Tendulkar:hit or myth

[SachDan]

For me this article ensures something special in this test match!! Peter Roebuck October 17, 2008 A HUSH goes around the ground whenever the second Indian wicket falls in a home Test match. It is not a mark of disrespect towards the departing batsman but a sign of the excitement felt about the imminent emergence of his replacement. As Sachin Tendulkar steps onto the field, a roar erupts that could shake trees and does not abate till he has taken guard. Another deathly quiet falls when Tendulkar is removed cheaply. Shock came over the faces of spectators when he lost his wicket in Bangalore. India rides a tide of emotion every time its chosen one enters the arena. A power has been put in Tendulkar's hands that could easily be misused. But it has not all been idolatry. Tendulkar's mistake in the second innings provoked fury among locals convinced he has failed too often at critical moments. Never mind that he had almost saved the match. Critics point towards a flaw in his temperament, an inability to rise to the occasion. One ancient scribe speaks of the "myth of Tendulkar". Perhaps he has lacked the strength to impose himself at telling times. But a man must be taken as a whole. Ever since he first appeared as precocious tousle-haired teenager, Tendulkar has known only exorbitant expectations. It is no small thing to become public property at 16. There has been no hiding place. Every time he leaves his home, it is an appearance; he loves swanky cars but can drive only in the dead of night. It is against this background that his career must be judged. It is not an achievement. It is a miracle. Remarkably, Tendulkar has managed to retain his health and reputation through it all. His body might be complaining but his spirit endures and he seems immune to stress and sickness. During the course of his tumultuous career, Don Bradman suffered several serious setbacks. Tendulkar has even managed to retain a semblance of normality in his life — a wife, children who tease him, friends, a restaurant, the same smile. Although their records are almost as impressive, Rahul Dravid or Virender Sehwag do not attract remotely as much attention. Throughout, there has been something in Tendulkar that sets him apart. No matter how much he has immersed himself in the comfort of the team, he has been treated as special. Partly it is the purity of his style. From the outset, he could bat in the classical way. Coaches and contemporaries insist that he was not taught the game; it came from within, like an underground spring. From the outset, it has merely been a matter of correcting the bad habits that creep in the moment the brain sleeps. His strokes are played with a bat somehow broader and straighter than any other, and his feet seem to move effortlessly into position. It is enough to watch him defend. Yet he does not disdain flourish, rejoices in the sudden crack past point or the nonchalant flick off his pads, strokes that thrill the crowd. But it goes beyond facts and figures, style, sportsmanship and masterly innings, or else others could join him in his isolated acclaim. Tendulkar has been the hero his country needed. Indians spend billions of dollars every year trying to lighten their skins. India knows that its film stars have not crossed cultural lines. Booker Prize winners cannot inspire a nation half as well as the sight of a demonstrably brown boy repeatedly cracking feared bowling around. His combination of aggression and productivity defined him. And he has been untarnished by scandal. Read India's papers, it is all communal agitation, political disputes, corruption. Impoverished India yearns for a champion. Its gods are exotic, its films escapist and its batsman is a conqueror. Affluent India is another matter and might one day put cricket in its place. Tendulkar has uplifted lives. He has not railed against colonialism and has instead inspired his countrymen by deed alone. Supporters cherish his introductory masterpieces — daring and almost cheeky — his hundreds scored in adversity, notably in Birmingham and Melbourne, and his later more restrained efforts. It is idiotic to expect a man to be the same at 36 as at 16. Maturity has its own beauty and is not to be avoided. There were his superb strokes, resounding straight drives, hooks and back-foot punches past point, and his duels with Wasim Akram, Shane Warne and Brett Lee. Now comes the greatest reassurance of all. Some time during the Test match starting today, Tendulkar will surely collect 15 runs to become Test cricket's highest scorer. Ordinarily the number of runs a player scores is not definitive. Apart from skill, the amassing of vast career tallies requires an ability to avoid injury, war and whim. But runs are hard earned in Test cricket, besides which longevity can be as much a bane as a boon. It is just reason to respect this record, for it tells many tales, the boy who grew up before our eyes, the batsman who survived all that bowlers or life could send his way. Tendulkar stands above his contemporaries. For all his fortitude, Steve Waugh was in a lower league, and never imagined otherwise. Brian Lara was dazzling but also destructive. At his best, the Trinidadian was supreme but he toyed with his talent. Vanity and selfishness lingered too long in his character. Viv Richards was explosive but also erratic. Brilliant in his 20s, he did not age as well as the Indian. Tendulkar may be in decline but he has been a constant champion for 20 years. He has had more on his shoulders than any contemporary and has remained intact. Oh yes, and he has scored a few runs along the way, and given immense pleasure to millions of people, Indian and otherwise.

