Sachin's Farewell Speech At Wankhede

It just can't get better than this. This guy is perfect at everything. No wonder he is called 'GOD'

This is the heart moving speech that the great man delivered at the Wankhede on 16th Nov, 2013 when he decided to call it a day after 24 years of devoted service not only to Cricket but also to the Nation. Enjoy it!!!

This one's a masterpiece by the Little Master himself.

Pseudonym : h!v

'SACH' an 'IN'ings

Image Coutesy:dinarm.deviantart.com

 I'll start with a confession - I'm nostalgic, for all my memories of cricket, right from childhood till today, are attached to this man - SACHIN RAMESH TENDULKAR.
Sachin's class is unmatched in modern cricket. No wonder he is counted along side some of the biggest names in this sport. To be considered a one amongst all time greats like Sir Don Bradman, Sir Vivian Ricards and Sunil Gavaskar so early in one's career would have been a whole doze of satisfaction for many. But this approx 5'5" boy from Mumbai was different. Sachin went on to pile incommensurate amount of runs in all formats of the game - from First Class to ODIs to the testing Test Matches; he rose up victorious with his head held high all the time. Sachin's career has been closely scrutinized and followed by cricket watchdogs and fans not only in India but across the world.
 
Particularly, for me, he was and still is, no matter what, a hero. I still remember when I, as an 8 year old kid, had the honor to witness Sachin batting from the stands of Captain Roopsingh Stadium at Gwalior during India's match against the West Indies in the 1996 Wills World Cup. It was a sight truly different from watching him on the television sets. To watch Sachin batting from such a close corner, and then see him take away the Man Of the match Award, for a brilliant under-pressure 70, was a dream come true. It was during the days when India as a team of 11 odd players had just one batsman. The little master, bearing the burden of a million hopes on his shoulders, more often than not, did justice to the Indian fans. It was when the runs scored by Sachin formed a bulk of the total runs scored by India. It's an incontrovertible fact that Sachin, as a single handed force, cruised India to many unimaginable victories, including the 1998 win at Sharjah against Australia. The win was Sachin's, not the team's. So brutal was the force of the feeble-medium-built man that Steve Waugh couldn't help but comment in the next days Press-conference - " We didn't lose the match to India, we lost the match to a man called Sachin Tendulkar." And this is just one instance, out of many, when Sachin helped India to get through with God like appearances.
Given his devotion and propriety towards the game, it was saddening and bizarre to learn that soon by the early 2000's Sachin was being accused of playing for personal landmarks and not for the team. He was being berated for not having contributed with the bat when it really mattered. Perhaps, he bore the brunt of the high expectations people had from him. He was considered a God already by then; no wonder people wanted him to perform all the time - flawlessly and relentlessly.
Critics of Sachin, though a few, argue that Sachin piled runs only against easy opponents on easy batting tracks. Let me remind these captious-nagging souls that Sachin, besides holding all possible records in cricket, also holds the record of hitting the most number of centuries against Australia, the most dominant force in modern cricket. Add to it, the fact that a bulk of Sachin's 100 centuries have come against the top sides of the world like Aus, SA etc. (stats provided below)

Centuries against different nations

	Test	ODI
Australia	11	9
Sri Lanka	9	8
South Africa	7	5
England	7	2
New Zealand	4	5
West Indies	3	4
Zimbabwe	3	4
Pakistan	2	5
Bangladesh	5	1
Kenya	-	4
Namibia	-	1

