order.
Does a Ratan Tata or the CAG have nothing better to do than alleging against someone like an Ibrahim or a Raja, respectively?
What we should actually ask is why was the Government sleeping on the matter and was in fact, even defending Raja till the last minute?
The accused always believe propounding a conspiracy angle is all they need to do, to wash their hands off any allegation. So what, even if it comes from credible people/agencies with incriminating evidence!
I believe it's time we dealt with such scamsters with this two-pronged approach:
A) Guilty, until proven innocent
Having seen enough of such attitudes and circumstances, I am honestly sick of people being framed as innocent when clearly and under the garb of conspiracy, all evidence is against them.
Now I am not against the basic premise of this idea. However, I am all against its misuse.
Such people who misuse these laws and tenets, under the pretext of 'conspiracy' and/or 'innocent till guilty' when there is compelling evidence against them, must be presumed as guilty. And this is where an independent (from the clutches of bureaucrats and politicians) agency must be formed, to act against those who are, on the basis of prima facie evidence, clearly found to be complicit in any kind of breach and misuse of public position and office. And then try to hide under the garb of 'innocent until proven guilty'.
Our judicial system is already swamped with so many cases that it takes only so long to decide on the cases (that too, assuming witnesses don't die/get killed/turn hostile), that the actual culprits either remain scot-free, on bail, or die a natural death at the young age of anywhere in their eighties or even nineties.
Such people who treat law as part of their own fiefdom need to be treated as guilty. Like a show-cause notice, the onus should be on them to prove why and how they are not guilty when all prima facie evidence is against them.
And atleast resign, voluntarily.
Time was, we had Lal Bahadur Shastri, who owed up responsibility for a train mishap and resigned. Voluntarily.
Simple question: How big a role do you think, did he have in the mishap?
Was Shastri ji's role in the train tragedy in any way more than or even similar to what Raja's (and his ilk's) has been in all sorts of scams? But unlike the bellicose, unrepentant, shameless politicos of today, Shastri ji voluntarily put in his papers.
THAT, is what is meant and evident by Probity, Conscience, and Transparency.
Not when you get belligerent and even have the gall to display a forced resignation as martyrdom in the guise of upholding values.
B) Ensuring Accountability and Setting Precedents
Barring the exception of Sukhram in the telecom scandal, how many politicians embroiled in a scam have ever gone to jail?
Let's make the perpetrators pay - I say this only metaphorically, because literally speaking, that's precisely what they do - pay they do! Which is why, after paying up and bribing the equally culpable officials, they always get to be scot-free.
It's time to ensure those who commit such gross misappropriation and corruption get nothing short of non-bailable warrants. Let's see them behind bars.
When the Harshad Mehta scam happened, only Harshad Mehta went to jail, not any politician.
When the Ketan Parekh scam came to light, only Ketan Parekh went to jail, not any politician.
When the cash-for-votes evidence against Bangaru Laxman came to light, he was made to resign but he too, was never jailed. Nor did anyone from the hawala scam, or the fodder scam, or the zillion other misappropriations that never even come to light.
If a Shivraj Patil is inept during (and before) 26/11, he is removed. But what next? He becomes a Governor. Ditto for an N D Tiwari, after his infamous, sleaze-filled video.
The point is, politicians have for long gotten habituated to a settled and a 'yahaan-nahin-toh-wahaan-accommodate-kar-denge' life. In any case, they know they would not only get bailed out and roam scot free, but also get some plum post, sooner or later, here or there.
What we really and urgently require is to set up an agency that is outside any purview or any sort of influence of the government and the MPs. However, forming one obviously requires a legislation. The only, small problem is that such a legislation, that undermines the power of the legislatures, would have to be created, ratified and passed by the legislatures themselves.
Well, it's a bit like asking ISI to disband terror camps or hand over Dawood - you will hear all the usual noises but ultimately, nothing will effectively happen on the ground.
