ThankYou Sachin... We will miss YOU...
15th November 2013… Today’s day will probably go down in history as one of the biggest heartbreaks in the history of this World… A billion hearts broke when Sachin edged the ball to Sammy at slip, a billion hearts stopped beating for a second when the Little Master turned back and started walking towards the dressing room and the same billion hearts very quickly realized that they won’t be seeing GOD bat again… I looked at that sight, closed my eyes and shook my head in understanding that I won’t see Sachin Tendulkar ever bat again for India… The expected tears oozed out from the corner of my eyes and slowly the Genius started walking back to the pavilion… A standing ovation followed a billion salutes and enthralled us to our very core…
Even before I start recollecting some of the best moments of Sachin Tendulkar, I want to clearly say aloud that Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is my greatest inspiration, and not because he created an interest of cricket inside me, but more because of the kind of discipline and perseverance he induced into me.
The other thing that comes to my mind when I think about Sachin is dedication. How many players have shown the kind of dedication that Sachin Tendulkar has shown over the past 24 years? And it’s not just about 24years of international cricket. Think about the years before he even started playing for India. No wonder he is and will remain the undisputable GOD of CRICKET…
I vaguely remember the Semi-Final of the 1993 Hero Cup and all I can remember about that game is when my father called me to watch the final over of the match which incidentally brought about that humungous desire of saluting a Champion. Two days after that, he clean-bowled Brian Lara and helped India clinch the Hero Cup Finale… Those were the early moments of Sachin that I can recall…
Soon after that, everything in my life was all about Sachin. I would ask my father about his prior innings, I would talk to my friends about Sachin and even call myself Sachin while playing cricket. That was the Sachin mania in and around me…
One day my father gracefully told me about the famous innings he played at Sialkot with a bleeding nose and later when I saw a video of Navjot Sidhu talking about the same innings, I couldn’t control my tears. Everyone talks about the hundreds of Tendulkar, but before he became the Tendulkar we know, he saved a lot of matches for India just by standing at the crease and graciously smashing balls to all parts of the park. The 57 at Sialkot, his first hundred at Manchester and the one in South Africa stand out in the early part of his career.
I used to wake up early in the morning to watch matches being played in Australia and New Zealand and on one such auspicious day I saw the Master blast his way through the New Zealand attack at Eden Park… 82 off 49 balls was nothing short of a T20 magic of that era and gave the cricketing world a glimpse of the Genius. I jumped up from my bed, started shouting about the innings he had played and couldn't control my happiness... That knock set it all and.... just set it all...
Whatever happened after that is known, read, and talked about by everyone. India is a country which unites when Cricket is at its peak and for me, all the Cricket that I know is Sachin...
As Sachin grew, the whole nation grew and with that grew their hopes of winning a World Cup.
1996 was one such year where everyone in India who followed cricket believed that we will be winning the Cup this time, just because we have a Champion in our team who opens for us.
The World Cup turned out to be a run feast for Sachin where he decimated attacks after attacks and the first knock that comes to my mind is the one against Australia… 90 runs where he destroyed McGrath’s figures with a volley of fours and sixes…The moment he got out, every TV in the country was switched off, it was that kind of a disappointment for the fans. Even today, there are people who switch off their TVs once he gets out, a feat which I too followed for a long time.
I still remember, I used to pray that India loses two wickets quickly in a Test match, so I could watch Sachin bat… Those were the days and none of them can be replaced.
