Straight from the heart of a fan.....

‘Success is a process and you’ve to turn stones into milestones’, were Mr. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar’s words after he compiled another majestic innings yesterday, en route to it, crossed two more landmarks.

1. Overtook Brian Lara’s record of max test runs

2. First cricketer to notch up 12000 runs in Tests

Records have been part and parcel of Sachin’s career and these two added to the many in his kitty. It gives me great pleasure in penning down my admiration of the two Doyens of Indian Cricket, one achieved that landmark and the other applauded from the non-striker end. Yeah….they are the two men I respect the most in Indian Cricket and have inspired me quite a lot. Just scroll down and look right. I’ve always been a staunch admirer of Sachin’s Consistency and Dada’s Resilience. They’re two men whose contribution to Indian Cricket has been unmatched. Though they’re contrasting in character, it’s a treat to watch them bat together. They were once; rated as the best opening pair in ODI cricket and I opine, they still remain the best ODI opening pair World Cricket has ever witnessed. They have shared the maximum number of 100-run partnerships and piled up tons of runs much to the despair of the opponents. If it was Sachin’s elegant straight drives and wristy flicks off the legs which tormented bowlers from one end, it was Dada's graceful cover drives and flamboyant square cuts that destroyed bowlers' rythm from the other end, no matter what the number of fielders were, on the off-side. The analogy below, best describes their strengths.

SACHIN: ELEGANCE::SAURAV: TIMING

Their talent apart, they’ve been wonderful entertainers of the game and provided cricket lovers with the best of batting performances. The Geniuses made full use of their technical brilliance and have endowed us with some wonderful stroke-play over the years. It’s hard to find players of such high caliber and it’s a gift to have these two cricketers belonging to the same generation. The year 1997 saw the coming together of these two stalwarts at the top of the batting order and this was also the time, when, as a 9 year old, I started watching the game with so much involvement that I wouldn’t miss a single ball bowled. Their batting made such a big impact on me that I used to cut pictures from newspapers and magazines. I’ve, in fact, made an album on Sachin Tendulkar and with a special feauture on the 2003 Cricket WC. When I reminisce of some of their best innings, memories of my notorieties peep into my mind as I'm reminded of days when I watched cricket during exams without my mom's knowledge. Though I've been caught by mom on many occasions, quite a few of them have gone my way..

The best is that impeccable innings in September 1998 when Sachin and Saurav were on a rampage, taming the Sri Lankan bowlers en-route to their World record 252 run opening-stand. They batted, batted and kept batting till Sachin became victim of an unfortunate LBW decision and replays clearly showed the ball getting deflected off the bat. This innings happened just a day before my Social studies quarterly exam. I was in class 6 then and not switching off the TV was inevitable and I just couldn’t take my eyes off the TV. With a Social text-book on hand, I sat in-front of the TV for the entire session and my mark in Social studies was just one-fourth of their partnership score….a mere 60+. Apart from the batting, it was fascinating to see the team vibe so well under Dada’s captaincy. He took over the reins when parents in India advised their children not to watch cricket because of the match-fixing scandal. Dada led from the front, exuded confidence, made his players believe in themselves. That period also saw the induction of youngsters like Yuvraj, Kaif, Zaheer Khan, Dhoni, Pathan and Bhajji in the team. All these players were groomed under Dada’s captaincy. A pro-active captain he was, on and off the field, backed his players whenever they needed his support, made the necessary bowling changes and brought the team closer with the GREAT INDIAN HUDDLE. This was one of the very reasons which made the team perform really well in the 2003 Cricket WC and in my opinion; it became the team’s lucky mascot. 

The series win in Pakistan and the test series level Down Under in 2004, was at a time when Indian Cricket was at its peak. Not many know that Dada was the first captain to call the entire 15-man squad to the dais for collecting the winner's trophy. That was at Canada when India won the Sahara Cup against Pakistan in 2000. These performances made Indians be more passionate about cricket and exemplified the need for team-work. As a fan, it was a treat for the eyes to watch the team celebrate the fall of an opponent wicket. To see 15 members uniting before taking the field with Dada doing the talking, cheering up his players made up for the perfect start to an innings almost matching the legendry Sachin-Saurav walk together to kick off the India batting. 

Sachin’s contribution was no behind. Despite being criticized by his detractors, he proved time and again that he was and will always remain THE BEST. Another sight that’ll stay in my heart forever was when Sachin scored his record-breaking 35th test century. As the ball was flicked off his pads to square-leg, he punched the air with his fists en-route to the non-striker end. He turned back only to see one of his closest pals waiting to congratulate and hug him. It was none other than the Dada of Indian Cricket and it was, indeed, a wonderful sight to see that repeat a few days back, as Sachin crossed Lara’s magical score of 11953 runs in Tests. They're 'Men for the biggest occasions'

It was an emotional moment for me when I watched news stories flashing the announcement of Saurav Ganguly's retirment from International Cricket. When I read that headline aloud, my voice choked for a moment because I just couldn’t think of Indian Cricket without Dada. Love him or Hate him, you just can’t ignore him. His comeback exemplifies his self-belief and the way he’s played cricket since September 2006 has been phenomenal. He’s worked hard on his game, concentrated and paced his game just brilliantly. His has been a journey worth reminiscing and is a book chaptered with cover drives, square-cuts, lofted sixes, verbal duels and of course, Inspiring Captaincy. In my opinion, he's been the BEST INDIAN CAPTAIN. Though fans will miss this fantastic cricketer, I feel he's made the right decision and I breathe a sigh of relief as he doesn’t have to face any more humiliation and as he rightly said this evening when asked if he would re-consider his decision to quit, I quote, ‘No….this is my last series and I don’t want to depend on anybody for selection’, he put it point-blank with that characteristic smile. 

I just can’t wait to watch the farewell at Nagpur and I won’t be surprised even if I end up with tears in my eyes as I see the man sporting National Whites for one last time. Age will definitely not act as a hindrance to his contribution to Indian cricket. I’m sure; he’ll contribute in one way or the other.

@ Dada

Even if you happen to bid aideu to International Cricket in a few days, you've entrenched a special place in my heart and remain A Hero who never dies. 

Goodbye Dada!!!!! Miss U!!!!! ***HUGGZZZZ***

Long Live Sachin and Dada!!!! Kudos!!!!

And Sachin....carry on the good work and continue to entertain us.

P.S: I take this opportunity to inform fellow bloggers that I plan to take an indefinite break from blogosphere. I promise to be back as soon as possible.

Till then, Happy Diwali, Merry X-Mas and New year Wishes. Hoping to catch up with you guys soon… Take Care…