The Wait is Over
Finally, after the prolonged waiting for over a year has come to an end yesterday. It’s all in every newspaper today that Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar become the only Batsman who has achieved the 100th International Ton in International Cricket. Of course, It is the moment to celebrate and feel proud as he has just crossed yet another milestone that can hardly be broken by anyone else, though a we have face the loss against Bangladesh as well. 😛
Yesterday, A History was created in the ground of of Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur, Bangladesh. That Final single taken between those wickets has made all the billion hopes complete. A Rush could be be seen in Facebook Status Updates from tons of Cricket Fans and Indian Media Coverage, even more than those those sudden earthquake in Delhi. Even, I felt some goosebumps all over my body after witnessing that marvelous 100 by the legend himself. 🙂
After taking a look on tons of Facebook Posts of Sachin’s 100th 100, I suddenly got this link to a post which was blogged by Harsha Bhogle, Famous Cricket Commentator.
He quoted as follows :
I don’t know how you feel but increasingly I find my love for cricket assaulted from all directions. I feel it has been kidnapped, bundled into the boot of a car and dropped off in an area with no phone signal. We fret, we are obsessed with landmarks, we build conspiracy theories, we get angry, and I wonder: What happened to the simple joy of watching cricket? What happened to the reason we were drawn to this great game?
I’ve come to the stage where I have told myself, “Damn that 100th”. It is a great milestone and no one else is going to get there, but we don’t watch a game merely for a milestone. We watch sport for the joy of seeing great performances from elite sportsmen, sometimes riveting ones from those less skilled. We watch it as the greatest display of emotion and skill on a public platform. We want to marvel, rub our eyes in disbelief, occasionally grieve but be aware that tomorrow is still ours. We want to feel blessed for being allowed to sit in on such contests.
And then numbers happen. They are good tools for comparison (though not always), but they are by-products of performance. If we watch sport for numbers, we watch it for the wrong reason. You can count numbers anywhere, generate statistics anywhere – the largest set of people to collectively leave Mumbai’s CST station on a Thursday, for example; or the percentage of unemployed every January since 1901. Don’t get me wrong, collecting numbers is not bad – as I said, you often get good insights from them – but obsessing over them is a poor reason to watch sport.
This obsession with Tendulkar’s 100th isn’t affecting only him, it is affecting us even more. Suddenly we have lost all objectivity, become unaware of the presence of other players (thankfully the Dravid retirement got the place it deserved), forgotten that cricket is a contest between 22. And now I’m bored by it all and fed up with the angst over it. If Kohli and Gambhir make fine hundreds, I don’t want to see or read of Tendulkar’s innings first and theirs as a filler.
Sadly Tendulkar is also a financial instrument. Yes, he makes very serious money out of the game but people make just as much out of him. Ad revenues go up, so do attendances when he plays, but just as important, supplements and special programmes sell. Praising him sells and criticising him does, and so, whether he wants it or not, whether he needs to be or not, Tendulkar must feature in the news, on specials, in features. If there is no Tendulkar story, we must create one.
So I say, damn that 100th. Let us enjoy watching a supreme exponent of the game while we can; let us revel in being part of the journey, let us gasp at the cover drive one more time, for Tendulkar, at 39, is playing his endgame. Let’s bring back the little joys for as long as possible. If the 100th happens, we’ll celebrate a great achievement but if it doesn’t, he won’t become a lesser player.
Then there are these debates; endless spewings of venom, factories of anger. If an Australian player mutters something as he passes, or makes a gesture, a half hour is devoted to Indians being wronged. If Greg Chappell says something we don’t like, another orgy of temper, trembling voices lamenting an attack on India’s pride. We scream of racism. One person called Chappell a “pathological case”. (I hope he knew what that means, for I don’t.) Anger, anger everywhere. Sport was meant to be uplifting but I wonder if that doesn’t sell enough on a daily half-hour slot.
I recently did four Test matches in Australia for ABC Radio and it was like being transported to my childhood. There was laughter and joy, good words to describe good shots. Cricket was the theme of happy conversation and every morning I got up excited about trying to be a friend to all those who couldn’t be at the ground. I was back, living with the simple joy of watching cricket. And tell me honestly, isn’t that what you really want?
So I say, damn that 100th, turn off the anger, put the conspiracy theories where they belong, and ask yourself why you really watch cricket.
Ya !! He is somewhat right as all we people were highly obsessed of noticing Sachin’s 100 only, rather watching a Cricket Match. Even the time when we were so busy in celebrating Sachin’s Current EPIC Achievement, we have forgotten to notice that he took around 138 balls or 23 Overs (almost half of Batting Innings) to reach this milestone, causing a relatively less score in total to be chased. And therefore, we got a chasing defeat from the Bangladesh on the same match. But still, It’s a Game where you could ‘Lose’ and must move on by learning from your little mistakes.
Plus, It always happened on every single match before this one. We always kept noticing Sachin’s individual score first rather watching the game completely. Sometimes, some other Indian player’s superb performances are not being appreciated that much and therefore, gets ignored afterwards. And even during the time span between 99th and 100th International Ton, some of us have cracked some jokes when Sachin getting OUT early and his selfishness of playing for records. Whatever happened, It all has been flushed into the gutter as The Master Blaster has proved himself to close those loudmouth shutters for good. 😛
I know, CRICKET is more than just a GAME in India. But the bottom line is, we always push ourselves so harder to over-rate or demoralize someone, whether an individual or a whole team, rather simply watching and enjoying the game. They all are talented already and have enough potential and strength to face anyone anyplace. We are no one to judge them. So Fuck the mediocrity and the hypocrisy all the time. Kindly enjoy the game for while, Bitches. That’s all I wanna add in the end.
Plus, For those people who still think Tendulkar played selfishly for his own dear records and he should now retire from International Cricket, well seems like Virat Kohli has recently learned to answer the ranting retarded punks like you. Mind over it. 😛
Ash Bee Zone 