The day has come. It is inevitable but hard to digest.
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar will finally bid good bye to the game which he loved so
much, which he was passionate about and which he breathed for life. This is not
a blog about his achievement on the field but a tribute from a fan whom he
idolized, who learnt to hold a bat watching him and whom learnt the game of
cricket watching him. If I can say, I would say myself as Eklavya and Tendulkar
my Dronacharya.
I never celebrated my birthday with so much joy but there were
times when April 24th will sport a festive look in my room. I
remember there were 5 posters of his that adorned my small room.
I never cried much for anything but I remember shedding some
tears when you took India home in Sharjah in 1998, when you got out scooping a
Saqlain Mushtaq delivery in Chennai in 1999, when you scored that brilliant century
against Kenya at Bristol, when you were let down by bowlers in 2003 at Johannesburg,
when you lifted the 2011 world cup and finally when you announced retirement.
I remember getting up at 3 in the morning just to watch you
bat whenever India toured NZL, running upstairs after coming from school during
those innumerable test matches played at home, refreshing cricinfo page loading
in my slow GPRS connection to follow the scores, bunking college annual festival
when India took on Aus in 2003 world cup, seeing you on the field from the nearby
stands against the mighty Aussies and the low ranked Windies.
There are many innumerable moments in my life I can cherish
but one that will always remain in my memory is the way you behaved yourself. Having
achieved so much and still remain humble is the greatest trait which only you
and Dravid possess and that is why from the mighty Aussies to Bangladesh feared
you and respected you as well. I will
borrow this and say again that after Mahatma Gandhi no one united India as you
did and on a personal note after Mahatma Gandhi no one inspired me as you did.
I can eulogize further but I stop here and say once again
THANK YOU SACHIN for being the hero India wanted to see, for being the role
model India wanted and for being a kind hearted human being you father wanted
you to be.
I WILL MISS YOU SO AS THE GAME OF CRICKET.
