Sachin Tendulkar has been the best batsman in the world for last 20 years and for most of you there is no reason to compare him to any other cricketers in present and past because he is the undisputed king of cricket
Part of me agrees with that statement without any doubt but a question has been lingering in me for a long time…is he really the king…mention of the word “king” brings to mind the image of a leader as well …everybody looks at the king to lead from the front and deliver, for me a leader rises up to the occasion and takes control of the situation. This elevates the leader to a different level which others can’t even dream about….and become invincible …the competitive nature, skills and hunger for victory helps them do this. How many times has Sachin delivered in the big stage for India...I say none…I have seen him fail in front of fire in the big stage…the perfect example of this is the 2003 world cup final …1996 world cup semifinal…A king does not let his people down…..
I witnessed so many occasions in different forms of sports….in the middle of the field I have seen “the Gods” they live for the moment and the fans, team mates and their coaches who put their full faith on them to deliver when the game on the line… they don’t let their teams down…they don’t let their fans down…..they do what ever it takes to deliver the job entrusted on them …..There are no excuses for failures, because you are a god and they don’t let you down or fail…
A good example of the above is Kobe Bryant leading LA Lakers to the NBA final beating the Sacramento kings by hitting back to back three point shots while the game clock was winding down….he has done this many times , I have seen him taking control of the game at the crucial stage…he jumps high, runs fast and does not miss the final shot…every one watching the game know that’s he is the one going to have the ball and the opposition puts their best defenders on him ….still he delivers ….because he has become invincible. I recall Tom Brady leading New England Patriots to three super Bowl championships after trailing in the fourth quarter in all the three games, I was standing up in my seat praying to all the gods, Tom is under tremendous pressure beyond anyone’s imagination….under these circumstances he delivers….I say that makes him different from other players… his rising to the occasion to handle the situation and deliver it….that is what gods do…… Now let me move on to my argument “The Ring or Championships” champions are measured by the number of rings... at the end of the day the question is how many world championship you won for your country…. 1 billion people stay behind you through out your 20 years of career ,we put all our trust on you, even called you the God of cricket….what did you give them back…bunch of excuses… ….I know Sachin holds every single record in cricket on batting department…..so does Brett Favre and Dan Marino….they own every single Quarter back records in NFL but are not even considered in the elite Quarter back league of Joe Montana and Tom Brady….because they don’t have the same number of championships….even Michael Jordan will not be the same without six championships. Even for an average Joe like me …. It doesn’t matter how talented or how better I am compared to other people…….at the end of the day my talent is measured by the degrees I am holding….in other words the championships…..again depends who awarded that degree to me….. I am not undermining Sachin’s talent or records here….just trying to convince my self…he is not a champion …..He is just a talented cricketer. |
