Goodbye, Little Master

One can only be grateful Tendulkar bade farewell at the right time, accorded send-off befitting someone of his stature

The world said farewell to one of the greatest cricketers of all time when Sachin Tendulkar finally bowed out of Test cricket, exactly 24 years after he made his debut against Pakistan back in November 1989. Tributes have come in thick and fast from all over the world, with current and former stars of the game, as well as fans, celebrating the glittering career of the Little Master, who ended up playing 200 Tests, the most by any cricketer in history. Tendulkar’s career is marked by a host of world records in both Tests and One-Day Internationals (ODI), some of which are sure to stand the test of time. The Indian maestro ends his career as the highest run-scorer in both Tests and ODIs — having scored over 34,000 international runs — and also as the cricketer to have played the highest number of games in both formats. He is also the only player to have scored 100 international centuries.

Besides the stupendous numbers that Tendulkar accumulated over the course of his career, it is also the way he handled the immense pressure of expectations of a billion Indians for almost a quarter-century that indicates the kind of mental strength he possesses. His conduct off the field always remained impeccable, and his humility and eagerness to help out younger players in the Indian team set a fine example to everyone. While Tendulkar’s recent form had been average, his last Test innings against the West Indies in his hometown of Mumbai, was a fine 74, which included some glorious shots to all parts of the ground, giving millions of fans great joy in the knowledge that their final abiding memory of him will not be that of someone struggling for runs, but of a great player saying goodbye when he still had it in him to play the kind of innings that he did. Too often one sees great players overstaying their welcome and becoming mere shadows of their former selves. One can only be grateful that Tendulkar bade farewell at the right time and that he was accorded a send-off befitting someone of his stature.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2013.

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