There was a time, so to say my very impressionable age, when Sachin was everything as far as cricket was concerned. He was also hardly disappointing those days and routinely destroyed world’s best attacks to score scintillating centuries or match winning scores. This was the story of Indian cricket from early to the mid-nineties. Post 1996 World Cup two more of the famous “fab-four” of Indian middle order announced their arrival with breath-taking batting display at the Mecca of cricket. But talented cricketers a plenty have promised a lot to fade away into oblivion eventually. For the first time since I started following cricket seriously, two guys other than Sachin made match winning contributions in a test match played on foreign soil, yes that’s right, in the 3rd test against South Africa at Johannesburg in the 1996-97 series. And these two had just made their debuts in the previous Indian tour to England. Why I rate their performance better in the Johannesburg test is simply because it created an opportunity for an Indian win only to be denied by weather. One of these two, Rahul Dravid went on to score a half century in each test in the following Caribbean trip just to confirm that another great has arrived. In 1996-1997 still Ambrose and Walsh were guarding the West-Indian shores, so getting a half century in each of the tests is no mean achievement for an Indian tourist in his first opportunity. It’s a pity that Indian could not chase a target of 120 in the Barbados test and lost the series 1-0. Had India won that test match Sachin might also have conquered the captaincy front.
India’s familiar story of lions at home and lambs in alien conditions continued as the new comers were still learning their trade. Especially Dravid was acquiring the art of converting the 50s into triple figures and hold an innings together. But his batting fell into pieces in his first tour of Australia and the series was whitewashed by Aussies despite some scintillating knocks by Sachin and Laxman. Yeah, this is where the last one of the “fab-four” Very Very Special Laxman signaled his arrival with a top notch 167 albeit in a losing cause. That knock made sure that Laxman will not be thrown to the domestic grind so soon and would get a fair run at the box office. Sachin could not take it anymore and gave up captaincy for good after that humiliating loss against Aussies.
So, India got their best captain by accident rather than by planning as has always been the case with BCCI. He took on the Aussies head on and was able to stop their juggernaut at Eden Garden, Kolkota after 16 straight wins. As they say, India created history and moreover Rahul Dravid reinvented his belief against the Australia with an anchoring 180 to the sublime 281 of Laxman. Sachin although did not do that well with the bat at Kolkota, scripted a magnificent 126 at Chennai to seal the series in India’s favor. Dravid soon became so deft at his own art that India went on to draw a test series in England in a long time and rightfully earned the nickname “The Wall” for himself”. Slowly these guys took pressure off Sachin and certainly Indian batting was no more about Sachin anymore.
As the new millennium progressed, Sachin’s body started to break down and he started to slide from the position of number one batsman in the world. Soon, allegations became louder and louder that Sachin has not produced match winning knocks like his peer Brian Lara at the test level. If you go through the record book, there is also some truth to that argument. From the biggest fan of Sachin, I started to become a critic of Sachin. India scored series win in Pakistan for the first time in the history without major contribution from Sachin when it mattered. Yeah he scored a big century there, but he was outdone by Sehwag and Dravid. To everyone’s pleasure India started winning outside India. Dravid went on to win a test series in West Indies without Sachin and Sourav in the team. Although the West-Indian team was nothing compared to their mighty predecessors, the fact that India won after more than 30 years was an achievement.
I started to wonder whether Sachin will ever be able to do something substantial in an Indian win on foreign soil. Sachin has adapted a new avatar of playing according to the needs of the team. My heart was filled with joy to watch him grind out the England bowlers and turn the series in India’s favor. Sure, he did not score big centuries, but he had a substantial contribution in all probability his last tour to England. Slowly, it was evident that Sachin still has it in him to deliver at the highest level. But I doubted, whether he could attack again when the need arises. Taking blows on the body is not the Sachin we grew up admiring.
At Eden Gardens in the second test against Pakistan, Sachin smashed a quick fire 82 according to the team need. In the Melbourne test, he tried to take the attack to the opposition from the word go. Unfortunately he could not score a century there. When his turn came to bat at Sydney, he displayed one of the perfect test innings and stole the applause of the Aussie crowd. It’s pity that India could not even save the test for some umpiring blunders and insensible batting in the second innings. But my doubt for sure is erased that Sachin can play according to the team need and can attack when necessary. Another century at Perth would remind everyone, how fortunate we have been to watch a Master hold a bat in our time. Touch wood!
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