The god of large things
I intended, once the personal rush had subsided, to come back here and do a piece on thoughts during, and in the wake of, Sachin Tendulkar’s solo show yesterday.
I ended up having to write a full-fledged piece for India Abroad, the paper I help edit and produce, and for Rediff.com [text version here].
Read also, a Dileep Premachandran piece that predates that knock; this one appeared in Mint yesterday morning.
Perhaps we in India can’t really fathom the full extent of the adoration and expectation that he has had to deal with in that time. Matthew Hayden, another batting colossus of our age, gave voice to what many outsiders feel when he wrote: “His life seems to be a stillness in a frantic world and I admire his mental strength. When Tendulkar goes out to bat, it’s beyond chaos—it is a frantic appeal by a nation to one man.”
Over and, for the week, out — will be back here Monday, and for Sunday’s game, occasionally on Twitter.
Its only now I caught up with all spicy comments on the God of Small Things post.
All good tales have an ending, lets hope the ‘God’ has a happy ending as well.
Sachin to majority of Indians was a God-send to a population who dint have the self-belief that we could take on the world in our own terms. That he could single handedly change the course of a match by either a superlative display of batting was a re-assuring feel to us that we can overcome and reach the top in whatever we do. Hence when he succeeded, we did and when he failed – more than India failing, it was ‘I’ failed- we couldnt stand it.
And when Prem- you write like that…many of us would feel hurt as it is not just about Sachin its about’me’.
Hence the angst.
Alltogether – a fine post from you Prem, written not for the gallery – but from the heart.
[...] is against this backdrop that I find some at least of the comments on my Sachin post, The God of Big Things, mildly amusing — comments that suggest this blog is not worth following any more being among [...]
And a last comment to Prem- I dont know if you had watched the full innings or not. There were overs when Sachin and Raina were batting- those overs where Sachin faced four-five dot balls continuously. Thank God he had already passed 100. Otherwise, you would have got another stick to punish him for being “selfish”. And when I think of it- yeah, he might have been selfish- may be he knew India will lose the match anyway, and he just wanted to improve his average. Yeah, right…!!!!!! Prem, don’t you think so?
I hope that Prem would remove his “selfishness theory” glasses and look at things in a different way. Even after having so many talented dashing batsmen in the team, the safest bet India has to build an innings still revolves around Sachin. Of course, Dhoni is there- but he prefers to bat lower down-which makes some sense also. Gauti has been terrific last year, but I am not sure about his current form (The way he got out in the last match almost confirmed it- playing across over a wrong line and getting bowled- that usually does not happen to people in good touch, especially in case of a touch player like Gauti). More than anything else, there is one thing Prem should have seen- Sachin is a guy who can score at a strike rate of around 80 without taking any undue risks. I do not think that India has that utility and flexibility from Sachin if he tries to bat in any other way. And I think Sachin also thinks that way because he bats that way. And I believe Dhoni also thinks that way because he permits it. Why Prem doesnt think that way? Not because he is too naive to undestand that. It is because he is blinded by his “selfishness theory”.
Guys, dont waste your time replying to this prick! His views change after every match.Consistency,man,Consistency! you can find it only in Sachin’s batting.
Sachin is God!
Prem is an excellent writer and more often than not makes sense when he writes about anything! Don’t use foul mouthed language, just because you don’t agree with him. He has been one writer who understands the nuances of the game.
Vijay, there is no doubt Prem understands the nuances of the game. That is not the allegation here. He has tried to unnecessarily defame a great innings with a twist, which wasn’t there- that shows a deliberate irresponsibility from his part. Why do you want to blame somebody without a reason? Why can’t he consider Sachin just as another Cricketer- who can fail or struggle at times? Why does he think that he is somebody who can pull out Magic any time he wants? It is actually Prem who wants Sachin to perform like a God- do whatever whenever he wants. I, and most majority of his fans, understand he cannot do anything with a bat whenever he wants. By suggesting that Sachin can do it, and blaming Sachin for not doing it and keeping a ironical pomp that I think he is a “questionable God”, Prem commits a criminal error in judgement- which needs to be lambasted.
I have a question to Prem- pick out the inningses where Sachin blasted the bowlers from the word go. I mean within the first 2-3 overs of the match. I can pick very few- Centurion innings against Pakistan is one. I vaguely remember he took on McGrath in an ICC champions trophy- but not sure if it was too early in the innings. Then, probably that 124 against zimbabwe in Sharjah in 1998. Anyway, you take consider inningses where Sachin scored rapidly. I will bet you 95% of those matches, he would have opened up only after 5 overs or so. He has been around for 20 goddamn years, and everybody knows what kind of batsman he is- he wants to set his eyes before doing anything( and as far as I know, it is his philosophy of batting, and may be life itself). To compound that, when he has a guy like Sehwag at the other end- what on earth does Prem expect Sachin to do in the first few overs? Converting that small aspect of innings building into “sacrifying the team objective in front of personal ambition” is nothing but criminal journalism, worse than yellow papers.
