The Journey from Good to Great..

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Almost 21 years of top level cricket and counting at the age of 37. Shy yet confident young boy made his debut 21 years back and is still going strong. A stylish schoolboy with loads of curly hair then, a stylish little man with funky hair-do now. Prodigy then, genius now. No prizes for guessing whom I’m talking about. It is indeed the master blaster, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

Though I haven’t witnessed the early days of the little genius I know for a matter of fact that he was a gifted talent. At the age of 17, it’s not easy to stay focused in spite of all the adulation, money and fame. I’m not even as old as the number of years the big daddy has given to cricket. So it wouldn’t be fair for me to talk much about the great man. The dignity and humility with which he walks out to bat is evident even today. No doubt he has got exquisite timing and perfect placement but the youngsters today have to take notice of the hard work the man puts in before every match he plays.

Sachin Tendulkar is such an inspiration to the entire nation. He is a jovial and fun loving person. He usually hangs out with the young brigade of the team. He loves his clothes, food, music and his love for cars is well known. He has done the world of good to cricket in India and elsewhere. A living legend according to experts, master blaster and the God of cricket to all his fans, Sach to his friends and Grandpa to the young members of Indian team. Dedication, determination, simplicity, humility, will power, confidence, dignity, all of these traits suit the man perfectly. Well, it’s so true that ‘Sachin Tendulkar’ is the vastest topic to write on. Even after writing a 500-page book on him you would realize you haven’t covered even half of what he has achieved over the years. Such is the legacy of the man.

The whole world watches cricket to watch Sachin bat. The sheer contentment and delight you derive after watching him play is incredible.

When bat proved mightier than gun..

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Karim Sadiq, Afghanistan opener said about his team, “Having survived in refugee camps and fought for food and clothes all their life, they are not used to defeat”. Yeah, that’s the spirit team Afghanistan carries with it. It is amazing how a country like Afghanistan can pick up bat instead of guns.

I was awestruck when I first heard the news that Afghanistan had made it to the World T20. No doubt they are a tough bunch and they want to get counted on such a big platform. They aren’t in West Indies for nothing. They have proved it in the recent past that they deserve to be there and that nothing is impossible. A year ago nobody in their wildest of dreams thought of Afghanistan being a part of this elite group. Here they are to make their country proud. It’s a dream come true for players from Afghanistan to be playing against the world’s best cricketers. No one is expecting them to win the tournament here but the very fact that they made it till here should be motivation enough for them. Team Afghanistan is an inspiring story for other upcoming countries. There are a lot of youngsters in the team and they need to be nurtured well. As a team they didn’t look great in their series opener against India. But then they will certainly improve with proper coaching and exposure.

You simply can’t produce top class cricketers with not a single turf cricket in the entire country. It’s good news that the International Cricket Council and the Asian Cricket Council are providing grants to cricket in Afghanistan for better infrastructure. They need to set themselves better standards and keep their feet on the ground. Once that happens they will be a better side. I still can’t believe there’s a cricket team from Afghanistan. They have done a commendable job till now. They need to get better. It sounds like a fairy tale to me. But I’m glad it’s real. I’ve always endorsed T20 cricket for only one reason that it globalizes the sport. Here’s a live example for it. Hope cricket brings some solace to the war-tone nation.

Cricket loses a Legend

The former umpire David Shepherd is no more with us. He passed away after a long battle with cancer. He was an umpire of the highest order. He was a character and no wonder everyone liked his company. The players, the spectators, his colleagues and just everyone loved him for his good sense of humor. His hopping act is one thing that none of us can forget. He used to stand one-legged when the score was on 111 considering it an unlucky number for the batting side. ‘Shep’ as he was dearly known, stood for 92 tests and 172 ODIs before he retired in 2005. He made his first appearance in the International arena during The Ashes test match in 1985 along with Dickie Bird.

David Shepherd was very much attached to his hometown Devon and he is rightly called “dyed-in the-wool Devonian”. We surely miss him and cherish those light moments on the field when that cute man won thousands of hearts standing one-legged.