I pen down today, especially for which I had been longing for over 2 months to write about what, in India is considered no less than a god, truly a much revered entity. In Hindu mythology, we start with some coveted work by paying homage to Hindu gods. I, myself being a Hindu, the ritual (or tradition whatever you call it) am bound to follow it. Since the upcoming post is going to be my first article, I bow down & start with the ‘god’ itself. . . . . .
24th Feb 2010, Wednesday
Exactly 2 months before the day I (or probably thousands of you) watch as ‘cricket day’ or ‘Sir’ Sachin Tendulkar’s birthday. . . . . . . .
We all are flocked at our SVNIT canteen. Me along with Raja, Dugs, Paul & Dhall & I don’t know how many have grabbed a couple of messed up front row seats. We have nothing to do but to curse ourselves for having missed one-and-a half century of the ‘God’. But there is a relief, or a kind of stress surging within, for there is a new record of all time in the offing . . . . . . . . . still nearly 10 overs to spare & the ‘God’ still clobbering & bamboozling the Proteas with his exclusive technique of stroke playing.
We join the bash when the ‘God’ is 169* at the crease. I had just gone over the counter to have samosas & by the time I return ……..wham!!!!! the ‘God’ has already slogged a four & a six off Van de Merve (although ‘slog’ wont be the most appropriate term for him as he seamlessly blends his nondescript power with his picture perfect & austere technique to make one of the most blissful things to watch on this planet earth – his strokes……..:)). The ‘god’ has set crowd abuzz. The tension has started building……as the ‘God’ reaches 179*……..
Within the next over or two our canteen is holding the capacity 8 times you usually see even in its peak hours. The cheering & rooting from SVNITians takes over the commentary & all that is audible now are whistles of varied frequencies, beating of bottles, tables & anything our vandalizing friends could find. After pilfering a couple of singles & doubles, the ‘God’ catches up 191*.
Wayne Parnell is brought into attack. . . . . . the ‘God’ slices it towards fine leg, gets 2 more…….193*…
Now I can see even the girls going gaga. Unsurprisingly, everybody at SVNIT (or better in India) knew the highest individual score in ODIs. Without much of impending drama, on the very next delivery, the ‘God’ runs a double…..195*……….. all & sundry are in a state of paranoia, I could see the final yearites dancing with the smaller ones (or batkes) on their shoulders clasping their legs making it a real ‘pagalkhana’. Some people from the back manage to get a few cans, beating them continuously in a rhythm. For once, I could not stop myself from getting on to my feet. I start with the dancing party & follow with the same craziness. Truly, if this record was to be broken, ever, it had to be no other man but ‘Sir’ Sachin.
The ‘God’ is on the crease – 195*. . . . . .off just 140. . . I see his whole body cramping, but somehow I hunched he’d never get a runner running for him (let me remind you Saeed Anwar had a runner for most of his innings (194) which remained the top individual score for years) as his stubbornness & juvenility towards the game is not hidden from anyone, & as expected he keeps running on his own, digesting the suffering with only a slightest of wrinkle over his forehead.
Another few singles . . . . the ‘God’. . . . . 199*
The gaali session :-
The ‘God’ is just a run away from rewriting the history books with 14 balls in the innings. . . .
47.5 over - Dhoni sends him back, no run. More aggression, voices simmering at the back. . .
47.6 over - Dhoni gets a single, keeps the strike. Someone loses temper from the crowd, starts cursing Dhoni in a language which I later found was probably Telugu. (these Annas, they don’t spare anyone :))
48th over - the next over portrayed Dhoni as a villain, not like the ones we have in Bollywood, but a true life villain, a devil with cynical motive as he kept strike for hell one complete over overlooking the fact that the ‘God’ is just 1 run away from getting 1st double ton in one-day-internationals.
Now, not even I was daunted, but the plethora of people around me started derogatory slangs for Dhoni. For a moment, it took me hard to digest if he was the same Dhoni whom Indians had throned atop for the past few years !!!!! “Then why the hell this bloody moron ain’t giving strike to him!!!”, someone blurted furiously from behind as Dhoni retained strike for the final over.
49.1 over- Dhoni hits a six. Now it was one of the most dramatic moments in my cricketing career as a spectator, I mean, you don’t get to see an Indian player being flaked, & that too in India for hitting the ball into the stands !!!! it was all happening here. . . now I literally heard one of the final year madams bursting out “kutte, kamine, saale strike de naa” I almost broke into laughter. :)
49.2 over- Dhoni again slaughters the ball to deep mid-wicket, but thanks to South Africa having such an elite fielding side, for Hashim Amla diving & saving the ball running for the boundary even with his fractured hand. Finally (& fortunately), after what it seemed a year long wait, the ‘God’ gets the strike.
All cheer, in between the bowler starts his run-up, more enthusiastic shouts, sound becomes deafening, rhythmic claps, tables turned into drums with incessant beating, even girls squeaked louder, straining their vocal chords to the maximum, probably for the first time in their lives. . . canteen-jam-packed, people climbing over each other, even Shekhar bhai (our canteen manager) had left his counter & has come right in front to witness history in-the-making & that too among such a lively & rocking public . .(high-five to SVNITians :)). The bowler completes his run-up & delivers the ball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . & that’s it. Ya Basta!!!!!, hurraaayyyy!!!!! yahooooo!!!!! reverberates all around. . . . . the ‘God’ plays it towards point region & manages to steal a single, the history being created. Sachin Tendulkar,the first man (oops! Did I just call him a man????) in the history of cricket,on this planet to score a double hundred in an ODI.
It’s like the happiest moment for all of ‘God’s’ bhakts. It feels like the ‘God’ himself has swayed a magic stick & tamed his preachers. Undoubtedly it is the happiest day of my life too (being his big time bhakt) that I involuntarily treat a few of my friends (surely of over excitement, as you never expect such a thing from a miser like me :)). The atmosphere turns into a true heaven.
Present day-
I recall the negative flake & discouragement which he had to face, a few time back for having out of form just for a couple of months (in his 21 year marathon long career) that even some of cricket prodigies including Ian Chappell dared commented publicly asking him to retire. It’s my request & I’m not asking too much to these ’prodigies’ (including millions of free-advice-givers in India) to at least think once before you speak anything against the living ’God’, as even Rama & Krishna did commit mistakes in their lives. Then how this hyper-astute yet down-to-earth ‘God’ be spared of such small mistakes for failing to entertain one million people of India during such a little time !!!
Long live ‘Sir’ Sachin !!!
EPILOGUE-
“There are two kinds of batsmen in the world. One - Sachin Tendulkar, two - all the others.”
-Andy Flower
Commit all your sins when Sachin is batting. They will go unnoticed because even the God is watching.
-A hoarding in England
“I have seen god. He bats at no. 4 in India.”
-Matthew Hayden
“India me aap Prime Minister ko 1 baar katghare me khada kar sakte hain par Sachin Tendulkar ko nahin”.
-Navjot Singh Sidhu
“Tuzhe pata hai tune kiska catch chhoda hai.”
Wasim Akram to Abdul Razzak when the latter dropped Sachin’s catch in 2003 WC.
