New Delhi: India's cricket God is on a recess. Well, frankly he is down, but let's not say he is out. Sceptics have not dared writing the epitaph yet. Though there have been murmurs and whispers that this marks the beginning of the end of the Little Master.
Let's not jump the gun. We earnestly think it means blasphemy to even think of writing Sachin Tendulkar's cricketing epitaph. How can anyone even think of the demise of a God, he is God for India after all!
How can one forget so easily those fireworks around the cricket field. The cuts, the cover-drives, the lofts, the flicks and the huge front-foot hammerings.
Remember the shy, baby-faced teenager named Sachin Tendulkar, who stepped into the Indian dressing room in 1989 and entered the world of international cricket.
Gifted with qualities that mere mortals can not even dream of, he soom became the darling of Indian cricket fans.
Soon the cricket connoisseurs were certain that they were witnessing a rare batting talent on display.
Though Tendulkar had scored his first Test century against England in 1990 but he really come of age during the 1991-92 tour to Autralia, a country that was replacing the West Indies as the powerhouse of cricket.
The batting star became a master blaster during the tour and his 148 during the Sydney Test will always remain as one of the best to have flowed from his bat.
By the mid nineties Tendulkar had become the undisputed king of Indian criket and was showered with soubriquets like 'The Little Master' and 'Bombay Bomber'.
Conquering one batting frontier after another he soon grew into a legend and with his ascedency a new religion called cricket was born whose God was Tendulkar.
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But life had a cruel way of showing his fans that Tendulkar was still a mere mortal and prone to fall like any of us.
Playing international cricket was taking its toll on his body and the first signs became visible when in 1999 he started having back spasms.
Next to plauge him was a toe injury in 2000 and from then on Tendulkar has been suffering from one injury after another.
But he has always come back stronger from his breaks to prove to the world that his bat still rules the cricket world.
However a section of the crowd has stated shouting that Tendulkar is slowly losing his touch and his spate of injuries are only making the voice grow shriller.
And there is some truth in it as in the last few matches Tendulkar has been having a horrible run with the bat.
However we all must remember that form is temporary and class is permament.
Scores of sports stars have made a come back from serious injury and illness to reach the zenith of their sport.
The prime example being Lance Amgstrong who is most famous for winning the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005, several years after brain and testicular surgery and extensive chemotherapy in 1996 to treat testicular cancer that had spread to his brain and lungs.
So let us wait for a few week when our God will make a return to the cricket field.
Next page: Sachin Tendulkar's career statistics
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(Graphics by Mukesh Marwah)
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