One of my colleagues exclaimed “he is master once again proved!” I thought that is there anything left to be proven? Is there any form of greatness on earth that eludes one of these legends? Can anything get bigger than this gentleman in this crazy cricket loving country? Absolutely no, no ways! This person needs no introduction and keeps on redefining the definition of greatness. Yet another milestone and the same gesture, off goes the helmet and up goes the eyes, one could sense immense tranquility around his proximity and the batsman on the other end could feel infinite level of assuredness on the crease. Few months ago, I read a collection of tributes paid to our master blaster by several contemporaries, greats of the game, journalists and few more. Here is what has been said over the years:
"We did not lose to a team called 'India' ... we lost to a man called Sachin." - Mark Taylor, during the test match in Chennai (1997)
"Commit all your sins when Sachin is batting.They will go unnoticed cause even the GOD is watching." - A hoarding in England
There are 2 kinds of batsmen in the world. One Sachin Tendulkar. Two all the others. - Andy Flower
"I have seen god, he bats at no.4 for India " - Mathew Hayden
"Nothing bad can happen to us if we're on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it." - Hashim Amla, the South African batsman, reassures himself as he boards a flight
"Sometimes you get so engrossed in watching batsmen like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar that you lose focus on your job." - Yaseer Hameed in Pakistani Newspaper
"To Sachin, the man we all want to be" - Andrew Symonds wrote on an Aussie t-shirt he autographed specially for Sachin
“Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their TV sets and switch off their lives." - BBC on Sachin
"Tujhe pata hai tune kiska catch chhoda hai?" - Wasim Akram to Abdul Razzaq when the latter dropped Sachin's catch in 2003 World Cup
Sachin is a genius. I'm a mere mortal. - Brian Charles Lara
"The more I see of him the more confused I'm getting to which is his best knock." - M. L. Jaisimha
"The joy he brings to the millions of his countrymen, the grace with which he handles all the adulation and the expectations and his innate humility - all make for a one-in-a-billion individual" - Glenn McGrath
"I can be hundred per cent sure that Sachin will not play for a minute longer when he is not enjoying himself. He is still so eager to go out there and play. He will play as long as he feels he can play." - AT
Question: Who do you think as most important celebrity ?
Shah Rukh Khan: There was a big party where stars from bollywood and cricket were invited. Suddenly, there was a big noise, all wanted to see approaching Amitabh Bachhan. Then Sachin entered the hall and Amitabh was leading the queue to get a grab of the GENIUS!! - Shah Rukh Khan in an interview.
"India me aap Prime Minister ko ek Baar Katghare me khada kar sakte hain... Par Sachin Tendulkar par Ungli nahi utha Sakte..."- Navjot Singh Sidhu on TV
"He can play that leg glance with a walking stick also." - Waqar Younis
Sachin Tendulkar has often reminded me of a veteran army colonel who has many medals on his chest to show how he has conquered bowlers all over the world. I was bowling to Sachin and he hit me for two fours in a row. One from point and the other in between point and gully. That was the last two balls of the over and the over after that we (SA) took a wicket and during the group meeting I told Jonty (Rhodes) to be alert and I know a way to pin Sachin. And I delivered the first ball of my next over and it was a fuller length delivery outside the off stump. And I shouted catch. To my astonishment the ball was hit to the cover boundary. Such was the brilliance of Sachin. His reflex time is the best I have ever seen. Its like 1/20th of a sec. To get his wicket better not prepare. At least you won’t regret if he hits you for boundaries. - Allan Donald
"On a train from Shimla to Delhi, there was a halt in one of the stations. The train stopped by for few minutes as usual. Sachin was nearing century, batting on 98. The passengers, railway officials, everyone on the train waited for Sachin to complete the century. This Genius can stop time in India!!!" - Peter Rebouck - Aussie journalist
"Cricket was not there in ancient ages, otherwise Cricket would be the God's game, and Sachin be the 11th incarnation in India." - Hari Patnaik
"Sachin cannot cheat. He is to cricket what (Mahatma) Gandhiji was to politics. It's clear discrimination. " - NKP Salve, former Union Minister when Sachin was accused of ball tempering
