Frame For Frame, No Cuts

Arbaaz Khan
Actor

When I was approached by Outlook to write about Sachin Tendulkar, my first thought was I could go on and on and on. We are dealing with India’s single biggest icon here and there’s so much to say about the man who has given us all incredible joy over the past 24 long years.

It is important to say up front that many are blessed with talent. But to be able to hone it in the way Sachin has and to be able to give fans the kind of joy for as long as he has is truly exceptional. Many talented men have other vices. Some like the fast lifestyle while others prefer their drink at the end of a rigorous work day. I am not sitting in moral judgement here but Sachin has not given anyone an opportunity to say anything even here. He’s just been perfect and that’s what makes him the greatest. Both on and off the field he’s a real role model and that’s what I have admired the most in the man.

He has been the truest gentleman to have played the gentleman’s game and world cricket should be proud to have him as its ambassador. He is cricket’s biggest brand the world over and supporters, irrespective of their nationality, just love to see him play and do well. His passion for the game is simply inconceivable. To step out and play Ranji Trophy and Irani Trophy at age 40 and play the way he did was a lesson for every youngster who aspires to be a cricketer, a lesson to those critics who had made adverse comments on his longevity. 

My first memory of Sachin goes back to his debut tour of Pakistan in 1989. It was one of the toughest tours of all time and Sachin was just 16 when he played the likes of Imran, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. It was towards the end of that tour that I remember him hitting Abdul Qadir for four massive sixes in an over in a 20-over contest and was amazed at such confidence. He was uninhibited and determined, confident and dominant and it was just incredible to see him in action. That innings was a statement to the cricket world and was a trailer for things to come in the future. Importantly for him and India, he has gone on to fulfil every dream we had for him and has given us more than we may have expected or imagined. 

I have enjoyed watching many a batting great of our generation but Sachin is just extraordinary. Now, I loved Brian Lara’s flamboyance, Matthew Hayden’s power was truly special and so was Ricky Ponting’s competitiveness. Each of these men is a true great of the game and will always find a place in the list of cricket’s all-time greats. But Sachin, to the absolute amazement of every Indian cricket fan, combined all these qualities in one player. He was flamboyant—think of the desert storm innings in Sharjah in 1998 against the Australians. He packed a punch—think of the Abdul Qadir over very early on in his career. And he has always been competitive—think of his World Cup exploits against Pakistan right through the last two decades. Sachin, I wish to emphasise, is the complete package, something the cricket world had never seen before. And that’s what makes him the real Indian icon I have so thoroughly enjoyed watching for 24 years.

Boney Kapoor
Film producer

There are certain sensations in life that we hope will never end. They can be called the pure, unadulterated joys of our existence which, unknowingly perhaps, make us smile. Sachin Tendulkar has been one such sensation for us Indians. Personally, I have been privileged to see him play for the entire 24 years of his career. For professional reasons and on account of my own work pressures, I haven’t been able to make it to many of his games—but it’s with deep pleasure that I state that I have indeed seen some of his most memorable innings from the stands. In the 2002 England series, for example, I was there to see India win at Headingley, one of our best away Test match wins of all time. And in scripting the win, Sachin and Sourav Ganguly had toyed with the English bowlers towards the end of the third day’s play, which I had thoroughly enjoyed sitting in the stands at Leeds.

The innings I watched ball for ball on television but still rue for not having watched from the ground is his Sha­rjah knock against Australia in 1998. Interestingly, my wife Sridevi and I had been there for almost all the major tournaments in Sharjah barring this one, the triseries involving India-Australia-New Zealand in April 1998. However, I still remember each and every stroke that Sachin played. In fact, I jokingly tell my wife that bef­ore this innings of his, watching Sunil Gavaskar bat was my stressbuster. Post the desert storm innings, I had to change my brand of stressbuster! For watching Sachin bat has become the best way to relax at the end of a hard day’s work.

The other innings of his that I’ll always remember is from his debut series against Pakistan in 1989. In a rain- curtailed ODI, which was subsequently reduced to 20 overs a side, he hit Abdul Qadir for four sixes in one over. That a 16-year-old could accomplish such a thing was simply unbelievable. Especially, since each of the shots were genuine cricketing shots. There was little doubt in my mind that here was someone who was blessed with extraordinary talent and ability.

Importantly for us all, Sachin hasn’t changed one bit over the years. He is the same humble person that we Indians so admire and depend on. He is the quintessential Indian nationalist who has performed for the country tirelessly for two decades and has always placed country above self. In the process, he has sacrificed seeing his children grow up, sacrificed quality family time, sacrificed a life of leisure and luxury and finally sacrificed his own joys and desires. This was best borne out when he answered the nation’s call and went back to play the 1999 World Cup within a week of his father passing away. And in his comeback match against Kenya, which I so vividly remember, he scored a 140 not out for India, an innings of the highest pedigree in terms of the determination involved. It is no surprise that Sachin can carry on playing cricket at the highest level with distinction at 40 when practically all of his contemporaries have moved on in life. He was, and always will be, different—a man born to serve the game with distinction and dedication.