Beyond “Boundaries”

The last one month has been eventful for all the supporters of the Indian Cricket Team.First and foremost hats off to those champions who have made every Indian proud with their stupendous achievement.There has been a lot of talk about Sachin Tendulkar in recent times and his “impending retirement”.Each and every time this has happened, the maestro has let his willow do the talking.. Proof: Highest run getter in the recently concluded one day series.Yesterday I chanced upon a quick interview which only strengthened my ever increasing awe of the “GOD” of Indian Cricket.This is how it went..
Interviewer:”Lot of youngsters look upto you for inspiration in this Indian Team..what is your response..??” Sachin:Well I am just 5″6 and most of the guys are taller than me so they can’t look up to me.. they have to only look down for me..!”A single line that said it all .. humility, modesty,cheekiness, sense of humour.For all those arm chair apocalytes who perenially keep cribbing about him and his achievements.. please take a note of the following..

1.”Have you ever travelled to Pakistan at the tender age of 16 without your parents for playing representative cricket at the international level..??”
2.”Have you ever been challenged by the legendary leggie Abdul Quadir and promptly dismissed him for 28 runs(Four sixers and a Four) in a single over in an alien land on your maiden tour ??”
3.”Would you stand up to the challenge of the rigours of competitive sport at 16 sacrificing all those fun filled moments ,pani puris etc with your friends..??”
4.”Have you ever made a brilliant century on the fastest wicket in the world , facing four fearsome fast bowlers at the age of 19..?”
5.”Have you ever felt the weight of a billion fans each time you set out to do your job..??”
6.”Have you ever carried the hopes of the entire nation for 16 years..??”
7.” Have you managed to stay free of all controversies for more than a decade after having realised that you are a national icon and a role model for the entire youth of the nation..??”
We Indians should be proud that we were privileged to be born in an era when Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar played competitive cricket.Inevitably age will catch up with him.It is he who is best qualified to determine when he has to hang up his boots and NOBODY ELSE.
A few of the other happenings were also eye catching…
A- The Indian Media lambasting SreeSanth for his antics on the field.This was a ridiculous act.We need a character like him who can match up to the opposition in terms of sheer agression.Guys like him can lift the spirits of the entire team.Agreed that he has to match his antics with solid performance but we dont need the home media lashing out at him especially during the middle of a crucial series.Mind you not only Sreesanth does it..Glenn Mcgrath,Andre Nel,Flintoff have all been consistently doing it .. so why pick out Sree alone..??If Aussies do it , its termed “mental disintegration and Aussie aggression” , but when some one else does it, it is dissent.. why such double standards??
B- Andrew Symonds and the entire Aussie team complaining of Racial Abuse and accusing Indian audience of not behaving themselves..This was certainly ironical..For ages the Aussie crowds have consistently mocked at our Sikh cricketers by placing banana peels and melons on their heads imitating the turbans and “putkha”.Where did the ethics go then?? And Aussies have no moral grounds to complain about racial abouse.. Did not Darren Lehamann call Muralitharan a black “C*Ck’??The Aussies successfully diverted the attention to off field events during the middle of the series and once again the media fell victim to it.
c-Ricky Ponting crying like a kid who has been stripped of his candy that Murli Kartik should have walked in the final ODI when he nicked to the ‘keeper. This provided great comical relief , perhaps even better than most kollywood comedy flicks. Was it not the same Ricky Ponting who came up with those famous words when asked about sportsmanship in the game ..”The umpire has a job to do and he is paid for it. Why should I walk when he has a decision to make..”!!! Is Mr.Ponting suffering from selective amnesia??
It is now plain fact that Aussies have been rattled by the Twent-20 semifinal loss.The Aussies are poor losers and dont know how to handle defeat.With other young teams breathing down their neck,their days at the top are definitely numbered.