Less for cricket, more for Sachin

“God Retires!”

It’s inevitable. Some day or the other, we all are bound to witness the above line in the news coverage. With the recent statement in which Sachin himself said that there was no much cricket left in him, he made it clear that the end is near. Before that happens, I thought of putting up few words about my all time favourite player.

I was very desperate to do this post as the end could come any day.

Cricket has got innumerable followers world-wide. At least half of them hold Sachin to their hearts. Out of all the contemporary cricketers of the world, at least three fourth would have grown up watching Sachin playing. After all these years, after all the come backs from career threatening injuries, after answering all the critics, the man has entered last and crucial phase of his cricketing career. With every the speculation doing rounds about his retirement, for him, it must have been far more difficult to perform compared to what he had faced earlier, before his hundredth international hundred.

Pressure is unavoidable. Especially on the big stages with every eye on you, though you have been doing it for two decades, doing it one more time or for some more time for your country has been proved very difficult for the little master in the very recent times. Many fans of him, although with heavy hearts, have ended up asking him to retire soon. Though needless to say, I’d say I’m one of them.

As of now, BCCI has given Sachin freedom to think about it. But Sachin, better than anyone else, knows it very well that the same opportunity wouldn’t continue for long without runs on board in the ongoing matches. Up to him now, either playing it his way or calling it a day.

Now, “Less for cricket, more for Sachin”, coming to this, it’s a fair and frank statement I’ve made. I’ve loved Sachin and then he is the reason behind my many sittings either before TV or before my laptop with ‘cricinfo’ opened. Before exam or after exam, the scene never changed. It has been less for cricket and more for Sachin that I’ve watched matches.

With the entry of remote control, it’s been far easier to switch the channel with the opposition getting Sachin’s wicket. The celebration in the opposite team shows it all.

After all the failures we have witnessed from his bat in the recent times, even after the last time he got out against England I closed the ‘cricinfo’ with jet speed. That’s the moment I realized I should start searching for new reason to watch cricket. If I do not get succeed in finding out the reason, once he retires, I’m sure I’m going to take a long break from watching it unless another magical boy pops on the screen with bat or ball. In the present scenario, it’s pretty clear that it’s going to take some time.

Yesterday when I was thinking about it, I thought, at least one fourth followers of cricket must be thinking same as that of me. At the same time somehow I was sure that my estimate was very accurate. May be, that’s what happen when you are addicted to a person for two years.

Before I conclude this post, I’d like to send a sincere message by air to all the recent-former players, who have been having pleasure making ‘statements’. Here it goes: Please do not use it as a chance to reduce the difference between you and Sachin. Every time you try, the difference only increases and never moves in the opposite direction even a bit. “If I were Sachin I would ---”, everyone knows how you were sent out.

I hope not but for one last time I’d like to wish Sachin all the best for another good innings for India.