One innings (albeit a great one) of note in a series of 6 (1 more to go). And you call that consistency!!!
Its not just one innings, JII. Just because you expect sachin to hit a century everytime, his other performances does not go uncounted. His 40 was the top score in one innings. If that is not noteable, then what is? Similarly, there is another 30+ which is not good, but not so bad either, especially compared to the series average of Sehwag, Yuvi, Gambhir and Raina.
When Sunil Gavaskar scored that infamous 36*, he was the top-scorer.
Sachin did brilliantly well in that 5th ODI. Scoring so many runs in an ODI is not a child’s play. We must admire him for what he has done for India ever since he started representing his nation. The Indians chased very well and believe me, any other team in the world couldn’t even have reached 300 in this chase.
You pretty much summed up a lot of fans’ thoughts in lucid manner. God’s deeds cannot be compared against the lesser mortals. But lesser mortals may come and go. God has to be consistently performing to all his disciples across the entire world. Not all prayers are answered. There is a beautiful song in an old Tamil film that says ‘If whatever you want happens, there is no need for God ever. If you keep thinking about whatever has happened, there is no peace ever’. Sachin is that God. And fortunes of Indian cricket is the altering element. 20 years. Still carrying the hopes of millions. And still delivering. Not always. But consistently (Australia last year. England last year. Etc.) And God also needs his tokens from his people. And if reaching his records is what it is for Sachin, let it be.
BTW – I wrote a poem just after this knock as well. Some thoughts are pbly a bit similar to what you have written. http://telljeeves.blogspot.com/2009/11/poetic-letter-to-sachin-tendulkar.html
First of all, I don’t agree that all Indian fans consider SRT as god(flawless or otherwise). In fact, even in his peak there were quite a few Indians who considered Lara as the best batsmen in the world. I don’t think that even a majority of the Indian fans fit into the description that Prem paints of the Indian cricket fan, leave alone generalizing them as fanatical in their support of the Indian star batsman. The kind of ridicule with which many cricket fans and the media treated the cricketers, including the “god” Sachin, post WC 2007 seems to have escaped Prem’s mind. Also, as proven by endorsement deals, Dhoni is the toast of most of Indian fans today and he has been that since the WC T20 victory.
Secondly, as others in this forum have indicated, SRT, for many years now, starts off slowly in ODIs, seeming to judge the nature of the wicket and the bowling attack and then deciding on a plan instead of walking in with one as many accuse him of. In the Hyderbad ODI, considering the steep target, this initial stage of his inning took about 17 balls and it is only incidental that he passed the 17K milestone in that time. To suggest that he focussed on the target only after passing the milestone is a touch unfair.
And finally, the article is laced with sarcasm and badly timed too, which is quite disappointing coming from a well-respected and loved cricket journalist.
Undiluted garbage.
This is only the second time I am commenting on your blog after a gap of 5yrs. Have been reading you blog regularly for 6-7 yrs. But now after this tripe its going off my favourites.
Don’t know if this makes any difference to you but it gives me a tiny bit of satisfaction that I know the real Prem Panicker and he is a small person.
-JV
Prem
To continue with what I wrote, of late, there is a tendency in your writing which anybody can easily decipher- praise the fast and furious, praise the free-spirited souls who just goes out and bats the way they like (except for Dhoni, of course, whenever he slows down, that is for the team spirit, not to increase average or for personal milestones). Your agenda has always been to admire the dashers while skin the steady players. Now, since the steady players in a team tend to me the oldies, invariably the blame falls on them. In the context of Indian cricket, it is Sachin and Dravid of course.
I do not know if you are sure what exactly is what you are promoting. In any team game, there has to be complimentary skills that support the players each other. Because, in the course of a match, invarialbly a team goes through different phases where they will need to apply all sort of temparaments. If it is vital for a team to have a player like Sehwag, it is inevitable for the same team to have a player who looks to bat till the end. In the last few years, I have not see a single game in which Sachin actually went in without an intention to stay till the end. He might have failed. And I have not seen a game where he has played without keeping the need of the team in mind. It is pretty silly to argue that IF HE CAN HIT, HE SHOULD HIT. There is something called planning, I dont know if you are aware of it.