[King]

As usual Peter writes in his own style and lifts the already high profile of Tendulkar. No one can deny the kind of player he is. Of late I was reading Stephen Fleming's book and he mentions only one word about Tendulkar. "He's the best batsman living in the planet and I don't need to give any reasons". It's that simple to make a statement about Tendulkar. Just that people get carried away understanding the meaning of "Best". "Best" doesn't really mean he will never fail or will dominate everyone and everything. Everyone comes with a bit of frills and Tendulkar does too. Despite that he has an aura that surrounds him and he is next to none in terms of technically capable. It isn't a surprise he's going to be the highest ever scorer in test cricket, ODI cricket, has most 50s and 100s in both forms of cricket.

[punjabi_khota]

yawn..209467895th article on how great he is. We know it.

[goose]

do you?

[gs]

Nice read.

[DomainK]

We know it, but still we dont get enough of it. I have read uncountable articles on the greatness of Tendulkar, but each time I read a new one, I enjoy immensely.

[goose]

i dunno, i'm the same age as Tendulkar, was fortunate enough to witness Indian cricket before his emergence, during his peak , and now his decline. his impact is not something everyone really 'gets'. just like i will never truly appreciate the greatness of a Gavaskar, or the next new star. you never forget your first love.

[Ram]

I always maintained Sachin's greatness as an individual, as a role-model, as someone who projected the name of India far beyond her borders, far far outweighs his greatness or feats as a cricketer. Sachin could go 25 more tests without scoring a single run more and yet you will still have people praising him and having his photo in their avtar. His cricketing feats form a very small part of why people get inspired by him, which is why, even if he doesnt perform, it doesnt make any difference to his real fans. Of course, absolutely perspective less people will keep harboring about his 2nd innings record, how he failed when chasing, how's never delivered in big finals, how he didnt solve global warming or the credit crisis and they can keep doing that. Some of us come to realize that there's no point trying to convince them, they will NEVER get it. If you limit Sachin's contribution to merely what he's done on the field, there couldnt be a bigger fool than you.

[goose]

and what's more...nowadays we're all used to reading about India in the global media, be it the Sensex, Bollywood, the IT sector, the economic superpower in waiting, Booker prizewinners and so on. when i was growing up in London, India was some irrelevant third world backwater that nobody except Indians talked about. with Tendulkar's debut came my very first sense that India had arrived.

[coffee_rules]

I always maintained Sachin's greatness as an individual, as a role-model, as someone who projected the name of India far beyond her borders, far far outweighs his greatness or feats as a cricketer. Sachin could go 25 more tests without scoring a single run more and yet you will still have people praising him and having his photo in their avtar. His cricketing feats form a very small part of why people get inspired by him, which is why, even if he doesnt perform, it doesnt make any difference to his real fans. Of course, absolutely perspective less people will keep harboring about his 2nd innings record, how he failed when chasing, how's never delivered in big finals, how he didnt solve global warming of the credit crisis and they can keep doing that. Some of us come to realize that there's no point trying to convince them, they will NEVER get it. If you limit Sachin's contribution to merely what he's done on the field, there couldnt be a bigger fool than you.

