Remember the time when he waged a battle on a 22 yard strip soaked in his own blood while you were more busy engaging in a round of Mario or playing with your barbie.
Remember how in the early 90's he repeatedly waged losing battles standing out as a teen aged 'man amongst the boys'.
Remember the time when he steamrolled your list of role models catapulting himself right to the top in a nation starved of heroes.
Remember the time you jumped all around the house as he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with that legendary last over against South Africa.
Remember the time he waited around patiently for a desert storm to blow away before unleashing a hurricane of his own forcing a legendary Aussie to rethink the age old adage of cricket being a team sport.
Remember the time when you cursed the entire Indian team after they tamely surrendered to our sporting arch rivals while he wept alone in the dressing room.
Remember the time you kept gushing on seeing the banner 'I've seen God. He bats for India' while reminding yourself it wasn't for you.
Remember the time you discovered how underdeveloped your vocabulary was compared to your friends at college as you watched him being given 'Shoulder before wicket' in Australia.
Remember the time you almost cried as his tearful eyes glistened as he looked heavenwards a few days after his father's death as he made a return to national duties.
Remember the time you jumped for joy when he upper cut Olonga and Shoaib over third man for sixes during very crucial junctures.
Now REMEMBER nobody absolutely nobody disrespects a man who has given unparalleled joy to a nation of millions and put his ass (read back and elbow) on line every time he has gone out in the middle. And if you think a couple of bad series is all it takes for you to write his obituary then I demand seeing the revised versions of Lara's and Hayden's obituaries on my desk tomorrow. So if you really think you know his game better than 'The Game' himself then I suggest you quit messing around with your mind and wait around to grudgingly applaud him when he comes back and takes back the place that has been his for the past 17 years.
18 comments:
I wonder who this great man is...it couldnt be me though.
p.s. y is only REMEMBER in caps?
i really have no words to say ... and when people talk abt him with disdain i feel the blood boiling, I GET REALLY PISSED!!!..anyway..thanks for reminding abt the whole thing :p
Very well said! This ought to shut up those who think its times up for “The God”. Coincidently I was having a similar conversation with a buddy who thinks he should retire after WC 2007. I beg to differ, master blaster’s got a long way to go.
awesome awesome entry..
indians can be such fair-weather fans eh?
well done rohan!
There is no doubt that he is heads and shoulders above any contemporary cricketer, but I beg to differ when u say he is exempt from any criticism. These are professional athletes who r paid millions to perform.
If u can deify him for his great performances, you also have right to criticise him when he fails. True, that Tendulkar's lean patch would be tolerated much more than say a normal player like Yuvraj, but there is always a limit after which ppl would start questioning.
Having said the above, I think the behavior of the crowd in Wankhede was disgusting !
Good post...just refrain from using lines like "he put his ass in line"...somehow doesnt sound too good to me.
also, may be we should just accept the fact that people ( or atleast most people) have very short term memories.
Its hard to imagine how SRT must have felt being booed at home after having done as much as he has for the game.
May be a lesson for all of us -- don't worry too much about what others say about you. Be it adulation or criticism.
No matter how much you do, only your close friends will stick by in times of need.
@p Well if you probably didnt pick him out from his initials in the title of the post you probably never will and the caps were just meant to emphasize the point I was trying to make via the post
@totti I know exactly how you feel abt him too, remember to kick pointy's ass next time he tells abt how many centuries ponting's got this year
@reader Thncx and I certainly hope so too for Indian cricket's sake
@Mahima Thnk u and odd that you should say that coz this is what I wrote in an earlier post of mine abt Saurav Ganguly "So all I say give this man a second chance and if he isnt up to the lofty standards that all we Indians expect from our cricketers (but so shamelessly fail to uphold in our personal lives)......."
@Point He never asked to be deified, he was just doing his job or in fact just playing a sport he so dearly loved and enjoyed. ANd that was my point ppl like him get the choice of when to get off the bandwagon coz of what they have done and acheived and yes you need to make special exceptions for such special ppl.
@Saurabh Just a figure of speech (pardon my french), whoever asked you to picture it anyways.
@as I am sure a grounded individual like him would have taken the criticism as well as he has handled all the mind numbing adulation.
I totally agree that SRT is no ordinary 'professional athlete' paid for his performance. I find it hard to even put the likes of Kapil and Gavaskar in this category, but even then, Sachin is in a league of his own. He is a demi God in this cricket crazy nation and seems like for the Autralians too :) Dravids and Gavaskars might have better techniques and Sehwags and Yuvrajs maight be more fun to watch these days, but REMEMBER no one in history and no one in the foreseeable future could aquire the GOD like status of SRT. So dont dare contempt the GOD, leave him alone. This is for you pointy the $%%#$%#% :)
u r coming for the Spring tournament rght ?
@chhillar Well stated chilli, knockin over Pointy in the tournament might achieve a newer incentive for you hopefully
@Pointy Yup gettin to 16801 by 10 on Fri evening, see you at the tournament
@ps Thank you, the man goes a long way into all you need to know abt the sport as far as the Indian perspective is concerned
Fanaa song!! Peace
This is my first visit to your blog, and its awesome. I agree with you Sachin Tendulkar still has a good carrier ahead of him, its just a small depression in his form thats all. He will be back in no time.
well-2 i know ur emotions, but to be practical i dont see SRT scoring as heavily as he used to atleast in Test matches. Inspite of all the talents n all, u have to take into account the age factor. The age is getting big on him, his body parts(read back and elbow) are not getting any better by each passing day. The more he put pressure on them, the more they break. Infact i firmly believe its high time that he should retire after WC 2007, coz not only he is wearing and putting himself to sword, but also india's young brigade is doing admirably well and seems pretty ready to take his place.
With the likes of Yuvraj, Raina showing immense character and consistency in ODIs i think he can safely pass the baton to the young brigade.
To finish, he will remain one of the greatest ever batsman.
@Ash Thnx, totally agree with what you wrote, keep visiting
@Kon ?? Et tu Brutus!!! :)
Was awsome. My feeling entirely. Starting end of this year, BCCI should make it a slogan for the upcoming world cup that we need to win this one for "SRT". A great player without a world cup win. Cannot be. Linking your blog on the psucric blog site. Wanted to create a debate there as well.
Sachin Tendulkar is a liability to the team!!!Sachin Tendulkar is not a good test player!!!Oh my goodness!!! I cant believe that some people are even thinking in those terms!!!Everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, people who make such statements are sadly those who have a rather shallow understanding of the game. In modern times of instant gratification, people tend to forget that cricket is as much about aesthetics as about anything else. Technique, temperament, balance, grace, footwork and aesthetics, the master has it all!!!I can categorically state that no drug or narcotic in this world would bring us more pleasure than to watch the master and his cricket!!!
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