“Tch, but we lost wickets quickly in the middle overs”, said the little master even while he was being presented the man of the match today (Hyderabad ODI, 5 November 2009 – India vs Australia). The Aussies made a mammoth 350 but all eyes and faith rested only upon one man, no, God, Sachin!
I am not technically or statistically good to rattle out the number of runs, hundreds and all other accomplishments he’s made, records he’s created and broken himself. Today maybe just another one for all those die-hard Sachin fans, who’ve seen him fight it out in vain in many matches over his span of 20 years. But for me, it is this day that I truly bow down to this great man!
At 175 runs not out, he made India sit pretty on the wall of victory. Unfortunately the young guns in the team failed to fire when it was most needed. In this series, I noted, Bhajji either contributes in bowling or batting but not both together and today was his bowling days! When he went out for a duck right after Raina’s dismissal, I still hoped Jadeja and Munaf would help the master pull it off. What an offering it would have been to God?!
Man proposes and God disposes they say and to prove the same, God again denied his own ‘associate’, Sachin, his rightful offering. What more can he do? Even if he could not stay till the end, he made it all easy for the boys. 10 runs from 10 balls…8 from 6…was all too easy but for another guy in the name of Praveen who unfortunately dives only in a swimming pool and not in the 22 yards!
“Tch, but we lost wickets quickly in the middle overs”, said the little master even while he was presented the man of the match today.
Arun Lal, the presenter for the post match ceremony tried evading the topic and asked how he motivated himself to beat his own records even after 20 long years. “Passion for the game and I care about playing for India”, came the reply!
Today I have begun praying to another God – the only God cricket can have and will continue to have – SACHIN RAMESH TENDULKAR.
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