Alas, one can't expect a burglar to pass a legislation allowing others to stop burglaries!
I do not wish to dwell on the sheer scale (given the amount of misappropriation) of the scam - and it's not as if other scams of smaller amounts are any less deplorable.
A scam is a scam is a scam. Period.
It is nothing but a brazen breach of trust and honesty. The trust, commitment, transparency, and honesty that the citizens and electorate of the country expect and deserve. Nothing more, nothing less.
What I do want to write about, are the things that struck and hurt me even more than the obvious news flashes and beyond the usual platitudes of 'law must take its own course', 'we condemn such misuse of public money strongly', 'a thorough investigation is a must', 'innocent until proven guilty', and even 'it's a conspiracy'.
Excuse me, but whether it's CM Ibrahim or A Raja, who the hell wants to conspire against these people?
How often have we heard about the conspiracy theory against anyone who is accused of any malafide intent and wilful wrongdoing?
To put it in other words, have you ever heard someone accused of corruption, despite being confronted with raw facts, NOT putting up the 'It's just a ploy/conspiracy against me' front as his sole defence?
I bet, never.
Heard the DMK representative a couple of days ago, vociferously denying any possibility or need of Raja's resignation. After Raja was made to resign yesterday, it was quite laughable to then see him doing a shameless turncoat by taking a moral high ground by then shamelessly claiming how his party had displayed great virtues of probity and accountability.
Only, it wasn't funny. At all.
Where had all these values disappeared only a day ago when they had not been pressed for resignation?
To see such embezzlers being portrayed as 'scapegoats' of 'conspiracies', is nothing but a smokescreen of the highest order.
Does a Ratan Tata or the CAG have nothing better to do than alleging against someone like an Ibrahim or a Raja, respectively?
What we should actually ask is why was the Government sleeping on the matter and was in fact, even defending Raja till the last minute?
The accused always believe propounding a conspiracy angle is all they need to do, to wash their hands off any allegation. So what, even if it comes from credible people/agencies with incriminating evidence!
I believe it's time we dealt with such scamsters with this two-pronged approach:
A) Guilty, until proven innocent
Having seen enough of such attitudes and circumstances, I am honestly sick of people being framed as innocent when clearly and under the garb of conspiracy, all evidence is against them.
Now I am not against the basic premise of this idea. However, I am all against its misuse.
Such people who misuse these laws and tenets, under the pretext of 'conspiracy' and/or 'innocent till guilty' when there is compelling evidence against them, must be presumed as guilty. And this is where an independent (from the clutches of bureaucrats and politicians) agency must be formed, to act against those who are, on the basis of prima facie evidence, clearly found to be complicit in any kind of breach and misuse of public position and office. And then try to hide under the garb of 'innocent until proven guilty'.
Our judicial system is already swamped with so many cases that it takes only so long to decide on the cases (that too, assuming witnesses don't die/get killed/turn hostile), that the actual culprits either remain scot-free, on bail, or die a natural death at the young age of anywhere in their eighties or even nineties.
Such people who treat law as part of their own fiefdom need to be treated as guilty. Like a show-cause notice, the onus should be on them to prove why and how they are not guilty when all prima facie evidence is against them.
And atleast resign, voluntarily.
Time was, we had Lal Bahadur Shastri, who owed up responsibility for a train mishap and resigned. Voluntarily.
Simple question: How big a role do you think, did he have in the mishap?
Was Shastri ji's role in the train tragedy in any way more than or even similar to what Raja's (and his ilk's) has been in all sorts of scams? But unlike the bellicose, unrepentant, shameless politicos of today, Shastri ji voluntarily put in his papers.
THAT, is what is meant and evident by Probity, Conscience, and Transparency.
Not when you get belligerent and even have the gall to display a forced resignation as martyrdom in the guise of upholding values.
B) Ensuring Accountability and Setting Precedents
Barring the exception of Sukhram in the telecom scandal, how many politicians embroiled in a scam have ever gone to jail?
