Sporting contests to remember: When Sachin Tendulkar inspired me into IIM-A

To the starry eyed kid of the nineties, Sachin Tendulkar was a metaphor for hope. During India’s tour of Australia in the nineties, it would be a common sight to switch on the television and find India rattling at some thirty for two with Sachin fighting it out with someone. Like most kids, growing up watching cricket meant growing up with Sachin Tendulkar, which certainly left its own indelible mark on me. Victory or defeat mattered little as the Little Master went scoring centuries one after the other against all oppositions across the globe.

Times changed and along with it, cricket changed. The over dependence on Sachin Tendulkar had reduced dramatically and to a viewer who was used to seeing Sachin bat singlehandedly, one couldn’t help but feel selfish and long for one of those solos like Chennai, Sharjah or Eden Garden. 5^th November, 2009 could not have been a more memorable night for me and the innumerable fans who were waiting for the master to roar again like the king. It was the 5^th ODI in a seven-match series against the world champions at that time at Hyderabad. I still get goosebumps as I recall this sporting encounter for the sheer magic and brilliance of Tendulkar.

With the series levelled at two each, this was a crucial match. For a man known for his numbers, Sachin had had a relatively quiet series and had been dismissed after he had made some starts. In a 7 match long series, the mid matches lose a little bit of their spark. Also the fact that I had to sit for a technical interview the next day at college made me skip watching the Australian innings which I followed on cricinfo, occasionally streaming the match only to find the Australians piling on and on. Since India had failed to chase a relatively smaller target of 250 earlier, I prepared myself to sit through and study for the interview without bothering about the match.

A day and night match in India against Australia with the lights on and Sehwag and Sachin coming on to bat is one of the most exciting things to watch in world cricket. I couldn’t miss it and rushed to the crowded television room in my hostel thinking that I would leave as soon as Tendulkar got out. It’s sad but even 14 years since I saw my first match of India versus Australia in the world cup 1996, Sachin’s batting was all that I cared about. India had to chase a mammoth 350 and to everyone’s great excitement, Sehwag led India off to a great start. It was also a milestone for Sachin as he reached 17000 ODI runs. Every placard in the stadium seemed to have been prepared in anticipation of the feat which made the legendary Gavaskar remark,” These are not only Sachin’s runs but they are the runs of the people who have come here or are watching.” It was true as I forgot about the interview and sat back to enjoy the match.

Sehwag fell after India had reached 66 in quick time but soon hell broke loose in the Indian ranks. It was like the India of the dark ages of nineties when a wicket was followed by a procession while the master batted unfettered. With Gambhir, Yuvraj and Dhoni gone, India were reeling at 162 for 4. Tendulkar had looked in complete control. His pull of Shane Watson and his 2 straight consecutive sixes off Hauritz had left the crowd and everyone in our television room berserk. With Raina, he got together to form the most crucial partnership of the match taking India as close to the target as possible. His batting display and the array of shots made Arun Lal scream in delight saying, ”There are people all around me standing and clapping. This is that sort of an innings.”

Sometimes great tragedies live longer in memory. We might stop applauding Dhoni’s last ball six in the World Cup win but there would not be anyone who would have watched the Chennai Test of 1999 against Pakistan and not held back his tears at the sheer disappointment of a valiant effort not yielding results. This was something similar. After playing extraordinarily for a 175 when he perished to a Clint McKay slower one while trying one of his innovative strokes, I could not help dreading that with 19 remaining to be scored, there was still some drama left. The familiar sight rolled in and wickets tumbled. Pravin Kumar was slow by a frame and India lost the game by 3 runs.

I had my interview next day and after reaching agonisingly close to the final three, I was left out and the other two were selected. But suddenly, I did not feel disappointed. Sachin Tendulkar’s fierce resolve and the heartbreak of the match had infused something into my spirit which told me not to give up. During the post-match presentation when Sachin was asked about what kept him motivated even after 20 years, his answer was as simple and touching.

“I care about playing for India. It’s always been a dream and I’m absolutely honoured that I’ve been able to do that for the past 20 years.”

The match was a lesson in life for me to follow my passions and never give up. Sachin had taught me that love for a dream surpassed all disappointments.

It was this hope which got me into IIM Ahmedabad 3 years later.