A rather more amusing fact is that most of Sachin's critics have always been people like reporters, statisticians, so-called 'cricket experts', or cricket players themselves who have not even played half as much cricket as Sachin has. On the contrary, all the cricket legends of the world and his contemporaries,  including another greatest of the time Brian Lara, admire Sachin as a batsman and consider him as someone blessed.
Sachin however, with his alchemy of sorts, has always turned the stones thrown at him into milestones.
During his poor patch, in the early 2000s, he was the lone target of all the polemics of the cricket experts and the media. Soon talk was rife that the master should get retired. But Sachin, yet again, in 2003 WC at South Africa, proved that even when he is not what he was during his peak years, he is still the best batsmen in the world. That Sachin can only be compared with his alter ego and no other cricketer in the world was understood by all those had been suggesting his retirement by saying that the key players of other nations were doing way better than Sachin was. Sachin turned to be the highest run scorer in that tournament. He was the sole reason why India made it to the finals, and his failure was the sole reason why India failed miserably in the finals. But the matter of fact is - Do we expect him to score all the time; shouldn't there be instances when he fails but India still wins the game? Cricket, after all, is a team game!!!

As a person, Sachin was exactly the opposite of what he was on the field while wielding a bat in his hand. He showed his aggressiveness only in his game. His bat used to do everything for him - trash talking, sledging, pressurizing (the opponent) and of course run-making. It is an achievement in itself that Sachin's two and a half decade long career has been free of any controversy whatsoever. Tendulkar, when even nearing the end of his career, played a few scintillating knocks. The 175 against Australia at Hyderabad in 2009 and the DOUBLE TON against the mighty South Africa at Gwalior in 2010 are just to list a few (Please check videos below). He also played vital knocks in the WC 2011 against Pak and Aus and helped India sail through into the finals, and later on re-create history by lifting the world cup for the second time after a hiatus of more than 25 years. It was a moment truly deserved by the master.

It's however, really sad for die-hard Sachin fans (like me) to imagine Cricket without its most talented and ardent disciple. There is a generation of people for whom cricket only meant watching Sachin Tendulkar bat, for whom cricket began with the rise of Sachin and will end with his fall. It's the end of an era...
"THE GOD" calls it a day...

Pseudonym : h!v

The Quick-'Fix' That Cricket Needs

This article also found place in the columns of the online sports journal Sportskeeda.com:http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/05/24/the-quick-fix-that-cricket-needs/

A few days ago the entire cricketing fraternity, especially the fans, were shocked to learn that the IPL that they had been following with such passion and fervor; skipping their offices and delegating their other commitments at times; was fixed, or at least a few matches were, without a doubt. Three players of
the Rajasthan Royals team, one of them being a National Indian side speedster, were allegedly said to be involved in what the media has liked to baptize as 'spot-fixing'. These players have been charged of accepting tranches of money from bookies to concede a minimum number of runs in an over. So its seemingly clear, and alarmingly sad for Indian Cricket, that these players were in cahoots with the bookies and contrived with them to make some quick fortune by indulging in spot-fixing and ultimately dragging Cricket into unprecedented notoriety.

Courtesy: http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/

That they betrayed not only the sport but also its fans is apparent. I would not comment much on the entire episode of spot fixing, rather I would bring into light the loopholes and lacunae in the cricketing system that have facilitated such a disgraceful act.
Long before Cricket had been a gentleman's game - not any more. The grandeur and royalty that this sport brings along with it; in the forms of money, popularity and fan-following has driven many players to self-destruction. It has tempted the players to run after money and, those unsuccessful in doing it the right way, resort to methods like this. If this proposed hypothesis is true then it would be right to conclude that "Cricket is spawning greed"...
However, even if the hypothesis is not true, there is definitely something going very wrong with Indian Cricket. Some strict corrective measures are the need of the hour.The fact that its not the first time that Indian players have found themselves caught in such quagmire beckons some urgent action. Truly speaking, Indian Cricket is in crisis and something needs to be done urgently to revamp the system.
Lets look into the possible measures that can be taken.
First, it is the sole responsibility of the BCCI to regulate not only all kinds and all levels of cricket played in the country, but also to keep a close watch on the probity and fairness of the players. BCCI should come up
with strict guidelines which need to be followed at all cost. Anyone found to have contravened these guidelines should be punished severely irrespective of their stature and seniority. Acts like these will serve as
a precedent and borne some fear in the minds of other players, harboring even the slightest of thought of doing an unprofessional act and thus scarring their probity. If their conscience has not been able to deter them from indulging in these acts at least fear would.
In addition, the BCCI can also look forward to take a step ahead and compile a statute book defining
every possible act of indiscipline and also pronounce a punishment for the same. The punishment could vary depending on the seriousness of the mistake and range from just a deduction in match fee to even criminal proceedings in serious cases like this. Pessimist might argue that any law making agency or BCCI on that part, can't make a holistic statute book and list every possible act of indiscipline. Yes, but if we eye a long term aspect, then it is always possible to get that book updated on occasions when we come across something that has already not found place in this list of these activities. This would ensure two things - Not only it would make the players aware of all the activities they are restricted to do when in contract with BCCI but it would also make the players, and everyone involved with cricket, know that since there is a Control Board law in place there is no escape.
Actions like these and more are necessary to ameliorate Indian Cricket and maintain its sanctity. Indian Cricket is in danger and needs help to fade away the notorious and commercial image it is shaping for itself.
A Quick-'Fix' is what Cricket needs today, and certainly no other case of Spot-'Fix'. Actions should be taken urgently and for good.

