So the Great Man has finally hung up
his boots, packed his bat and kit and has walked off the field with his head
held high. For an entire nation, this was a poignant moment; it was inevitable
but nobody wanted it to happen.
Just a few years ago, his magical
powers seemed to be waning and questions were being asked whether it was time
for him to go. But these voices were in a miniscule minority and were soon
quelled. He went back to the practice nets and honed his skills once again to
iron out the tiny flaws which only he could discern and to compensate for the
slowing down of his reflexes. And he came back to let his batting answer the
critics.
His tally of hundreds in
international cricket is a round hundred – a century of centuries. This
includes a magical ODI double century which no one else has been able to
achieve. His exploits have become the stuff of legend. Kids dream of becoming
like him. When the lucky ones get to meet him off the field, they look at him
in awe and wonder how a normal-looking, normal-talking and normal-behaving
person like him could be such a superhuman!
He might have been batting for
records in the latter part of his glittering career but who could fault him for
that? He was, after all, a human being and there surely would have been that
little wish in his heart to achieve those couple or three landmarks which still
eluded him.
His legion of fans did not want him
to retire ever. Whether he was in form or out of it, just his presence in the
playing eleven was enough to work wonders for his team mates to pull up their
socks and pitch in when he did not. In this respect, he seldom failed his team
and country, coming up with wondrous knocks when all seemed lost.
He has been compared to every great
batsman who ever played cricket and has been endorsed as the greatest by those
same greats!
He showed the world how gentlemen
cricketers comported themselves on and off the field. In this he was admirably
matched by his illustrious compatriots Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman
who all retired just a few seasons before him. Together, they set a sterling
example to youngsters grooming themselves to take their places in the national
side. Not for them the sledging on the field or showing dissent when given out
to doubtful decisions of the umpires or strutting around arrogantly on and off
the field. It is because of special men like these that cricket is still called
a gentleman’s game!
In his two dozen years in
international cricket, this legend has thrilled millions with his wizardry,
brought light into the humdrum lives of the common Indian and has made the
country proud.
A grateful nation has honoured him
with the Bharat Ratna.
Good bye, Sachin, and God bless you!
