The early eighties were probably
the watershed years for Indian cricket. The young hurricane from Haryana had
led the country to the first ever world cup victory over mighty West Indies.
Some say that it was a fluke… a beautiful coincidence, perhaps! Or so it was
proved by the thrashing from Clive’s eleven in a home series immediately after
the Prudential Cup was paraded and then placed on a mantle post the
ceremonies. Fluke or deserving, but that
victory created a brand new breed of followers of the game in India. The world
championship series win in Australia following that only added the fuel to the
fire as the enthusiasts signed up at a record pace. There was an
audience being created… a huge audience… which discovered the joy of watching
the game of cricket - demanding their team to do well. Purely in economic theory terms, the demand
was rising yet the supply of winning moments was only diminishing. The
stalwarts of the Indian cricket… the Gavaskars, Vengsarkars, Srikants and Amarnaths were
reaching the end of their career. Regardless of this, the size of the market and
demand of cricketing glory continued to grow and the gap between demand and supply
continued to get wider.
There were signs and surely the
angels covering the game must have noticed this well in advance, because they
had already got into action. The harvests in the grounds of Shivaji Park and Azad Maidan had provided
best crop of cricketing talent in the past. The chosen one had arrived on the
same fields and was now in his teens, thrashing bowlers and records already.
Riding pillion with his coach and mentor, he was moving from ground to ground,
announcing himself to the world. He was to be called and he was called at the
age of 16 years and 205 days… to don the India cap and start his career from arguably the most hostile terrain in the whole world for an Indian cricketer.
The year was 1989 and the world of cricket changed after that. For
next 24 years, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar ruled the hearts and minds of the ever
growing lovers of game both in India and abroad.
Twenty four years is a lot of
time in which a lot can happen… and lot did happen. The stocks of the game rose
to dizzying heights. Almost as if it was the part of the some script,
liberalization and opening up of media in early 90s came with immaculate
timing. Viewership, sponsorship, advertisement, contracts - the world was
converging to Sachin’s brand of cricket. People thronged to see their favourite, the
son of the soil bat and Sachin didn’t disappoint them. He seemed to have bought
the ownership rights of those 22 yards that matter on cricket grounds across the world
and he was serving delectably sumptuous portions which left his admirers with filled
stomachs yet craving for more. On the way records were shattered, unprecedented heights were claimed. A short boy with
curly hair from Mumbai, had become the God of Cricket. The cricket was shining
and the angels were smiling on a job well done! It was working as a dream till the time came for the God to retire...
But Gods do not retire… so how
could the God of cricket announce his retirement?
The truth had to come out in
open. On that fateful afternoon on 16th November, 2013 it was none
other than Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - the chosen one, who revealed in his speech
the fact that his success was a conspiracy. Conspiracy? Yes, ladies and
gentlemen. The greatness of the level that Sachin Tendulkar achieved does not
happen in isolation. It takes entire universe to conspire to make it happen. And
in a manner which he spilled the beans, brought lumps in the throats and tears
in the eyes of those who saw and heard the truth come out. Only that this time,
the lumps and tears were of joy! (Full
text of Sachin Tendulkar's farewell speech at Wankhede stadium).
One of the very first co-conspirators was
Ramesh Tendulkar, his father. Most of us who are of same age group as Sachin
would recall that during that period in mid eighties, there were indeed very
few fathers who would have given their child ‘freedom’ to go and chase their
dreams. Probably a teacher and a writer could have been the only one to take
that call and instill the values that shaped his demeanor on and off the field
and ultimately made him what he became to the people across the world. Second
one on Sachin’s list on his speech was his mother. A mother, who prayed for him,
took care of his well being and made sacrifices throughout his career. Was it
then, only a coincidence that Sachin had to be born to parents like that?
He mentioned his three siblings –
three more co-conspirators. His eldest brother, Nitin and his sister Savita and
their families, who believed in him right from the beginning and were at his
side throughout the ups and downs. In fact it was his sister Savita, who
presented him with his first Kashmir Willow cricket bat. Then it was Ajit, his
other brother - the co-dreamer - someone who spotted the spark and took him to
Achrekar Sir… someone who sacrificed his own career and spent his life time
being his guide and mentor on techniques. What would have happened if that kind
of sibling support and care was not made available to him? Well, as per him, he
would have been a ‘lesser cricketer’ without them.