Pseudonym : h!v

Cricketonomics

Cricketonomics : And it's the love for 'money'

Cricket is not just a sport in India.It's much more than that.It's a religion and fast-track to both power and pelf.Cricketers are demigods and have a significant appeal to the 'junta'.The Sachin's, the Dhoni's and the relatively young and vibrant Kohli's have all made hefty fortune - Thanks to Cricket!!!
The Indian public is innocent and follow these public heroes with such devotion that is unmatched and could be compared, at best, only to the public fan-following some of the great footballers receive in Europe or in the soccer crazy South American nations.
Cricketers, it's a common belief, are the best salesman and can sell anything.They, with their glamorous quotient, can slowly tease the public to buy a product which otherwise, at best, would have looked better behind the glasses at a retail outlet.
I still remember an 'Action' commercial featuring Sachin enchanting 'Jute mein hai light'. The commercial not only did wonders for the product but also made the advertisement and the chant very popular, to say the least.To say that it was the product's quality and utility alone and not Sachin's charisma that made the product do exceedingly well in the market would be an understatement. The batting genius currently has more than 16 brands in his kitty including some big names like 'Canon', 'Future Group', 'Toshiba' to list a few.

 Not only Sachin, all popular cricketers have , at some point of time, had a host of brands in their bag and  struck lucrative deals.
Virat Kohli, the latest sensation, for example, has signed quite a few brands to his name in a very short span of time.'Fastrack', 'Flying Machine', 'Toyota' have all trusted Virat and are banking on him and his fan appeal for years to come. 
Ironically, our cricketers are much more than just a salesman. Salesmen just sell a few products. Our cricketers sell ideas as well, and in some cases even spawn ideas.Remember Sachin, Zaheer and others featuring in an NECC campaign advertisement encouraging people to include eggs as permanent constituent of their daily meals.Again how can we forget the little genius,Sachin Tendulkar, being the Brand ambassador of the 2012 Government Census.

Owing to the great impact these demigods have on the Indian 'junta', they are commercially big properties for the brands they endorse.The amount of money they charge for endorsement is mammoth.Deals in crores lasting a span of few years are a run-of-the mill.
Though with brand values above $15 million in 2012 (Courtesy:Forbes) Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni lead the pack, the rest are not far behind. Players like Gautam Gambhir, Virendar Sehwag are also making money considerably.
As if this wasn't big enough a platform for printing notes, came the IPL. And came along with it a host of sponsors running after the cricketing fraternity for contracts, more contracts and more...Courtesy: BCCI & IPL mastrmind, Lalit Modi
Lalit Modi himself struck gold and later passed the control of the gold mine on to the BCCI before renouncing as chief of the IPL board.
Off late, 'Cricket' has been one of the most lucrative businesses in the country to say the least.
But if such commercialization of the game and the cricketers good or bad for the future of the game is yet to witness.
I wish cricket to prosper even further in the country; or else the only thing, perhaps, that binds the diverse people of this diverse country into oneness, with a thin thread, would be lost and so with it the dream of a united 'One India'.

