Team India Salutes Batting Genius And His Spirit

Publication:Times Of India Bangalore; Date:Oct 18, 2008

On the day Sachin Tendulkar climbed the Everest of expectations, some of his colleagues joined the chorus of people from every walk of life to acknowledge and appreciate his titanic achievement.

‘‘Paaji (Sachin) is such an inspiring presence at the wicket and in the dressing room. He still retains a school boy’s enthusiasm for the game and he’s always willing to share his wealth of experience,’’ said Dhoni. “It’s no secret that whenever a new player joins the team, he silently keeps studying Tendulkar for the first few matches. But the man himself is like an elder brother. He’s never short of valuable tips for all of us,’’ he dded.

Finally, when Dhoni did make it to the Indian team, he made the most of Tendulkar’s presence around him.

‘‘I remember in the 2006 series in Pakistan, when India was struggling in the Faisalabad Test, I came to the wicket when Shoaib Akhtar was bowling at 150 plus. The first few balls were lightning

fast and honestly I had no clue. It was here that Tendulkar walked down from the non-striker’s end and told me, ‘Play the way you always play with a smile on your face and enjoy the challenge.’ That gave me a lot of confidence and I hit the next ball for a six over mid-wicket. I went on to score my maiden Test hundred (148) and we saved the follow-on.’’

Another senior pro, VVS Laxman, too showered praises on Tendulkar. ‘‘He has been around for 19 years and he has been absolutely brilliant. He has been playing the game with such love, passion and commitment, it’s unbelievable. No one deserves the record more than him.’’

Sharing his dressing room experience with Tendulkar, Laxman underlined the man’s modesty. ‘‘For a man of his accomplishments, he is very humble. He is always willing to share his experience. He is an amazing team man.’’

One of the promising youngsters who has gained from sharing the dressing room with Tendulkar is RP Singh. ‘‘There’s so much to learn from him. He’s friendly, and always willing to help,’’ RP said. Yuvraj Singh probably symbolises the sentiments of most young guns best vis a vis Tendulkar’s overwhelming presence in the dressing room. ‘‘When I first came into the team, I was scared to talk to him. But he is such a fantastic person that he would himself come up and speak to me. And that made me very happy. Later on, we became good friends and I value his presence on and off the field. He is not only a great batsman but he is also a great human being.’’

The dashing left-hander reckoned that it was a ‘great feeling’ to see Tendulkar break the record. At the same time he was a bit surprised that he did not go on to score a well deserved hundred. ‘‘This is probably the only time that Sachin has raised his bat thrice without going on to score a hundred. First when he went past Lara’s record, next when he crossed 12,000 runs and the third time when he completed his half-century.’’

Yet another young gun to benefit immensely from the little champion’s presence in the dressing room is Irfan Pathan. ‘‘The way he conducts himself in the dressing room is also a part of the learning process. He has such a great knowledge about the game that he is always willing to share it. Not just that, you can even learn a lot without him saying a word. On the field, he has given me useful tips standing at mid-off or mid-on.”