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Spocial Revolution: Why Sachin Tendulkar's Retirement Was Such A Big Deal

Sachin Tendulkar's retirement from cricket in 2013 was a momentous occasion for India. He had played for 24 years and came to symbolize India's rising success and confidence on the world stage. Tendulkar was idolized as the first sports hero for generations of Indians. His farewell match left even hardened journalists in tears. More than just his prolific run scoring, Tendulkar inspired many young Indians to take up cricket and embodied sportsmanship through an absence of malice on and off the field.

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Akhilesh Kumar Mishra
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85 views

Spocial Revolution: Why Sachin Tendulkar's Retirement Was Such A Big Deal

Sachin Tendulkar's retirement from cricket in 2013 was a momentous occasion for India. He had played for 24 years and came to symbolize India's rising success and confidence on the world stage. Tendulkar was idolized as the first sports hero for generations of Indians. His farewell match left even hardened journalists in tears. More than just his prolific run scoring, Tendulkar inspired many young Indians to take up cricket and embodied sportsmanship through an absence of malice on and off the field.

Uploaded by

Akhilesh Kumar Mishra
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Spocial Revolution: Why Sachin

Tendulkar's retirement was such a big


deal
A fan tries to explain why Tendulkars retirement was the biggest bidaai ceremony of India.
Pic

alister66
7
|
Flickr

As an 11-year old, I remember watching Sachin bat like a monk on an overcast Melbourne morning
as a nervous country was praying for the release of hostages in IC-814. Memories of my
10th standard board exams remind me of the knock in World Cup 2003 in which he flayed Pakistan.
In looking back at my own life, I realized that many events were tied to different milestones in
Tendulkars career. In a nation known for lavish weddings, the batsmans retirement was the most
extravagant bidaai (farewell) ceremony.
But just when one thought that the chants and hashtags had died down, out came the Taliban trying
to piggyback on the name of Sachin Tendulkar. If it is still not obvious, the batsmans retirement was
the biggest thing to happen this year, at least going by media coverage. Newspapers brought out
entire supplements while stamps, temples, stands, and clubs were named after him. And this doesnt
include the bar of soap, gold coin and a Madame Tussauds statue that were made earlier.
The disproportionate attention showered on him proved that the man was like a massive magnetic
field which distorted everything around it. To explain it the way Navjot Sidhu would, he is the only
cricketer who could come to your marriage and make the attendees forget about it.

Pic

VikasDN
| Flickr

Tendulkar never asked for any of it though. For the most part of his 24-year career, he was silent to
the point of being called boring. A small man with a boyish voice, he didnt sport tattoos, date
supermodels, or sledge anyone on the field in a show of aggression. Most unbiased observers of
cricket will admit that this country has produced cricketers with comparable achievements.
His farewell speech and act of touching the pitch had left even hard-boiled journalists teary eyed, as
though they had all unexpectedly lost someone close in their lives. Yet, there was nothing
unexpected about this and most of those emotional millions had never come within touching distance
of the batsman. The answer to this lay beyond cricket and in Indias history.

A different India
It was a different world when Sachin made his debut in 1989. Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister
of a socialist country, Amitabh Bachchan was still playing the angry young man, Pakistan was a
peaceful place with a per capita income 50% better than India, and an Apple computer had a
maximum RAM of 9 MB.
To use a metaphor, India in 1989 was a like a shy, clumsy girl hiding behind oversized clothes and
braces. And in Tendulkar, it found the first love of its life. For a country deprived of heroes in sports,
Sachin seemed like the familiar banyan tree a generation of kids grew up with. The India of 2013 is
charming the world and stamping its authority around the globe. It is a confident, young woman
wearing her emotions on her sleeve, demanding what she wants, and accepting of her flaws.

Pic

BMW
Guggen
heim
Lab
|
Flickr

The statistics bear it out, in case one is wondering if it is mere sentiment on display. As per the 2011
census, nearly two-thirds of our population is under the age of 35. In other words, the vast majority
of this country hasnt seen a cricket team without Sachin in it. An entire generation grew up asking,
Sachin ne kitna banaya? (How much did Sachin score?)
Besides, how many of us would have known about Dhyan Chand had it not been in our English
textbooks? How many cricket fans have bothered to look up old footage of Sunil Gavaskar on
YouTube?

Absence of malice
However, there is more to the man than just nostalgia. As Michael Jeh pointed out, the only thing
more amazing than his batting records was an absence of malice. In an adrenalin-soaked workplace
of chanting fans and taunting opponents, it is too easy to rub people the wrong way. After all, it was
around a week ago in the ongoing Ashes series that the captain of a team threatened to break the
arm of a player from the opposition. Contrast this with the careers of most other people. How many
of us can leave our quieter workplaces without making a few avoidable acquaintances?
To say that his career immensely contributed to the development of sports in India would be
premature, if not exaggerated. Yet, many will say that Sachin inspired them to pick up the bat, and
dream that they could play for India.

A heart-warming tale
The most heart-warming of the recent #Sachin stories is that of 14-year old Abhimanyu who got a
chance to bowl to him in a packed stadium, when most others wouldnt have given him a chance.
In a widely-shared Facebook post, the father of the teenagers friend narrates how his son and
Abhimanyu were spotted at a training camp in 2003 by Sachin.

He (Sachin) beckoned to Abhi to bowl to him at the nets and appreciated his bowling. The matter
did not end there. Sachin liked Abhis talent so much, he asked him whether he would be willing to
play at a benefit match. Sachin arranged everything, including air fare for Abhi, to go to Hyderabad
for the match.
So here was this fourteen year old boy, running in to bowl to Sachin Tendulkar! As he began his
stride, Sachin beckoned to him to stop. He turned to the crowd and asked them whether they would
cheer this young bowler. The crowd stood up and began cheering.
At the end of the over, Sachin came over, patted Abhi on his back for his sterling effort and turned
to the crowd, asking them to cheer again. Abhi got a standing ovation as he walked back to his
fielding position.
And in the last paragraph, the author tells why Sachin was more than just a great batsman.
I will never forget the newspaper photos the next day, showing the crowd on its feet, behind the
bowlers arm, as a fourteen year old boy came in to bowl to the worlds best batsman. Oh, did I
forget to mention one thing? Abhi has one arm.
Pic

vijay_ch
ennupati
| Flickr

Tendulkar ne kitna banaya?


At a time when most Indians dont have the time to watch Test matches, Sachin still attracted
crowds. Entire stadiums filled up just to catch a glimpse of the man, never mind that age had slowed
down his reflexes and he was well past his peak.
In coming days, the feats that made a nation gasp will become commonplace. Already, a few people
have been identified as his successors who might make us happy just the way Tendulkar. But it

wont be the first love, and thus nothing as heady or memorable. Besides, nothing will quite sound
the same as, Tendulkar ne kitna banaya?
This story is a part of the Spocial Revolution series, a collaboration with SportsKeeda featuring
stories of sports as an instrument towards social change and voices from the community on sports as
a choice in sustainability.
Have a story of how sports changed your life or someone elses? Write to
[email protected]

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