END OF AN ERA

To me & millions of Indians, Sachin Tendulkar is a hero,an inspiration, an idol,superman to be precise.He has given the people of India a hero to look upon.No matter how grave the situation is in the country,when Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar bats the nation watches.We have been awestruck time & again by the little master.It might rarely happen elsewhere that when Sachin bats the nation comes to a standstill.The joy & smile he brings on the faces of people even after 24 years is overwhelming.His humility,modesty & the way he has handled the adulation for so long is commendable.Little Master,Master Blaster,Little Champion or Tendlya what ever one might call him to us Indians he remains our hero,our superman.The feats that Sachin has achieved over the due course of his career are legendary & outstanding.He has seen & done it all.Yes we did have heroes & idols like Lata Mangeshkar,Amitabh Bachchan,Sunil Gavaskar,Bhagat Singh,Sardar Vallabhai Patel,Mahatma Gandhi,Sarojini Naidu,Kapil Dev besides others but with Sachin Tendulkar people could see an enigma in the making.The people of India finally had a champion who would tall stand(even though he was short in stature)to the mightiest of fast bowlers,immense pressure,scrutiny by media,criticism from various sections.Sachin captured the imagination of the public who were looking for a hero,an inspiration and he did that.It is difficult to assess the kind of pressure he had to cope up with, when people were expecting a century from him everytime he went out to bat.Every time Sachin went out to bat,devotees expected their "God" to score a century & Tendulkar didn't disappoint them to an extent.He carried the burden of the team solely on his shoulder for over two decades,never once complained about lack of team talent,assistance or anything else.He is like an old warrior who refuses to give up,who refuses to budge down,refuses to slow down.His will to play & win matches for the team is jubiliant.He also took up captaincy when he was asked to do so,not once but twice.When in swansong people shower their love & praises on the Little Champion & when he doesn't perform well the same people criticise him  but he never complained.Playing for India was all he wanted as a child.A dream fulfilled as the Little Master went on to have one of the most successful cricketing careers in the game of cricket.Besides his achivements, his modesty & humility are known across the globe.The likes of Roger Federer,Michael Schumacher,Usian Bolt,Don Bradman,Sushil Kumar,Andy Murray,Boris Becker,Martina Navratilova,Amitabh Bachchan are not only fans of his cricketing talent but also the way in which he handles public pressure,scrutiny,criticism,expectation of a billion people.His attitude of playing the game in the fair way,respecting the opposition team & players most importantly his love & passion for the game is endearing.When the team fails or the nation fails,Sachin quitely did his job,he always let his bat do the talking.He always brought cheers & joy across when ever he came out to bat.If the Americans had Michael Jordan,F1 had Schumi,Football had Pele & Maradonna,Boxing had Muhammad Ali,Baseball had Babe Ruth ,Tennis had John Mcenroe,the cricketing world was priveleged to have "Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar".His courage,his heroics with the bat & ball,his discipline,his focus,dedication & respect for the game he loved & fans that adored him is bravado.His child like enthusiasm & approach for the game is still talked about.He has always played throughout injuries,which defines his gritty character.His ability to dominate,be in control of his innings,shape up the course of the match is oustanding.Yes he is not perfect he isn't the same dominant cricketer that he was before but it is a fact that he gave all that he could for the nation.He has his share of criticism & rightly so no one is perfect,not even Tendulkar but the thing is we are happy to see Tendulkar happy & doing well.Yes one could also argue with the fact that he wasn't a match winner,got out under crucial circumstances or didn't sail through the victoey for India.One of the reasons being lack of support for Sachin at the other end,he was always the "Last Man Standing".It is right to fault him that when the heat was really on he lost his wicket.Yes he isn't that big of a match winner or dominates the game the way Brian Lara,Ricky Ponting,Jacques Kalllis & others did  .But the thing is Sachin was always under pressure to perform & rightly so because he was Sachin Tendulkar.That is how big his contribution has been to game of cricket & the team.He is the real "Ratna" or "Gem" of the nation.It is a treat to watch Sachin bat & even better is when he scores a hundred & looks upto the heavens and waves his bat in the memory of his father,followed by God & his fans.It is funny to see that even though Sachin doesn't bat or bowls people still chant his name.

He is childhood hero,he still is one & would remain one throughout my life.I like to refer him as "The Master".His contribution to Indian Cricket has been astounding.The man holds a horrendous record of 69 International Cricketing Records..haha..difficult to name all of them.He has bought pride & glory for the country.The madness with which he is worshipped is incredible.Yes the Master Blaster is retiring but he is retiring after giving the nation & public a heroic service for 24 glorious years.He is not bigger than the sport but he is what that completes the sport.People have went on to quote that,Cricket is my religion & Tendulkar is my God.It is difficult to measure Sachin's greatness.He has the ability to lift the nation from any crisis or depression.He is a living legend,having carried the hopes of the nation of a billion people is no joke.A very fine batsman & an even gentle & nice human being.Amidst the love he gets,the fame,money & support he has remanined the same Tendlya we saw bat when he scored his first International Century against England @ Old Trafford,1990.A simple,shy,reserved character whose passion for the game he loved is commendable.Sunil Gavaskar summed it up perfectly,he said,"India's fortune will depend on many runs the Little Master score".As the Master bids adieu ,farewell to the game of cricket for the final time i can only say thank you for the memories Sachin,#respect.The SRT straight drive is surely going to be missed.I can go on & on & on about the Master,he is perhaps one of the greatest cricketers & athletes ever to have ever played the game of cricket.The chants of Saaaacchiiinnn......Saaaaccchhiinnn are surely going to be missed.Its is definately end of an era,end of an illustrious hall of fame career,perhaps one of the greatest ever in any sport.#ThankyouSachin for the memories,you are a hero,or as MS Dhoni summed it up the true "Mr.India".Jai Hind