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Sachin Tendulkar is still one of game’s biggest draws. Ishant Sharma and Ajantha Mendis may take our fancy for a season or two, but it’s been two decades since Tendulkar first caught our fancy and refused to let it go. We have been in thrall ever since.
The uniformity of his hold has been matched by the consistency of his behaviour. He is still measured in public, never a hair out of place, never a whiff of a scandal filling our nostrils. It’s been an unending story with more highs than lows; every season beckoning more records and the speculation if this is finally going to be his last.
So it’s been now with Team India in Sri Lanka. No other member of the team has as much been speculated upon as Tendulkar.
At the time of writing this, he is 172 runs shy of overtaking Brian Lara as the game’s biggest run-maker ever and by next month he would have played his 150th Test. Only two, Steve Waugh (168) and Allan Border (156) have been in this rarified zone.
Obviously, Tendulkar’s career is drawing to a close. There is a generational shift; the instant hype of Twenty20 cricket – where the Little Master isn’t as hot – means he isn’t privileged anymore.
He can be critically scrutinised and asked by selectors to undergo a fitness test as he was required to do before this tour to Sri Lanka.
Tendulkar is aware of this brewing storm. He knows people expect him to make this big announcement any day for one-dayers at least. They see his reluctance as doggedness lacking common sense. They wonder what still goads him on for he has money, runs and loads of good fortune.
Any overstay could lead to chinks in his iconic status. With additional demands of leading the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League over the next two seasons, he has his hands full. Still, there’s no word.
Sure, there is yet no drop in his interest in the game. Even when out of the team, he kept calling the India coach Gary Kirsten with his tips on the team’s composition.
For instance, his word had a great bearing on Suresh Raina’s resurrection as an international batsman. Tendulkar first brought the subject with the team management in Australia, arguing that a left-hander at No 3 is usually a success.
“Most international bowlers are right-arm pacers and don’t like bowling to left-handers. Besides, Raina bats with authority and must have the No 3 spot to himself for a while. Not only in one-dayers but also in Tests, Raina has a great future,” he insisted. It paved the way for Raina’s exploits at the Asia Cup.
There were many instances in Australia when Tendulkar would seek out a Robin Uthappa, Rohit Sharma and Manoj Tewari and help their technique. Yuvraj was asked to bowl in order to get over his batting blues. The reason being that by bowling, he would have an exact idea about the inherent bounce in the Australian tracks.
At no stage in the past few years has Tendulkar shown withdrawal symptoms. Chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar said the other day that he is amazed by the obsession of Tendulkar. “Even in the dressing room, he keeps knocking tennis balls. I asked him – doesn’t he feel bored with batting? He just laughed it off.”
His compulsion for the game of course leads to some uncharitable remarks. “But for cricket, you would struggle to spend five minutes with him,” a team-mate remarked recently.
But that could be because he knows the pitfalls of acting friendly. He knows how important it is for a man in his position to be politically correct. He is humble yet completely aware of his status in the Indian social milieu.Says legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar: “Sachin is one person who is easygoing yet it would be a folly to believe that he is unaware of his position.
The only other person I can recall with such awareness of his status and still be so friendly would be Shahrukh Khan.”
The missing records
As the world struggles to understand Tendulkar’s motives for carrying on, a few pointers could offer help. He is yet to cross 300 runs in Tests, which he must be coveting, considering his clone Virender Sehwag has two.
West Indian legend Brian Lara with whom he has been so often compared, also has two such scores including the magnificent unbeaten knock of 400.
It would hardly be any comfort to know that of all the seven batsmen, but for Lara, who have breached the 10,000 run barrier in Tests, no one has a triple century to his name.
Neither Allan Border nor Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid or Tendulkar himself have touched the magical figure.
So far, 19 batsmen in world cricket have made 300 runs or more in a knock. On the Indian subcontinent the honour has gone to Hanif Mohammad, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Virender Sehwag and Sanath Jayasuriya alone.
The sting of not having won many matches for India, or drawn games hanging in the balance, also hurts. Tendulkar has been quick to defend his position on this charge, which has surely been a blight on an otherwise magnificent career.
That’s why there was such a joy when his 90-plus in the tri-series finals in Australia last season helped the team claim a rare trophy.
Whether Tendulkar seeks corrective measures or sets out for unachieved goals, it still is fair to say that the great man is flirting with disaster in the autumn of his career. He is not a relic from the past nor should he look like one in the next few months.
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