Is the Master Fading Away?

Prologue: I must admit this write-up is a bit outdated, but I couldn’t see myself having a blog without this piece on it. This article is a mere reaffirmation of my faith on one of my two Gods.

Once in a while there appears on the horizon, be it in life or sport, an individual who captures the imagination of an entire population. One who seems to saunter on a totally different level. They hog the limelight and grab all the eyeballs and hence, perhaps naturally, every move and comment they make is closely watched, dissected and analyzed. To say that Sachin Tendulkar belongs to this group would be stating the obvious. Ever since he made his debut at the tender age of 16, he has been part of the national consciousness.

From a prodigiously talented teenager, with copybook technique and an almost obsessional urge to dominate bowlers, he transformed himself into a voracious run-gobbler by the mid 1990s. The early part of his career was spent playing audacious shots sprinkled frequently with some unforgettable innings. This was a young Tendulkar, out to make a mark for himself on the cricketing stage. The transition from a swashbuckler to a more mature batsman was smooth and natural. Not that he didn’t dominate; it was just that he realized how vital he was to the team’s prospects. Hence the mid and late 90s saw some of Tendulkar’s most unforgettable innings. And because the change wasn’t that obvious and also the fact that the run-tap kept flowing, the subtle change went practically unnoticed.

Now in the final third of his career, the great man seems to be at crossroads, again. A more subdued avatar has emerged, one who isn’t averse to take a few bowler-barrages in the calmest of manners. The lofted shots are out, well almost, the ordered-from-heaven cover drives have ceased and a propensity to play on the leg-side has increased. He owns a Ferrari but doesn’t score at that pace. The aura among the opposition is intact, the fear perhaps not.

The fact that Tendulkar has been riddled with injuries has made the transition seem almost catastrophic. Reams and reams have been written about his injuries and its impact, with some former greats even going to the extent of prophesizing that Tendulkar is ‘past his prime’. It’s worth wondering what the entire fuss is all about. Yes, the slump which he has suffered has coincided with his injury but then it could well be a minor blip which every sportsman goes through, and there is no reason why he can’t be back to his best. The tennis elbow injury he suffered has been successfully treated upon, and perhaps most importantly, Tendulkar is just 33. How then can anyone prognosticate what the future holds?

The psychological scar that an injury leaves on an athlete’s mind is acceptable to a certain extent. The injury perhaps, may or may not hamper the player’s performance on the field. All this is a matter of conjecture. The manner of response will certainly vary from player to player. Great players aren’t great just because they are supremely talented. As Muhammad Ali once said, ‘champions must have skill and will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.’ A sport in the present era is played more in the mind. Mental strength and toughness is what separates the champion from the also-rans. An ability to adapt to different conditions and produce a response that is both exhilarating and breathtaking at the same instant is what separates Tendulkar from his contemporaries. It would be foolhardy to suggest that Sachin Tendulkar won’t be able to come out of this crisis, if there is one.

In his journey through cricket, Sachin Tendulkar has reached destinations which were hitherto unknown to cricketers. He has scaled new heights, setting new benchmarks for others to emulate. But the journey isn’t finished yet. Greatness he has attained, immortality is what remains.

Like Halley’s Comet, which appears once in 76 years, Tendulkar is a shining star, one like whom there won’t be another. And the thing about great people like him is that just when they are written off, they come back, with vengeance and newfound zeal. It is only in extraordinary circumstances that we realize the true greatness of a truly great individual. Great people require great hurdles, for they won’t be recognized as being great without overcoming supposedly insurmountable odds.

The true extent of Tendulkar’s impact on Indian as well as world cricket can only be gauged when he hangs up his boots. To expect him to stumble and fall go into the sunset of his career without a flourish would be wrong. He will go on his own terms, with his head held high, for this is what champions do, and there is no doubting that he is one.

Epilogue: I guess what Tarun Tejpal wrote in Outlook is absolutely brilliant and deserves a mention here: Much before Sachin commences strapping on his armour, a nation begins to prepare.Across the dispirited homes and listless ofices a strange frisson starts to course. The frisson has a hormonal edge, a near sexual charge. In pulsating minutes a sublime duet will be set in motion, it will play between the puissant boy-emperor and his loyal subjects.