The Tendulkar Fatigue Syndrome

[Dhondy]

Right...so what was I saying? 15 November 1989. Still remember the day he made his debut at Karachi against the arch enemy. Precocious, young and picked out by a man who had an eye for genius. Little did spectators realise that they were watching history in making. He was stocky, had long hair like most young men of that age, and had the most cherubic cheeks that betrayed his tender years. He had already demolished most records in domestic cricket and had been fast tracked by the national selectors. Over the next decade and beyond, he'd demolish many more records, boast one of the best strike rates in the history of cricket and leave his mark in both forms of the game. He did have certain regrets. Despite his great talent, his record against the bitter subcontinental rivals lagged behind his performances against other sides. Persistent injuries had forced loss of form at the very peak of his career and led to doubters questioning his place in the team despite his stellar record. But perhaps the greatest blemish on his CV was that he didn't have a world cup trophy in his otherwise resplendent cabinet. Despite those minor blemishes, he'd go on to stride the world stage like a colossus, be counted among the most fearsome by his peers and become an icon for many imitators from his nation. Even non-believers like me would eventually doff my hat to him and acknowledge his greatness. Cricketer extraordinaire, Waqar Younis, who debuted that November day in 1989 at Karachi.

[Lurker]

Right...so what was I saying? Cricketer extraordinaire, Waqar Younis, who debuted that November day in 1989 at Karachi.

Well you were saying, and probably hid it very well, that this was the same game in which Kapil Dev played his 100th test. And if that was not enough he also received the MOM so nothing else should matter :winky: Here's a question for you Dhondy. Sachin would be in the same age bracket as some of us members. Do you think it is easier/difficult to put a player(of similar age) on same pedestal as someone else who is junior/senior to you? Is there a human factor here that brings out a different set of emotions - appreciation, jealousy, sense of indetification etc, quite unlike players of different age whom you just connect with on sporting level? xxx

[Gunner_Mania]

Right...so what was I saying? 15 November 1989. Still remember the day he made his debut at Karachi against the arch enemy. Precocious, young and picked out by a man who had an eye for genius. Little did spectators realise that they were watching history in making. He was stocky, had long hair like most young men of that age, and had the most cherubic cheeks that betrayed his tender years. He had already demolished most records in domestic cricket and had been fast tracked by the national selectors. Over the next decade and beyond, he'd demolish many more records, boast one of the best strike rates in the history of cricket and leave his mark in both forms of the game. He did have certain regrets. Despite his great talent, his record against the bitter subcontinental rivals lagged behind his performances against other sides. Persistent injuries had forced loss of form at the very peak of his career and led to doubters questioning his place in the team despite his stellar record. But perhaps the greatest blemish on his CV was that he didn't have a world cup trophy in his otherwise resplendent cabinet. Despite those minor blemishes, he'd go on to stride the world stage like a colossus, be counted among the most fearsome by his peers and become an icon for many imitators from his nation. Even non-believers like me would eventually doff my hat to him and acknowledge his greatness. Cricketer extraordinaire, Waqar Younis, who debuted that November day in 1989 at Karachi.

Good one!!!

[Karan114]

Right...so what was I saying? 15 November 1989. Still remember the day he made his debut at Karachi against the arch enemy. Precocious, young and picked out by a man who had an eye for genius. Little did spectators realise that they were watching history in making. He was stocky, had long hair like most young men of that age, and had the most cherubic cheeks that betrayed his tender years. He had already demolished most records in domestic cricket and had been fast tracked by the national selectors. Over the next decade and beyond, he'd demolish many more records, boast one of the best strike rates in the history of cricket and leave his mark in both forms of the game. He did have certain regrets. Despite his great talent, his record against the bitter subcontinental rivals lagged behind his performances against other sides. Persistent injuries had forced loss of form at the very peak of his career and led to doubters questioning his place in the team despite his stellar record. But perhaps the greatest blemish on his CV was that he didn't have a world cup trophy in his otherwise resplendent cabinet. Despite those minor blemishes, he'd go on to stride the world stage like a colossus, be counted among the most fearsome by his peers and become an icon for many imitators from his nation. Even non-believers like me would eventually doff my hat to him and acknowledge his greatness. Cricketer extraordinaire, Waqar Younis, who debuted that November day in 1989 at Karachi.

Certainly had me taken...nicely done!

