World Cup to Champions League T20: It's '#Alwaysfor10dulkar'

Sachin Tendulkar: One last time in coloured clothing on the cricket field

As the Mumbai Indians took on the Rajasthan Royals in the finals of the Champions League T20 last night, the “useless” tournament finally touched a chord in everyone’s heart and brought out a plethora of emotions in the Indian cricket fans.

It wasn’t because there were two Indian franchises fighting it out for T20 supremacy. It was neither because it was an outstanding game of cricket nor because it upheld the exciting gen-next of Indian cricket, but for the simple fact that it was the last time India witnessed two of its biggest legends lock horns against each other.

Both of them failed on the big day, but the game resurfaced the age old debate of “Rahul Dravid vs Sachin Tendulkar, the better batsman!”

While most of the views in the social media tended to side with the true gentleman, a few, including yours truly, carried on the march in favour of the Little Master.

So, Rahul Dravid vs Sachin Tendulkar – who really is better?

The debate is as “useless” as the Champions League itself but we Indians love numbers and comparisons because that’s how we are brought up since childhood. In school, one is always compared to the first boy/girl and judged on his/her score sheet, while in college, the grades are replaced by the salary packages obtained during campussing.

However, when it comes to Tendulkar and Dravid, let’s leave the stats aside because if only numbers were considered, no one, absolutely no one would come even within light years of Sachin Tendulkar. And that’s fair because cricket goes beyond the numbers and one shouldn’t be judged only on what the scoreboard says.

Before proceeding any further, let me make it clear – I am Tendulkar fan, sorry, devotee is the more appropriate term. However, make no mistake, I have the utmost respect for Dravid and rate him as the second best batsman that India has ever produced.

Both batsmen reached the zenith of cricketing achievements but Sachin Tendulkar, in my books, will always be more than just a batsman who broke records at his own whims and fancies.

Sachin Tendulkar has never been a cricketer – he has always been a beacon of hope and a way out of the mediocrity and hopelessness that surrounded the entire country during the depressing 90s. One fine day in 1989, he walked onto the cricket field, took on the mantle of fulfilling our dreams on his shoulders and right from his teenage days, became the Man the entire India wanted to be.

The EPL and “cricket-ain’t-cool” generation might disagree, but Sachin Tendulkar made us feel special because during the era of baggy trousers and oversized T-shirts, he was the only symbol of style and “coolness”.

Sachin Tendulkar made us happy. The punch off the back foot through cover and point cheered us up after a terrible exam, the ground-scorching straight drive wiped off the pain of a heart-crushing breakup and the raising of the bat after removing his helmet applied the healing touch to the nation that was scarred with serious socio-economic issues.

When in full flow, Tendulkar is like an extravagant composition – intricate, soulful, melodious and easy on the eye. He’s a genius and he creates magic with his willow. He explores new heights, conquers uncharted territories and the nation celebrated at his success and sighed at his walk backs after a failure.

But over the years, just like his batting, Tendulkar has made success look “easy” and it is that ease that has hurt his credibility and for some of us he became a constant reminder of our own failures.

How can things be so easy for someone? How can someone achieve so much in one lifetime?

Tendulkar reminds us of the boy who came first in our class – the one who got every answer correct and notched up astronomical grades in every exam to belittle our not-so-great percentages.

Tendulkar reminds us of the “dude” in college, who stole our “first love” just because he could pull off a few fancy dance steps and could speak better English than us with an accent.

Tendulkar reminds us of the maverick we all wanted to be, but couldn’t because none of us were endowed with the gifts that he possess.