Ten(Dulkar) things I want before retirement

It was the summer of 2003 and my cousin was visiting me. Following the regular tourism trend, we went on the “Mumbai Darshan”.

Travelling from the South to the North, we stopped at Shivaji Park for a brief time. The only introduction, I could give about the place was – “It was this place, where Sachin Tendulkar practiced in his childhood days.”

My cousin did grab a vadapav and sat on a bench to feel the ambience. Die-hard fans, aren’t we?

Fast-forwarding to 2013.

10/10/2013, on hearing about Sachin’s retirement, I went to Shivaji Park, this time again to sit on a bench and to let the feeling sink in. It did not, and probably will not for decades to come.

Gurudev Nayak, a Marathi, aged around 82 was sitting reading the “Loksatta” (Loksatta is a famous regional newspaper of Maharashtra, India). A small kid in the nets, just stepped out and smashed the ball on the top of the bowlers’ head and it came near the bench. Gurudev rushed to return the ball. As the puff of the dust settled, he started talking about Tendulkar and his retirement from international cricket. He said he has sat on the same bench of Shivaji Park (SP) for past 30 years of his life and has seen Sachin Tendulkar grow as a player. Every evening, Gurudev used to come to SP just to see a thin, curly haired boy bat and sometimes used to get his office colleagues to enjoy his evenings, watching Tendulkar bat.

Talking to him, I said, “It is done now, I will miss Tendulkar like anything.”

To which Gurudev showed the “victory sign” and retorted, “Ajun, 2 match rahilet. Bagh kasa khelnaare to (There are still two matches to go, see how he is going to thrash everyone). I was amazed at the reply and we started talking about what we want from Tendulkar in these 2 matches. We were really, the most selfish people on the earth, just like other 2 billion Indians, still demanding something from someone who has contributed everything for past 24 years.

Continuing the evening over the tea-stall and vada-pav, Gurudev and I came up with 10 things that we would love and cherish to see from Tendulkar in his last two test-matches.

#1: Talking to the grounds men.

This was really the first thought that came to Gurudev’s mind. He had seen Tendulkar grow and had seen him help the “mali” (the ground keeper) to put up the nets and take it out. The passion to play the game comes way later than the humbleness to begin it. For Tendulkar, the groundsmen were a family. And it was then, that many pictures of Tendulkar talking to the groundsmen flashed in front of my eyes. However, big or small the game was, Tendulkar always made it a point to talk to grounds men, a way of showing gratitude and respect to the hard work they have put in to keep things moving. Yes, I would love to see Tendulkar standing near the pitch at 08:45 in the morning and talking to the grounds men, with that smile on the face.

#2: Walking out from the dressing room.

This is obviously going to happen, but it is really something I want to see in Tendulkar’s last two test-matches. I can pay anything to get a very close view of Tendulkar walking out of the pavilion and towards the ground. 11:00 AM in the morning and Tendulkar walks out to bat at the fall of second wicket. Indian national flag on the helmet, bat tucked under the arm and the determination in the walk. And one lakh people at Eden Gardens chanting “Sachin!! Sachin!!”; one can only close the eyes and imagine the roar, not only in the stadium but around the world. This is the moment, I will cherish and will give me the goose-bumps of my life.

#3: 50 (60)

Someone playing 199th and 200th Test match and especially knowing it to be his last series, can get a little shaky and throw it away. Bradman did.

All I want to see from Tendulkar, is not a big big hundred, but a quick 60 ball 50, studded with fours, quick singles, strong defence and a couple of hits over the top of the bowler’s head. That is the Tendulkar we have known since the innings in Perth in 1992. Till date, it is one of the finest performances I have seen from him, given the attack and the conditions. It will be a treat to watch Tendulkar in that mode of taking the attack to the bowler and playing with a free-flow of the bat.

#4: Vintage straight drive

People like Sanjay Manjrekar have grown around Tendulkar. He said, the way he knows Tendulkar is on the top of his game, is when he plays the straight drives very early in the innings. I presume, with the height Tendulkar has, playing that shot means, he is watching the ball right from the moment it leaves the bowlers hand to its finest of movements in the air. And that moment, when the face of the bat comes down and creates the sound of chik, the vintage straight drives are produced. I would love to see one of these straight drives, whenever they come. It is something I can record and put in the inventory of things I would love to watch daily till I die.

