Beyond the Boundary: The Sachin Special at Centurion

[SOSami]

He averaged 32.5 in his last 20 odd tests. Laxman, Sehwag and Gambhir had also declined in that period.

Criticised for dragging India out of the number one spot? Tendulkar, along with Laxman, Zaheer and Sehwag scripted India's fairy tale rise to the no.1 test ranking. Dravid was going through a poor run of form post 2007, similar to what Tendulkar went through post 2012.
Just check Tendulkar's batting stats between 2007-2011 WC.

BTW, Tendulkar left India at the no.2 Test rankings when he left

Dude, do you just not see the posts above

Some people....

 

[SOSami]

if hafeez came out of the closet as being indian, i doubt tendulkar would have opened as much as he did

Not only that, Tendulkar would have had to significatly improve his bowling to even earn a place in the team.

Hafeez would have snatched at least 40 of Sach's hundreds.

 

[Scrolln]

Dude, do you just not see the posts above

Some people....

What did i say that irked you so much?

Did i insult or cuss anyone?

 

[chacha kashmiri]

He averaged 32.5 in his last 20 odd tests. Laxman, Sehwag and Gambhir had also declined in that period.

Criticised for dragging India out of the number one spot? Tendulkar, along with Laxman, Zaheer and Sehwag scripted India's fairy tale rise to the no.1 test ranking. Dravid was going through a poor run of form post 2007, similar to what Tendulkar went through post 2012.
Just check Tendulkar's batting stats between 2007-2011 WC.

BTW, Tendulkar left India at the no.2 Test rankings when he left

So did Ganguly and Harbhajan Singh

It's a shame they weren't given the opportunity to carry on with the team even when their averages were tailender esque

Preferential treatment given to sachin, purely because he sells more shirts than ganguly

 

[SOSami]

What did i say that irked you so much?

Did i insult or cuss anyone?

I'm not irked, so apologies if it came across that way.

The point made was that He was joking.

 

[Scrolln]

I'm not irked, so apologies if it came across that way.

The point made was that He was joking.

Ok, got it

Emotions getting the better of me after the great man's retirement

 

[rahulrulezz]

That uppercut against Shoaib was the moment when the tide turned. When Tendulkar the batsman destroyed the demons that afflicted India in games against Pakistan. With that uppercut, he also knocked out Pakistan for a decade (or more) and made me appreciate the man for the master that he was.

When I saw that shot live, I hated him from the pit of my stomach. To the extent that only upon his retirement did I see highlights of that match and that uppercut again. Of course, I knew I had to see it again as an objective observer, to truly appreciate it, in the context that it was hit.

More broadly, I hated that Tendulkar was Indian and not Pakistani. If he were Australian or West Indian I could have appreciated his genius more objectively, and felt more pleasure watching him bat, than experience the pain of seeing how good he was.

When Brian Lara played, I would satisfy myself by saying that Tendulkar is good, but Lara is better. In my heart of hearts, I knew that to be a lie. Lara himself notes the greatness of Tendulkar. In my mind, at his best, Inzamam and Ponting were more clutch, but again, I knew I was lying to myself. The test was that if I were to choose somebody to bat for my life, it would be Tendulkar.

In an effort to not get completely captivated by the magical batting of Tendulkar, I always referred to him by his surname. I thought that if I called him Sachin, I would somehow be giving in and acknowledging that he, not Inzamam, nor Lara nor Kallis was my favourite batsman.

I never could understand the feeling that I got when Sachin unfurled the flick or the cover drive against Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib or Saqlain. It was mostly a feeling of pain, but always with a tinge of appreciation. I loved it when he top edged Saqlain in Chennai, but hated that he was the man getting out.

It was a feeling that I can only now, after he has retired, truly acknowledge. I am a fan of Sachin Tendulkar. Always have been and always will be. The sort of fan that gushes when talking about him. Simply, Sachin made the the sport I love better.

