74 attractive vintage runs, rolling back the years, in the last innings of his career was not a bad ending for a fairy tale that Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar's entire cricketing career has been, starting as a bubbly 16 year old, nearly a quarter of a century ago. Sachin, who finally bowed out in style from international cricket, with the distinction of being a part of a winning team in each of his last matches, in every form of the game that he so dearly loved and actually breathed for the last 24 years. As promised in my last post, this post is dedicated to the master batsman who for millions in this cricket crazy country of India was nothing short of "The God".
Top 5 things to imbibe from Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar -
1) Sacrifice and dedication because there is no short cut to success- Sachin was one among the millions of youths who aspired to break into the Indian cricket team and played the game in the cricket mad metropolis of Mumbai. Though his talent for the game was evident, there were many more budding cricketers of his era, who had similar talents, if not more. No youth likes to lead a life of discipline and sacrifices, but Sachin, guided by members of his family especially his elder brother Ajit, saw discipline and sacrifices as a small foregoing in the larger incentive to be a player to reckon with. He led a regimented life and also stayed away from his family at his uncle's place which was closer to the grounds where he practised cricket. The result, ohers fell by the way side but Sachin remained and transformed into a teen age sensation and then into a cricketing legend.
2) Continuously hone your skills, there is no age to learn- From the time he dreamed of playing for his country till the day he last played for the country, Sachin remained a learner for the game. When he used to play club cricket in his initial days, his coach Ramakant Achrekar would make him play as many matches he could play, ever day, because in his opinion, the best way to learn and hone one's cricketing skills was to play actual matches. After he made his debut and made his name as a cricketing genius, Sachin would often get back to basics and fine tune his batting techniques, so that he could continue to evolve as a cricketer, every day, each day. This probably was one of the reasons of the amazing longevity that he had as a professional cricketer.
3) It is only you and your attitude that makes or breaks you- It is not that Sachin has always got accolades, he has had to face his fair share of brickbats as well during the course of his cricketing career. To bear the burden of a billion cricket crazy public is not an easy task but Sachin came out unscathed in virtually all the situations that seemed to suggest sure doom for him. His stint as the Indian captain, for one, was probably a chapter best forgotten. His batting form dipped and the results nosed dived as well for Team India. One could be adamant and could have seen stepping aside as a captain as a step backward in life, but not Sachin. He stepped down as the skipper and channelized any disappointments that he had into demolishing opposition bowlers, marking the start of a golden period for him and Team India under the next captain Sourav Ganguly.
4) Be humble as even a large tree cannot survive without its roots- The name, fame, wealth and the iconic status that Sachin amassed in his career is unsurpassed in the annuls of Indian cricket. The fact that this did not get into his head, is a credit that must be showered on to him and his family, especially as he became an icon very early in life. A glaring example of a career and life destroyed by adulation and attention is that of Sachin's childhood buddy and a partner in school cricket records, Vinod Kambli. Kambli was an exciting talent and actually started off his career in a flamboyant manner even eclipsing Sachin. But arrogance and recklessness crept into him and his game and he soon faded into oblivion as fast as he had burst onto the scene.
5) Be helpful and face life courageously because actual winners in life are never whiners- Many successful people like to keep the tricks of their trade kept to themselves only as they are afraid that divulging them might give rise to more competition. Sachin has never been short of giving advise to batsmen how to cope with their inadequacies, even while playing against them which is a hallmark of a person par excellence. During a particular phase in his career, he was out quite a number of times to dubious umpiring decisions and also had to undergo a few surgeries on his arm, but he never complained about them and bounced back from the set backs and continued playing the way only he can, as a winner.
That he could decide the time of his retirement even after being on the wrong side of 40 years is a tribute to the legend.. But then wise men have said "Legends Never Retire"......
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