An entire nation and some bookies are waiting with baited breadth for the little maestro to accomplish, his ton of tons. 100 centuries have never been achieved in cricket before and probably is next only to Bradman’s average in terms of the sheer unlikelihood of being bettered in the future. Every time Sachin walks out to bat, a new record is set.
However his actions on the field and the way he is going about trying to achieve this record is unbecoming for a sportsperson of his stature. Don’t get me wrong I am a Sachin fan myself, and whenever Sachin bashers have proclaimed that he is selfish or is only interested in the records, I have always given him the benefit of doubt. But a small incident in the first test between India and West Indies at the Feroze Shah Kotla stadium got me thinking. The incident took place a couple of balls before Sachin was dismissed, he was on 76 with India needing 45-odd runs to victory. He tried to paddle a ball from Bishoo to fine leg. It took the pad and went behind, with an easy chance for a leg-bye. Even VVS Laxman, one of the most reluctant runners around was ready to go for that one, to be fair it was his call as well. However Sachin refused the run! Now why would you do that? Did Sachin want to keep strike or did he not want to take the run because it was a leg-bye and would not add to his score? I would have understood this if Sachin was on 98 and there were say 5 runs to win. Sachin could have easily made 25 runs from the remaining 45 required to win.
Though I am not a believer in divine retribution, something of that sort did happen when he was out LBW 3 balls later, playing a horrendous swipe to mid-wicket. I am sure everyone cares about their personal records, and it is important to give it due consideration. However getting obsessed with a landmark so much so that you alter your natural game, play horrendous shots in desperation, and place personal goals ahead of the team is not what is expected from Sachin Tendulkar, the idol that millions of budding cricketers look up to.
I really wish Sachin achieves his 100th century in a classy innings, where he dominates the opposition, and destroys the bowlers with his unique blend of power, timing and guile. I want to see the Sachin that allegedly gave Share Warne recurring nightmares. That is the kind of batsman I would wish the world to remember Sachin Tendulkar to be, not the one that grafted and scraped his way to a momentous milestone in cricket, while ignoring what the team needs him to do.
However his actions on the field and the way he is going about trying to achieve this record is unbecoming for a sportsperson of his stature. Don’t get me wrong I am a Sachin fan myself, and whenever Sachin bashers have proclaimed that he is selfish or is only interested in the records, I have always given him the benefit of doubt. But a small incident in the first test between India and West Indies at the Feroze Shah Kotla stadium got me thinking. The incident took place a couple of balls before Sachin was dismissed, he was on 76 with India needing 45-odd runs to victory. He tried to paddle a ball from Bishoo to fine leg. It took the pad and went behind, with an easy chance for a leg-bye. Even VVS Laxman, one of the most reluctant runners around was ready to go for that one, to be fair it was his call as well. However Sachin refused the run! Now why would you do that? Did Sachin want to keep strike or did he not want to take the run because it was a leg-bye and would not add to his score? I would have understood this if Sachin was on 98 and there were say 5 runs to win. Sachin could have easily made 25 runs from the remaining 45 required to win.
Though I am not a believer in divine retribution, something of that sort did happen when he was out LBW 3 balls later, playing a horrendous swipe to mid-wicket. I am sure everyone cares about their personal records, and it is important to give it due consideration. However getting obsessed with a landmark so much so that you alter your natural game, play horrendous shots in desperation, and place personal goals ahead of the team is not what is expected from Sachin Tendulkar, the idol that millions of budding cricketers look up to.
I really wish Sachin achieves his 100th century in a classy innings, where he dominates the opposition, and destroys the bowlers with his unique blend of power, timing and guile. I want to see the Sachin that allegedly gave Share Warne recurring nightmares. That is the kind of batsman I would wish the world to remember Sachin Tendulkar to be, not the one that grafted and scraped his way to a momentous milestone in cricket, while ignoring what the team needs him to do.
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