The word retirement has a resonance of dispensability. One is given the message that you are no longer required. Common people have their retirement age at a considerable ripe age. But the geniuses, exceptional as they are, either have no age bar at all or bid adieu to their vocations almost in the prime of life or well before mid-life. The exceptionally gifted creative people produce their masterpieces all through their lives. But athletes or sportsmen or sportswomen usually have meteoric rise and after a brief stay at the summit, they leave the centre stage. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar arguably the greatest cricketer of his time is about to leave cricket which he breathed in order to survive.
His debut at the age of 16 heralded the birth of a cricketing star. For 25 years he has maintained a phenomenal consistency few in the sporting world has ever done. No wonder, records came his way like anything. He is the only cricketer to have scored a century of centuries in Test and One-day cricket. Indeed, the long list of records helps understand the kind of cricketer he is but it does not quite explain the sporting hero he is.
It is exactly here he possesses an unmatched quality of a genial man and an iconic personality combined together. He has conducted himself so amiably that he never gave anyone the slightest cause to harbour any ill feeling against him. Even the fiercest opponents were forced to hold him in high esteem. There he stands out unlike the proud and haughty players in different disciplines of sports. Even his celebration of a century or double century is a state of thanks-giving with the elements of reverence and poise playing their due part.
On the one hand, he has absorbed pressure arising out of 1.2 billion compatriots' expectation with ease and on the other he also did not allow fame to take the better of his human quality. India had hardly any sportsman who topped the lists of sportsmen and sportswomen when he came to play the game. Little by little, he drew the limelight on him and ascended the cricketing peak. Yet he remained humble. And that really shows the character of a man. Every time he has walked on the pitch, he had to shoulder the pressure of expectation and by doing so he did not take long to become the role model for young generations. In fact he has played with three generations of cricketers. Children followed him not only in India but in other cricket-playing countries. It is only obvious that in India his following is the largest and children in their droves started milling in playground to learn the art of cricket. No wonder, India has been producing brilliant batsmen of late.
As a gentleman cricketer, Tendulkar has never been at the centre of any controversy. Once an allegation of ball tampering was wrongly brought against him. Like his cricketing fame, he was a sought-after promotional model of commodities. His earning was fabulous but even money could not set his head on a spin. Money was after him, he was not after money. The air force has honoured him with an honorary title of group captain and also he was conferred the honour of a member of parliament. In all such cases, he has adjusted himself to the new situations and honours with aplomb. There indeed lies the greatness of the little cricket maestro.
His departure from the Indian cricket team is something many will struggle to come to term with. But life has given the little man everything a man can wish for. The fullness of his 40 plus years can be a bench mark for people around the world. He has taken everything gracefully and that is why he has savoured the gifts of life so easily. After he hangs his bat and gloves, his usefulness is unlikely to come to an end. In different capacities he may have contributed to the game for its enrichment. Let cricket lovers the world over pray for his long and peaceful life. He has made cricketing history. As long as cricket will survive, the little master will lovingly be mentioned.
Little Master\\\'s departure from cricket
Nilratan Halder | Published: November 09, 2013 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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