Master Blaster’s 200th begins today
Mumbai: Without doubt the most enduring phenomenon in modern cricket and India’s biggest sporting icon, Sachin Tendulkar is all set for an epic curtain call starting on Thursday when he steps on the field against the West Indies for his 200th and final Test where emotions will weigh heavy.
For once, an individual will be the focus even though it is a clash of two teams and why not, given that the individual in question is a man who successfully transformed from a prodigal talent to a living legend in 24 glorious years.
Tendulkar has been synonymous with the game in India for more than two decades and held in awe and admiration all over the cricket-playing world.
As a curly-haired teen with unbelievable talent, he walked in to the cricket field and the hearts of his fans quite effortlessly ever since his debut in 1989. And such has been his domination in both the places that the vacuum he will leave seems unfillable.
Having won the first Test by an innings and 51 runs, Team India and their seniormost statesman will be focused on inflicting another defeat on the Caribbean outfit at the Wankhede Stadium.
But the scores and statistics will certainly take a backseat for the next few days as a nation gets ready to bid farewell to arguably its greatest and most revered sporting icon.
“I would like him (Tendulkar) to enjoy his last Test match. As much as you want him to score hundred, double hundred or triple hundred, you can’t guarantee performance,” captain MS Dhoni said in a very practical reply to one of the innumerable questions he answered about the retiring legend in the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
But Dhoni certainly wants Tendulkar to get a few breakthroughs with the ball.
“Since this is his last Test match, I would like him to enjoy to the fullest and may be get a few wickets for us. That will be fun as one expects some turn and bounce from the wicket,” Dhoni said.
It was inevitable that all questions were directly or indirectly related to Tendulkar, but Dhoni again stressed that “focus was on the match” as there was “no point talking about the distractions”.
“It will be one of the greatest matches in cricketing history but as it is his last game, we need to keep it as normal as possible. There are plenty of things going around. We have done our best to keep focus at the right place. For us, enjoying the moment is the key,” the skipper said.
The most appealing aspect of Tendulkar’s 24-year-journey, according to Dhoni, is how he handled success.
“With due respect to the greats of earlier generation, they didn’t have to face the kind of pressure Tendulkar faced. It was not only about his success but how he handled it in all these years.
“I have seen a lot of foreign players who can handle on-field success but when it came to handling the off-field pressure, they buckle. That’s what makes Tendulkar special.”
Meanwhile, West Indies bowlers are having a little contest among themselves to get the prized wicket of retiring Tendulkar in his last Test and have their names etched in the history books, said visiting captain Darren Sammy.
“From the moment we heard it is going to be his last Test in Mumbai, all the bowlers were quite motivated. There is a chance to go down in history. The last stroke he would play in any cricket match and your name could go down in there,” Sammy told reporters at the pre-match conference.
“We will see how it goes tomorrow and bringing down the curtains on a great career of a man who has been a great ambassador not only for India but world cricket,” Sammy added.
Senior West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul will also be playing his 150th Test match and Sammy said his milestone will be overshadowed by Tendulkar’s 200th match.
“Tomorrow’s match our most experienced player would be playing his 150th game in Chanderpaul. That is a big milestone for him and for us. It will be overshadowed by Sachin’s 200. We, as a team, would go out and work hard for Shiv.”
The 29-year old Sammy wished that the Guyanese player should get 150 runs equivalent to the number of matches he has played.
“Like Sachin, everybody can see he has not changed. Shiv, when it comes to his batting, the way he prepares, he has been the same ever since I have known him. You could see the way it reflects on his game. I hope he goes on to score 150 in his 150th match. I don’t know if I could say the same for Sachin, that means he will get a double,” he said. (PTI)