The year was 1989 when a precociously talented 16-year-old made his Test debut in Karachi against a fast and furious Pakistani pace attack. Sachin Tendulkar did not flinch.
Now, the little big man with phenomenal achievements is poised to become the most capped cricketer in Tests. Sachin Tendulkar will surpass Australian great Steve Waugh's mark of 168 Test appearances when the third Test between India and Sri Lanka gets underway at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium on Tuesday.
Along the way, Tendulkar has built monumental edifices. In 168 Tests, the legend has 13742 runs at a stunning average of 56.08 with 48 hundreds. No cricketer has made more runs in Tests; no one has notched up more centuries. The multi-dimensional Tendulkar has also scalped 44 batsmen with his assorted spin.
Steve Waugh scored 10927 runs at 51.06 with 32 hundreds. Beginning his career essentially as an all rounder who could send down clever medium pace, the Aussie picked up 97 wickets in his long and illustrious career.
The two are different in approach and style although their cricketing journey has been fuel-driven by focus and desire. The gifted Tendulkar conjures runs while the gutsy Steve Waugh battled hard, essentially in the late middle-order, when the chips were down.
Tendulkar has been durable, has carried enormous burden on his shoulders without wilting under the weight of expectations. He enjoys his cricket.
The maestro has made runs in all conditions, on the seaming, bouncing pitches in Australia and South Africa, in conditions assisting swing in England and New Zealand, on the varied surfaces in the Caribbean and in the heat and dust of the sub-continent.
Indeed, his has been a career of miles and milestones. The champion batsman is still hungry for success, still loves the sniff of a duel.
Speaking on his exceptional career, Tendulkar said here on Monday, “It has been a long journey. I still remember the first Test match that I played in Pakistan. It was a completely different feeling altogether in 1989. Since then things have worked out pretty well for me and I am very happy. I am pleased that I have had the privilege of having such a long journey at international level. To play for India was my dream. And getting to play 169 Test matches is just fantastic.”
He added, “The journey has gone by very quickly. Quicker than I expected. Time flies. You just need to enjoy it. It is a circle. You are not always at the top. There are rough patches along the way. Whenever I have gone through the various phases, I have found the reason to work hard. I just try to keep things simple. If you keep things simple, then the journey becomes relatively easy.
“And then, I have used to the huge support for me to motivate myself. I go out there and try to live up to the expectations .Tried to be at the top of my game. My preparation has always been there. That is something that I am really proud of. The rest of it is in the almighty's hands. All I can say is that whoever breaks my record should be an Indian.”
Speaking on the tough campaigns in India and abroad in these 21 years, Tendulkar said, “To achieve this, you have to go through a lot of sacrifice. It has taken me over 20 years to get here. It is a wonderful feeling. In the last few years, we have played a reasonable amount of Test cricket, which it is good. India at that one stage, in the early 90s, hardly got any Test matches. There were a couple of occasions when there were just two or three Test matches in a year. That was a little disappointing. But that is not the case now.”
On shouldering the expectations of millions, the legend said, “It is not a burden. It is god's gift that I have had the passion to play for over 20 years. I have enjoyed every moment. I don’t take it as a burden.”
And Tendulkar's message to the budding cricketers is - “It is important to dream. Then you have to chase your dreams. If you are sincere and honest, the dreams do come true.”
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