GALA FELICITATIONS

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Searching for Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin’s power to impress almost beyond belief has not yet deserted him. Will it ever? We can only watch in wonder at his latest triumph, a double century and some.

On the Bangalore ground today he stood like a great tree in a forest, a tree on which all the lesser plants rely for protection. Or perhaps a block of granite, a soaring a pillar of security in the centre of his countrymen’s attack on their opponents. Until Tendulkar was defeated, Australia could not advance. As soon as he fell, his team crumbled to dust.


Even the manner of his defeat was appropriate to the occasion. Despite his vigilance, finally Tendulkar was taken by surprise by callow fast bowler, Peter George capturing his first Test wicket, an exceptional gift George will glory in his whole life long.

What drives Sachin? The pursuit of excellence? A competitive nature that insists that the Commonwealth Games will not outshine his own and India’s favoured sport, cricket?

He’s a marvel. His score was accrued through diligence, patience and great attention to detail. His score of 214 runs comprised 92 singles and 11 twos. Even so, in 363 balls he also impressed with 22 boundaries and two amazing sixes. This his 6th double century was a scorcher!

Along with millions around the world, Ricky Ponting surely couldn’t help but feel moved to witness Sachin’s purple patch, so that now he can only call on his teammates, ‘Play up, play up and play the game’.

For, in the spirit of high competition and the example of Sachin as a model of excellence, tomorrow is another day ... another chance for all to excel, Australians especially.

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Copyright C V Williams.

SACHIN’S 49TH TON

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Sachin Tendulkar has scored his 49th Test century – reinforcing his standing as world batting record-holder.

Not long to wait for another Sachin century is what I wrote in this morning’s blog!

Howzatt!!! No, not out. He's very much in.

With batting partner Murali Vijay, Sachin’s doggedness took India to 224 by lunch today in reply to Australia's 478 in the second and final Test in Banglaore.

Sachin Tendulkar, also the record-holder with 46 one-day hundreds, reached his 49th Test ton with 15 boundaries and two sixes in the morning’s play.

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Copyright CVWilliams.

Waiting, waiting, waiting ....

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Great work Sachin!
Nearly there ... 14,000 down and 1,000 to go.

Ever since I started 'Searching for Sachin', I’ve been waiting – for the magical number 15,000 to roll around.
That’s the number for the total Test runs Sunil Gavaskar told Sachin he expected from him, based on his talent many moons ago.
In the first Test in Mohali recently Sachin was edging toward a ton, sitting primed on 98, and smiling – he couldn’t help from smiling in anticipation, as everyone around him was grinning too – and then it happened – he got ahead of himself, lost concentration for a second, and BOOM ... he was out.
Oh dear – I was expecting to write a new blog about his magnificent play – but decided to WAIT until his next century, surely not too far away. Sachin will no doubt be chastising himself about that slip up, I thought, and he’ll be taking steps to correct this imperfection.
So - not another century in the last couple of weeks, but plenty else.
During this time Sachin has received high praise from many quarters.
First, Australian cricket writer, Peter Roebuck, showered him with plaudits (SMH Oct 8), putting the secret to his success down to staying focussed on the ball. Not a new idea – but certainly worth canvassing again, as Sachin’s powers of concentration are legendary.
Roebuck also pointed to a ‘more vital’ reason for his success, which again is not a new concept, but it’s worth remembering that it is an essential for the longevity of his winning approach – and that is that Sachin still loves cricket and he loves to bat.
And Roebuck has had many opportunities to witness this love affair with the ball over the years:
‘Tendulkar loves the game. Even after all these years, all these grounds, hotels, fielding drills and press conferences, it’s not an effort for him to play or practise. Cricket is his game and his way of life. He does not need anything else.’
Roebuck reckons the most underestimated thing about Sachin is his longevity, his constancy.
But others were similarly impressed, resulting in Sachin scoring the most sought after ‘The Sir Garfield Sobers Cricketer of the Year' ICC Award. Sachin totted up 1,000 Test runs this year, as well as becoming the first man to score a double hundred in ODI cricket.

Not only that, he remains our popular hero, also winning the ‘LG People's Choice Award.'
'Better late than never,’ was Sachin’s laconic response at the award ceremony, expanding slightly to praise the team, in particular V.V.S. Laxman and Ishant Sharma.
Now let’s not say, ‘Oh that’s great for a 37 year old’. In fact it’s great for a player of any age – and that’s how Sachin wants to be judged, not as a veteran player holding up well, looking towards retirement. He doesn’t look anywhere except where the next ball is coming from. It’s those around him who have been harping on about what might cause his retirement.
But Sachin’s not going anywhere, at least until he gets those magic 15,000 Test runs under his bat.
Yesterday he crossed the last thousandth increment before his interim goal of 14,000 Test runs, with a cut off the bowling of Australia’s Nathan Hauritz at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
And this stage between 13,000 and 14,000 runs has involved the fewest number of innings of all the stages!
‘Better than ever,’ cricinfo declared, as crichotline hailed ‘India's all time great Sachin Tendulkar’ as ‘the only person to scale the 14000 peak’.
‘Sachin Tendulkar reaches 14,000 Test runs landmark,’ Britain’s The Guardian trumpeted.
‘Still sprightly,’ Sydney’s SMH Daniel Brettig was disrespectful enough to say – clearly too partisan about Australia’s position, mean-spirited and blind to the significance of Sachin’s achievement. [The error of this Australian chauvinism being corrected in part here, and with Roebuck's insightful praise, I would hope.]
And The Times of India acknowledged the enormity of the physical feat: ‘Tendulkar scales Mount 14,000 in Tests’.
I can only wait with bated breath for the World Cup and Sachin’s 15,000 goal to come. WORTH WAITING FOR ....
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Copyright cvwilliams.