Sachin's Last Domestic Match - The Beginning of the END

Today, Sachin ended his Domestic cricket career on a high with another sensational battng performance of 79 not out runs agains haryana at lahli in extremely seamer friendly conditions. Followed this match keely on day one. Was a confusing experience because when mumbai batted, as a sachin fan, was praying for first 2 guys to get out so that sachin will come, but then was praying that people do not get out and leave sachin alone at the other end. This has been the same story whether he plays for India, Mumbai or any other team.

He was carried on shoulders by his teammates and the haryana players stood in line and saluted him. My bigger salute to the love of haryana fans coz they were cheering his dot balls more than his runs. This was just because , runs will mean, the match ends fast and they will not be able to see more of Sachin.

When his post match interview was happening, I realised one thing that there will be just 2 more sachin matches and then we will never here and never shout "Saaaachin Saaaachin". That was realy heart stopping moment. I mean,the guy who has plyed with 122 of 278 test cricketers produced by India and 109 of 199 ODI players produced by India, will never come in white or coloured clothers. People will never switch on the TV set and switch off their lives.

Bhutan as a country does not measure Gross Domestic Product ( GDP) but measures Gross National Happiness (GNH). If that is to be done for India, then Sachin is the biggest contributor for gross national happinness and the GNH quotient will take a nose dive post sachin, if represented graphically.Many people score hundreds for India, but when Sachin does it, it is like someone from our own family has achieved it. Most importantly, we have all greats like Gavaskar, Kapil Dev etc., but inspite of coming to retirement, sachin is addressed like young kid in the house.. We will address others as Mr.Gavaskar or Kapil Sir , but sachin is like "Apna Sachin" and in older parts of mumbai, he is still "Tendlya".

So, thanks sachin for lightening our lives with moments of joy and no Indian will miss even a single ball of the last 10 days of test cricket that you have left for us....

Sachin Tendulkar Retired from One-Day Cricket

Sachin Tendulkar Retired from One-Day Cricket........Can't stop weeping... This is the real apocalypse ... I guess this is what means that the world will end in 2012....
Now we will never hear the loud roaring of saaachin.......saaaachin...

How ever great he may be , he was always like a famlily member to everyone.
He showed the world , how to play one day cricket... that little injury to Siddhu in 1994 in Newzealand was a blessing in disguise and the game changer for one day cricket.

It is really impossible to imagine cricket without sachin. I have fought with N number of people who criticised him at the slightest of the failure . But today I feel, it was the standard that he had set ehich is nothing less than a century is expected from him..

If some thing bad happens in office, our performance gets affected immediately. For this man, any tom dick and harry was saying anything about him day in day out and he was rock solid , performing for india and taking pride in wearing that blue jersey and turning up on the field.

Sachin, dictionary is futile to find words to priase you..I love you and an fortunate enough to have seen yr career from the first match in sialkot till the last match in asia cup against pakistan.

Thanks for making us see a legend in flesh and bones.

Tony Grieg - a Tendulkar amongs commentators

Tony Grieg - a Tendulkar amongs commentators passed away due to lung cancer... Really sad.

He always doubled the experience of Tendulkar's fire works.
" It shigh and that's gone many a miles....." have heard this a thousand times from him.
That energy, that language, that enthusiasm and that sheer love for good cricket brought out the best commentary out of him.

He was never biased about any cricketer or country and was a commetator in a true sense...

Saw tony grieg the cricketer in the documentary on WIndies team of 70s and 80s when he said " We will make them Grovel" and the WIndies had the best revenge ever by giving Englad a Whitewash in a 5 match series..People even called it a "Blackwash" as shown in the documentary..

But Tony..... The commentary box will be incomplete without you.
Still cherish the good old days when Sachin and Saurav used to open and we had the best commentary team of Tony Grieg, Sir Boycott,Sunil Gavaskar, Harsha Bhogle, Allan Wilkinson and Siddhu....

May your soul Rest in Peace.....

Leander Paes - The Legend

After Cricket, if there is somethings which thrilss me is Tennis. yesterday was a privilege to be witness the US Open Semifinal between Paes-Stepanek and the Bryans. Paes-Radek beat them 3-6,6-3,-6-4.....

The thrill was to see the kid in Leander even at the age of 40. You won't believe, he was jumping for their special victory dance after every point that they won in third set. Most amazing fact is that he remembered the train number, the address of the practice court and the opponents details etc of the US Open juniors singles final which he played some 24 years back at the same court.

I have seen him win wimbledon and french open partnering martina navratilova and have seen repsect she had for this guy.

Like sachin is everything for me in cricket and i feel blessed to witness the beginning and the end of sachin's career, equally I feel for leander.

He is the true son of India and I have never seen the passion for country that I see in leander's eyes, I have never seen in any player of any country. he has beaten the Agassi's. the ivansevics, the wayne perrera's when it came to davis cup. He has got us a bronze in olympics and many medals in asian and commonwealth games.

If Sachin Tendulkar and Major Dhyanchand deserve Bharatratna, then this guy equally does deserve the same as he is the real unsung hero of India.