[Dhondy]

Well you were saying, and probably hid it very well, that this was the same game in which Kapil Dev played his 100th test. And if that was not enough he also received the MOM so nothing else should matter :winky: Here's a question for you Dhondy. Sachin would be in the same age bracket as some of us members. Do you think it is easier/difficult to put a player(of similar age) on same pedestal as someone else who is junior/senior to you? Is there a human factor here that brings out a different set of emotions - appreciation, jealousy, sense of indetification etc, quite unlike players of different age whom you just connect with on sporting level? xxx

Nothing as profound as that, Lurker. It's probably because his best years were also the most disappointing for Indian cricket, when we were young, and felt let down by the Barbadoses, the Durbans (twice), the Hamilton Parks, the Edgbastons, the Lords...even the Mumbais. He's matured, like a vintage wine. We...I...have gone bad, like the sushi left out on the dining table on a warm night. Never the twain shall meet.

[Sooda]

Yet another ...err... cricketer... who made his debut that day Salil Ankola :cantstop:

[Lurker]

Nothing as profound as that' date=' Lurker. It's probably because his best years were also the most disappointing for Indian cricket, when [b']we were young, and felt let down by the Barbadoses, the Durbans (twice), the Hamilton Parks, the Edgbastons, the Lords...even the Mumbais. He's matured, like a vintage wine. We...I...have gone bad, like the sushi left out on the dining table on a warm night. Never the twain shall meet.

Indian performance, or lack thereof, and SRT's performance amidst the ruins of 90s is something that shall always stay in Indian fans mind, and while I do concur about maturity of Sachin as a batsman I personally have always been a fan of innocence over maturity. As a close friend of mine once said - Maturity is when you realize you can't do everything, innocence does not beleive in that..and isnt that wonderful? But I digress. You can throw 2 more names alongside Sachin in the same age bracket - Vishy Anand and Leander Paes. It is almost as if I have grown up with these guys, not as in next door neighbour, but seen them evolve. From Junior cricketer to world beaters, girls swooning over them, they making money, winning Olympic medals, world champions. Unlike Kapil who would always be a greater cricketer only, Sachin/Vishy/Paes were more human..and hence more fallible. xx

[goose]

This thread is really about whether you think this forum is suffering from the phenomenon psychologists term 'group polarization'.

[Roshanrocks]

nice article

[Holysmoke]

he'd go on to stride the world stage like a colossus, Even non-believers like me would eventually doff my hat to him and acknowledge his greatness. Cricketer extraordinaire,

Seriously? Waqar? colossus? You really can exaggerate...

[Guest BossBhai]

-- Removed on request of the user --

[TSAG_RGB]

Right...so what was I saying? 15 November 1989. Still remember the day he made his debut at Karachi against the arch enemy. Precocious, young and picked out by a man who had an eye for genius. Little did spectators realise that they were watching history in making. He was stocky, had long hair like most young men of that age, and had the most cherubic cheeks that betrayed his tender years. He had already demolished most records in domestic cricket and had been fast tracked by the national selectors. Over the next decade and beyond, he'd demolish many more records, boast one of the best strike rates in the history of cricket and leave his mark in both forms of the game. He did have certain regrets. Despite his great talent, his record against the bitter subcontinental rivals lagged behind his performances against other sides. Persistent injuries had forced loss of form at the very peak of his career and led to doubters questioning his place in the team despite his stellar record. But perhaps the greatest blemish on his CV was that he didn't have a world cup trophy in his otherwise resplendent cabinet. Despite those minor blemishes, he'd go on to stride the world stage like a colossus, be counted among the most fearsome by his peers and become an icon for many imitators from his nation. Even non-believers like me would eventually doff my hat to him and acknowledge his greatness. Cricketer extraordinaire, Waqar Younis, who debuted that November day in 1989 at Karachi.

Which domestic records did Waqar demolish prior to his debut in Test cricket?

[thevortex]

Which domestic records did Waqar demolish prior to his debut in Test cricket?

Very good question.

[saneindian]

Haven't gone through the posts in this thread, but just to let you guys know the first hand experience of the effect a Sachin innings can have. I was at the Ganga Ram Hospital (in Delhi) pediatric ICU for the last 2-3 weeks due to a personal emergency. As you can imagine, near a hospital unit dealing with terminally sick kids, the scene on the floor was always somber with families praying for their kids to get healthier and there used to be the regular wailing from nervous families or from the families which bid good bye to young kids of the household who couldn't struggle against their acute illnesses anymore. For those 75-80 minutes after SRT scored his 100 and then went onto unleash those gorgeous shots, the scene on that entire floor was completely different. There were smiles all around. I saw people who used to wail and cry all the time praying for their kids well being, jumping with joy and cheering for Sachin's 200, saw even some patients on wheel chairs being carried to their rooms stopping before a TV on the floor and applauding the knock. So much of positive energy all because of one humble human being wielding his bat and unleashing those sumptuous drives, cuts, pulls and delicate paddle sweeps. And last but not the least, there was this young boy aged about 14, struggling with a multiple organ failure and on whom the doctors had given up all hopes of a recovery, he sat with me for 10-15 minutes during the last stages of that knock praying for the world record to be broken first and then for the 200, returned to his room with a huge smile despite all the pain and then 2 days later his struggle abruptly came to an end and he breathed his last. Trust me, I never saw him without a smile during his last 2 days. Forget everything, if an innings can bring such joy and smile to someone in so much of pain, lets have more such gems, even if it's termed as useless by some people. Thank you Sachin!

