I wanted to post about Sachin's 100th 100 on the day it happened, but I just didn't have enough time. Furthermore, I didn't want to churn out a post for the sake of churning out one. So here I am, a day later writing about it. I have a feeling that it may not even be finished by sundown; I will take my time.
For me, cricket begins and ends with Sachin Tendulkar. I was never really a fan of it. Whenever I did watch it, it was only when he came onto the crease till the time he left it. India-Pakistan and Bangalore's IPL matches were probably the only exceptions.
Needless to say, I did watch the World Cup matches. No wait, I went to sleep after Sachin got out and woke up a few hours later for the last five overs. When we lifted the cup I was happy. When Sachin lifted it, I cried. That was all that I ever wanted from the start of the tournament.
I may not be a fan of him to the extent of which some people are. I have never watched him play live. I've never watched a cricket match live, save for the ones played in school. There is something about him that tugs at my very core. Respect and unadulterated admiration I guess.
Maybe at one point I was a fan of Indian cricket. Those days have long since passed. I'm quite annoyed at the level of attention that cricket gets in India, and the gross negligence in which other sports are conducted. It is not easy to carry the expectation of the entire country on your shoulders. I cannot even fathom how that must feel like, yet he has done that for years. To play for the country for two decades and counting, is no small feat. It takes discipline, determination, dedication and; well you get the point.
There have been critics snapping at the heels of Tendulkar whenever he fails to meet up to their expectations. Who are they to decide a benchmark of someone who has surpassed them all? I know that Tendulkar will know when it's the right time to hang his boots. I just hope that he does it on his terms and when he is at the summit. It's the only reason I don't watch Forumla 1 anymore. For me, Schumacher is still the one who was at his peak in 2006. Pete Sampras announced a year after winning his final Grand Slam, but played no competitive tennis in that year. That's what I want for Tendulkar.
When Sachin scored his 100th century, his critics were silenced. Praise poured in from every corner. One of the phrases lavished upon him triggered a strong resemblance to Julius Caesar.
"Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has strode cricketing arenas the world over, like a colossus."
- N Srinivasan, President of BCCI
"Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus"
- Cassius, Julius Caesar
I'd like to wrap up with one of my favourite quotes that never ceases to trigger goosebumps when I try an imagine the depth of it.
"If they ever tell my story, let them say I walked with giants.
Men rise and fall like the winter wheat, but these names will never die.
Let them say I lived in the time of Hector, tamer of horses.
Let them say I lived in the time of Achilles."
- Odysseus, Troy
I am fortunate to have lived in the time of some of the world's greatest sportsmen till date. I lived in the time of Tendulkar!
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