Bored, so wrote a bit about this bloke...
I probably rate Tendulkar lower, as a batsman, than most. He's one of the best there's been but I don't think he's the best. I'm an England fan and when England have played India, he's rarely been the opponent I was most concerned about. In test matches, I've worried more about Kumble and Dravid. In limited overs cricket, Dhoni and Yuvraj.
I do, however, find Sachin's career quite astonishing. The length of time he's played well, at the highest level, puts him alongside people like Giggs and Maldini. But what sets him apart is the pressure he did it under. No one, athlete or otherwise, has ever faced anything like it. He represented a country that is absolutely cricket mad, with a huge population, and he was not just the most popular player, but to many, the player. No one's success has ever been enjoyed by so many people. Nor their failures mourned. So many people have never spent so much of their lives thinking about one person. We will fight them on the beaches… Sorry, lost my train of thought.
The pressure he has been under is, in itself, fascinating, to me. What makes it more so, is how he's coped with it. The fact that he has seemingly maintained a healthy view of himself, and everyone else, whilst being adored to the point of worship by so many, from a pretty young age. There are many examples of people losing the plot, due to relatively sudden fame and wealth. He has not only held himself together but by all accounts I've come across, has been largely unfazed by it.
I went into a newsagents, yesterday, and the old Indian guy running the place had the radio on, listening to commentary of the match. I asked him the score. He told me and added that the second wicket had just fallen. I responded "Sachin's just come in, then" and his face lit up. We then waited whilst the next ball was bowled, before he served me.
That's the effect the man has had. Millions of people stop what they're doing in order to hear about him.
I probably rate Tendulkar lower, as a batsman, than most. He's one of the best there's been but I don't think he's the best. I'm an England fan and when England have played India, he's rarely been the opponent I was most concerned about. In test matches, I've worried more about Kumble and Dravid. In limited overs cricket, Dhoni and Yuvraj.
I do, however, find Sachin's career quite astonishing. The length of time he's played well, at the highest level, puts him alongside people like Giggs and Maldini. But what sets him apart is the pressure he did it under. No one, athlete or otherwise, has ever faced anything like it. He represented a country that is absolutely cricket mad, with a huge population, and he was not just the most popular player, but to many, the player. No one's success has ever been enjoyed by so many people. Nor their failures mourned. So many people have never spent so much of their lives thinking about one person. We will fight them on the beaches… Sorry, lost my train of thought.
The pressure he has been under is, in itself, fascinating, to me. What makes it more so, is how he's coped with it. The fact that he has seemingly maintained a healthy view of himself, and everyone else, whilst being adored to the point of worship by so many, from a pretty young age. There are many examples of people losing the plot, due to relatively sudden fame and wealth. He has not only held himself together but by all accounts I've come across, has been largely unfazed by it.
I went into a newsagents, yesterday, and the old Indian guy running the place had the radio on, listening to commentary of the match. I asked him the score. He told me and added that the second wicket had just fallen. I responded "Sachin's just come in, then" and his face lit up. We then waited whilst the next ball was bowled, before he served me.
That's the effect the man has had. Millions of people stop what they're doing in order to hear about him.
