His greatness as a batsman lies not in having made more runs than anyone else, but the process he adopted. Sachin's success underlines the fact that talent alone is not enough. It is what you do with it that matters in the final analysis. Not for a second has Sachin let his focus slip. He has always preferred the hard grind to shortcuts. In spite of his cult status and the trimmings (fame, power, wealth) that go with it, Sachin has never let anything interfere with his game.
We may not think twice about criticizing him for just about everything - his batting technique, hairstyle, sartorial sense, nomination to Rajya Sabha and his decision to play on - but no matter what you say, or how much the critics crib, you can never provoke a reaction from the Little Master, who believes in keeping his own counsel.
CHASING HIS DREAMS
They say, a closed mouth gathers no foot. Never has an Indian celebrity spoken so little and yet inspired so much awe as Sachin. Lack of sound bites has not dimmed the media's enthusiasm to relentlessly pursue the man who has always let his bat do the talking.
Not one word out of place, not one step out of turn in his 23-year career in the course of which Sachin has scaled peaks of success that lesser mortals can only dream of.
Yet, he continues to be humble and honest - values that his parents had instilled in him at an early age. If at 39, his brand value remains intact, it is because he continues to inspire millions to dream.
Sachin, of course, started dreaming about playing for the country quite early. When he was picked in the Indian squad for the Pakistan tour in 1989, Sachin was 16, not even old enough to sign the contract papers sent by BCCI. He continues to live his dream even today.
It has been a fascinating journey that has taken him across continents, exposed him to hostile conditions and challenged him to rise to the occasion at every turn. Critics who label him as 'selfish' often lose sight of the fact that Sachin spent his entire teenage life and youth in the service of the nation whose stock in international cricket was not very high.
Sachin's Taurian stubbornness was on view in his very first Test match in Karachi when he stood up to Pakistan's hostile three-pronged pace attack, comprising Imran, Wasim and Waqar, but it was not until Silakot that Sachin earned his stripes.
On a green, fast and bouncy pitch, Sachin was hit on the bridge of his nose by a snorter from Waqar. He, however, refused to go off the field and took fresh guard after staunching the flow of blood with a handkerchief. His steely resolve and ample talent found full expression in the same over when he twice drove Waqar to the cover boundary even as placards saying, "Go home and drink milk" went up in the stands. Seniors in the squad like Kapil, Vengsarkar, Shastri and Srikkanth were all very protective of the teenager on his maiden tour, but that was the day when Sachin came of age and the nation fell in love with him.
PRISONER OF FAME
Today he is the elder statesman in the side, but such is his stature that youngsters half his age hero-worship him. He has had to constantly work on his game to remain one step ahead of bowlers are always on the lookout for the most prized scalp in international cricket.
It will be unfair to dismiss Sachin as an intensely private person who shuns public life. True, like most celebrities, Sachin too is a prisoner of his own fame, but those who have shared time and space with the "master" describe him as a "regular" guy who relaxes by listening to music, prefers seafood, loves to drive fast cars and enjoys the company of his family most. He is used to being mobbed. Just about everyone, his fans and opponents included, wants a piece of the man who had "reminded " the peerless Donald Bradman "of himself".
He has the temperament of a hermit. He is not known to refuse an autograph-seeker or pose for a photograph. Even when he has got a poor umpiring decision, he's never thrown a tantrum. The only occasions when we have seen him a touch agitated is when someone moved across the sight screen. When it is between him and the bowler, he brooks no interference. It was mainly due to his discomfiture at the crease that the ICC has been obliged to raise the height of sight screens at all international venues.
His teammates have marvelled at his genius while batting with him. Rahul Dravid admitted to getting a "weird" feeling when he found spectators starting to clap after being dismissed cheaply. Later he realised that it was in anticipation of the Little Master's arrival at the crease!
This trend continues even today as Sachin prepares to walk into the sunset. Earlier this year, fans at Sydney, where Sachin has a great record, and the Adelaide Oval, Bradman's backyard, admitted to having a lump in their throats as they gave him a standing ovation one final time.
Sachin would be not human if it had not affected him. To his credit, he betrayed no emotion and acknowledged the cheers by gently raising his bat that betrayed him for the first time Down Under.
He sought comfort in his family. A doting father to his two children Sara and Arjun and a loving husband to Anjali, whom he first met - and later courted - at the Mumbai airport while waiting for his luggage to arrive, Sachin is the quintessential family man we all aspire to be.
His father had the biggest influence on him and it was his mother Rajani who sent him back to England, saying his country needed him more for India's World Cup campaign in 1999, when Sachin had air-dashed to Mumbai to attend his father's last rites.
He is excited to see Arjun among Mumbai U-14 probables. Bowling to Arjun in the nets is a ritual that Sachin really enjoys, but he wants to put no pressure on him, realising that the young boy has his hands full living up to a surname that the world of cricket doffs its hat to.
SACHIN THE SLEEPWALKER
Among the other things that Sachin enjoys is go-karting. He simply loves to drive fast. He permits himself a quiet chuckle when he sees the frightened expression on his co-passengers ' faces. He is also a very talented table tennis player and is always up for a game or two with his teammates.
Like most cricketers, Sachin too is superstitious. He is particularly finicky about his bat. His teammates recall that a young Sachin was so worried about his bat not arriving in time that he was found sleepwalking at the team hotel in Faisalabad in 1989. Known to use the heaviest bat (1.51 kg) in the business, Sachin refused to use lighter ones even after he suffered a tennis elbow. During the Eden Test earlier this month, he had his 'lucky' bat as well as an old arm guard 'fixed' before the match and ended up scoring 76, which turned out to be his highest score in the series.
Much before Sachin struck up a friendship with tennis ace Roger Federer, he was a John McEnroe fan. He was just eight years old when he watched McEnroe end Bjorn Borg's five-year reign at the Big W in 1981 on television and then proceeded to copy his idol's look by reining in his mass of curly hair with a hairband and donning wrist bands!
Like all Taurians, Sachin is a loyal friend. He has a very close circle of friends and it is only when he is in their company that the real, fun loving Sachin emerges. His friends say that if he sets his mind on something, you can rest assured that he will achieve it.
They point to the Sydney Test in 2004 when Sachin made an epic 241 without playing a single stroke between thirdman and cover because he had been getting out caught in that region too frequently.
These are feats of a man who, many say, is destiny's child. To say he has enriched the game with his exceptional talent is like thanking the sun for sunshine. Cricket will not be the same when he walks into the sunset.
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