All Padded Up

You have been watching the news channels and going through newspapers, all of which are talking about Sachin Tendulkar and his feat of completing 20 years in international cricket. Well, at least I have!

I can not be talking about Sachin and his greatness and his dedication without being repetitive, so I will keep it simple! Keep it down, to talking about what I think of Sachin, about the impact he has made on my psyche! May be, by laws of induction, you could extend that to you as well! If you do that, let me know through the comments on this post!

I was born a year before Sachin Tendulkar made his debut on the international scene! Yes, that means that I have quite literally grown up watching the Little Master Blaster at work and play!

He was already an established name in the Mumbai circuit by the time he made his debut, and that in the year 1989 meant, that the entire country was waiting to test this young boy 0f 16 against their expectations! On the international circuit, may be, his debut wasn't as celebrated, but proved he did!

By earliest memories of Sachin Tendulkar, that are vivid in my mind, are of the 1996 World Cup. I remember, looking at the man who walked on to the crease, every time with a bat in his hand, and the hope of many a million people on his shoulders.

But during most of those times, I did not care about all that! I knew, if Sachin is out, I will be forced to go to sleep for school next day! (So long he is there, by parents would be busy watching him play and I could go undetected!) I did not want that to happen, and that is how my love for Sachin begun, because I was almost never disappointed by him!

Come 1998, the sand storm innings took me by storm and the nation, but what I remembered was that my loyalties were changing! I wasn't watching Sachin take the bowlers for a ride around the park, because that was the best way to stay awake, I was watching Sachin do that, because it affected in the most natural of manners! It made me sit up and applaud his aggression! I was all of 10, and Tendulkar was inspiring me in manner no one ever had! It was aggression, he was inspiring in the minds of us, youngsters! Aggression to bring the world to a stand still, and prove our talent! Prove that we could be young and small in size, but were the best things that come in small packets!

What was to be seen in the coming years, was the fact that this aggression wasn't a misplaced one, as can be seen in the younger players of today! This aggression was coupled with humility and humbleness, it was coupled with greatness! It was the package, that was known all over the world as Sachin Tendulkar!

Tendulkar may have failed on the cricket pitch, albeit in the rarest of rare of occasions! But the man who started off so young, never failed to inspire the boys! In the team, or out on the streets!

I will stick to talking about me. He has inspired me, to go out there on the pitch, face a fast bowling Waqar Younis (in various forms like academics, or job hunt, or whatever that may come), take it on my nose, stay my ground and come back to hit a four! Yes, Sachin is an inspiration! And that is how, it will always be!

He must have inspired you too! Let us know on the comments section, we would love to have a post on that alone! It is your chance to appear on All Padded Up!