Apr 03, 2007 03:15 PM
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Whatever I do write in this review is totally impartial with my only concern being Indian cricket. Mr Sachin Tendulkar has been given demigod status by the Indian public over the past 2 decades. Accolades along with money have flowed into his coffers. And one very important thing is that he is always above criticism. Dravid, Ganguly Sehwag, Kapil, Gavaskar have all had their share of brickbats for non performance but Mr. Tendulkar has not. Why that impartial treatment towards him?
Isn't he human. For all he has got from India there has seldom been a match test or ODI of any consequence he has won for us. The only one in my memory has been the two matches in Sharjah against the Aussies. It does not matter how impressive your average is if you cannot win India matches. for example Sehwag averages only 33 for India in ODIs but when he strikes India wins. The same cant be said about Tendulkar. Either he scores when India loses or the match is of absolutely no consequence when he does score and India wins. To back up my claims consider the 1996 WC against Zimbabwe he scored a century.
In the 2003 WC he scored against Pakistan when India were already through to the Super Sixes. but in the match against England he flopped when it was necessary for India to win to qualify. Most of his centuries though really beautiful have not been when India needed them. He has had his moment under the sun. Now it is not fair for him to eat into another youngster's career especially when God has been kind to him in the same aspect. A person like Dravid comes to your mind when you talk about getting us through adversity and letting us triumph. There are so many instances springing up in our mind. Be it our victory in Australia or in the Windies or in the Kolkata test or in New Zealand or in England on a minefield of a pitch.
He has scored phenomenally well in just about every overseas Indian victory over the past 10 years. That is what is expected of a legend. For me Sachin will be a mere mortal who has an amazing record and wonderful strokes but will never achieve the same level of greatness as a Dravid or a Lara or a Waugh. I'd rather see a junior get a chance to make a difference to India rather than Sachin getting a few more centuries at the cost of India winning.
