While his aggregate may probably be surpassed by someone in the years to come, I seriously doubt if anyone can be as great a human being as Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
I was reminded of the statement, “Even if the little kid loses half his ability with the passage of time, he will still go on to be a world beater”. It was made by the late Raman Lamba in the late 1980s, even before the little kid (Sachin Tendulkar) made his debut in international cricket.
The chubby little kid then has gone a long way since making his debut at the age of 16. And on October 17 (incidentally, it is the birthday of another legend, Anil Kumble), he reached yet another milestone at Mohali. It was rather strange that people felt Sachin made them wait a shade longer before he got past the aggregate of Brian Lara.
Poor Sachin! One does not score 12,000 runs in Test cricket within a certain time frame. There has been no let-up for Tendulkar during his journey that has lasted 19 years and it is rather sad that sometimes people do not express their adulation for him in the right manner.
The little master is generally not prone to reacting to negative reports about him in the press but the hurt was evident when he mentioned that the stones hurled at him enabled him to reach several milestones in his career. Obviously, Tendulkar would not have forgotten the criticism of him and the Indian team following the debacle in the last World Cup. There was a public outcry for ousting the little master as well as the other senior cricketers from the team. It is remarkable that Tendulkar stayed away from the eye of the storm as the mood in general then was not conducive to giving any explanation whatsoever.
Tendulkar must certainly be relieved that the monkey is off his back. But even before he could savour the achievement, the press wanted him to predict the shelf life of his latest record! One wonders why the media is always so keen to be so far-sighted and analytical while there is no saying what the future has in store. By and large, the media have been good to Tendulkar over a good period of time, but unfortunately insensitivity has also sneaked in at times and that probably would hurt the great batsman more than anything else.
“When will Tendulkar rejoin the team?” was the question at a time when a bereaved Sachin had to return to India during the 1999 World Cup. Of course, the implication was that Tendulkar is the man for India, but the way it was conveyed was not very pleasant, especially at a time when the little master was going through a personal tragedy.
Enough has been written about his batting and his technique over the years but what has escaped one’s attention is his sustained dedication and the sacrifices he has made in order to achieve laurels for himself and the country. His dedication to the game borders on obsession so much that for the time being he cannot entertain the thought of life without the game he loves so dearly.
Tendulkar’s retort, “you are in the wrong press conference”, to a reporter when he was asked about his retirement indicates the passion he still has for the game. Passion is just about the only reason why he is continuing to play the game, for he has done all that is possibly there to be done on a cricket field.
Since Tendulkar is aware that there is nothing left for him to prove to anybody, he would be looking to enjoy the game for whatever duration that he represents the country. While Tendulkar would want to have a good time, the onus is on his followers to enjoy the entertainment that he will provide and not indulge in formulating his retirement plans. The little master has surpassed the record of his good friend Lara and though Ponting may be on his heels, we Indians must be proud of the great batsman and cherish his achievement.
It will be difficult not to talk about Tendulkar the person as sportsmen are not only expected to excel on the field but also to be role models. Tendulkar has been impeccable in his behaviour on and off the field. This in itself is a great achievement considering the media attention on him over the years. To be in the limelight from the age of 16 and have the world at your feet and yet not lose one’s bearings is a phenomenal achievement by itself.
While his aggregate may probably be surpassed by someone in the years to come, I seriously doubt if anyone can be as great a human being as Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
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