Ah! Finally, the moment arrived. 368 days is what it took. But finally, Sachin Tendulkar has completed a century of centuries. Yes, it came at Mirpur against Bangladesh in a losing cause. It may not be the best possible setting for such an achievement like this, but nevertheless, history will remember this one of the greatest sporting achievements ever. This achievement is so monumental that I cannot even imagine how one feels after achieving this feat. I would like to imagine that Tendulkar would have felt, nothing more than relief after the hundred. Sachin himself had admitted that this hundred was getting too much into his head. Everywhere he went, people were asking about the hundredth hundred. This particular hundred became a national obsession. Every time he went passes the 30s, it was almost like the countdown had begun.
Apart from Sir Don, probably no other cricketer in the history has ever been as venerated as Sachin Tendulkar. For many, he has been the very reason to watch the game. Probably, no other player has ever been loved more than Sachin. In an era where the Indian team even failed to give a fight, Sachin was annihilating opposition bowlers. Sachin was the sole harbinger of a smile for almost the entire cricket loving community of India for more than a decade. Naturally, India fell in love with Sachin. People flocked into stadiums not watch India win, but to see Sachin bat. Sachin's success was celebrated by the fans as their own personal success and they mourned when he failed. For instance, in 1999 at Eden Gardens, when India played a Test Match against Pakistan, Tendulkar was adjudged run-out in a controversial manner. The Eden crowd went berserk. Things went so much out of control that Sachin himself had to come back from the dressing room, to calm the delirious crowd and ensure that the game could resume. Whatever may be the situation of the game, if Sachin batted it meant that crowd would keep watching the game. Once he got out, a great section would leave the stadiums or switch off the television sets.
Having this kind of fan following is great. But there will always be the another side to it. The same fan who buoys you up can also weigh you down. When expectations rocket sky high, it can get difficult for the player. Every time, Sachin went out to bat, he must have known that he getting out would mean breaking a million hearts. Coming out to bat in cognizance that so many have come to the stadium just to see you perform is one of the biggest burdens carried by Sachin. But for Sachin more often than not these expectations were a source of inspiration for him to do well. Sachin thrived under the pressure of expectations and has carved one masterpiece over the other.
For once, though, Sachin felt the weight of expectations. For once rather than buoying him up, the fans and the media weighed him down. 'It got very tough mentally' said Sachin. It was evident in the way he batted. The second half of the Australian tour saw a Tendulkar who had probably started to search for this hundred desperately. It seemed he did not want that question about the 100th hundred again. He refused to see the media in Australia because he did not want to be asked about the hundredth hundred. The same fan and the media which had inspired him on so many occasions now had cluttered his mind with thoughts of the hundred. Probably, we fans and the media have to take some part of the blame for the way Sachin started batting and started playing for the special 100.
Now Tendulkar has got the hundredth 100 out of the way. Now, he can go back to the real - Tendulkar which the world knows. Let us not burden him with expectations of achieving landmarks. Let us let him enjoy the game, in the process we can bask in his greatness. It is important to remember that, we fell in love with Sachin- the Artist not Sachin the century machine.
Apart from Sir Don, probably no other cricketer in the history has ever been as venerated as Sachin Tendulkar. For many, he has been the very reason to watch the game. Probably, no other player has ever been loved more than Sachin. In an era where the Indian team even failed to give a fight, Sachin was annihilating opposition bowlers. Sachin was the sole harbinger of a smile for almost the entire cricket loving community of India for more than a decade. Naturally, India fell in love with Sachin. People flocked into stadiums not watch India win, but to see Sachin bat. Sachin's success was celebrated by the fans as their own personal success and they mourned when he failed. For instance, in 1999 at Eden Gardens, when India played a Test Match against Pakistan, Tendulkar was adjudged run-out in a controversial manner. The Eden crowd went berserk. Things went so much out of control that Sachin himself had to come back from the dressing room, to calm the delirious crowd and ensure that the game could resume. Whatever may be the situation of the game, if Sachin batted it meant that crowd would keep watching the game. Once he got out, a great section would leave the stadiums or switch off the television sets.
Having this kind of fan following is great. But there will always be the another side to it. The same fan who buoys you up can also weigh you down. When expectations rocket sky high, it can get difficult for the player. Every time, Sachin went out to bat, he must have known that he getting out would mean breaking a million hearts. Coming out to bat in cognizance that so many have come to the stadium just to see you perform is one of the biggest burdens carried by Sachin. But for Sachin more often than not these expectations were a source of inspiration for him to do well. Sachin thrived under the pressure of expectations and has carved one masterpiece over the other.
For once, though, Sachin felt the weight of expectations. For once rather than buoying him up, the fans and the media weighed him down. 'It got very tough mentally' said Sachin. It was evident in the way he batted. The second half of the Australian tour saw a Tendulkar who had probably started to search for this hundred desperately. It seemed he did not want that question about the 100th hundred again. He refused to see the media in Australia because he did not want to be asked about the hundredth hundred. The same fan and the media which had inspired him on so many occasions now had cluttered his mind with thoughts of the hundred. Probably, we fans and the media have to take some part of the blame for the way Sachin started batting and started playing for the special 100.
Now Tendulkar has got the hundredth 100 out of the way. Now, he can go back to the real - Tendulkar which the world knows. Let us not burden him with expectations of achieving landmarks. Let us let him enjoy the game, in the process we can bask in his greatness. It is important to remember that, we fell in love with Sachin- the Artist not Sachin the century machine.
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