200 at Last ...

I do not remember how or when Sachin caught my imagination. But at some point of time he did, and I have admired him ever since. The man with boyish looks who was in love with a girl 4 years over-age and who is boyish even on field i.e., one of the most respected gentlemen of the game.



I remember the days which are now part of Legend a.k.a folklore when the whole nation would have their tvs on to see just one man produce a magnificent innings and steer the time to victory. Be it a chase or setting up the score while batting first, there was one man the whole Indian team looked up to.

Nothing fazed the Indians in their quest to see this young lad bring the cricketing records tumbling down. They only seemed to want more. Again and again. They wanted this prodigy to break every cricketing record held by an individual. It was this gr8 nation’s only desire for there was none at the time who could be called sheer genius in any form of the sport or game or even if they were they did not catch the imagination of the nation. There was only this kid/ boy/ young man from Bombay.

When Saeed Anwar hit 194 that fateful day in Chennai, I have longed for the beloved Tendiya to hit 200s and every time he reached 175 after that my eyes would simply widen waiting to see him cross that mark, the 194, the barrier , the 200 mark.


But, when India reached its nadir under Mr. Chappell in 2007, and Sachin had become a easy object to direct people’s ire thanks to his advertisement endorsements, it was difficult to accept that he had to go. But I think many Sachin fans were the objects of ire at this time. Yet, there are many who stuck to their predicament quite adamantly saying he should continue and none should talk badly of this genius. They simply seemed irrational.


The man simply was asking for patience and trust. He seemed to believe that he could do it. He seemed to say that the best is yet to come. And yet many were unsure. After all he is too old now.


And then came the 175. And epic of sorts, and then people seemed to re-live the legend again. The legend is back they believed. Surely he would cross 200 this time!! But Alas, they might have been looking for the impossible, or so they thought.


And at last their hopes and dreams, their desire for the man to cross that barrier came true on this 24th February 2010 at about – not sure the time. But it did come, and with it, it brought the nation / office/ people to one platform again. It told them that their dreams and hopes for the man were not false dreams. It taught them that he is indeed a genius and does not deserve a tinge of disrespect. It taught them that he is not just an asset, he is a priced possession, his value in-comparable, his cricketing prowess – God’s masterpiece!