Anand Philar
Truth to tell, even a Neville Cardus would have struggled with adjectives while describing Sachin Tendulkar's latest act at Hyderabad where he crossed another milestone of 17,000 ODI runs and notched up his 45th century in this format. In the end, his effort lay wasted as India lost to Australia after coming within a whisker of reaching the target of 351.
Sachin, quite typically, kept his counsel and refused to be provoked into reacting to the debacle that he so valiantly tried to avert. I am sure, he would have been a very upset man and the loss took the gloss off his stupendous achievement that would remain a benchmark for generations to come.
In Images: Sachin's journey to 17000 runs
I am also certain that some unworthy wags would be quick to point out that Sachin is not a match-winner for India. In fact, nothing can be more misconstrued a notion. I did a quick check on his stats and discovered that of the 45 ODI centuries, 32 have resulted in an Indian win as against the 12 in lost matches and one in a 'No Result' game.
These figures only highlight the fact that for nearly 20 years (he made his ODI debut in 1990), Sachin has been carrying the team on his shoulders. He has been on the winning side on 217 occasions, that is nearly 50 per cent of his overall appearances that is 435.
No doubt, in recent times, his form has been up-and-down, triggering some hysterical criticism that he did not deserve. Some even have questioned his utility to the Indian team while wondering whether he had overstayed his welcome. Yet, Sachin has carried on, letting his bat do the talking. Last night at Hyderabad, he showed that he is far from finished and there is plenty left in the tank.
At best of times, we Indians have been rather uncharitable to our champion sportspersons, for we know not how to treat them going by the extremes we go to in praise and criticism. In the case of Sachin, he had to put up with the boos and whistles from the cricketing illiterates who pack the galleries as also armchair critics who expected him to get a hundred each time he went out to bat and then carry the team to victory.
The point is that more often than not, Sachin has had to play a lone hand and to me, he is far more loyal to the Indian team than Horatio was to Hamlet. Through the two decades, his passion for the game and commitment to the team has never vacillated. As such, on Thursday night, he would have been the most depressed man in the Indian camp, especially since the team lost despite him playing one of the finest ODI knocks you will ever get to see.
Congratulate Sachin
Never mind that the 175 was made against a depleted Aussie side that still had enough quality to beat any team in the World today. Ultimately, it boiled to the temperament of the Indian tailenders who collapsed in a heap after Sachin's departure with the team requiring another 19 runs off the last three overs or thereabouts. The likes of Jadeja, Praveen Kumar and Nehra just did not have it in them to finish off the game after Sachin virtually single-handedly steered the team within sight of the winning post.
I do not believe that Sachin, or for that matter any cricketer, plays the game for the sake of records. Milestones are routinely set and crossed, but they are incidental to the team's cause. If anything, statistics highlight an individual's performance in relation to the team he represents. So much so that Sachin barely acknowledged his crossing the 17,000-run mark as he was obviously more preoccupied by the mountain his team had to climb.
Full Coverage: Australia in India 2009
Such a pity that he did not stay there till the end when so few runs were required, but that should not take anything away from his effort that showcased his genius. And to think that he played the knock 20 years into his career is mind-boggling. Perhaps, the best tribute his mates can offer is to win the series, though it is a tough ask, but certainly not beyond India.
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