The era of 97 to 98 was probably the best phase for Sachin Tendulkar and for the fans all around the World. Sachin was no longer an Indian symbol and his demeanor had registered zillions of fans around the world from different countries and different sports… Something which no one had achieved…
22nd April 1998, he gave me one of my best birthday gifts by scoring 143 at Sharjah around a swirling desert storm and followed it up with another hundred two days later to gift himself as well… The innings was of such sheer class that no one can ever forget the blitz shown by Sachin on that eventful night… Gosh, the commentary of Tony Greig is still registered in my mind… “Straight down the ground, Wonderful shot, All the way for Six, What a Player?” … And indeed it still remains a question… “What kind of a player is Sachin Tendulkar” …
The 143 at Sharjah is arguably the greatest knock of all times and at par, with the knock, he played at Chennai with a battered back against Pakistan which nearly won the match for India. How can anyone who has followed Cricket for 20 years forget the 143 at Sharjah and the 137 at Chennai? Many came and went, many ridiculed and criticized but the Master kept doing what he was destined for, and billions of people around the World kept saluting and worshiping him…
I won’t talk about the phase of Captaincy as I feel that is the only part which embarrassed Sachin the most. He may not have had the team which Ganguly and Dhoni had, but on a personal note, he too wasn’t batting the way he was known for… When Sourav Ganguly became the Captain of India, a new surge crept inside Sachin and the Young Brigade led by Dada started regaining the lost hopes of all the Indian fans…
The 2003 World Cup was once again a run feast for Tendulkar and once again he gave us that one magical inning which sums up a Champion… 98 against Pakistan will always be remembered for the six he hit over the third man on the bowling of Shoaib Akhtar. The 2003 encounter between India and Pakistan was happening after a gap of 2 years and it was the ‘baap’ of all matches, with Akram, Waqar, and Akhtar waiting to get their grip on Sachin. However, the Little Master showed the metal he was made of when he took the strike instead of Sehwag (which he has done only 4 times in his entire career) and bamboozled the Pakistani attack to such an extent that the impact of that loss still haunts the Pakistani fans. It still demoralizes all their hopes of winning a World Cup match against India… 5 times India and Pakistan have met at the World Cup with India winning all 5, and Sachin has been the MOM on 3 occasions… Cometh the hour, Cometh the Champion…
However, India sadly lost that World Cup because Australia was a better side in that World Cup and they outplayed us. The elusive glory once again evaded Sachin and the dream kept on...
Years went by after that elusive World Cup, but the hunger inside Sachin never died. He kept scoring, he kept performing even after side-stepping on several injuries like the back spasms, shoulder rings, and tennis elbows… Many like the forgettable Chappells kept commenting that Sachin should think of retiring. They even went on telling him to look back in the mirror and ask a simple question… “Who is the best player in the World?” and in return get an answer as “Brian Charles Lara” … However, the Little Master heard nothing and did all the talking with his bat…
His 175 against Australia at Hyderabad followed by the 200* against South Africa at Gwalior has to be the two best knocks he has played in the later part of his career, but none can come better than the moment when he ran onto the grounds to celebrate his dream of lifting the World Cup…
The World Cup 2011 was not just a World Cup for Sachin, but a World Cup for a billion fans praying for that final feather to find a place in his famous cap… Sachin was in tremendous form right from Day 1 and scored two magnificent hundreds against England and South Africa along with that match-winning innings against Pakistan, once again proving that he was the backbone of the Indian batting line up…
The moment MS Dhoni hit that six over long-on to seal the victory, every fan cheered and thanked God for bestowing that ultimate glory upon the little Master…
15th November 1989, Sachin Tendulkar made his debut against Pakistan and today, 15th November 2013, Sachin Tendulkar has played his last innings for India… It was an honor to watch him play, to grow along with watching him play and to pray each time he went out to bat… There is a reason why no other cricketer deserves the kind of ovation he has received during these ending moments of his career…
The 74 of today is nothing short of a hundred and he gave all his fans that last glimpse of vintage Sachin Tendulkar…
I am sad that I won’t see him bat again for India, but I am happy that he has given us so many memories to cherish all our lives…
I am sad that I won’t jump up from my seat when I am watching Cricket from now, but I am happy knowing that I was once excited to do the same when Sachin used to bat…
I am sad that I won’t follow Cricket the way I had been doing for so many years, but I am happy that for all the years I have followed Cricket, I was gifted the treat to watch Sachin bat…
At this moment I just want to say one last thing and something which is a fact for almost everyone who has followed Cricket for the past 20 years…
I am fortunate that I was born in an era which gave me a chance to watch the Greatest Batsman of all times play…
I am numb, I am sad, but my heart will never forget the GOD of CRICKET… Sachin R. Tendulkar…
I salute him, and so does the entire World…
The Game will always be bigger than Sachin, but the Game will surely miss Sachin…
Thank you for all the memories…
#ThankYouSachin
Even before I start recollecting some of the best moments of Sachin Tendulkar, I want to clearly say aloud that Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is my greatest inspiration, and not because he created an interest of cricket inside me, but more because of the kind of discipline and perseverance he induced into me.
