I don’t want to be a Sachin Tendulkar.

We have equal number of Sachin lovers and non-lovers (let’s not have haters). So please read with your mind within cricketing arena. One can keep writing pages and pages on him, I just give my humble thoughts about him.

On 200^th test match, for one last time, Sachin made cricket crazy nation to stop working and watch him play. There came masters, master blasters, classy wall (my fav), fighters, survivors and they all went. But only one stood watching them come and then go. It took a mammoth 24 years to do so. Only passion can get a man to do that. There are of course few international stars that lived up to expectations and survived more than a decade. The difference is that Sachin’s sheer longevity and that did not come through sheer luck

Sachin - Taken for granted:
Everyone knows what other cricketing legends say about Sachin. They know cricket as well as Sachin. The layman’s respect:
Not sure who is the opposition, don’t know what the team composition is, but simply ask “how much did Sachin scored?”  Admit this must have happened at least once in your life time. That is how Sachin was taken for granted by cricket fans.

Humility:
I will quote a conversation between me and a hardcore Sachin fan after the WC2011 victory. He was slide showing some of the celebration photos.
He (enthused): India won the cup
me (not that enthused): Yes, good team expected to win.
He (enthused): Sachin’s dream fulfilled
me (sarcastic): Machi  - get back to work J
He and I went jaw dropping in the next picture where Sachin handed over the cup to a fan (just googled to find his name - the tri colour fellow in all matches – Sudhir).
A celebrity loyal to his fan – what logic? Here he is no celebrity. Then, who is he? Just Sachin.

Commitment:
Whether he is a team player or not is an unending debate. I’m not a specialist to discuss that. But my thought is that if he is not a team player he could not have survived all odds for more than 2 decades. How many of Indian cricketers have faced the number of balls equal to the number of runs he scored?

There are many snack bites about Sachin like pitch inspection before every match, always punctual, respect to opponents, answering only with bat, and aggression not in eyes but with technique – all these combined to serve the grand meal he gave us. Does this mean no others did these things – may be yes. But he did all these basics when fellow mates and fans claimed him to be God. So he is special.

He kept playing his shots when:

1.       The team coach wanted his career to be ended

2.       His home ground fans boo-ed at him

3.       Some of his team mates played for extra money

4.       When his centuries were ignored for the team’s loss

5.       The whole game of cricket was changing from moderate to aggressive mode

6.       Everyone wanted him to retire

I’m not a cricket enthusiast or analyst or a hard-core fan with stats on finger tips. I watch Sachin play during my school days, college days and now I’m working for 6 years.  Man! 24 years is more than 2/3^rd of my life so far. I would like to divide my life as Before Sachin’s retirement and After Sachin’s retirement. Others who would do so raise your hands J.

I forgot my passion for work, Sachin didn't.  I complained my commitments for not hitting the gym, Sachin didn't. I felt the next generation has grown up when Sachin hit 200 among his next generation in ODI.

I do not want to be a Sachin Tendulkar.  I will be a human.