God Bless. . . God!

Sachin Tendulkar scored his hundredth international century against Bangladesh on 16 – 03 – 2012.

To quote Sanjay Manjrekar, ' Far too many extraordinary factors have to come together for this feat to be replicated.’
Sachin would still be Sachin even had he not scored his 100^th  ton.
His muted celebration showed how much he has been hurt by the comments by his critics that he often scores the runs for himself. After reaching hundred he pointed his bat to the crest of his helmet to show that he has been doing all this for the country and the team. As it turns out the people of India are happier now  and more at ease than Sachin Tendulkar himself. He said he felt like being relieved of at least fifty kilos off his shoulders. This 100^th ton issue was only created by the media and he admitted that he apparently felt the pressure of it.  He appeared hurt even in his post innings interview when he expressed no one talked about his 99th, in fact I would say his critics fail to understand he scored his 100th after scoring 99 centuries many of which helped India win matches.
There is only one Sachin and there will never be one again.
I am really grateful to be born in a country where a man called Sachin walked and talked, mostly through his deeds. He is called God, not merely for his cricketing abilities. His qualities as a person are that of a monk. To me he is a self realized master, one of my gurus.

Thank You Jammy!

Rahul Dravid, popularly known as ‘The Wall’ has announced his retirement on 09 – 03 – 2012. The announcement came in the same dignified fashion as he has been conducting himself on the cricketing field for the past sixteen years. Knowing the man he is, it was a decision taken in the best interest of the future of Indian cricket. He wanted to have the youngsters a good stint on the Indian soil before they confront the swinging, pacy and bouncy overseas pitches.

I still vividly remember the very first match I saw Rahul batted. It was a one day game and he was bowled after scoring four runs. I liked the man the moment I saw him on the field. I have been an ardent fan of Sachin Tendulkar ever since he made his debut against Pakistan and pulverized Abdul Qadir. Sachin has always been a God to me, as any Indian cricket fan would say. But for Dravid the path to glory was a hard way filled with hurdles and thorns. He is a self made cricketer. He transformed himself from a good batsman into an all time  batting legend by sheer  determination, guts and hard training. Even after becoming the greatest No 3 that india has ever produced, Dravid was perfectly willing to do anything for the betterment of the team. He batted in virtually all the positions, did the glove work for Indian one day team, and opened the test batting when the team missed an opener. During the short period he captained India, he took the onus on himself for the team’s debacle, despite winning a few test series abroad.

When asked about his best innings, the experts pondered over his 180 against the aussies at the Eden Gardens; his century in Headingly where India had to bat first on seaming wicket; his 140+ knock against Australia in Australia to win a test match. To me the first match that came to my mind when this question was asked was the innings he played against Pakistan in the Independence cup. It was a loosing cause alright, but on a personal that was when I became a real fan of Dravid I believe.

Even now when I think about Dravid’s contribution to Indian Cricket, the picture that conjures up in my mind is the sight of him walking quietly to the batting crease at the fall of an early wicket. It was quite regular for the Indian team to loose an early wicket and it was also quite a routine for Dravid to consolidate after that. Dravid, with his cricketing skills has won numerous matches and has won millions of hearts through his humility and selflessness.

Thanks Jammy for the wonderful memories you have provided us. We will always cherish them.

Good bye and Have a great off-field career.