27th March 1994, Eden Park Auckland, New Zealand vs India. NZ wins the toss and decide to bat. With some brilliant team bowling effort, New Zealand get bundled out for a paltry 142. In the absence of Navjot Sidhu, captain Azhar decides to send a 20 year old boy to open. I get a shock suddenly, not from seeing the dimunitive batsman but from my elder sister who starts screaming madly
'Its him, its him,' she yells jumping up and down in front of the TV.
'So?' I said. 'He has never opened, wonder what he'll do now'
'Just shut up okay. he is the best.' my sister said who has as much idea about cricket as my mother has about computers. Both just stare emptily at the screen and get excited by any sort of movement on it.
So I did just that, started to watch the match in silence and expected the boy-man to get out anytime to the likes of Danny Morrison and Chris Pringle, probably bounced out or to some swinging delivery since he was not a natural opener. I was always repelled by the fact that why is this young fella being given so much attention, labelled "wonder boy", touted to be a legend even before he has earned his stripes to become a good batsman. Admitedly I had not seen too much cricket myself to be convinced of the little man's ability so I had my doubts.
82 runs and 49 balls later, all those doubts were not only laid to rest but were ground to dust as the legend they called Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar decimated the kiwi bowlers as if they were chickens in a butchery with shots so breathtaking that only a genius could have executed them. And mind you this was before the Jayasuriya days. It was an audacious assault from this rough untested diamond. I was a convert and have followed almost each and every innings of his till date. (My sister did lose interest in the game and fell from grace and started worshipping SRK :))
All that and more came flooding back yesterday when the Little Master played one more knock of calculated and ruthless proportions to register a magnificent 163 at Christchurch almost 15 years to the day he had announced his arrival. If only for stomach cramps, he would have perhaps become the first man to make a double hundred in one dayers.
He was a wonder boy then but is the Master now. Hope he never retires. :)
'Its him, its him,' she yells jumping up and down in front of the TV.
'So?' I said. 'He has never opened, wonder what he'll do now'
'Just shut up okay. he is the best.' my sister said who has as much idea about cricket as my mother has about computers. Both just stare emptily at the screen and get excited by any sort of movement on it.
So I did just that, started to watch the match in silence and expected the boy-man to get out anytime to the likes of Danny Morrison and Chris Pringle, probably bounced out or to some swinging delivery since he was not a natural opener. I was always repelled by the fact that why is this young fella being given so much attention, labelled "wonder boy", touted to be a legend even before he has earned his stripes to become a good batsman. Admitedly I had not seen too much cricket myself to be convinced of the little man's ability so I had my doubts.
82 runs and 49 balls later, all those doubts were not only laid to rest but were ground to dust as the legend they called Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar decimated the kiwi bowlers as if they were chickens in a butchery with shots so breathtaking that only a genius could have executed them. And mind you this was before the Jayasuriya days. It was an audacious assault from this rough untested diamond. I was a convert and have followed almost each and every innings of his till date. (My sister did lose interest in the game and fell from grace and started worshipping SRK :))
All that and more came flooding back yesterday when the Little Master played one more knock of calculated and ruthless proportions to register a magnificent 163 at Christchurch almost 15 years to the day he had announced his arrival. If only for stomach cramps, he would have perhaps become the first man to make a double hundred in one dayers.
He was a wonder boy then but is the Master now. Hope he never retires. :)
I need to catch up with your sister :)
Hahahaha. Yeah she is still mad about him. But then she always has weird choices. I think she has fallen further and adores Emraan Hashmi now. Yuk!!!. :P