8 instances which prove that Sachin Tendulkar is the epitome of sportsmanship

Innumerable smiles light up when an ordinary town in the United Arab Emirates, Sharjah, is mentioned.

The City of Dreams and the residence of the biggest Bollywood actors, Mumbai, ceases to be anything but the hometown of the India’s Ratna, for the cricket fanatics.

To a common man, 16th November stands as yet another day with winter slowly making its presence felt. A date which heralded the end of an era with the adieu of a legend, a Sachin Tendulkar fan will snap back.

Sachin Tendulkar. The name in itself rakes up a plethora of sentiments ranging from tears to smiles, pride to passion and nostalgia to emotions.

In a country where success is measured in numbers, 15,921 Test runs along with a mammoth 18, 426 One Day International runs, reveal their own story. A century of centuries complete the enviable record.

But, is it merely the stats and figures which force the stadiums across the nation to reverberate with cries of ‘Sachin Sachin’? Is a standing ovation accorded to the Master Blaster, every time he is sighted on the big screen, only due to the runs he has mounted? If it was just that, why is the Mumbaikar loved worldwide with such fervour, even by the oppositions? The real reason lies elsewhere.

In a career that spanned longer than the year’s most readers have lived, Tendulkar came to epitomise human virtues of gentlemanly behaviour, by portraying a temperament and a quiet sense of tranquility each time he took the field. His acts of sportsmanship, year in and year out, made him a role model who chose not to bring to the fore an aggressive streak. Sans a word laced with anger, he won the opposition over by a simple wooden bat.

On his 43rd birthday, we look at some on-field sportsmanship acts by Tendulkar, which have stayed on in minds, very much like the sight of the Indian milking away Shane Warne in Sharjah twelve years ago.

A reprieve accorded to Ian Bell on Tendulkar’s insistence; India vs England, 2011

Looking down the barrel and facing their second consecutive loss in the Test series in England in 2011, Sachin Tendulkar, in a commendable display of sporting attitude, urged his teammates to uphold Ian Bell’s controversial run-out on Day 3 at Trent Bridge.

Eoin Morgan, assumed the last ball before tea, bowled by Ishant Sharma, to be dead after it had raced away to deep square leg, where Praveen Kumar tumbled while fielding. He managed to save a certain boundary and threw the ball to Abhinav Mukund, who whipped off Bell’s stumps, running him out. It was here that a controversy erupted, with the batsmen already on the way to the pavilion, unaware that the ball had not reached the boundary and was still in play.

With MS Dhoni persisting that they had appealed, the third umpire had no choice but to rule Bell run out on 137, in a decision that saw the Indians being booed off the field.

However, a standing ovation greeted them when play resumed as Bell, surprisingly, came out to bat again. Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower visited the Indian dressing room during the break, requesting Dhoni withdraw the appeal, who remained adamant in his approach. It took in a word from Tendulkar to convince the captain in giving a reprieve to Bell, who had, honestly, been careless in his approach.

A controversy which could have marred the remainder of the tour was remembered for a great show of sportsmanship in the end.

A grin greets Michael Clarke’s tackle; CB Series, 2008

Australians, long known for their aggressive brand of cricket, displayed a rather unpleasant sight during the 2nd final of the Commonwealth Bank series in 2008 at Gabba, Brisbane.

Michael Clarke, bowling the 24th over of the Indian innings, rammed into Tendulkar at the non-striker’s end in a bid to save a single. The Australian desperately clung to the Indian with both hands bringing Tendulkar down to the ground in the process.

The nonchalance with which Clarke walked away after the over was complete without even rendering an apology was in stark contrast to Tendulkar’s reaction, who managed to see the funny side of things.

No cuss words, no display of displeasure, no complaints to the umpires- just a grin which dusted the matter under the carpet.

The ultimate team man- Sachin sacrifices his wicket; Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings, 2012

Often accused of playing for personal records, Sachin Tendulkar, in a highly selfless move, sacrificed his wicket for Mumbai Indians, during the high-octane clash against Chennai Super Kings in the Eliminator in 2012.

Chasing a stiff 188 for victory, Tendulkar, opening the innings with Dwayne Smith, played the penultimate ball of the fifth over on the offside. While Smith ran for a single, the Little Master did not. With both batsmen stranded on the striker’s end, Tendulkar decided to sacrifice his wicket instead by leaving the crease and going towards the danger end, ensuring that Smith, who was in ominous form, remained safe. He was run out for 11 in 11 deliveries.

Tendulkar further won the hearts of an awestruck Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru when he consoled the dejected West Indian on his way back to the pavilion, encouraging him to continue playing his natural game.

A gentleman was needed to remind the game of cricket that the sport is much more than angry exchanges and glares, which are on display in the event of a mix-up.

A small gesture went a long way in proving that cricket, in its very roots, remained the ultimate team game.

Mankanding against the spirit of the game, opines Tendulkar; India vs Sri Lanka, 2012

Captaining the Indian side in the absence of MS Dhoni against Sri Lanka in the Commonwealth Bank series in 2012, Virender Sehwag was caught in the midst of a Mankading controversy, which had the potential to stir up a storm in the cricketing fraternity, if not for the intervention of Sachin Tendulkar.