[Sachinism]

^^ thanks for sharing that btw hope you're well now

[thevortex]

Truly touching, saneindian!

[rabinjackman]

Haven't gone through the posts in this thread, but just to let you guys know the first hand experience of the effect a Sachin innings can have. I was at the Ganga Ram Hospital (in Delhi) pediatric ICU for the last 2-3 weeks due to a personal emergency. As you can imagine, near a hospital unit dealing with terminally sick kids, the scene on the floor was always somber with families praying for their kids to get healthier and there used to be the regular wailing from nervous families or from the families which bid good bye to young kids of the household who couldn't struggle against their acute illnesses anymore. For those 75-80 minutes after SRT scored his 100 and then went onto unleash those gorgeous shots, the scene on that entire floor was completely different. There were smiles all around. I saw people who used to wail and cry all the time praying for their kids well being, jumping with joy and cheering for Sachin's 200, saw even some patients on wheel chairs being carried to their rooms stopping before a TV on the floor and applauding the knock. So much of positive energy all because of one humble human being wielding his bat and unleashing those sumptuous drives, cuts, pulls and delicate paddle sweeps. And last but not the least, there was this young boy aged about 14, struggling with a multiple organ failure and on whom the doctors had given up all hopes of a recovery, he sat with me for 10-15 minutes during the last stages of that knock praying for the world record to be broken first and then for the 200, returned to his room with a huge smile despite all the pain and then 2 days later his struggle abruptly came to an end and he breathed his last. Trust me, I never saw him without a smile during his last 2 days. Forget everything, if an innings can bring such joy and smile to someone in so much of pain, lets have more such gems, even if it's termed as useless by some people. Thank you Sachin!

That is really touching :hatsoff: Cynics underestimate the joy that a Sachin blockbuster innings brings with it... He has single handedly many a time killed depression in people.... watching atendulkar master class... even highlights can change some people's moods

[Dhondy]

Seriously? Waqar? colossus? You really can exaggerate...

Yup, gross exaggeration. There's none of that going around for Sachin, of course. And hey, you are allowed to have a debate on whether Bradman was a mere mortal, but none such allowed for Sachin, yeah? Why do people challenge Bradman's pre-eminence in other threads? They haven't even seen him bat. The reason of course is that it is natural to challenge set assumptions. Was the fella really as good as he was made out to be? What if you looked at the opposition, the pitches, split down his runs? Surely, there's got be a caveat somewhere? Yet, when you challenge the inexorable juggernaut of Sachin eulogists, why do you get branded a heretic? If Bradman's greatness can be questioned, why not Sachin's? Only a charlatan would deny that he is one of three or four greatest batsmen of the last two decades, but is he as good as we Indians think he is? Has anybody looked at the fine print, gone down the long, winding road of ball by ball stats, compared him with his peers, figured out how he gets his runs? What's his record against the greatest of bowlers? Further, are such attempts to be construed as malicious? Science doesn't enter cricket stats, but what about a scientist looking at cricket dispassionately, cold bloodedly, trying to dissect the amazing from the very good? Should such attempts even be allowed? Should anybody be allowed to defrock an icon- a man who inspires sick children, keeps an industry afloat, a man who despite his phenomenal achievements, is as humble and down to earth as if he were just another common man? Think over that for a moment, while I try and make sense of some stats in the next post.

[thevortex]

Oh, absolutely! Dig the man apart by all means. I definitely dont think that that is being malicious - for what it is worth. I look forward to your posts in that direction.

[Lurker]

Oh' date=' absolutely! Dig the man apart by all means. I definitely dont think that that is being malicious - for what it is worth. I look forward to your posts in that direction.[/quote'] Probably you should look much more towards getting some insight on Waqar? :orderorder::orderorder: Greatness is often personal, so what is great for me may not hold true for you but Waqar Younis is one of the all-time greats. Having seen Imran, Akram, Waqar & Akhtar at their peaks I can concede easily that all of them at their peak, noone had more destruction in him than Waqar. He is a true great.