"Is he going to sub you, is he going to study for you?" yelled my mother. "What's so different? Does he play with his bum?" mocked my advisor. Insane, madness - people could say. They just cannot understand, I would say, and move on.
This article is not about Sachin. Not about numbers. Not about records. Many have written about him, his humility and about his numerous feats. I doubt if I can add even a word more. This is about myself, the Sachin side. So, ideally it should have been in my diary. But that is Sachinism you see. It will be in the open.
I don't remember watching any cricket till 1996. That still surprises me, given that my father follows cricket. The lack of a TV possibly explains part of it. It was around 96 World Cup that I started following cricket. And quite soon got addicted. First it was cricket and then it was Sachin. With Sachin, "addicted" is too weak an adjective.
I had no idea what swing was. What seam was. What a flipper was. I knew only pace and spin bowling and that 6 per over or a strike rate of 100 is a difficult task. I kept cricket simple. Sachin taught me it was not. If it was a simple game, why did he just stand out? Why can't others do the same thing he does? What makes it difficult for them? And slowly I learned about the game and the more I understood, the more I was awed by Sachin.
At home, Sachin always created scrambles in our hall. When Sachin was batting and something else was on TV (a serial, cartoon or a movie), I literally had to fight for my right and fight I did to catch a glimpse of him. The previous channel button in the remote was so helpful! Every time I pressed it, I will receive a stare from my mother or a scream from my sister as the case maybe. Luckily there were enough seconds between balls, between overs and there was another batsman along with Sachin who also faced occasionally. You see, these were the times, I would let them watch their stuff.
Then there were calculations. 80 more runs required to win, 52 runs for Sachin's 100. Will curse the other batsmen if they score too quickly. Forget the win. Forget the caliber of the other batsmen. Only one thing seemed to matter when Sachin was batting. It is a phenomenon that is hard to explain. Cricket, they say, is a team game. Not when Sachin is batting, for me. I even pray for the opposition to post a decent score to give Sachin enough runs to score a 100. Rubbish - I know. I always try to catch a glimpse of even a solitary boundary he had hit in his innings in the highlights package. Nonsense - I know.
Waking up at 5 AM just to watch him bat in Australia, waking up at 2 AM watching him bat at New Zealand, staying up all night in Hawaii watching him bat in South Africa. Memories simply galore. The nights before many term exams were spent watching him bat. Even my academics took a balcony seat when it comes to Sachin performance. Well, highlights package existed. But it was just not the same.
I have been preparing for Sachin's retirement since 2005, I should say. Closely following Ponting and Kallis' records to see if they will surpass him. Can Sachin last longer than them or just enough to ensure he will be on top? Age calculations, average calculations, test match frequency, forecasts... How does it matter? Somehow they did. And survived he did! And how!
How much ever Sachin accomplished, the requests never ended. Can he do well in the Finals after 98? Yes, he answered, in Australia. Can he do well in the 4th innings while chasing? There it was against England. Somehow every success of his was a check mark in MY list. It made me feel good. Even my grand mother was surprised. "Sachin Sachin Sachin, Do your work" she will affectionately chide.
Who after Sachin - is a question that I have been trying to answer. Sehwag? Ah! He is not even in the team now a days. Dhoni? Kohlis and Dhawans? Nay! They all seem to be performers whom I would at best watch in highlights. That's about it.
Sachin will always remain a phenomenon that I could never explain. With his retirement, a childhood in me has retired too.
P.S - Please keep away your comments on the timing of his retirement. I believe, it his personal decision that none of us have a say on. Whether he should have been dropped is a selection committee's decision. Discussions on both of these topics would simply not be encouraged.
This article is not about Sachin. Not about numbers. Not about records. Many have written about him, his humility and about his numerous feats. I doubt if I can add even a word more. This is about myself, the Sachin side. So, ideally it should have been in my diary. But that is Sachinism you see. It will be in the open.
I don't remember watching any cricket till 1996. That still surprises me, given that my father follows cricket. The lack of a TV possibly explains part of it. It was around 96 World Cup that I started following cricket. And quite soon got addicted. First it was cricket and then it was Sachin. With Sachin, "addicted" is too weak an adjective.
I had no idea what swing was. What seam was. What a flipper was. I knew only pace and spin bowling and that 6 per over or a strike rate of 100 is a difficult task. I kept cricket simple. Sachin taught me it was not. If it was a simple game, why did he just stand out? Why can't others do the same thing he does? What makes it difficult for them? And slowly I learned about the game and the more I understood, the more I was awed by Sachin.
At home, Sachin always created scrambles in our hall. When Sachin was batting and something else was on TV (a serial, cartoon or a movie), I literally had to fight for my right and fight I did to catch a glimpse of him. The previous channel button in the remote was so helpful! Every time I pressed it, I will receive a stare from my mother or a scream from my sister as the case maybe. Luckily there were enough seconds between balls, between overs and there was another batsman along with Sachin who also faced occasionally. You see, these were the times, I would let them watch their stuff.
Then there were calculations. 80 more runs required to win, 52 runs for Sachin's 100. Will curse the other batsmen if they score too quickly. Forget the win. Forget the caliber of the other batsmen. Only one thing seemed to matter when Sachin was batting. It is a phenomenon that is hard to explain. Cricket, they say, is a team game. Not when Sachin is batting, for me. I even pray for the opposition to post a decent score to give Sachin enough runs to score a 100. Rubbish - I know. I always try to catch a glimpse of even a solitary boundary he had hit in his innings in the highlights package. Nonsense - I know.
Waking up at 5 AM just to watch him bat in Australia, waking up at 2 AM watching him bat at New Zealand, staying up all night in Hawaii watching him bat in South Africa. Memories simply galore. The nights before many term exams were spent watching him bat. Even my academics took a balcony seat when it comes to Sachin performance. Well, highlights package existed. But it was just not the same.
I have been preparing for Sachin's retirement since 2005, I should say. Closely following Ponting and Kallis' records to see if they will surpass him. Can Sachin last longer than them or just enough to ensure he will be on top? Age calculations, average calculations, test match frequency, forecasts... How does it matter? Somehow they did. And survived he did! And how!
How much ever Sachin accomplished, the requests never ended. Can he do well in the Finals after 98? Yes, he answered, in Australia. Can he do well in the 4th innings while chasing? There it was against England. Somehow every success of his was a check mark in MY list. It made me feel good. Even my grand mother was surprised. "Sachin Sachin Sachin, Do your work" she will affectionately chide.
Who after Sachin - is a question that I have been trying to answer. Sehwag? Ah! He is not even in the team now a days. Dhoni? Kohlis and Dhawans? Nay! They all seem to be performers whom I would at best watch in highlights. That's about it.
Sachin will always remain a phenomenon that I could never explain. With his retirement, a childhood in me has retired too.
P.S - Please keep away your comments on the timing of his retirement. I believe, it his personal decision that none of us have a say on. Whether he should have been dropped is a selection committee's decision. Discussions on both of these topics would simply not be encouraged.