Let's make the perpetrators pay - I say this only metaphorically, because literally speaking, that's precisely what they do - pay they do! Which is why, after paying up and bribing the equally culpable officials, they always get to be scot-free.
It's time to ensure those who commit such gross misappropriation and corruption get nothing short of non-bailable warrants. Let's see them behind bars.
When the Harshad Mehta scam happened, only Harshad Mehta went to jail, not any politician.
When the Ketan Parekh scam came to light, only Ketan Parekh went to jail, not any politician.
When the cash-for-votes evidence against Bangaru Laxman came to light, he was made to resign but he too, was never jailed. Nor did anyone from the hawala scam, or the fodder scam, or the zillion other misappropriations that never even come to light.
If a Shivraj Patil is inept during (and before) 26/11, he is removed. But what next? He becomes a Governor. Ditto for an N D Tiwari, after his infamous, sleaze-filled video.
The point is, politicians have for long gotten habituated to a settled and a 'yahaan-nahin-toh-wahaan-accommodate-kar-denge' life. In any case, they know they would not only get bailed out and roam scot free, but also get some plum post, sooner or later, here or there.
What we really and urgently require is to set up an agency that is outside any purview or any sort of influence of the government and the MPs. However, forming one obviously requires a legislation. The only, small problem is that such a legislation, that undermines the power of the legislatures, would have to be created, ratified and passed by the legislatures themselves.
Well, it's a bit like asking ISI to disband terror camps or hand over Dawood - you will hear all the usual noises but ultimately, nothing will effectively happen on the ground.
Alas, one can't expect a burglar to pass a legislation allowing others to stop burglaries!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
The Bharat Ratna that India is yet to call a 'Bharat Ratna'
Of late, I have allowed myself some indulgence by enjoying ‘seeing’ some creative and imaginative teams ‘play’, in my mind. Cricinfo has been dishing out All-time XIs - such as of the World, as well as of each country, including ours). Some lists are even more specific, like the All-time Poetry in Motion World XI or even an All-time XI of the best of the rest - the Excluded XI.
And so, while these are purely academic exercises, there is no harm in enjoying the romanticism of how great it would have been, to see all such players, playing together as a team.
And so, while these are purely academic exercises, there is no harm in enjoying the romanticism of how great it would have been, to see all such players, playing together as a team.
In continuation/relation with the above-mentioned theoretical pursuit, there is another such activity that has occupied the mindspace of many cricket enthusiasts – the evergreen debate about Sachin being the best-ever batsman to have played the game or not.
Anyone who has known me or discussed cricket with me, would vouch for my fan following towards Sachin. Therefore, to remove any bias in my judgement, I decided to test him on the most objective (and not subjective) parameters.
So even if I believe that no one ever could, or ever will achieve the balance in posture before, during and after playing a stroke the way only he does, I would not give him extra points for that (though he deserves them!).
Not even when he just no-more-than-pushes at the ball and it races to the boundary.
Not even when he is so compact in his defence that even lightning cannot sneak through, between his bat and pad.
Not even when he upper cuts fast bowlers to make it seem so ridiculously simple that you'd think even Geoffrey Boycott's mom would be able to mete out similar treatment to those balls.
Not even when he paddle-sweeps a spinner ferociously to the fine-leg fence.
And not even when he shapes up to play a sweep shot, and still has the time to easily switch to Plan B and execute a late cut, all with effortless ease and grace.
What I will judge him on, is how good he has been, in terms of the following parameters:
1) Longevity
To be able to represent your country for so long, to play with the kind of passion he has, and to still retain the joy, love and zest for the game even after more than two decades, is phenomenal, to say the least. Not to forget, he has been a backbone of the team all these years, right since 1989.
2) Consistent Match Winner
The number of Man of the Match awards he has won, and the number of times India has won when he has scored centuries, are all indisputable facts, for all to see.
