Sunday, April 1, 2012

Sachin’s 100 100’s

On March 16, Sachin Tendulkar scored yet another century against Bangladesh in Dhaka. What made this special is that it was his 100th 100. A feat that a billion plus Indians were waiting for. And the wait had been long. More than a year, i.e. since March 12, 2011 when he scored his 99th century against South Africa during the World Cup.


His feat was lauded all over the world and several newspapers and magazines covered it. An interesting article was in the Mirror, published in the UK. "King of centurions: 100 facts about Sachin Tendulkar". It highlighted 100 interesting facts about the Little Maestro. You can read that at:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/cricket/sachin-tendulkars-100th-100-100-763750

Everything that can be said or written about Sachin Tendulkar has already been said or written. There was a party thrown in his honor by Mukesh and Nita Ambani, owners of Reliance and the Captain until last season of their IPL team Mumbai Indians. The party had celebrities across the 3 most powerful sections of Indian Society, viz.: Politics, Bollywood and Cricket. Aamir's comments as is typical centered around himself, Salman was also typical and funny. And Nita gave Mukesh credit for the 100 100's. You can see the highlights of the function at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCi9pAp9pn0

What makes Sachin Tendulkar different from other celebrities is his ability to remain non controversial. One would naturally assume that he did not have any controversies and has hence managed to remain non controversial. That's not completely true. He has had several controversies but somehow has managed to overshadow them. Amongst the several controversies, there have been two major ones.


The first was when he was found guilty of ball tampering in Australia. The TV footage seems to clearly indict him. Nevertheless the Indian public were unable to accept the reality and went on a protest burning effigies of the match referee, Mike Denness being burnt and the powerful BCCI sanctioning the referee and trying to ensure that he does not participate in Indian matches. The 2nd was when he was presented a Ferrari by the auto maker. He asked for a waiver of customs duty and the Government was happy to oblige, even though the rules didn't allow it. Finally, the auto major paid. He has also fared very poorly as India's captain in the 2 stints he did. And had thereafter steadfastly refused to take on the responsibility.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sachin_Tendulkar

In spite of all this, he has managed to do his bat do all the talking. His records, many of which are unlikely to be broken in the near future say it all. He has stayed away from politics, by staying close and equidistant from all political parties.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/player/35320.html


In my mind, the one thing that makes Sachin, Sachin is his dedication. After over 22 years of playing international cricket since his debut against Pakistan in Nov. 1989, he still believes he has something to learn. And works harder than any other player in the team. Be it his batting or even bowling. It seems like his career proves the point that "Hard work pays". And he has managed to achieve all this while being an ideal family man.


Sachin himself summarizes very well what he does, and what we should do if we want to succeed. In cricket and in Life.
"I just keep it simple. Watch the ball and play it on merit."

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