Sachin Tendulkar, Cricket Batsman
Are the Days of India's Leading Test Player Numbered?
An overview of the experience and recent performances by one of India's greatest cricketer.
From the time Sunil Gavaskar retired from test cricket in 1987, the Indian team did not have another star batsman until Sachin Tendulkar arrived on the scene in the 1989-90 series against Pakistan. In that series, he was a small boy of 16 years but proved his mettle against Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Aaqib Javed inspite of being hit on the nose in one of the matches. He posted his first half-century in only the second-ever test match he peformed in.
Formative years
In the 1990 Series against England, he proved himself to be a revelation and pushed experienced players like Sanjay Manjrekar, Azharuddin and Vengsarkar into the shadows with his brilliant performances against the fiery Devon Malcolm and team. In the years up to 1994, he turned out brilliant individual performances in a team that was running short of quality players. Thus, his hundred against the Aussies in Perth in 1991-92 series stood out as an outstanding effort. Though he could be termed partly successful in his first world cup in 1992, he did show his future prowess in some matches.
The Turn-around
But a real turnaround came in the series against New Zealand in 1994 when he became the first man in world cricket to utilize the fielding restrictions in the first 15 overs to pummel the Kiwi attack in pursuit of a small victory target of 148 odd runs. Then, during the Sharjah cup in 1998 against Australia, he single handedly won the matches with back-to-back centuries in semi-finals and finals. In between these, teaming up with Navjot Siddhu, his big hitting became a real problem for Aussie cricketers like Shane Warne and Paul Reiffel.
The beginning of the downfall
In the 1998-99 series against Pakistan, chasing a modest Victory target of 236, India were tottering at some 56 for 5, when he took charge of the match along with Nayan Mongia and scored a great hundred and took the team to the brink of victory. Then, during the game, he suffered a crippling lower back spasm, which removed all chance of a dream victory. He’d been close, but had to let the others finish it off.
During a crucial match against Australia in the 1999 World cup, he succumbed to Glenn McGrath for just four runs and left the team in dire straits. Similarly, he became an easy prey to Brett Lee time and again in that dismal tour of Australia in 2000, which India lost 3-nil.
In the 2003 world cup in South Africa, after some mind-blowing performances against Pakistan and Sri Lanka and piloting the team into the final, he again succumbed to Glenn McGrath very cheaply and with him went Indian hopes of victory. He was also plagued with Tennis elbow - but such was the interest in him in India that the orthopedic problem became much more common in the country, with many fans proudly stating they were afflicted with the same problem as Tendulkar.
A struggling cricketer
With the Tennis elbow, Tendulkar struggled to regain previous glories. Over the last three years, though he appeared very intense and statesmanlike, his star performances were few and far between in tests and in the one-day matches his batting order was also changed. Gone were the days when could hit a six walking down the track against the pace men and belt the spinners over the mid- wicket boundary. He became a dabbler and pusher and Virender Sehwag silently stole the mantle of the destroyer from him.
The last dismal Performance
The last dismal performance came against Bangladesh in the 2007 World cup when, after a long vigil against a team looking mediocre, he gave a simple catch to the wicket keeper. Until then, the Bangladeshis were having only faint chances of victory. Similarly, he failed miserably against the Sri Lankans.
About his future
For a team starved of big performances, it would require a Hercularean effort like V.V.S. Laxman’s 281 against Australia in 2001, to confirm that Tendulkar still has it in him to last up to the next world cup in 2011. As a player endowed with great talent, it is certainly not difficult for him to bounce-back and prove his critics wrong. India celebrated his 35th birthday on 24th April 2007 with both unease as well as hope.
