Jeova Sanctus Unus
For a surreal couple of hours, it seemed like late 90s all over again.
The late tuning in into the TV, the brain saying that this was a hopeless cause, but the heart disagreeing because that little man was still around. Everyone else decides to fall like ninepins, but he stands tall, a little tough to literally do for someone who’s not even five and half feet. The Gods being made to work overtime to answer a billion simultaneous prayers but deciding to play a cruel joke nevertheless.
The flick around mid-wicket. The straight-down-the-ground-six. The lash over cover point. The demoralizing pull shot for six. Strokes that if a lesser mortal could hit in the course of one innings, he could happily retire rightaway.
And then, a billion heartbreaks. Yes, definitely late 90s all over again.
Chennai 1999. Rawalpindi 2004. And with an eerily accurate frequency of half a decade, Hyderabad 2009.
Coz when he plays an innings like that, the world is a better place. Coz when he falls short at the doorstep of immortality, time and again, I can only presume it is sheer jealousy on the Gods’ part to not share their elevated existence.
For me, cricket began in November 1989, and it will end when he decides.
Sachin Tendulkar. What a man. What a player. Later generations will grudge mine for being born when we saw him script those fairytales right in front of our eyes, in true flesh and blood, and theirs will have to make do with the ‘classics highlights package’. The envy is all theirs. The privilege is all ours.
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PS: As Cricinfo said (after I penned this blog), “Nobody does solos better than Sachin Tendulkar, except for Brian Lara. Nobody has endured as much heartbreak during those solos, except for Lara. It was India of the 90s all over again. Tendulkar almost chased the 351 on his own. But with the target in sight, Tendulkar got out, and the rest choked, falling short by three runs with two balls still to go. In Chennai in 1998-99, Tendulkar, having played an innings as incredible as this, left the last three wickets 18 to get; tonight he left them 19 off 17. He wanted to be left alone that evening, and will want to be left alone tonight.
With Praveen Kumar hitting a six over long-off and then taking sensible singles, it seemed things would finally change for Tendulkar. With five required off the last three, Praveen - batting with No. 11 Munaf Patel - hit wide of long-off, came back for a second, and was run out by a split frame. Had Praveen dived he would have made it. Had the throw from Nathan Hauritz been even six inches off, Praveen would have made it. What would a heartbreak be if it were not that close?”
The late tuning in into the TV, the brain saying that this was a hopeless cause, but the heart disagreeing because that little man was still around. Everyone else decides to fall like ninepins, but he stands tall, a little tough to literally do for someone who’s not even five and half feet. The Gods being made to work overtime to answer a billion simultaneous prayers but deciding to play a cruel joke nevertheless.
The flick around mid-wicket. The straight-down-the-ground-six. The lash over cover point. The demoralizing pull shot for six. Strokes that if a lesser mortal could hit in the course of one innings, he could happily retire rightaway.
And then, a billion heartbreaks. Yes, definitely late 90s all over again.
Chennai 1999. Rawalpindi 2004. And with an eerily accurate frequency of half a decade, Hyderabad 2009.
Coz when he plays an innings like that, the world is a better place. Coz when he falls short at the doorstep of immortality, time and again, I can only presume it is sheer jealousy on the Gods’ part to not share their elevated existence.
For me, cricket began in November 1989, and it will end when he decides.
Sachin Tendulkar. What a man. What a player. Later generations will grudge mine for being born when we saw him script those fairytales right in front of our eyes, in true flesh and blood, and theirs will have to make do with the ‘classics highlights package’. The envy is all theirs. The privilege is all ours.
--
PS: As Cricinfo said (after I penned this blog), “Nobody does solos better than Sachin Tendulkar, except for Brian Lara. Nobody has endured as much heartbreak during those solos, except for Lara. It was India of the 90s all over again. Tendulkar almost chased the 351 on his own. But with the target in sight, Tendulkar got out, and the rest choked, falling short by three runs with two balls still to go. In Chennai in 1998-99, Tendulkar, having played an innings as incredible as this, left the last three wickets 18 to get; tonight he left them 19 off 17. He wanted to be left alone that evening, and will want to be left alone tonight.
With Praveen Kumar hitting a six over long-off and then taking sensible singles, it seemed things would finally change for Tendulkar. With five required off the last three, Praveen - batting with No. 11 Munaf Patel - hit wide of long-off, came back for a second, and was run out by a split frame. Had Praveen dived he would have made it. Had the throw from Nathan Hauritz been even six inches off, Praveen would have made it. What would a heartbreak be if it were not that close?”
posted by Anshuman at 12:29 AM
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