The legendary impact of Sachin Tendulkar

“Who is Sachin Tendulkar?” asked Maria Sharapova. This question sparked so much outrage in India that it was unprecedented. To most of us here, the notion of someone not knowing who Sachin Tendulkar is, was absolutely unthinkable. It was accepted as an unwritten fact of the land – one simply cannot be unaware of who Sachin Tendulkar is. So, what is it exactly about this man (or should I say God?) that has led a nation of a billion-plus people to adore and idolize him so much?

Sachin Tendulkar first travelled to Pakistan to represent India at the age of sixteen on the 15^th of November, 1989, and it is said that whoever saw him play that day hadn’t found it very difficult to predict that he was going to be a legend. Over the next 24 years, the world witnessed a batting calibre of unseen order. He has broken nearly every record possible in batting and created several new ones himself, most of which are in all probability, going to stand forever. And it’s not just about the numbers. He faced what was possibly the deadliest combination of bowling attack that the world of cricket has ever seen. And not to forget, the fact that he maintained (and still continues to maintain) himself in such humility and poise amidst so much idolization is something everyone can look up to as a role model. It is jokingly said that those who have made a career of memorizing Sachin’s cricket records and statistics ended up having a greater attitude for that than Sachin himself!

The greatest thing about Sachin Tendulkar is not just his formidable talent on the field but also the way he carries himself off it. In a career spanning 24 years, he has not once been embroiled in any major controversy or been accused of even the tiniest of blemishes. Many who had read his recent autobiography titled Playing It My Way questioned that they didn’t get certain answers they were looking for in his book. We read about Sachin’s stories, the mighty bowling attacks he had to face but we don’t get to know the secret that makes Sachin who he is. We don’t find that secret ingredient, that elusive formula that separates ordinary human beings from Sachin Tendulkar. The answer to that is there is no such secret formula. Here was a man who showed us that if one is a hundred percent dedicated to his work, performs the highest amount of hard work that he is capable of, stays true to his basic principles and is in love with what he is doing, there is absolutely nothing that he cannot achieve. He can become the greatest ever in his field in the world. He can become more than just a legend. He can become Sachin Tendulkar.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.