The other thing that comes to my mind when I think about Sachin is dedication. How many players have shown the kind of dedication that Sachin Tendulkar has shown over the past 24 years? And it’s not just about 24years of international cricket. Think about the years before he even started playing for India. No wonder he is and will remain the undisputable GOD of CRICKET…
I vaguely remember the Semi-Final of the 1993 Hero Cup and all I can remember about that game is when my father called me to watch the final over of the match which incidentally brought about that humungous desire of saluting a Champion. Two days after that, he clean-bowled Brian Lara and helped India clinch the Hero Cup Finale… Those were the early moments of Sachin that I can recall…
Soon after that, everything in my life was all about Sachin. I would ask my father about his prior innings, I would talk to my friends about Sachin and even call myself Sachin while playing cricket. That was the Sachin mania in and around me…
One day my father gracefully told me about the famous innings he played at Sialkot with a bleeding nose and later when I saw a video of Navjot Sidhu talking about the same innings, I couldn’t control my tears. Everyone talks about the hundreds of Tendulkar, but before he became the Tendulkar we know, he saved a lot of matches for India just by standing at the crease and graciously smashing balls to all parts of the park. The 57 at Sialkot, his first hundred at Manchester and the one in South Africa stand out in the early part of his career.
I used to wake up early in the morning to watch matches being played in Australia and New Zealand and on one such auspicious day I saw the Master blast his way through the New Zealand attack at Eden Park… 82 off 49 balls was nothing short of a T20 magic of that era and gave the cricketing world a glimpse of the Genius. I jumped up from my bed, started shouting about the innings he had played and couldn't control my happiness... That knock set it all and.... just set it all...
Whatever happened after that is known, read, and talked about by everyone. India is a country which unites when Cricket is at its peak and for me, all the Cricket that I know is Sachin...
As Sachin grew, the whole nation grew and with that grew their hopes of winning a World Cup.
1996 was one such year where everyone in India who followed cricket believed that we will be winning the Cup this time, just because we have a Champion in our team who opens for us.
The World Cup turned out to be a run feast for Sachin where he decimated attacks after attacks and the first knock that comes to my mind is the one against Australia… 90 runs where he destroyed McGrath’s figures with a volley of fours and sixes…The moment he got out, every TV in the country was switched off, it was that kind of a disappointment for the fans. Even today, there are people who switch off their TVs once he gets out, a feat which I too followed for a long time.
I still remember, I used to pray that India loses two wickets quickly in a Test match, so I could watch Sachin bat… Those were the days and none of them can be replaced.
