Unquestionably…The Master

A double hundred and the record of being the only person to cross 14000 runs in the longer version of the game, during the first innings. An elegant fifty ensuring that India demolishes the Aussies, in the second inning. A record of 49 centuries in test, and that of 46 centuries in the one day game. Being the only person in this world to score the 200 runs in a single game and a total of more than 17000 runs in his one day career. An impressive performance in the shortest version of the game, a game which is customised for youngsters. Commanding a high respect from the greatest batsmen and bowlers of our era. And many more achievements. All this speak the greatness of the man, rightly called as “The Little Master”. Still it took more than 20 years for people to recognize him as the biggest contributor to the game. The very rare, emotional roar, by Sachin, moments after winning the Bangalore test was the most fitting reply to all the critics who think that he is not a match winner.

Cricket, as people call the game in which 11 people try to find the ball hit by one man, is a team game. A team game is any game that requires the efforts of the entire team to get the best results. A weak link or a two in the team can be a liability for it. In a relay race, a slow runner can ruin the chances of the three fastest runners in the world. But we will never say that the three runners do not have the winning ability. In a soccer game, a weak defender may effect many goals, and we blame the weak person not the best player(if he has not messed up). An out of sync member in the boat race, will slow down the entire team. Whom do we blame here?

But when Sachin single handedly scores half of the target, and rest of the 10 players manage to total less than half of his score, effecting a loss, Sachin is to be blamed. How fair is that? Is it the case that he alone is paid to concentrate on field, whereas others do it for charity? When a ball is bowled, and passes the batsman, its easier for the commentators to assert that the batsman should have driven it for four, or swept it. Because he sits in his air conditioned room, with all the time in the world to analyze the situation from multiple cameras. The batsman has a fraction of a second to decide where to hit the ball. No hawk eye, no replay, no slo-mos…Just play the ball. In the face of such adversities, Sachin has managed to amass so many records. His records shouldn’t be considered as a sign of his selfishness(which they are not), but as a gauge of how much he has contributed towards Indian cricket.

Rest all depends on the team. If it was for him to win the match alone, he would have to bat in place of the other ten batsmen. Then it would be justified to blame him entirely for the loss.

A match winner is not the one who stays till the end, to hit the winning run. A match winner is the one who paves the path for his team to win the match. Its rests upon the team to do their bit.

Remember the golden word before blaming Sachin. Team !!

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