Pray, tell us his off-field contributions to humanity outside of cricket? - Owns a restaurant - Owns a ferrari - A lot of old cricketers praise him - Some charity work he has done which he doesn't want to be public I don't know how his off-field contributions attibutes greatness to him beyond Indian borders.

[Sachinism]

Pray, tell us his off-field contributions to humanity outside of cricket? - Owns a restaurant - Owns a ferrari - A lot of old cricketers praise him - Some charity work he has done which he doesn't want to be public I don't know how his off-field contributions attibutes greatness to him beyond Indian borders.

http://indiancricketfans.com/Blog/my-two-cents/2008/07/14/why-sachin-legend

[flamy]

Good stuff. :regular_smile:

[punjabi_khota]

I always maintained Sachin's greatness as an individual, as a role-model, as someone who projected the name of India far beyond her borders, far far outweighs his greatness or feats as a cricketer. Sachin could go 25 more tests without scoring a single run more and yet you will still have people praising him and having his photo in their avtar. His cricketing feats form a very small part of why people get inspired by him, which is why, even if he doesnt perform, it doesnt make any difference to his real fans. Of course, absolutely perspective less people will keep harboring about his 2nd innings record, how he failed when chasing, how's never delivered in big finals, how he didnt solve global warming of the credit crisis and they can keep doing that. Some of us come to realize that there's no point trying to convince them, they will NEVER get it. If you limit Sachin's contribution to merely what he's done on the field, there couldnt be a bigger fool than you.

I see an irony.

[satishg]

his cricketing skills are unparalleled..from the moment he set his foot on the international scene he has gone on to break all the records that he was supposed to , that all the pundits informed us that he wud wen he was 16..i am proud and happy that i grew up watching this man bat..i will never ever see a cricketer like him again thats for sure..

[coffee_rules]

http://indiancricketfans.com/Blog/my-two-cents/2008/07/14/why-sachin-legend

Whatever rocks your boat. I thought winning the '83 and '85 WCs got big cricket money to India. . may be you weren't born then.

[Sachinism]

Whatever rocks your boat. I thought winning the '83 and '85 WCs got big cricket money to India. . may be you weren't born then.

Yeh but Tendulkar to it to another level yeh you're right, I wasn't born

[bharat297]

Pray, tell us his off-field contributions to humanity outside of cricket? - Owns a restaurant - Owns a ferrari - A lot of old cricketers praise him - Some charity work he has done which he doesn't want to be public I don't know how his off-field contributions attibutes greatness to him beyond Indian borders.

That very line itself proves that he is doing this charity work, not just for himself ... but for the actual organsation's cause

[fineleg]

Sachin could go 25 more tests without scoring a single run more and yet you will still have people praising him and having his photo in their avtar. .

Indian team does not need enemies within Aus or SA or NZ or ....camp for us to do poorly. Our fans reward playerz this way. 25 Tests without a single run - ha what rubbish (even if it is not meant literally, this is absurd to say even then people will fall all over)

[bharat297]

Given how fickle the Indian media and Indian fans are in general ... It says alot about Tendulkar as a player and a person that he has remained so popular with fans all over the world, his teammates, commentators, former players, opposition players. Also, given the intense media spotlight he has been under over the past 20 years ... To remain scandal free is an impressive feat. Add to that the fact he has been a consistent run maker, and practically every top bowler in history has rated him in the top 3 batsman theyve ever faced (usually as the no.1). Regardless of how he finishes his career, one can never dispute that Sachin Tendulkar has been the biggest star in Indian cricket history and one of the greatest cricket players of all time, and a legend both on and off the field.

[Ram]

and what's more...nowadays we're all used to reading about India in the global media' date=' be it the Sensex, Bollywood, the IT sector, the economic superpower in waiting, Booker prizewinners and so on. when i was growing up in London, India was some irrelevant third world backwater that nobody except Indians talked about. with Tendulkar's debut came my very first sense that India had arrived.[/quote'] Exactly. Sachin was the identity of India when we were known in the world only for the Taj Mahal and the snake charmers.