He is the best batsman that I have ever seen and likely will ever see. In fact I have reconciled to the idea that his being Indian makes me like India more (at the same time wishing that Sachin was ours, not theirs)

So there it is. My coming out of the closet as a Sachin fan. Cricket will not be the same without him.

Beautiful read!!

and my fellow Indians, ignore trolls such as C_Kashmiri or kingkhan... Enjoy tributes like these

 

[Saurav]

Not only that, Tendulkar would have had to significatly improve his bowling to even earn a place in the team.

Hafeez would have snatched at least 40 of Sach's hundreds.

lol,why only 40?

 

[Ims1]

superbly written Shayan an a apt tribute to a brilliant sportsperson .

 

[Varun]

That more or less was the first match I saw (though I vaguely recall the 2001 Australia series, the 2002 England tour and so on).

I guess Pakistan were a decent-ish cricket team upto that game? Because they've more or less been in the pits in the decade that's gone by since.

 

[Shayan]

That more or less was the first match I saw (though I vaguely recall the 2001 Australia series, the 2002 England tour and so on).

I guess Pakistan were a decent-ish cricket team upto that game? Because they've more or less been in the pits in the decade that's gone by since.

Since then, we've beaten India in Tests at home, drawn in Tests in India, beaten England 2-0 after their Ashes win in 2005 and whitewashed them after they became the world's top side. We've also won a T20 World Cup and probably been the best T20I side since it began in 2007.

So probably a bit general to say we've been "in the pits". Yes we've been poor recently but certainly not for a decade.

 

[sachjinn]

That uppercut against Shoaib was the moment when the tide turned. When Tendulkar the batsman destroyed the demons that afflicted India in games against Pakistan. With that uppercut, he also knocked out Pakistan for a decade (or more) and made me appreciate the man for the master that he was.

When I saw that shot live, I hated him from the pit of my stomach. To the extent that only upon his retirement did I see highlights of that match and that uppercut again. Of course, I knew I had to see it again as an objective observer, to truly appreciate it, in the context that it was hit.

More broadly, I hated that Tendulkar was Indian and not Pakistani. If he were Australian or West Indian I could have appreciated his genius more objectively, and felt more pleasure watching him bat, than experience the pain of seeing how good he was.

When Brian Lara played, I would satisfy myself by saying that Tendulkar is good, but Lara is better. In my heart of hearts, I knew that to be a lie. Lara himself notes the greatness of Tendulkar. In my mind, at his best, Inzamam and Ponting were more clutch, but again, I knew I was lying to myself. The test was that if I were to choose somebody to bat for my life, it would be Tendulkar.

In an effort to not get completely captivated by the magical batting of Tendulkar, I always referred to him by his surname. I thought that if I called him Sachin, I would somehow be giving in and acknowledging that he, not Inzamam, nor Lara nor Kallis was my favourite batsman.

I never could understand the feeling that I got when Sachin unfurled the flick or the cover drive against Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib or Saqlain. It was mostly a feeling of pain, but always with a tinge of appreciation. I loved it when he top edged Saqlain in Chennai, but hated that he was the man getting out.

It was a feeling that I can only now, after he has retired, truly acknowledge. I am a fan of Sachin Tendulkar. Always have been and always will be. The sort of fan that gushes when talking about him. Simply, Sachin made the the sport I love better.

He is the best batsman that I have ever seen and likely will ever see. In fact I have reconciled to the idea that his being Indian makes me like India more (at the same time wishing that Sachin was ours, not theirs)

So there it is. My coming out of the closet as a Sachin fan. Cricket will not be the same without him.

22 runs since 2007.

Ever heard the line, "words worth their weight in gold."

This guy is it.

 

[Saj]

A few bowlers around the world undoubtedly relieved that he has retired.

 

[Hitman]

Happy Birthday, Sachin Tendulkar!

Happy 44th Birthday to the Master!