Today, one Sachin Tendulkar announced his decision to retire from test cricket, thus bringing the curtains down on his long career, spanning more than two decades.
"Arey arey ek minute! Ye kya bol rahe ho! 'One' Sachin Tendulkar? Bhaisahab, 'The' Sachin Tendulkar bolo. 'Apna Sachin' bolo. Samjhe ki nahi? Pata nahi kaun si duniya se aaye ho."
Before you smash this screen, let me clarify that I deliberately said this to illustrate the kind of reaction you would get anywhere in India if you don't know this man.
It was bound to happen one day. Sachin has announced his retirement from the longer format of the game. And so, the countdown begins. A countdown we'd rather have chosen to avoid. But let us face it, he couldn't have gone on forever, which is what we've always wished. No matter how God-like he is on the field, he's only human after all. It's hard for us to imagine beyond our own sadness, the difficulty he would have had to face in taking and announcing this decision. I guess the inner voice finally won. It is time to stop.
Few men, very few men, can make a nation hold its breath. Very few men have the ability to achieve not only their own dreams, but the dreams of a billion people too. And in the midst of all this, the sheer humility, dedication and passion was never amiss. To me, his adaptability, to be able to change and modify his technique with changing times, is commendable. Sachin's highest ODI score says it all: 200 not out against South Africa at Gwalior, the first double-century in ODIs, scored in his 442nd one-day match, when he was two months short of his 37th birthday. When cricket was growing younger and faster, 200 off 147 balls came from the most experienced man in the game. Need I say more? You know it better than me.
Many people now say that Sachin will take their childhood away with him, when he retires. True! Just as the child in him never grew up, there were millions who relived their childhood days, whenever they saw Sachin in Indian colours. Some fans even say that alongwith Sachin, they're hanging their boots too.
So two matches in whites are all that remain. Yes, we'll miss Sachin a lot. But I think giving up on the sport Sachin has devoted his entire life to, would render all his hard work, contributions and achievements futile. There will, in all likelihood, never be another batsman like him, and he leaves behind a huge void in the sport and our lives. But let us not let go of this sport, one of the few reasons that unite us as a nation.
After all, the religion called Cricket will always be numero uno in our hearts, for it was blessed by one Sachin Tendulkar. (Oops!) 'The' Sachin Tendulkar. _/\_
