'Sachin Still Lord Of The Manor'

I can sense Sachin Tendulkar is causing concern inIndia. Millions in their homes or offices, classrooms or playgrounds, in beds orlittle gathering of friends, want to know if he is fit for Pakistan. There isless sympathy for his tennis elbow and more disapproval on how he has gone aboutit. All questions on technique and temperament, style and method are shot athim. The revisionists are questioning his place in history.

Injuries you can never tell. The years logged on arereflected in a weary frame. Much as we hope against, we still age. A quick-fixand the show moves on. There is no sense in blaming Tendulkar if he rushed hisreturn in order to feast on Bangladesh. He couldn't have done it withoutencouragement from doctors. I am in his corner.

It is stupid to blame his heavy bat or bottom-hand gripfor his distress. I mean he would soon have the most Test runs and centuriesthan anyone else in history. All those one-day hundreds. He can't bat with twomore hands. Rubbish, utter rubbish. Give me a break.

There is still more whining: He is no longer dominant. But people change,experience factor gets in. If that's the way he sees it, that's the way it is.Sometimes you can't any longer do those things. Body is not in the best ofshape. It doesn't listen to your mind.

Having been a cricketer, let me sense this young man'smind: Oh, I am injured now, let me lay off for a while, recover and then producethe same passion and freedom. Play on while I recover and then bring on themagic. It could well be the lull before the Tendulkar storm.

You then moan that he is not a good finisher ofmatches, like Brian Lara has been at times, and hasn't won India many games. Butthen Tendulkar handled the pressure when it was most required in the course of amatch. He can't do much if your fast bowlers lack firepower. I have always feltIndia has been lacking in this department.

Revisionists feel he hasn't turned out to be the VivRichards he once promised. They wonder if he has the tenacity of a SunilGavaskar and the style of a Lara. Batting Gods like Sir Donald Bradman andGarfield Sobers are brought into the equation. It is being made to look as ifTendulkar has faced any lesser bowling than we did in our times.

Today you still have the likes of Shoaib Akhtar andBrett Lee in the field. Steve Harmison was captivating in the West Indies. IrfanPathan is wonderfully aggressive and came up with good scalps in Australia. Guysare consistently trying to bowl as fast as they can. There are Murali, ShaneWarne and Anil Kumble. Batsmen are scoring runs and at a fast clip. It's a fairquality.

There is better technology, the game has moved along scientific lines.Individuals are mapped better, there is a blueprint for each batsman and bowler.Chinks are honed in and then exploited.

You can always speculate if Tendulkar would have facedRoberts and Holding, Croft and Garner, Marshall and Clarke with same aplomb asGavaskar did. But any class player of any era would have come to grips with it.Gavaskar did it. Tendulkar wouldn't have been short on it.

The bowlers Gavaskar played against were the bestquicks in the world. While others were cowering under the fear-factor, Sunny wassuccessful and produced a chain of centuries against the pack of wolves. I havesome sentiments about Sunny but Tendulkar is very fresh and attacking in style.He is still lord of the manor, still makes his contribution, enjoys his cricketand be in the limelight. He has provided a leadership role to the likes ofVirender Sehwag, Gangulys and Dravids. That's the Tendulkar hallmark. That wasof the Little Master as well. They have passed on their contribution in themanner they gave confidence to others. It went beyond runs. India has been abetter team because of it.

The thing about batsmanship is the inspiration itprovides to future generations. Bradman did it. Everybody who looked back in thepast, took him as a model. Don represented it. He was the best cricketer playingin his era. He inspired the coming generations. The same is true with topbatsmen of all eras. There have been so many of them.

Among openers Gavaskar, Desmond Haynes. Geoff Boycott brought his own value tothings. Ricky Ponting at number three, Tendulkar, Lara, Damien Martyn, there areso many of them. I don't like naming my favourite World Eleven because I preferoptions. If there are no options, it means you are desperate and nobody likesbeing in such a situation. Even for my car, I prefer two keys! I have the samereasoning for teams.

Often I am asked to compare the modern-day Australianteam with the West Indies of 80s. How we would have fared against each other? Wewould never know and can keep speculating. I would have loved the opportunityand the Australians would be saying the same thing. It's like being in theboxing ring: Once inside, you expect to win. You don't let the other guy beatyou. It is a challenge which is inviting to me and to a lot of other guys. Butthe distance of time can't be bridged.

(To be continued tomorrow).

PTI