Mankading- an act where the bowler, in his run-up, can run out the non-striker for backing up beyond the crease, even before the delivery has been bowled, has been the topic of much debate. Stalwarts have unanimously termed the rule as one which goes against the spirits of the game.

In the 40th over of the Sri Lankan innings, Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin ran the non-striker Lahiru Thirimanne out, after, allegedly, having warned the batsman before.

Although a legitimate dismissal, the umpires, Paul Reifell and Billy Bowden, consulted the stand-in-captain to know whether he wanted to withdraw the appeal.

Reports suggest that Tendulkar’s persuasive words, that although a wicket obtained through Mankading was a fair dismissal, it went against the sportsmanship behaviour, went a long way in changing Sehwag’s mind. The Mumbaikar, much like in the Ian Bell episode, taught the team a thing or two about playing cricket the appropriate way.

Two boundaries answer Brett Lee’s beamer; India vs Australia, 2008

A fast bowler’s job remains simple- run in hard and upstage the batsman’s concentration in the quest for wickets. An aggressive spell of fast bowling often sets up the stage for the rest of the match.

Many spells have gone, many deliveries by bowlers have frustrated the batsman over the years and well, many abusive exchanges have been exchanged. Remember Ricky Ponting swearing at Indian Javagal Srinath after a miscued bouncer or Matthew Hayden ramming his bat in anger and shouting at England’s youngster Simon Jones after a misfired run-out attempt by the bowler hit Hayden?

And then there is Sachin Tendulkar. In the finals of the CB series in 2008, a nasty Brett Lee beamer hit the Indian on the helmet, which elicited no reaction whatsoever from the batsman. The bowler immediately rushed to the opener, stretching out his hands in an apology. A handshake and a pat on the shoulder later, the matter was settled.

Two boundaries and a wide toothed grin directed towards Lee was Tendulkar’s way of answering back.

The video below contrasts and compares the reaction of cricketers, who have been termed as legends due to the runs scored but with a fiery behaviour to boast of, with Tendulkar, who has left behind his legacy in the cricketing world due to his sportsmanship.

Walking off in a high-octane clash despite being ruled not out; India vs West Indies, 2011

Cricket, as much as it is about skills matched up against talent, is also a battle between principles of honesty and ethics alongside the existing laws of the game.

Mankading is one, walking voluntarily is another. How often does a batsman, grappling to emerge victorious, put principles as his primary agenda in a professional set-up, where a triumph is often considered as the end all and be all in cricket.

It was therefore, refreshing to see the likes of Tendulkar upholding moral virtues, even on a competitive arena like international cricket.

During the World Cup clash with West Indies in 2011 at Chennai, Tendulkar, in quest of his 100th ton, decided to walk off even though he had been adjudged not out by umpire Steve Davis.

In the very first over of the match, a Ravi Rampaul delivery beat the champion and even though it was not the first time that Tendulkar had walked, placing integrity over and above everything else in a high-octane clash revealed its own tale.

Tendulkar pacifies the Kolkata crowd after colliding with Shoaib Akhtar; Asian Test Championship, 1999

Eden Gardens, known for the vociferous passion it exudes, are famed equally for being notorious and erupting in anger at the slightest occasion, especially when the opposition seems to get on the wrong side of the home team.

It happened during the 1996 World Cup semi-final between India and Sri Lanka. An encore followed during the first match of the Asian Test Championship in 1999, where a crowd of over 100,000 watched India and Pakistan sweat it out in the middle.

And then it happened. The fourth day of the Test match. Chasing 279 for victory, Tendulkar, batting on 7, clipped Wasim Akram for two runs. The Indian was on his way back for a third run, when he collided with Shoaib Akhtar, who was waiting near the non-striker’s end to gather the throw from deep midwicket.

The collision resulted in Tendulkar’s run-out and although Akhtar wasn’t to be blamed, the crowd went on a rampage.

The Pakistani was pelted with bottles, an act which forced the match to be delayed for well over an hour.

However, in a praiseworthy deed, Tendulkar entered the field amidst the chaos in a bid to pacify the crowd. Although the match was resumed and played under an empty stadium after all the spectators had been banished, Tendulkar’s act stood out amidst the gloom.

No dissent at wrongly been given out at 99; India vs England, 2007

To be the best, fate sometimes puts the chosen ones through a litmus test, which often brings to the fore one’s character in pressure situations.

When things cease to be in our control, a grin or a smile to wade through the cruel destiny is often a trait that stands to be applauded.

Many times in Tendulkar’s 24-year career has the Indian been a victim of poor umpiring without a minuscule of a dissent shown towards the decision.

During the 2nd ODI at Bristol against England in 2007, Tendulkar was dismissed for a well-made yet unlucky 99. An Andrew Flintoff delivery flicked the batsman’s arm before landing in Matt Prior’s diving gloves.

No dissent shown, just a wide grin expressed astonishment greeted the England fielders as the Indian walked back to the pavilion.

It isn’t just numbers that separates the great Tendulkar from the rest. It is a legacy of virtues and a stream of righteousness that sets the legend apart from the other legends of the game called cricket.