Five Things That Come To Your Mind When You Hear The Name Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar. Tell me what is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear these two words? God? Genius? Record-maker? Emotion? All of them? Well! You are not to be blamed if an avalanche of words or emotions galore in your mind as soon as you hear or read these two words.

The Master Blaster turns 47 today and, so we at Cricket Addictor thought, why not pull write about five of the million things that come to our mind when we hear Sachin Tendulkar’s name.

Here’s a look at Five Things That Come To Mind When we Hear The Name Sachin Tendulkar:

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5. Child Prodigy

Child Prodigy and Sachin Tendulkar are truly synonyms of each other. You talk to anyone associated with Mumbai Cricket and in the mid to late 1980s, and you’d realize what a sensation this 15-year-old kid was even before he had played his first match for Mumbai, let alone India.

In the knockout games of the 1987-88 Harris Shield, Sachin racked up scores of 125 & 207* (QF), 325* (SF) & 346* in the finals. In 5 games, the Master Blaster scored 1025 runs. What’s even more fascinating is after his triple-century in the semis, Sachin went to the adjacent pitch and scored 178* in another game; such was his insatiable desire and hunger for this beautiful game.

And, then on February 24, 1988, Sachin and his best friend Vinod Kambli shared the then-record of 664-run-partnership in the semi-final of the 1987-88 Harris Shield. Tendulkar scored 326* while Kambli racked up 349*. That knock changed Sachin’s life as he was soon called up to the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team. He scored a hundred in his debut game, and the rest, as they say, is history.

4. Tough as nails

That Sachin Tendulkar would never shy from adversity and challenge, is something that was proved to the hilt by the Little genius throughout his career.

And, he gave those indications in his very first International series- vs Pakistan in 1989. Two instances during that series where Sachin showed he may have been just 16 at the time, but mentally, he was as tough as someone who had played at the highest level for a decade or two.

The first instance of it became during an exhibition match when the late Great Abdul Qadir challenged Sachin to hit him for a six. The result: Tendulkar obliged and how! The 16-year-old wonder boy, stroked Qadir for not one, not two but four sixes in a row.

And, the second instance came during the 4th and final Test of that 1989 series. With India reeling at 4-34 in the fourth innings, Tendulkar was struck on the nose by a rip-snorter of delivery from Waqar Younis. Tendulkar immediately fell to the ground with blood gushing out through his broken nose.

Now in such instances, even the most experienced of personnel would have happily walked off the field; not Sachin. The 16-year-old knowing pretty well that all the hopes of India hinged on him and Navjot Singh Sidhu, told the team doctor that he’ll continue to bat. He got up and smoked Waqar Younis’ attempted toe-crusher for an on-drive. Tendulkar was up and running. He batted for four more hours, stroked a patient 59, and helped India save the game.

3. A Lone Ranger

Just as Sachin Tendulkar and child prodigy are synonyms of each other, the same can be said about him and heartbreaks. On a plethora of occasions and especially in the 1990s, Tendulkar would fight like a lone ranger even as his teammates failed to back up his efforts, resulting in an eventual heartbreak for the Master.

The two most glaring examples of them came during the 1996 World Cup semi-final and the 1999 Chennai Test against Pakistan. In the World Cup semi-final against Sri Lanka, Tendulkar was batting like a Ferrari. His brisk 65 had helped India got off to a brilliant start in their run-chase of 252.

But, as soon as Sachin was dismissed, it all came down shattering for India and the Master Blaster. After Sachin’s dismissal, India lost their next six wickets for a mere 22 runs. With the score reading 8-120, the game was eventually called off after the Eden Gardens crowd created a ruckus.

The second and most glaring example of Sachin being a lone ranger was the 1999 Chennai Test against Pakistan. Battling severe back spasms amidst the sweltering Chennai Heat, Tendulkar scored a masterly 136 to pull India from the dead to the brink of victory. But with 16 runs to get, the Master was dismissed by Saqlain Mushtaq, and post that another fatal collapse ensued, ensuring that all the hard work done by Tendulkar went down the drain.

2. A beacon of hope and a symbol of inspiration

In many ways, Sachin was the poster boy of post-liberalization India. At a time when India was beginning to grow in confidence, the success of Sachin Tendulkar gave wings to the hope and desire of 1.2 billion Indians.

Knowing the fact that ‘the best in the world was an Indian, swelled the hearts of young aspiring people of this country with pride and unrelenting hope. The hope of being the best version of themselves in whatever field they chose, a hope that ‘if Sachin can, why can’t they.

Tendulkar continued to inspire and give hope to a plethora of Indians even during the final moments of his 24-year-old career. The most glaring example of it is India’s latest batting sensation-Shafali Varma, who at the age of nine, saw the Master bat in his last Ranji Trophy game at Lahli, and immediately decided that she wanted to be a cricketer. The rest, as they say, is history.

1. Humility

Imagine someone who has scored the most number of Test runs, most ODI runs; have played the most number of International games, scored an unimaginable 100 hundred; has the biggest fanbase in the world who refer to him as ‘God’, and yet the guy is an epitome of humility and humbleness.

And, perhaps this is the biggest and the most endearing quality of Sachin. Success never got to his head, he continued to remain a student of this beautiful game, and perhaps this is why he was able to achieve what he eventually did.

Also Read: Sachin Tendulkar: How Discipline, Grit, Skills Earned Him The ‘God Of Cricket’ Distinction