What would have been my first blog...

This would have been my first blog. But for some strange reason I did not post it.
Written on 8-August-2009.
Read on....


This being my first blog, I wanted to write it on something I enjoy talking about. What better topic than discuss my idol for a lifetime - Sachin Tendulkar.

Sachin has die hard fans all around the world. Fans who adore him for various reasons; the matches he has won for India, the records he holds, the centuries he has scored, the sixes he has hit and for the smile he brings on every Indian's face. The aesthetically sound ones appreciate his classy stroke play, his exquisite balance and his irrefutable technique.

But I adore him for an entirely different reason. I adore him for the person that he is. For the passion he brings to the game and his desire to keep winning and improving.

I was not a great fan of Sachin to start with. I still remember the arguments we had during the sixth and seventh standards at Modern School. It was during the 1996 world cup. Sachin was one of the best batsman at that time. Srinath and Hemanth used to support him to the core. I was always like, "What if he hits through the line and over the ropes ? That doesn't make him great." But over time after following cricket religiously and having observed him for a decade and half now, I am proud to call myself a Sachin fan.

There have been some key moments that will forever stick in my memory. The first one is the test match against Australia at Chennai in 1998. More than the mauling of Shane Warne on a warm afternoon in March, it was the preparation for tackling him that I admire. Not many batsman are comfortable with Warney going around the wickets on a fourth day pitch. But Sachin had prepared for that. He practised with Sivaramakrishnan bowling around the legs in the nets. And the way he jumped out to slog warne over the mid-wicket. It was a delight to watch him play that day. The wily Warney got nightmares !!!!

One more key moment is the back to back centuries at Sharjah. For those who say Sachin plays for records and centuries, go see the match again. The man didn't raise the bat for his century and went for a win even after India had qualified for the finals. In a team game, Sachin won the game on his own.

Then comes 2003 World Cup. By that time I had become a big Sachin fan. India had started the campaign poorly. Loss to Australia and a difficult win against Holland. It was a crisis situation and we needed someone to stand up and take responsibility. When the captain didn't, Sachin Tendulkar did. The way he played during the rest of the World Cup is something out of the world. I loved to see the best pakistan bowling attack being torn apart. People generally complain and pin point Sachin's failure as a Captain, saying he doesn't have leadership abilities. One was able to see the best display of leadership qualities of Sachin during that World Cup. He may not have a sharp tongue to tackle the press or get under the skin of opposition captains but he can lead by example and inspire the team to perform better. No wonder during the 90's and early 2000's everyone said, "the performance of the Indian team depends on performance of Sachin".

(refer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-7jL7o8kYs&feature=related for comments from Harsha Bhogle.)