His display in all formats of the game has not only been brilliant, but also consistently brilliant. It’s one thing to be good initially, in say, your first international season, but entirely another to retain it over the subsequent seasons. Ajantha Mendis would vouch for the same! And to be consistently great for so long, is possible for only a one-in-a-million.
3) Stats – Runs, 100s, Strike Rate, Average
Yes, they don't reveal everything, but stats don't hide everything either. In fact, they do tell a lot. And when it comes to Sachin's records, they just speak for themselves. Need I say more?!
4) Quality and Variety of Opposition Faced
From the previous point about Statistics, many believe that Sir Don with his famous 99.94 and the sheer frequency-of-centuries-per-matches-played makes for a greater bat than Sachin. However, with due respects to the Don, we must not forget that Sir Don played in an era where:
- He never played outside Australia and England
- He never faced vicious turners or hostile pacemen on their home turfs
- He played 52 Tests over a 20-year period with NO one-dayers (which meant enough time to recuperate and re-charge) as compared to 160+ Tests for Sachin over the same period (including playing in One Dayers too).
- He was never under anywhere close to the kind of pressure to perform each time he walked out to bat, that Sachin has almost forever gone through (and handled exceptionally)
- He never got video-analysed, and ‘sorted’ by the bowlers
- Without taking any credit away from his ability and talent, it must also be noted that the quality of bowling was hardly as high in the 1920s-1940s era, as it has been since the last two decades. Sir Don never played such a variety of pitches and bowling attacks as Sachin has.
With all the above facts, it shouldn’t be tough to ascertain who the greater immortal should be (and not the lesser mortal!).
5) Home Vs Away Performances
Sachin’s performances both at home and away are again, there for all to see. No wonder, he is the only cricketer in the only world about whom it is said that wherever he plays in the world, it is a home game for him – not just because he is loved everywhere, but also because he has scored against everyone, since these many decades against all sorts of bowlers, everywhere!
6) All Shots in the book
Not only does Sachin have all shots in the book, like his paddle sweep and upper cut, he has improvised to create many of his own, outside of the book too. No one else has had such complete mastery over virtually every shot played perfectly. Yes, there could still be/have been a few who might be/have been able to play all shots, but only Sachin can play all shots with same amount of perfection in each shot! Even the way he weaves out of the line of a bouncer with body and bat away from possible contact and eyes still on the ball, is a sight to behold.
Even after all this, what we might still not know is how much his body hurts at this age, and how he manages to motivate himself to raise the bar of excellence with his subsequent knocks.
Despite simulating how he’d feel like every time he walks onto the ground with thousands of lungs shouting (chanting) his name, we might still never realize just how much expectation and pressure he copes with and conquers, in every single innings of his.
We might still not know how his mere presence in the dressing room or on the field spurs other Indian cricketers to produce their best in front of him (and often, thanks to his tips and encouragement).
And we might still never know, how, in an India saddled with corrupt politicians, inept governance, average to below-average performers or non-performers in every sphere, and with general gloom and doom all around in a country that yearns for an avatar to feel good about, how he manages to give every cricket lover a reason to find life perfect, and how critical he is, to all of us.
Last, but certainly not the least, what is most lovable about this man is how he manages to retain his humility despite his super stardom and despite the world anointing him a Master Blaster/Little Master, he remains as much a student and humble, grateful servant of the game he has always genuinely loved, to this day.
Pray, tell me, how do we measure all this?! And if we can (as we should), how can there be any doubt whatsoever about who the greatest guy to have walked on this planet with a bat is?!!
To cut a long story short, Sachin is not just the world’s best Saurav da, he IS the world’s best-ever. Surely, the greatest Bharat Ratna that India is yet to have. Whenever he gets conferred with it (and hopefully he will be!), it would have been long overdue.
More power to you, Little Master..and may you keep thrilling us, even till ever after!
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