I am almost sure you have played cricket at some level. So, I cannot even you a benefit of doubt resulting from your ignorance in the way the actual game of cricket is played. I can only say that you are either working with some hidden agendas- just like some senior journalists worked against our senior pros during the tenure of Chappel as the coach, or with a total blind eye- which is not a deliberate crime, but still a deadly disease since you are a senior professional.
Today it has become fashionable to like cricketers who bat with only the foot on the accelerator and no brakes so they can end up in a horrible crash more often than not!That’s why this Indian team loses more often than not.We adulate a Sehwag who cannot see an innings through in ODIs,we were refreshed by a Dhoni captaincy as the best Indian captain (when it was just the team doing well),we adulate a Raina who can hit sixes at will or a Yuvi as the best striker of the cricket ball.
No place for the steady hands or committed cricketers because we take refuge in the glamour and young legs or call it planning for the 2011 WC as if that’s end of the world.I agree it’s a deadly disease if you are a committed senior professional
haha yeah, and prem was telling that he’s being selected on the basis of past merits.
yeah, the merits of 2008! LOL
“with the mind freed of personal ambition, that he felt himself free to turn his attention to the team’s requirement.”
Prem – You have the right to air your opinion and to be honest, 95% of the time I not only agree with you, but admire your writing and knowledge about cricket. Here however I feel that you not only went too far in blaming Sachin, but also got this whole thing completely wrong. Lara, Richards, Chappel, Ponting or any great batsman can be blamed quite a few times for not doing the ‘right’ thing, but which ‘God’ told you that Sachin turned his attention to team’s requirement after reaching 17K runs. This is my humble request to you that please think about what have you said, and you may realize that as a journalist, you may have been quite irresponsible on this specific instance.
On few occasions when India needed to bat full day 5 to save a test match, Sachin batted in such a defensive manner and made ordinary bowlers feel like they were better than Akram or Marshall. Was the reason then was that he was batting for personal milestones? Definitely not. The thing is that he makes mistakes, like others, but these are rare compared to most of the good players. On slow Delhi wicket, he was doing quite good until he got run out. In Mohali, the lbw shout could have gone his way and who knows about the result in that case. One thing is for sure that if he plays his normal and positive cricket, he is capable of scoring very fast and without too many risks. That should be the best way for the team to utilize his skills, but the responsibility here should also fall on team management to have this approach rather than on just blaming Sachin. He is a treat to watch when in positive mood and surely better than Gautam, even Now. Gautam took 11 balls to score his first 4 runs, so I can be critical of him in taking away the momentum after Veeru’s wicket. However, this will be also be wrong as it is to blame Sachin that he is selfish and cares about personal milestones. Gautam provides advantages like left/right combination, good running between the wickets and understanding with Veeru and all these are valid points. But please don’t tell me that Sachin can’t do better than him if the team decides that failure or success, Sachin will play his normal and positive cricket. The strike rate and average in the last year or so can be checked to find out that he still has enough in him…
I do not get to watch live matches but this time I was able to watch the last three innings by SRT. I feel he was gearing to be batting till the final run in all three chases. He definitely starts slowly but is certainly mature enough to pace his innings based on target. Had he got out before his successive sixes all of us would have rated it as third successive failure. He was run out in one and a questionable leg before in another chase. Third time we happened to watch a masterclass. I think in all three cases he was playing to win. I do not think the milestone was weighing on his mind.
Prem,
As a senior journalist,don’t you feel you should write responsibly? Read your article again and then again and then perhaps again,it’s absurd.Ajay provided you some clues.Go figure!
not Ajay..i mean Jazzy.Absurdity numbed me.Sorry.
Prem, I will have to say you are not being objective while it comes to Tendulkar. Only a person with a clouded mind can say that Sachin paced his innings slow just because he wanted to pass 17000. You take a cool shower and then think about what have you written. Utter gibberish!!!!! Of late, you have always been praising the reckless batsmen like Sehwag. Now, I dont have any problem with Sehag batting his way and getting out 30+ everytime. But please do not tell me that everybody in the team needs to bat in that fashion. Please be sure of one thing – Sachin has a better cricketing brain and more team commitment than you or me. If you look at his statistics in the last year or so, he has outperfomed the even likes to Yuvraaj and Sehwag, except Dhoni. It is rather funny when you elevate him to a position of God just to skin him with your imaginary faults. When you picked up the 68 ball 40 run statistics, you conveniently ignored that this was the top score in that match. When you picked up the 16 ball 7 runs, you conveniently ignored that at no time in the chase, Sachin did not allow the required run rate to go out of control. When you praise Sehwag for whatever he does, you conveniently forget that he could not cash in on a reprieve even when he is in form, while you are aware that such a thing is a criminal attittude.