Further in his speech, he brings
out three more co-conspirators. His wife Anjali with whom he had the best
partnership. A paediatrician by profession, who gave up her career to allow him
to continue to give joy and pride to his countrymen. Now, many in support of women equality may
not like this and it just goes on to highlight the invaluable sacrifice
that young woman made so that her husband, who she knew (as told by her in a
interview) belonged first to his cricket, his nation, and then
to her. He spoke about his kids – his two diamonds who were now in their teens
and seem to have grown up almost behind him – the times they would have missed
their father in a school function or when some accolades were bestowed upon
them. His immediate family were conspiring through their sacrifices as well.
He spoke touchingly about his friends,
old ones from his early playing days and the new ones he made over the years.
He thanked them for being there with him 24 x 7, keeping
their own work aside - whether it was to bowl to him in nets, joining him on a
holiday or just to be there when he was surrounded by self doubt. Such friends
are rare and a treasure, was he just plain lucky to have such friends or was
someone had strategized it from heavens?
He spoke respectfully about his
coach and mentor, Achrekar Sir, who is yet to say “well played” to him, only to
ensure that he continues to strive and lift his game, no matter what he has
already achieved. What are the odds for one to find a ‘Guru’, who not only
gives you knowledge, but also keeps that fire in you burning that pushes you to
learn even more than what he can teach you?
He spoke warmly about his
fellow cricketers. He acknowledged his seniors and heroes who inspired him.
Importance of role models in one’s life cannot be undermined. They are the
reason for your first step towards pursuing greatness. Then he spoke about his
team-mates who played alongside him. There was a long time in his initial
career when he carried the weight of the nation’s expectations alone on his shoulders
before Sourav, Rahul, Anil and VVS came by to share the load giving him
opportunity to play his cricket fearlessly. If it wasn’t for these stalwarts,
surely his shoulders would have tired sooner and not provided him space to
achieve the pinnacle that he achieved. He encouragingly mentioned the young
turks who are shaping the continued success of Indian cricket as he reminded
them that they are the best of the best and extremely gifted so as to represent
their country. He stands as a living example to them and many who will join the
game in future, of what comes back to you when you play your game with right
spirit and best of your ability, both on and off the field.
In his humility, he mentioned the
support staff – the doctors, physios and trainers who managed his body for him
and for teaching him how to respect it. You certainly cannot play nonstop at
this level for so many years without this support and knowledge. They were
rightfully the co-conspirators in his success.
He did not forget to mention his
management team and specially his good friends Vinod Naydu and first manager
Mark Mascarenhas. These are the people who would have benefited most from
maximizing the returns from brand Sachin Tendulkar, yet they set aside their
own vested interests to ensure he was left alone when it mattered. The famous
incident when Sachin refused to act in a cola commercial in a way that shows
him to be bigger than the game or his refusal to do any promotion for liquor
and tobacco products despite being offered a fortune, were no short of a nightmare
to manage. Yet they did it with an understanding of the man they were managing
and the weight of expectations that he was carrying. They were the people who
made him financially secure and allowed him to express himself the way he
wanted, both on and off the field.
And then he spoke about the
people he played for – his countrymen and supporters who egged him relentlessly
whenever he came out to play. He thanked them for their unrelenting support for
such a long period. People, who had prayed and fasted, shaved their heads in
support and with courage stood up against any criticism that was unnecessarily
imposed on him. What would be a deity without his devotees?
And finally, after his speech he
walked up to one of the main conspirators, the twenty two yards in the middle
of the cricket ground. He touched it reverently in gratitude. It was his ‘karma-bhoomi’,
which was a teacher, facilitator, witness and a partner all at the same time in
his journey and the success.
Sachin’s final speech moved heart
and minds of all kinds of people – sportsmen, skeptics, fans, followers and
critics alike. The speech was nothing but revelation of the conspiracy that the
universe hatched to bring to the game of cricket the enigma of Sachin
Tendulkar. However he (understandably so) did not mention at all the biggest contributor of this conspiracy. None of it all would have translated into anything if it wasn’t for that one
person called Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
One of the basic laws of physics
is that if there is no action, there will be no reaction. None of this guidance,
support, sacrifices, devotion and friendship would have come to him if he had
not sought for it, if he had not had the burning desire and courage to chase
his dream. While it is a fact that a lot of things had to fall in place in life
of Sachin Tendulkar for him to reach the ultimate heights, it is also true that
most important ingredient in the formula for success (if ever there is a
formula) is the impact of the choices you make in pursuit of success. Credit
completely and deservingly goes to him for making right choices of people, approach and attitude.
As guided by his father, he did not take short cuts and chose to continuously harness
his natural talent through hard work, devotion and discipline.
It is the karmic principle that
your own karma decides the results you get - and if you put everything behind what
you desire, the entire universe conspires to bring it to you!
Thank you, Sachin - for the cricket and teaching the world what it takes to get what you want!
© Varun Khanna
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