Thank you, Warne

[Dhondy]

Thank you for reminding the great man of the amazing, sublime batting that he was, and indeed is, capable of. The year gone by had seen Sachin sleepwalk through Test and ODIs, his strokes restrained, his best weapons put away, like a tiger's claws sheathed. What was he thinking? Who knows? He might have been weighed down by his growing seniority in the team like an ageing tree bowing under the burden of bearing fruit, or it might have been the tiring sinews, the slowing reflexes, the fading glint in the cones in the back of his fabled retina that had once detected the release of a ball from a bowler's hand, its trajectory in the air, its deviation off the pitch just that milli-second earlier than ordinary mortals. Whatever it was, there's no doubt it had shackled Sachin like a beast in bondage. And all of us were poorer for it. Deep inside us, we knew Sachin could still play those wonderful, enchanting strokes. But did Sachin know it himself? Those who follow sport, watch its undulations at the edge of their chairs and live and die with their beloved teams, their favoured players, will know that sport is as much about the mind as it is about the muscles, bones and speed of hand movement or co-ordination. They will know that the very best, the exalted few have that undefined element, that sheer self assurance, the unshakeable self-belief that sets them apart from the also-rans. It is undeniable that for months and years back there, for a period longer than anybody cares to remember, Sachin had lost that faith in his own invincibility. It showed in the manner that he had shelved his magnificent pulls, in the way that he had forsaken the silken cover drives. All over the world, bowlers could breathe again. Word went out of his decline, of the lion in sad senescence. Sachin allowed journeymen to bowl to him. It was excruciating to watch. And then Warne published his top 50. Sachin was numero uno, ahead of every cricketer of his generation, rated by one of the greatest sportsmen of all time. I sincerely believe it sparked something inside him. The strokes that we have seen in the last two matches have been so long in cold storage, they feel a bit like the resurrection of a long forgotten gladiator. The up and over loft above mid on, the short arm pull, the coruscating blaze through extra cover, the inside out despatches to the spinner, placed with surgical accuracy..this is vintage Sachin of the 90s. There's a carefreeness, a gay abandon about him, tempered by a singular lack of self doubt that we haven't seen for a long long time. Thank you Warne. Thank you for making him believe again. Long may it continue.

[zubinpepsi]

TOP POST:two_thumbs_up:

[Ram]

Woah , Quick work Doc ! I do agree with you to an extent. Sachin has the tendency to respond to external motivations often.

[Guest BossBhai]

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[Dhondy]

What rate were the runs in those innings scored at, Boss?

[observer1]

Sachin, like the Oscar winners, knew beforehand, Bheem. Warney had texted him! Great article Dhondy - superb to read - beats the crap out of anyone who currently writes, except perhaps Peter Roebuck. (audio smiley saying 'waaah waaah waah' and other such expressions of admiration)

[Gambit]

Only you could have written such a beautiful post Dhondy. Once Warne rated him #1, SRT it seems decided people to remind why Warne had done so.

[Guest BossBhai]

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[Bumper]

Good writeup, but i dont think either of Sachin's innings are related to Warne's rankings. In ODIs he has been batting fairly aggressively, recently, however in tests, he has changed his style forever, probably will never return to his old ways again. I dont know why he made this decision to bat the way he does in tests, as he has hit rock bottom poking & prodding. He will see a significant improvement in results, if he decides to bat a lot more positively, as that maximises the time he spends at the crease.

[Dhondy]

And the SR in the last two innings, Boss? There's a change. Watch him, you'll see it. He's unfettered, soaring like a bird on the trade wind.

[Anakin]

Excellent read, good to see some +ve article on the Boss from you :D

[zubinpepsi]

And the SR in the last two innings, Boss? There's a change. Watch him, you'll see it. He's unfettered, soaring like a bird on the trade wind.

Could b cuz india r facing series loss here.. tht mite have fired him up as well

[Bumper]

And the SR in the last two innings, Boss? There's a change. Watch him, you'll see it. He's unfettered, soaring like a bird on the trade wind.

Seriously, are you expecting him to change his style in tests ? Remember how he batted against the Ntini led Saffie attack ? Contrast that with the two test innings against England. I dont think Warne needs to remind Sachin how good he was, its just that rather than relying on instincts (which he does in ODIs) and enjoying his batting, he has made his test match batting a more laborious, scientific process -- one that is researched, planned, blueprinted and executed

[Guest BossBhai]

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[Ram]

Doc , I am honestly disappointed at two things though 1) "Thank you Warne. Thank you for making him believe again. Long may it continue." - Surely the master doesnt need Warne's words to jee himself up. Maybe he knows this is amongst the last of his one-dayers. Maybe , thats the reason why he is all so fired up. 2) I desperately wanted to do an article on Sachin myself. You have gone ahead of me. :D

[Anakin]

Seriously' date=' are you expecting him to change his style in tests ? Remember how he batted against the Ntini led Saffie attack ? Contrast that with the two test innings against England. I dont think Warne needs to remind Sachin how good he was, its just that rather than relying on instincts (which he does in ODIs) and enjoying his batting, he has made his test match batting a more laborious, scientific process -- one that is researched, planned, blueprinted and executed[/quote'] Just because he can do it, and still manages to score at a decent SR for test

[MundaPakistani]

That's an interesting way to look at it Dhondy. So no wonder Inzi has failed in his 1st 3 innings for Yorkshire.

[Dhondy]

I don't know, Bumps. All I know is that he needs inspiration these days to perform like he can, and increasingly that inspiration must come from without. Warne lit a massive spark in him. I am pretty sure of that. He would have done a lot of soul searching after reading him, and I think something gave. This is majestic Sachin, up with the man we saw against Pakistan at the Wanderers in 2003.

[Anakin]

That's an interesting way to look at it Dhondy. So no wonder Inzi has failed in his 1st 3 innings for Yorkshire.

:haha::haha: Nice excuse

[Bumper]

Just because he can do it' date=' and still manages to score at a decent SR for test[/quote'] But even his best fans would admit that his changed approach has something to do with his poor recent results. If Sachin had played a careful knock (trying to bat 50 overs), instead of batting with gay abandon as he did today, India would have lost this game by some 80 odd runs. If the opponent were Australia instead of England, am sure he would have been more measured and restrained in his stroke play and in the process performed relatively poorly. Sachin overanalyses his batting. The more scientific he gets, the poorer will be his results.