The era of 97 to 98 was probably the best phase for Sachin Tendulkar and for the fans all around the World. Sachin was no longer an Indian symbol and his demeanor had registered zillions of fans around the world from different countries and different sports… Something which no one had achieved…
22nd April 1998, he gave me one of my best birthday gifts by scoring 143 at Sharjah around a swirling desert storm and followed it up with another hundred two days later to gift himself as well… The innings was of such sheer class that no one can ever forget the blitz shown by Sachin on that eventful night… Gosh, the commentary of Tony Greig is still registered in my mind… “Straight down the ground, Wonderful shot, All the way for Six, What a Player?” … And indeed it still remains a question… “What kind of a player is Sachin Tendulkar” …
The 143 at Sharjah is arguably the greatest knock of all times and at par, with the knock, he played at Chennai with a battered back against Pakistan which nearly won the match for India. How can anyone who has followed Cricket for 20 years forget the 143 at Sharjah and the 137 at Chennai? Many came and went, many ridiculed and criticized but the Master kept doing what he was destined for, and billions of people around the World kept saluting and worshiping him…
I won’t talk about the phase of Captaincy as I feel that is the only part which embarrassed Sachin the most. He may not have had the team which Ganguly and Dhoni had, but on a personal note, he too wasn’t batting the way he was known for… When Sourav Ganguly became the Captain of India, a new surge crept inside Sachin and the Young Brigade led by Dada started regaining the lost hopes of all the Indian fans…
The 2003 World Cup was once again a run feast for Tendulkar and once again he gave us that one magical inning which sums up a Champion… 98 against Pakistan will always be remembered for the six he hit over the third man on the bowling of Shoaib Akhtar. The 2003 encounter between India and Pakistan was happening after a gap of 2 years and it was the ‘baap’ of all matches, with Akram, Waqar, and Akhtar waiting to get their grip on Sachin. However, the Little Master showed the metal he was made of when he took the strike instead of Sehwag (which he has done only 4 times in his entire career) and bamboozled the Pakistani attack to such an extent that the impact of that loss still haunts the Pakistani fans. It still demoralizes all their hopes of winning a World Cup match against India… 5 times India and Pakistan have met at the World Cup with India winning all 5, and Sachin has been the MOM on 3 occasions… Cometh the hour, Cometh the Champion…
However, India sadly lost that World Cup because Australia was a better side in that World Cup and they outplayed us. The elusive glory once again evaded Sachin and the dream kept on...
Years went by after that elusive World Cup, but the hunger inside Sachin never died. He kept scoring, he kept performing even after side-stepping on several injuries like the back spasms, shoulder rings, and tennis elbows… Many like the forgettable Chappells kept commenting that Sachin should think of retiring. They even went on telling him to look back in the mirror and ask a simple question… “Who is the best player in the World?” and in return get an answer as “Brian Charles Lara” … However, the Little Master heard nothing and did all the talking with his bat…
His 175 against Australia at Hyderabad followed by the 200* against South Africa at Gwalior has to be the two best knocks he has played in the later part of his career, but none can come better than the moment when he ran onto the grounds to celebrate his dream of lifting the World Cup…
The World Cup 2011 was not just a World Cup for Sachin, but a World Cup for a billion fans praying for that final feather to find a place in his famous cap… Sachin was in tremendous form right from Day 1 and scored two magnificent hundreds against England and South Africa along with that match-winning innings against Pakistan, once again proving that he was the backbone of the Indian batting line up…
The moment MS Dhoni hit that six over long-on to seal the victory, every fan cheered and thanked God for bestowing that ultimate glory upon the little Master…
15th November 1989, Sachin Tendulkar made his debut against Pakistan and today, 15th November 2013, Sachin Tendulkar has played his last innings for India… It was an honor to watch him play, to grow along with watching him play and to pray each time he went out to bat… There is a reason why no other cricketer deserves the kind of ovation he has received during these ending moments of his career…
The 74 of today is nothing short of a hundred and he gave all his fans that last glimpse of vintage Sachin Tendulkar…
I am sad that I won’t see him bat again for India, but I am happy that he has given us so many memories to cherish all our lives…
I am sad that I won’t jump up from my seat when I am watching Cricket from now, but I am happy knowing that I was once excited to do the same when Sachin used to bat…
I am sad that I won’t follow Cricket the way I had been doing for so many years, but I am happy that for all the years I have followed Cricket, I was gifted the treat to watch Sachin bat…
At this moment I just want to say one last thing and something which is a fact for almost everyone who has followed Cricket for the past 20 years…
I am fortunate that I was born in an era which gave me a chance to watch the Greatest Batsman of all times play…
I am numb, I am sad, but my heart will never forget the GOD of CRICKET… Sachin R. Tendulkar…
I salute him, and so does the entire World…
The Game will always be bigger than Sachin, but the Game will surely miss Sachin…
Thank you for all the memories…
#ThankYouSachin
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