Dear Editor,
Every cricketer should look up to the two senior batsmen Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Sachin Tendulkar playing in milestone Tests – 150th for Shiv and 200th for Sachin – their last as competitors and the last for both in India. These two legends show sports personalities how to be great as well as simple and humble all at once. I recall Shiv lining up like others, as I did for mine, for his passport some years ago and saying hello to so many people in the line. Few work harder than the two maestros at perfecting their trademark batting. And the whole of Bollywood (all the big name Indian move stars) and politicians from around the country were on hand to see the master Sachin bat one last time. The Indian diaspora was tuned to the TV screen. Friends in Trinidad, Guyana, Florida, Toronto and in NY told me they and others were fixated on Sachin’s batting hoping he would score 100.
Looking at their age – 38 and 40 respectively – and the way they bat, one would think Sachin and Shiv are still youngster bats with more years to offer their teams. They get better with age. One can’t help but admire both players for their habits and lifestyle. Few cricketers have the humility, simplicity and work ethic as they have, and even fewer have their organized lifestyle. They are not socialites visiting rum bars or womanizing; they take their cricket seriously and take advantage of every opportunity to be in the nets not worried about the hot sun like several West Indian players.
These guys sparked light in early appearances and stayed on for a long time producing along the way. That’s why they are so special to fans. Everywhere around the globe people tune to watch the two bat and they did not disappoint. In North America and the Caribbean, people stayed awake all night just to watch the live coverage. And in India, the country was at a standstill as Sachin batted, people cheering every run scored. This is what a correspondent wrote: “He went for his shots as each and every stroke ‒ attack or defence ‒ was lustily cheered by a vociferous crowd.” In India, as also in New York and I am sure elsewhere, it was common for people to constantly inquire about his score and heave a sigh of relief after knowing he was still batting. They also wanted to know about Shiv, if he would give them another ton in his final India Test appearance.
At the Wankhede Stadium, which I had the good fortune to visit during frequent trips to Mumbai, it was vintage Sachin Tendulkar in his final innings (unlikely he will bat again) as he batted with deep concentration scoring a chanceless 74 before he was done in by a turning ball from Guyanese all-rounder Narsingh Deonarine. Narsingh got one to bounce that extra bit as Sachin tried a cut shot which was unwise, a lapse in concentration, ending up in Sammy’s hands in the first slip. It was the end of a career. Deonarine’s name will certainly feature in the record books for years to come. He laced the ball all over the ground at Wankhede showing youngsters how to bat in Test matches. He did not slug and pull as West Indians are in the habit of doing even when they are under pressure and need to save a match. As one commentator noted, “it was pure unbridled joy for all those who witnessed a ‘Vintage Tendulkar’ on display.’” Continuing with comments, “Tendulkar’s late cut off Shane Shillingford, a backfoot punch through the covers off Tino Best and the drive past Best that brought up his half-century were pure class. It was Tendulkar’s 68th Test half-century that came in 91 deliveries. Best, who first tried to unsettle Tendulkar with bouncers and then with verbal volleys surrendered in the end as he had hands on his knees at the end of one of his overs. It was Tendulkar who gave him a friendly pat on the shoulders probably to remind ‘who’s the boss today.’ He earned Best’s respect.
West Indians should take a lesson from Tendulkar as that is the way one should bat in a Test match.
This was also a historic match for Chanders as it is also his final Test in India and the last one in which he appears together with Sachin. While Shiv did not do well in the first innings and he did not receive the cheers and adulation of Sachin, he also made a classy 25. He batted with grace in the first Test scoring 67 overall in both innings, though he lost partners to turn his 31 into a bigger innings in his final appearance at Eden Garden in Kolkota.
For Sachin, as others noted, 74 is not a100 but it felt like it was. It was a great final innings. It was not too long ago, critics were saying that the master was a shadow of his past and it was time to hang up his bat. That was not evident on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Every time critics said he was in decline, he bounced (remember the 200 against South Africa in the one dayer). As one commentator noted, the hallmark of Tendulkar’s innings was his footwork, leaving a lot of fuller deliveries outside the off-stump and getting the body behind the ball while executing masterful drives like those seen in his younger days.
It was vintage Sachin again and he produced another classy final innings of his career. It will be one much talked about. He had a momentary concentration lapse, playing to a ball he should have been more careful about and paid the price. But throughout the inning, he batted with poise, grace, elegance; power punching, sweeping, cutting and driving the way he did in the past. With so much going through his mind that it was his last innings and he did not want to disappoint his fans and the home crowd, the way he batted and handled the pressure speaks volumes of the great man. Few can replicate that persona. It was a tale of greatness that can only inspire others and it will be talked about for years to come.
Thanks Sachin. You did not disappoint! Take a bow, Master! And I hope Shiv will produce another of his trademark innings as he bats in India for a final time.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