"Even my father's name is Sachin Tendulkar." - Sachin Tendulkar's daughter, Sara, tells her class her father's name after the teacher informs them of a Restaurant of the same name in Mumbai
"We did not lose to a team called 'India' ... we lost to a man called Sachin." - Mark Taylor, during the test match in Chennai (1997)
"Commit all your sins when Sachin is batting.They will go unnoticed cause even the GOD is watching." - A hoarding in England
There are 2 kinds of batsmen in the world. One Sachin Tendulkar. Two all the others. - Andy Flower
"I have seen god, he bats at no.4 for India " - Mathew Hayden
"Nothing bad can happen to us if we're on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it." - Hashim Amla, the South African batsman, reassures himself as he boards a flight
"Sometimes you get so engrossed in watching batsmen like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar that you lose focus on your job." - Yaseer Hameed in Pakistani Newspaper
"To Sachin, the man we all want to be" - Andrew Symonds wrote on an Aussie t-shirt he autographed specially for Sachin
“Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their TV sets and switch off their lives." - BBC on Sachin
"Tujhe pata hai tune kiska catch chhoda hai?" - Wasim Akram to Abdul Razzaq when the latter dropped Sachin's catch in 2003 World Cup
Sachin is a genius. I'm a mere mortal. - Brian Charles Lara
"The more I see of him the more confused I'm getting to which is his best knock." - M. L. Jaisimha
"The joy he brings to the millions of his countrymen, the grace with which he handles all the adulation and the expectations and his innate humility - all make for a one-in-a-billion individual" - Glenn McGrath
"I can be hundred per cent sure that Sachin will not play for a minute longer when he is not enjoying himself. He is still so eager to go out there and play. He will play as long as he feels he can play." - AT
Question: Who do you think as most important celebrity ?
Shah Rukh Khan: There was a big party where stars from bollywood and cricket were invited. Suddenly, there was a big noise, all wanted to see approaching Amitabh Bachhan. Then Sachin entered the hall and Amitabh was leading the queue to get a grab of the GENIUS!! - Shah Rukh Khan in an interview.
"India me aap Prime Minister ko ek Baar Katghare me khada kar sakte hain... Par Sachin Tendulkar par Ungli nahi utha Sakte..."- Navjot Singh Sidhu on TV
"He can play that leg glance with a walking stick also." - Waqar Younis
Sachin Tendulkar has often reminded me of a veteran army colonel who has many medals on his chest to show how he has conquered bowlers all over the world. I was bowling to Sachin and he hit me for two fours in a row. One from point and the other in between point and gully. That was the last two balls of the over and the over after that we (SA) took a wicket and during the group meeting I told Jonty (Rhodes) to be alert and I know a way to pin Sachin. And I delivered the first ball of my next over and it was a fuller length delivery outside the off stump. And I shouted catch. To my astonishment the ball was hit to the cover boundary. Such was the brilliance of Sachin. His reflex time is the best I have ever seen. Its like 1/20th of a sec. To get his wicket better not prepare. At least you won’t regret if he hits you for boundaries. - Allan Donald
"On a train from Shimla to Delhi, there was a halt in one of the stations. The train stopped by for few minutes as usual. Sachin was nearing century, batting on 98. The passengers, railway officials, everyone on the train waited for Sachin to complete the century. This Genius can stop time in India!!!" - Peter Rebouck - Aussie journalist
"Cricket was not there in ancient ages, otherwise Cricket would be the God's game, and Sachin be the 11th incarnation in India." - Hari Patnaik
"Sachin cannot cheat. He is to cricket what (Mahatma) Gandhiji was to politics. It's clear discrimination. " - NKP Salve, former Union Minister when Sachin was accused of ball tempering
"Even my father's name is Sachin Tendulkar." - Sachin Tendulkar's daughter, Sara, tells her class her father's name after the teacher informs them of a Restaurant of the same name in Mumbai
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2 comments:
Great collection of quotes Vishal. We can, but only, watch in awe.
@ Ramesh - thanks a ton! It is so heartening to see your comments on my blog. Thanks for visiting and reading them.
Yes, we can only watch in awe and learn so much from this genius. :)
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