  Pseudonym : h!v

Sachinism - More Than A Religion

  "The little boy that India fell in love with"

This was the subheading of a newspaper on 24 December, 2012; a day after the the great man decided to hang his boots in the most popular format of the game.

The demigod of cricket, with more than Godlike perfection; a master of his own class; the superhero of many mere mortals, like me - certainly something more than human.
Those square cuts buzzing past point, those cover drives sailing through the outfields and those bowler back straight drives are only a few of a litany of his trademark shots.

Sachin is someone who knows the art of executing an innings with the precision of a surgeon's knife.
Add to it; his capability to play shots all across the ground, his determination to compete in the toughest of conditions, his openness to accept defeat and learn from each one of it, his ever growing appetite for runs, and his commitment to a million fans across the world.

Sachin has arguably been the best ODI batsmen the world has ever seen.
The guy has so many achievements under his belt that to find just one reason to follow him, and in some cases to even love him, is more difficult a job than getting him plumb off the pads in front of middle and leg off a ball that was a 'beauty'.
But more than anything else, I admire him for his dedication, hard-work and perseverance - An unmatched commitment to the game. Sachin as a school boy went on to play matches for his team back-to-back for 55 days! He would practice for 2 hours daily in addition to his games, only have dinner at night and sleep on the dining table itself, only to wake up as an improved batsman the next morning. Such was his devotion that he used to skip meals to play cricket and practise it to perfection. His mammoth partnerships with Vinod Kambli, his school pal, for Sharda Ashram Vidyamandir are themselves testimony to the greatness of the duo.

Young Sachin ready to destroy the bowling attack

But like they say:"No great man has ever tasted the sweetness of success, before hit on face by failure."
Sachin was out for a duck in his debut match against Pakistan in 1989.
At the tender age of 16 years and some days, may be the little boy got too intimidated and nervous to showcase his class and was out for a duck. But it didn't take him long, before he could show that he was truly a master class.Though his first ODI century came a little later than expected, he never looked back ever since then and went on to pile a huge total of runs in ODIs.
And then a streak of some scintillating performances followed.Centuries after centuries were scored against the top bowlers of the world as if it was a child's play. Soon Tendulkar was beatified as one of the greatest in world cricket already.

Sachin proves his mettle yet again - The 200 moment

In his path to excellence, Sachin had set such high standards for himself and for world cricket that it was almost impossible for him to look out for any cricketer, living or dead, as an inspiration or idol. The batting maestro had surpassed almost every major batting record ever created by any great batsmen.He competed against himself and raised the benchmark to gauge the greatness of the greats every time with some unprecedented, beautifully crafted knocks.
Sachin at the Captain Roopsingh stadium at Gwalior, which happens to be my hometown, scored an unbeaten double century in ODIs.A feat that was unachieved by any cricketer before.
I still remember a tweet when Virendar Sehwag scored a double century in ODIs soon after Sachin and recreated history.The tweet was an ultimate arrangement of words to hint the love and respect people have for Sachin

"Virendar Sehwag becomes the first man to score a double hundred in One Day International.The previous one was by 'God'."

Such was his greatness that people considered him no lesser than God Himself.
I have truly worshiped him as a child and even today.His class, dedication , commitment and the down to earth humility make him the greatest of all legends in world cricket.
However it was really sad to witness the way he was made to exit the ODI format of the game to which he had contributed so much.Probably no organization or cricket association was big enough for having the honor to honor the great man himself.
But truly it was the end of an era for cricket, and the cricket community felt orphan the day 'GOD' announced retirement.

The world loses its ODI Maestro, Take a bow, Sachin Tendulkar!!!

See this Video  - A proof to Why we call Him the God of Cricket!!!

Pseudonym : h!v