The Last Hurrah

India did come to a standstill on the 15^th and 16^th of November. No no, it was not a politically motivated bandh and neither it was in protest of Ram – Leela which apparently has hurt religious sentiments of some wannabe dudes who want their 15 minutes of fame. It is amazing that people who would not even visit temples in their lifetime would end up having religious sentiments so strong, that they would be hurt by any random film, and they would go on filing court cases just to show their wives that they indeed are handsome not just in bed but also on TV! But lets keep that for another day. This one is for Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar, whom we bid a tearful farewell yesterday.

It is no child’s play to carry the hopes of 1 billion people for over two decades. He did that. Not even in the wildest dreams would one think of scoring 100 hundreds. He did that. Not everyone would succeed in uniting the nation who would constantly bicker over the pettiest of issues. He did that too. And when the time came for the final farewell, the entire nation was in tears with him as he walked of the pitch. That’s Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar and his impact for you. Forget the nation demanding an answer; the nation just demands Sachin to keep playing till eternity.

The deathly silence that engulfed the stadium when he was dismissed, 26 short of what would have been a fairytale end was terrible. It broke a billion hearts. Even us, who in the middle of a lecture were busy pretending to practice the latest adobe software while simultaneously keeping a tab on the score on the internet. We let out a collective F*@! When we realized that it was all over and that he will not get another opportunity to bat, considering the pathetic quality of the West Indian batting.

And true to my word, the Caribbean side batted worse than a club level side. Mobile scores revealed that they were 9 down and our lectures had just concluded. We sprinted two floors down to the canteen where 200 of us Sachin Crazy fans had already gathered in front of the TV to watch the final few moments of the legend. And as Mohammad Shami uprooted the middle stump of Shanon Gabriel, the crowd let out a roar to celebrate an India win, but soon the atmosphere turned glum as we began to realize that we won’t be able to see the man we all grew up watching again on the field.

And as for the final time he began to walk back, our canteen turned into a mini Wankhede, with chants of ‘Sachinnnnn…Sachin’ echoing on all 10 floors of the building. People were in tears and so was the man himself, sinking in the end. For a man who carried the nation’s hopes on his shoulders for 24 years, it was fitting to have a last lap around the stadium on the shoulders of people who are expected to carry forward during his legacy. His speech moved us all and no one sat on their chairs for those 40 minutes. It was indeed touching to head to the pitch, which gave him everything that he has, one final time and pay his respects to it. And it was all over!

We danced with you during Sharjah 1998,

We sympathized with you during Chennai 1999,

We stood by you during the Match Fixing scandal,

We encouraged you after the World Cup disaster of 2007,

We fulfilled a dream along with you in 2011,

And we cried with you during your final match.

Thank you Sachin for 24 years of ‘Sach’ entertainment and countless moments of joy! You carried the nation with you and a small part of every cricketer and cricket fan breathed its last with your retirement. Cricket will never be the same without you!

And finally in the words of the late Tony Grieg, “Whadda player!”

Adios Master!