Prem,
You state that – ‘… Tendulkar needed 7 runs to attain his personal milestone. For 16 deliveries, the master batsman pushed, poked and prodded until finally, off the last ball of the fifth over, a clip off the pads through square leg produced three runs that took him past his target. It was only then, with the mind freed of personal ambition, that he felt himself free to turn his attention to the team’s requirement.’
You actually think that Sachin made his first seven of 16 balls simply to reach 17,000 runs? I agree that Sachin makes mistakes in pacing innings – his reading of the game is not always stellar (and as captain is often woeful), and I am sure that for some important landmarks (35th test century, most runs in test cricket) he has personally hunted down the target not necessarily keeping the team’s goals in mind (or rather, the importance of these targets have distracted him inappropriately). But I find it very difficult to believe that he actually started off slowly because he was worried about reaching one of the most useless ‘records’ in ODIs – that of reaching 17,000 runs. As has been pointed out pretty often, his pacing of the innings has consistently been slow (irrespective of whether that’s right or wrong) in the initial powerplay overs (hence your reasonable argument that he should bat at 3). Could it be possible that this was also just such a sedate start with his usual attitude of making up later (which I guess he did rather well this time) rather than just a deliberate plodding effort to reach 17,000 runs? I am one of those adherents of the ‘flawed god’ thesis, and I find it blasphemous in this instance to think that he only turned his mind to the team target after reaching his inconsequential personal milestone.
Prem, and others who still aren’t satisfied with what Sachin has done, and continue to taint him with putting personal ambition ahead of team ones – please read this cricinfo analysis:
http://www.cricinfo.com/indvaus2009/content/current/story/433228.html
Here’s the key part pertaining to the above criticism:
“Over these years, Tendulkar has been key to Indian fortunes – he averages almost 57 in matches that India win, but the slumps to 33 in games India lose. His 32 centuries in wins is more than any other batsman has scored in his entire career, which is a telling statistic of how far ahead of the pack Tendulkar is.”
Read that again: he has scored more centuries in Indian wins than any other batsman has throughout their entire career!! Yet he is accused of putting personal ambition ahead of team goals?! What more do you want from him, or from any human being? Whatever he does is never enough to satisfy that “frantic appeal by a nation” apparently! His calm in the face of these bizarrely unreal expectations truly elevates him into a plane no other sportsperson has probably ever occupied, or likely will.
What a joy that innings was. No one, absolutely no one in world cricket can set a fan’s heart racing as fast as Sachin can. Sachin – thank you for the magical innings.
In the long run, I wonder what sort of effect Sachin’s innings will have on the team.
I mean for the other 10 members to be dwarfed by that monumental knock can’t be good for their self-esteem. Inadvertently, Sachin might transform the brash-confident-expecting-to-win indian team of the 2000s, back into the meek-underconfident-holyshitwewon team of the 1990s
I have no chance of making it out with that hot girl. But then there’s this genie who makes it possible for her to see me, introduce herself, hold my hands, go for a long walk, sit on a bench watching sunset and just when i move to kiss her – she walks out with another man.
Should I be happy that I had a nice time. Or feel sad that it didnt turn out to be a great time?
That in essence is what happens with Sachin.
As much as he will be remembered for the 2 OZ matches in Sharjah, he will be remembered for Chennai and Hyd too.
Holy cow! Thats so true
Expecting Sachin to ‘fnish’ the chase was OK in tests, and in one-dayers in which he batted in the middle order. But, to do so when he OPENS, is really too much to ask. Even in that epic match which SA won chasing 434, Gibbs got out with over 130 to get. Back to the Hyderabad ODI, Sachin got out to a risky shot, when IMHO, he should have looked forward to taking a single and give the strike to a fresh and hitting Jadeja, and guiding the chase. But, this is one of ‘what could have been’s in a match which we might have easily lost by over 100 runs despite a Sachin century.
Just to clarify – started watching the innings when he was in the 30s score. Have watched him from the beginning – from Pakistan under Cheeka.
Started watching Tendulkar when he was in his 30s and soon realised this was the innings to watch – the old Tendulkar was back. Asked the wife to drop our son for tennis “this is special to miss”. Finally had to go and did not see the complete innings. Was hoping he would break Saeed Anwar’s record and win it. He deserves it!
Really feel for the guy – does everything and still faces criticism.
Found in one of friend’s facebook that Sachin is not a great finisher of game. Even after 20 years, smashing all records, ppl still expect Sachin to prove himself!!! That’s India and Indians!!!!!
Right. He is expected to open, guide the innings and finish it too. What the other 10 jokers are supposed to do? No one talks about their failure.
Indian team has a lot of lessons to learn from the Hyderabad ODI – http://myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com/2009/11/lessons-from-hyderabad-odi.html