‘Padma Vibhushan’ Sachin Tendulkar- A cut above the rest

Pratik Dogra and Saurabh Kapoor

‘One raised finger….can break a million hearts’ goes the tagline of a popular mobile network.No words can describe better the collective emotion a billion people go through, on the rare occasions when their beloved Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar fails to live up to their extravagantly high expectations. Behind the boyish looks and an ever present, yet an endearing smile is the man who has dedicated a major chunk of his life to a sport, bringing cheer to his compatriots and laurels to his country. As the 80s were fading, India was in search of a hero. A young nation, that was taking its nascent steps into the era of globalization but still low on self-belief. What was needed was someone to bolster the nation’s image and reconstruct a sense of reality supernaturally. An Indian hero with an inveterate Indian morality. That’s when Tendulkar emerged, and how. At a tender age of 16, when most his age are taking their first steps into adolescence, Sachin was padding up to face the mighty Pakistan trio of Imran Khan, Waqar Younis and Abdul Qadir, in their own den. As a 19 year old, he smashed a brilliant counter-attacking century in Perth, world’s fastest wicket and announced his arrival at the international stage. By the time he got over his teens, he had the world at his feet. Proclaimed the world’s best batsman ever, who even reminded the great Sir Don Bradman of himself, Sachin represents the new vibrant India. Bold, yet humble, fearless yet modest, successful yet grounded to the roots. A squeaky-clean image, middle class value system and a never say die attitude make him a sweet assassin, just the kind we like. He seeped into our collective consciousness. He showed the world that Indians are no longer content being the nice guys. He taught India how to compete….and more importantly, compete to win. He is our Superman. A man who can do no wrong. Nice and unassuming off the field and our saviour on it. A fierce competitor, yet always a gracious winner. Since then, 17 years have elapsed. Many records have been broken and many new created by him. From being a teen sensation to being a batting mainstay and now a mentor for the youngsters in the team, Sachin has essayed each role to perfection. A once in a generation batsman with 25000+ runs, studded with 80 priceless centuries, the Mumbai magician has left a legacy that has few parallels in modern cricket. He made us love cricket even during the dark days of match-fixing. With a slew of legendary cricketers caught in the net, cricket was at its lowest ebb. But the Brand Sachin remained unaffected. When bad blood it seemed would contaminate the very fabric of Indian dressing room, he inspired respect, united the team. Sachin’s tremendous record attains even more magnanimous proportions, considering the fact that for close to a decade he almost single handedly carried the burden of expectations of a cricket fanatic country. Sachin Tendulkar deserves a Padma Vibhushan for the sheer undiluted joy he has provided to the followers of the game. With the Little Master’s stars showing no signs of fading any time in the near future, one can only imagine the enormity of his achievements by the time he eventually decides to hang his boots. A crowning glory to the great man’s career would be to be a part of the World Cup winning Indian team. That, in his own words, would be the greatest celebration for him. Talent does what it can; genius does what it must. The next World Cup is still 3 years away. The Mumbai Mauler may still have another ace up his sleeve.