My salute to you leander and felt really pround when even sitting at home, I used to cheer for you saying " move leander move"..... That is exactly equal to " Saaachin Saaachin " for me.

Sachin Retires - end of a dream

Sachin Tendulkar Retires...... 18.11.2013 will be national mourning

Indian.. no world cricket will loose a game changer.. Someone who redfined some words like domination, dedication and modesty.

his principle of life " Do not stop dreaming, if you put honest efforts and show patience, believe me , dreams do come true!!!".

Indian cricket is orphaned and widowed.

Sachin scoring runs was not just sporting achievement but it gave joy to each person as if someone from our own family has gone ahead and scored runs.

People including myself have cried when sachin played the chennai innings against pakistan in horrible back pain.

Listing some of the moments that come to my mind once think of sachin:

1. Waqar hitting him on nose and still sachin getting up and saying " main khelega"
2. Hitting abdul quadir out of the park.
3. Saving a test for india in england on his first tour in 1990
4. Sensational centuries in australia in 1991 especially at perth
5. New way of opening batting in one day cricket shwon in newzealand
6. crisis man taking bowl to win hero cup for india
7. sensational innings with azhar at capetown to save test match for india against donald and co
8. sensational batting in 1996 world cup
9. sandstorm innings in sharjah to defeat australians even mentally
10. killing of henry olonga at sharjah
11. The genius who thought of the most successful opening pair in one day history i.e sachin and sourav
12. The century against pakistan at chennai through intense back pain
13. india winning lots and lots of one day torunaments due to this mans batting genius
14. The six to shoaib akhtar over third man which mentally killed all paki bowlers in 2003 world cup in south africa
15. sachin scoring century in second innings 10-12 years after that pakistan test again at chennai and winning the match for india.
16. His century in south africa against south africa demolishihng morkels and steyns
17. the 175 against australia chasing 350 odd
18. the 200 in ODIs when no one in the world expected him to do it
19. the sensational performances in 2011 world cup
20. His 100th 100.

You have given us a treasure of joy man....
More than a player, you has great as a person and my salute to you and your contribution.

The sun is about to set on Indian cricket and what we have is twilight.
Am sure there will be some lightening before it becomes dark and west indians will be really in trouble in next two tests which will be sachins last 2 matches.

For the last time we will listen and shout " SAAAAACHIN SAAAAACHIN"

I am sad my kids will never understand the importance of this chant.

Sachin Tendulkar - The IDOL

This is my first blog and it has to be dedicated to my favourite legends in one of my 3 interests i.e Food, Music and Cricket. I have chosen Sachin Tendulkar for the same. 

We have seen many shows like indian idol, american idol etc..... But do we really understand the meaning of idol. Idol is someone who is above everyone for you and you continuosly strive hard to reach the stage where he belongs. The best part is that you can never reach that level whatever you do , but that is the thing which gives you a reason to fight back all situations in your life with the glimmer of hope that you can reach that level some day.

Sachin is that idol for me. There are lot of people who may love or hate him as a cricketer. But what is important is to learn from sachin how a person can be as a common man. He has his feet grounded thouroughly on the ground even when he is at the pinnacle of his success.

The dedication and commitment that he shows after being 21 years in the game cannot be shown by even a business professional today even if that person is the most succesful person. We are bound to get bored of our job in 2.1 yrs these days and this guy, after 21 years, still open the batting, fulfills expectations of 2billion indians and gets century, after that fields for 50 overs on boundary and throws himself to every ball that comes his way. Inspite of all his heroics, the country loses the match but this guy, just puts his head down and marches back to dressing room and is ready he next day to practice in nets for 40min in 41 degree heat.

I am not exaggerating if I say, that every match that india lose in the world cup, people do not feel sorry for  the other players, but they feel sorry for this man because world cup is the only tick pending in his career and he  is hell bent on getting to that target and hence playing in his 6th world cup.

Most Important -

In spite of all this. look at the humility of the man. I have an incident to showcase the same. It was when he was felicitated by lata mangeshkar before 2007 worldcup when he came back fromm injuries. He was asked as which moment of his career would he like to relive. Any normal person would have told, the sharjah innings or the moment when he broke "X" record or won "Y" matchfor the country. But his is sachin. He said , " I want those days back. The days when I will practice at shivaji park in scortching heat till noon. Then call up mummy from PCO and tell her to keep the lunch ready and then rush to home and eat aamras-chapati by sitting near the cooking pan with mummy whenshe is making hot hot chapatis for me". This is what makes him the "above all" player.

So, he is not fascinated by records,he wants his country to win and every time he excels just because of sher and I literally mean sheer love for the game...I think for him the retirement age can be 60 and he will still not mind playing for the country.

That is sachin for you.
But if you want to enjoy one shot of sachin that I feel is the lifetime best shot he has hit, then please go to you tube and doenload the sharjah final vs australia of 1998. No, it is not the 6 to warne..... it is the six he hit to kasprowicz on the first delivery of 45th over and it was a near blockhole delivery which he smashed straight back on the sight screen with clean straight bat.....
Please watch that and you will feel like having a pilgrimage......

Sachin.... you are god and you will be the same for ever..................