What do I say? Where do I start? Let me begin by talking about myself. I have always been interested in sports right from my childhood. Cricket, Table Tennis, Basketball, Volleyball, Tennis…just a few of the sports that I have tried my hand at. I was not very good at most of these sports and you could say that I was average in a few and a bit more than average at a few others. But that did not stop me from grabbing every opportunity that I got to play a sport, be it at the school, in college or even later in life.
The adrenaline rush that one gets on scoring a point, hitting a run, smashing across the court cannot be written and can only be experienced. And then comes the high of a victory which cannot be guaranteed every day, especially if you are not very good at the sport, but whenever it comes, it brings emotions of elation and achievement.
Long back, I had realized that any individual who reaches a certain level in any sport has gone through lot of discipline, practice, training, sacrifices, sweat and persistence. For me, this realization is enough to give respect to every sportsman. And when a sportsperson reaches a stage where he is playing for the nation, it is clear to me that he/she deserves great admiration and respect for where they have reached and I have no authority to question or critique their game unless and until I have reached a similar stage. I cannot be an armchair critic. Period. I would rather celebrate the joy of sport than to question someone’s talent.
A sport is a sport and every sport brings with it a certain amount of happiness, pain, climax and disappointment. Who am I then to judge whether someone who enjoys watching hockey is not cool or someone watching football is cool. It is a choice they have made and we should not be questioning their choice.
The problem is that not everyone understands what I said above. And if the sport happens to be as widely followed as cricket, then you can expect to have experts all around you. Comments like “He should have let go of that ball”, “What is he doing? Does he not know the run rate needed?”, “What is wrong with Dhoni. Why is he handing the ball to Ishant?” are heard quite frequently. When these statements come on the spur of the moment, one can understand the emotion behind it, knowing well that there is no serious intent behind such questions.
Now if the sport happens to be cricket and the man in question tends to be Sachin Tendulkar, then you can expect people of all hues and age to have an opinion on him. Everything from his shot selection, his ability to win matches, his form and his retirement date gets discussed threadbare and that is what is happening for the last 24 years. Many a times, critics and former cricketers have had to eat humble pie as soon as they made a statement as Sachin would prove them wrong as if he had an epiphany of this and he was waiting for the right moment to silence them.
The mind boggles at the thought of a single person amassing 34,000 runs on the back of a hundred hundreds and 164 half centuries. It is no mean feat! Statisticians may question some of his greatness by bringing averages into discussion but life is not only about numbers. It is also about consistency, rigour, temperament, values and much more. If one were to put the lens of perspective, then one will also realize that no other cricketer has faced the pressure and burden of 1.2 billion people or the entire nation the way Sachin has. To go out there in the middle, with such loud noise all around you, knowing well that a few bad innings could lead to people baying for your blood and despite knowing all this and yet go ahead and deliver for 24 consistent years requires the determination and skill of someone special.
Playing 200 Tests, 463 ODIs and 310 First Class matches mean that one has been on the road for atleast 1750 days, which means that 5 years of one’s life has been spent on the field. This is without counting the days spent on practice or the days spent for IPL. How many of us can think of staying away from family for so long just to pursue our passion?
With another sublime innings of 74 runs that Sachin Tendulkar played in his 200th test to bring joy to the nation, one thought that one had seen it all till the time he took that final walk back to the pavilion in the middle of the Guest of Honour given by his team mates. The entire nation had a heavy heart on witnessing that scene.
But it was not over as yet. The best was yet to come. He spoke and he spoke with the purest of heart, giving the world a glimpse into his soul and bringing a lump to the throat of millions across the country. His farewell speech can be counted as one of the most genuine and heart-felt farewell speeches given by anyone. To acknowledge almost everyone and recounting incidents from the past just shows the humility of the giant. He bound the nation with his words and left them all teary-eyed. Every heart was booming with the words ‘Sachin Sachin’ even though the eyes were moist.
Sachin is a legend and we are proud to have lived in the same era as him.
He batted. We prayed. He scored. We rejoiced. He lost. We lost. He won. We won. He cried. We cried. #ThankYouSachin
Here is the video of Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell speech:
Given below is the text of Sachin’s farewell speech:
Friends please settle down, I'll get more emotional! It's hard to believe my wonderful journey is coming to an end. I've a list of names to thank. The first is my father, who passed away in 1999. Without his guidance I wouldn't be standing in front of you. he said 'chase your dreams, don't give up, the path will be difficult.' I miss him today. My mom, I don't know how she managed a naughty child like me. She just prayed and prayed from the day I started playing the game. For four years I stayed with my uncle and aunt when in school, they treated me like their own son.
My eldest brother Nitin doesn't like to talk ,much but he said, whatever you do, I know you will give 100%. My first cricket bat was presented to me by my sister Savita. She still continues to fast while I bat. Ajit
my brother - We have lived this dream together, he sacrificed his career for me, he took me to Achrekar sir first. Even last night he called me to discuss my dismissal. Even when I'm not playing we will still be discussing technique. If that hadn't happened, I would have been a lesser cricketer.
"The most beautiful thing happened to me when I met Anjali in 1990. I know that being a doctor there was a big career in front of her. But she decides that I should continue playing and she took care of the children. Thanks for bearing with me for all the nonsense I've said (Anjali wipes tears). Then the two precious diamonds of my life Sara and Arjun. I've missed out on several birthdays, holidays. I know for 14-16 years I've not spent enough time with you. But I promise you I will spend the next 16.
"My inlaws - I've discussed several things with them. The most important thing they did was allow me to marry Anjali. In the last 24 years my friends have made terrific contributions. They have been with me while I was stressed. They have been with me even at 3am when I was injured. Thanks for being there for me.
"My career started when I was 11. I was extremely delighted to see Achrekar sir in the stands. I used to ride on his scooter and play two matches a day. Sir took me along to make sure I played. On a lighter note, Sir never said 'well played' because he didn't want me to be complacent. You can push your luck now, Sir,
since I'm not playing cricker anymore.
"I started my career here in Mumbai. I remember landing from NZ at 4am and playing a Ranji game the next day. The BCCI was fantastic from my debut. Thanks to the selectors. You were right with me making sure my treatment was taken care of.
"Thanks to all the senior cricketers who have played with me. We see on the screen Rahul, VVS, Sourav, Anil who is not here. All the coaches. I know when MS presented the 200th Test cap, I had a message to the team - I said we are all so proud to be representing the nation. I hope to continue to serve the nation with
dignity. I have full faith that you will serve the country in the right spirit.
I will be failing in my duty if I didn't thank the doctors who have kept me fit. Given the injuries I have suffered. They have treated me in odd hours.
My dear friend the late Mark Mascarenhas. I miss him. My current management team WSG, for continuing what Mark has done. Someone who has worked closely with me for 14 years is my friend Vinay Nayudu.
"The media has backed me a lot, since my school days. Even today. Thank you. Thanks to the photographers for capturing those moments. "I know my speech has become long. I want to thank people who have flown in from different parts of the world. I want to thank my fans from the bottom of my heart. "Sachin, Sachin" will reverberate in my years till I stop breathing."
(Followed by loud cheers)
