Happy Birthday GOD ...

Today is the day I usually celebrate, not by partying out, but by talking non-stop about my idol "Sir Sachin Tendulkar", today is the 36th birthday of my role model and I am blessed to have born in an era where Tendulkar lived and played cricket. We have not seen the greats of Sir Don Bradman, so I cannot appreciate much about that genius, but I have grown seeing this magician playing the game, and I am still mesmerized by the way he conducts himself ...

I still remember the day when a small kid of age 16, with a hair style which resembled today's "Havells" advertisement (Shock laga laga Shock laga) walking into the field with a "POWER" logo bat, swinging and twisting his shoulder's and jogged into the cricket field, just to play 1 ball and had no clue about that in-swinger from Waquar Younis which shattered his stumps, there goes that kid with a dejected face and not knowing how to react on a 1st ball duck, I commented to my dad saying, "I don't know why the selectors are taking such poor cricketers", shit man, how on earth I can utter such a word on my role model. The same series, the same kid, walked into the cricket field with the same swinging actions, and I was sure that he will have no clue of what the leggie "Abdul Quadir" is going to bowl, but it happened the other way around, "Quadir" had no clue of what Sachin was doing, 6 balls, 22 runs, 3 sixes and a 4, that too the 3rd six was an alarm to the cricketing world saying that "A genius has arrived". That six was swept through the deep mid-off by exposing all the 3 stumps to a bowler who turns the ball from leg to hit your off, Quadir reacted to that shot with a "Clap" and a pat on Sachin's shoulder when he concluded his over. That is Sachin ...

How many series and how many matches we INDIAN's have depended on this "One-Man Army" ?? And whenever he fails we are the one to criticize him and whenever he flares we are the ones who praise him, but he never took both reactions to his mind, he just ignored it and let his bat do the talking. Ian Botham in an interview to BBC said, he just cannot forget the straight six Sachin hit during the 1991 series in Trinidad, he said, that was a full length yorker at a decent pace, but Sachin walked to his off and butchered that ball towards "Deep Mid-on" and I came back to my dressing room, went straight to the control room and asked them to play that shot, I should say, I was flattered and I quoted to "Gooch" who was the captain of England saying "Hey, have your watched don play cricket ? Don worry, another don is in the making ..." That is Sachin ...

My all time favorite is (next to Sachin) Sir Viv Richards (Mr Cool) was once watching a county match in England, by then Sachin was probably 10 matches old, there walked into the cricket field our little master who played for North Hampshire, a fellow old cricketer "Michel Holding" who was sitting next to Viv Richards told him "I would say, this little kid is no different from you apart from the fact that he is "Fair Skinned"" Richards just don’t want to believe that, in turn returned Holding his usual smile. The match started and Sachin blasted the "Essex" bowlers to all parts of the ground, there was one bowler who constantly nagged him with some "provoking" comments while he bowled at him, Sachin did not bother to respond to him with words, instead he blasted 4 consecutive sixes and finally he made that bowler to get his autograph too. After the match Sir Viv Richards said "Holdie .. I think you are right for the first time in your life" .... That is Sachin ...

I know I have to face this day in my life which is inevitable, but I don't know if I have that guts to face that day. I am talking about the day when Sachin retires from cricket. I am for sure is going to cry buckets, but I am not mentally prepared to digest that day. I have made up my mind to go to whichever part of the world Sachin plays his last game, even if it is going to cost me a fortune, but that is all worth every penny. Even if Sachin gets out on a "Golden Duck" I am happy. I can visualize the scene now "Billions and Billions of people will give him a standing ovation, not only in the ground but also in front of ever TV sets, the opponent team will give that little master a final good bye and our INDIAN team mates will form a path but holding the "Cross Bats" in air and Sachin will waive his hands to the folks in the ground, he would kiss his bat, kiss his ground, and his eyes will also be wet". People like me will simply be struck by a thunder and we will not have anything to say other than tears ... tears ... and tears ... On that day, an ERA will be coming to an end, and I am skeptic to see another genius to fill in that vacuum for a long long time. GOD give me the strength and courage to face that day in my life. That is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar ... GOD BLESS YOU SACHIN, I AM PROUD THAT I LIVED IN THIS WORLD WHEN YOU LIVED ...