Loksatta Editorial
Why read today's editorial........
The stories and memories about him are countless. But the memory he shared in a recent interview may reveal the secret behind the long success story of the unique cricketer Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
Sunil-Kapil's Indian teams instilled the belief that 'we can do it' in this country; Millions of people were getting the mantra 'We must win here' from Sachin's matches.
* Stories and memories about him are countless. But the memory he shared in a recent interview may reveal the secret behind the long success story of the unique cricketer Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
* Sachin made his Test debut against Pakistan in Karachi. As the 16-year-old played with confident gusto, he hit a couple of fours at the start. But within a short time he returned in Triphala.
* A nagging feeling of 'I'm probably still not Test-quality' crept into my mind. Still made a decision.. to look at the clock instead of the scoreboard in the next innings! In fact, Sachin kept looking at the clock for the first half hour of the next innings.
* Preferred to stay on the pitch. The runs kept coming, the confidence grew. That technique of moving by looking at the clock, i.e. the time, rather than running, became the guide for Sachin's successful career.
* Another incident. In the final match of the same series, a fast ball hit Sachin on the nose and resulted in bloodshed. Teammates worriedly and rivals maliciously, were telling Sachin to go to the pavilion and seek treatment. But the team needed him. With determination, Sachin continued to play and India managed to keep the match and the series a draw.
* India-Pakistan relations were worse then than today. There were many in the audience who had drunk the poison of anti-India. Where 'Azad Kashmir' flags used to bounce from the audience, some were seen bringing 'Khalistan' flags. Apart from this, sloganeering and hooliganism continued.. Of course, that was not the only challenge. Pakistan team had the best players. Pakistan captain Imran Khan had to win that four-match series at any cost. Sunil Gavaskar, who has been a pillar of the Indian team on foreign tours, retired two years ago.
* Indian captain K. Srikanth could not find the rhythm. At that time, Imran was eager to win a different kind of 'religious war' by defeating India humiliatingly. It is not difficult to imagine how distracted a 16-year-old college boy can be when faced with such challenges. Despite failing in that situation, Sachin would surely have continued to get opportunities; Because he was playing well in local cricket. But Sachin himself may not approve of this genuine subsidized sympathy. His personality should not accept 'defeat with honour' etc. at all. He is one of those who believe that no matter how big the challenge, it cannot be bigger than your determination.
* That was a tubulent time. Events were taking place inside and outside the country, which would change the course of the world forever for many years to come. Mandal-temple dispute started in India. Experiments with non-Congress governments had begun afresh. The Indian government had to take a strategic step to open up the economy due to many reasons in the near future.
* Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, riots, bomb blasts, disunity in societies, that scary time. At that time, many people used to get support from Sachin's games. Sachin Tovar was settled in the Indian team. He is the only Indian to score first half-century and first century on foreign soil. His first century in England was a match saver. Soon after, he became the youngest batsman to score a century on Australian soil. All these fishes are mouthwatering to Sachin's fans and cricket scholars. The games have also been revised numerous times.
* But that performance of Sachin became symbolic for India. India did not need to learn or imbibe the values of determination, integrity and Saburi from Sachin. However, the people of India were unknowingly imbibing from Sachin the virtues of facing foreign competition patiently and not letting their faith in their own abilities fade even from a foreign perspective. Sunil-Kapil's Indian teams instilled the belief that 'we can do it' in this country. Millions of people were getting the mantra 'We must win here' from Sachin's matches.
* It was a journey from a market-fearing to a market-oriented economy and Sachin was the unsung hero of the campaign. He consistently played successful innings against Pakistan, who always posed a tough challenge to India, and Australia, who became a superpower after the decline of the West Indies in the cricketing world. Thus, the prowess of a mighty hero shines brighter not in favorable circumstances, but in adverse circumstances.
* Sachin used to come in Shane Warne's nightmares, Don Bradman used to see his own style in Sachin. Spectators were upset when they learned that Sachin Tendulkar would not play in the ODIs in Pakistan. There used to be a separate section on Sachin in cricket related programs on television there.
* The khadoos audience in Australia used to stand up when Sachin took to the field to bat. All the people of India were watching this. The people of this place are afraid of the 'enemy country' because the white people put a youth of only five feet five inches in height in the corner.
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