Sachin Tendulkar & rise of India
Whether Sachin is best cricketer or not the quesiton. What he signifies for Indian mindset is.
Sachin Tendulkar turns 49 today. Wishes poured in and everyone felt proud. But Sachin means something more.
Sachin is about WHEN!
Sachin showed us what is possible 1989-1995. When he took on Qadir, who was a spin demigod, he slayed the ghosts of the past. He gave us that important belief that it did not matter that we failed before, it mattered that we attack our demons and conquer them or die trying. To a country mired in knots, struggling to grow, condemned to bureaucratic raj, this was a refreshing message.
Sachin is about world domination!
India was convinced 1983 was a fluke when we saw the harakiri we committed in early 1990s. Sunny/Kapil sort of showed us we are somebody in the international domain. Sachin showed us someone like us can dominate the world stage. It sort of parallels the timing of economic opening up. Sachin had a middle-class view - talent he had, but he showed discipline and effort - lots and lots of it.
Sachin is about reinvention
Sachin was once compared to Inzamam, Lara, Mark Waugh, Arvinda DeSilva, Ponting and many others. The players changed, the game changed and Sachin kept on reinventing himself.
Sachin is about trying everything till you succeed
When he failed with the bat he bowled critical spells - hero cup and all. He took on the most dominant bowler in the opposition - Shoaib or Warne. When he was around we knew he is going to try his heart out. We were not so sure about Kambli in 1996. So when 1998 happened, he unleashed a desert storm against the dominating Aussies. Those two knocks are etched in my mind. They tell me, that no matter if 10 of your teammates can’t make it, you alone must give it your all.
Winning matters more than ego
Sachin’s search for a second world cup win was unparalleled. In almost every edition he played he was amongst the top run-getters in that edition. He came back from his father’s funeral and landed on the pitch. He gave up the captaincy and worked with captains who were not even born when he started playing. And he finally succeeded in 2011.
I can go on…
To look at Sachin’s cricket in isolation is missing all the other side of the story. He was a co-traveller in India’s first shot at global competitiveness. In Sachin, I see an India that is looking for world domination. In India, I see Sachin who will give it everything and reinvent and win!
Happy birthday Sachin!