Saluting SACHIN REMESH TENDULKAR, my Role Model . (Part-1)

It was in 2000, while I was attending a class on Values of Work and Personal Ethics, along with many other members of faculty from various colleges across Kerala, the Professor who conducted the class asked us about our Role models in life.

I said, “Sachin Tendulkar”, without hesitating for a moment. That was spontaneous as I, never, had thought of a role model in life until that moment.

With a sarcastic smile on his face, the Professor started saying, “ No, no…role models means somebody like Mahatma Gandhi…”.

“Who said it should be like that?” I couldn’t respect the Professor anymore. “It’s my choice in whom I should see a role model. Your view is your own, not mine”.

That incident kept me on thinking for a while, why I found Sachin to be my role model; should a role model be always elder to you? Can a player of just a game be a role model for real life?

It took me to those days in 1989, while cricket was the first priority in life (even before food, let alone studies!). The news of the selection of a 16 yrs old guy to the Indian team for the tour to Pakistan was not something which I could accept without smelling some foul play in the selection. I had believed, being at least one year elder to him, I had more cricketing talent than him (for that, I never had seen him playing before, to tell you the truth, still I believed I deserved it than him). So, I started criticizing the Bombay biasing and the North India lobby for not identifying my talent. I wanted Imran’s bouncers breaking the new guy’s jaw; I prayed for his failure (yes, I was a God fearing one in those days); I envied him.

He was not very successful in the first two tests. I relieved. Then came an ODI which, because of some technical reason (rain affected etc), was called an exhibition match. India, chasing 170+ of Pakistan in 30 overs, was struggling. Srikkant, the hard hitter of that time, was trying all he knew in cricket to take at least singles against Mushi and Quadir. Muscle man Ajay sharma who was expected to do a “nowadays’Yuvi show” couldn’t even understand what was going on before getting out. I wanted Kapil to come and steal the show and was expecting him to come after sharma. To add to my perplexity, I saw my enemy coming to the middle with his bat being dragged along the ground.

“See, this useless can’t even lift his bat!! what the hell he is gonna do there”. I screamed out of frustration.

“… how awkward his style is…, holding the bat at the bottom end or is he using a long-handled bat?!!”. I hadn’t ever seen anybody holding the bat like that in Cricket until that moment.

I cursed everyone for sending such a useless guy in such a situation where even Srikkant was drowning. Mushi had 3 more balls left in that over. The first ball “the useless” faced was lofted to long off for 4!!. Something sparked in me, I sensed.

“Hmmm… he got that one right”.

The next, same shot but for SIX!!, more sparks in me;

now, the last ball , the same shot, dancing down the track lofted the ball to long on for another SIX!!! Wow… I could realize the charge of envy inside me got short circuited with a thick conductor to the ground (courtesy: RVR sir). A feeling of admiration and thrill started growing fast . It reached its peak when he blasted on all time great Abdul Quadir for “ 6,6,6,4,2,3” in an over. After that onslaught, it was not spark but fire inside me; the aura of fire from an Idol, I felt. Yes, Sachin Remesh Tendulkar stormed into the hearts and brains of millions like me in India right from that moment.

(see that video here; but what Quadir says is wrong here regarding the sixes hit on him)

Ever since that, I started keeping records of every match (including practice matches) he played in my diary. It continued until 2003 when I realized Cricinfo has got a more reliable database of all the innings he had played so far.

I thanked Azharuddin (courtesy: telepathy ) for sending Sachin as an opener in an ODI against Newzeland in which he scored 82 off 49 balls. That innings was, in fact, the beginning of his journey towards the top of cricket-world. He was averaging around 35 while he was in the middle order for the first 57 ODI matches he played, with no 100s. The new opener role gave him the chance to smell the blood of a 100 for the first time in ODI when he scored 110 against Australia in Srilanka. That innings included a stunning glance, off Craig Mcdermot ,over mid-wicket.(yes, I remember that as if it happened yesterday).

(it continues in Part-II)