#5: Leg glance, the flick and the upper-cut

2003 World Cup, game against Pakistan. All three shots played with flair. Shoaib Akhtar steaming in and first ball was flicked through the square leg for four.

A Sachinist will always remember the upper cut that set the tone for that world cup. And talking about the leg glance, Waqar Younis said, “Tendulkar can play a leg glance even with a walking stick.”

I would love to see Tendulkar play the wide variety of strokes. Not only do these shots require a tremendous amount of balance, but also a meticulous coordination between the eyes and face of the bat. One of each kind, that I can store in my memory.

#6: The Defence

For Rahul Dravid and Tendulkar, I will not use the adjective “strong”. It is implicit, when I am talking about one of them, I am talking about the best defence by any batsman in the world. Someone like Darren Sammy or Dwayne Bravo bowling in and Tendulkar stretches out and leans forward and defends it, with that head very still and the hand parallel to the ground. I want to watch him defend some deliveries in his own classic way. Swift movement of the feet and the head coming down strong. Tendulkar, has really spoilt us, bad.

#7: The juggling

The year was 1998 – India vs Australia at Kochi.

He got Steve Waugh caught and bowled and he rejoiced by juggling the ball in his hands. That showcased the celebration of the success of his trick of cramping up Waugh for the room and getting him out caught and bowled. It showed the child in him. I want to see Tendulkar go like that. I want him to bowl leg-breaks, get a couple of wickets and rejoice as if a 15 year kid has just taken the two best wickets of his life. Tendulkar, I believe, has that 15 year kid in him, still.

#8: Panama cap

I cannot even remember, when he did the transition from the regular cap to the Panama. It makes it easier for the viewers to spot Tendulkar on the ground, so it helps that way. Yes, I want to see the Panama cap take the field at mid-on (vintage Tendulkar position) and take a catch coming down his throat. I am confident, his smile at the end of it will take care of our emotions.

#9: The look towards the heavens

Before world cup 2011, people used to talk about the final in Mumbai. India playing Sri Lanka/Australia/Pakistan, Tendulkar scoring a ton and winning the cup for India. The ton did not come, but the rest of the script came true. It will be a dream come true if Tendulkar is able to make a hundred in the penultimate/ultimate game of his career. That hundred and the look towards the heavens, a “Sachinist” will understand the fervor of the moment. A career that has spanned for 24 years will give another reason to rejoice, to shout, to dance and to do what not. Tendulkar scoring a hundred is always a special occasion. It is then we realize, how well we slept last night.

#10: Hear him speak

Tendulkar will embark on his “Final Frontier” on a not very high profile series. But emotions will still be high and it will be really fascinating to hear it from Tendulkar. I have heard him speaking in open after his tennis elbow injury treatment and after winning the 2011 world cup. Otherwise, Tendulkar has been quiet and shy. It will be really wonderful to hear about the innings he rates the best, the best bowlers he ever faced and his favorite grounds around the world. All in that presentation ceremony, where he will be overflown with the awards and the accolades. And who knows, he might just grab another Man of the Match/ Series and finish it in style.

All these 10 points, do make me a selfish person, as I want to see everything I have seen in last 20 years from him, in just two test matches. I believe, what will make a classic Tendulkar farewell, will not be what he does in the last two matches of his life, but remembering every single innings he has played for the past 24 years of his career. At the end of the day, all I want is to sit in the front of the television with a bowl of fruits and watch him bat, like he has always done.

As the God he worshipped was walking away, Gurudev trusted another and left for the evening prayers at Siddhivinayak and I saw a young kid helping the “mali” take down the nets, and calling it a day. Somewhere at Shivaji Park, a young kid wearing a Number 10 jersey walked home, this time to not take the field.

Note: The conversation with Gurudev is only imaginary and is for an effective piece of writing. Any resemblance, is purely coincide­­ntal.