Witnessing Sachin Tendulkar - A day at Wankhede

I haven’t been an avid Sachinist for years now. I have discovered more pleasure than pain to see the old man take a long walk back to the pavilion – defeated. But life is unpredictable. One visit to Wankhede stadium can change all your feelings towards this man. The amount of love and blessings showered by his fans ensures that all atheist feelings towards this man disappear.Mumbai is definitely Sachin’s army. If Mumbai Indians say “Akka Mumbai Khelega”, they are absolutely right about it. Even if a team somehow manages to dismiss Tendulkar on the field, it is impossible for them to dismiss 40,000 more Tendulkars from the stands who cheer every run scored and every wicket taken by MI.The atmosphere is suddenly electric. Everyone is on their feet – clapping, cheering and going gaga over a small man walking onto the field. And you know that ‘You-Know-Who’ has come out to bat. The aura of this man is such that even a single taken by the striker when Sachin’s at non-strike receives more cheers than a six, precisely for the reason that You-Know-Who has got the strike. Still, what receives even more cheers is each run scored by our man. But the question is – how much does the crowd love this man? Do the celebrations stop when he is dismissed? The answer is no, definitely not. Irrespective of the amount of runs scored by Sachin, he still receives a standing ovation when he makes his way back to the pavilion.

Fans possess the tendency to call out names of the fielders standing close to the boundary in order to get a friendly ‘hello’ from the player. But when Sachin is out there on the field, it makes no difference whether it’s Pollard or Malinga near your stand, you will still call out Sachin’s name. It might look utter nonsense to a newbie, but people here at Wankhede have a tendency of yelling ‘Sachin’ out-of-the-blue for no reason altogether. It’s the mere presence of You-Know-Who which drives the crowd crazy. It looks like a plausible explanation why Mumbai Indians broke even so early when other teams aren’t even anywhere close.

He may not be the quickest man on the field, he may not run across to the next fielding position but I can assure you he will be the first one to put in a dive whenever the ball invades his territory. A special effort by the little man on the ground receives accolades – both on-field and off-field. Someone outside the stadium might feel that either a gigantic six has sent the ball sailing out of the park or a match-winning hat-trick has been taken. But in reality, it might be a dive by Sachin while fielding at mid-off.

Another startling feature of cricket’s demigod is that he still receives Mexican waves to his name even if he hasn’t participated in the immediate action taking place on the field. You may have Pragyan Ojha bowling to David Miller who pushes the ball towards point where it is stopped by Pollard, yet the people yell ‘Sachin’ at top of their voice. At this point, it gets close to resembling an addiction. Even if you’re the last person to cheer for Sachin, you end up hailing the little man like everyone else.

IPL has created a platform where captains play under many captains. But when Mumbai Indians play, players from both teams know who the ‘boss’ is. Generally, either the captain or the bowler decide the kind of field they want to play with. However, Sachin holds a strong control over the fielding positions too. At any point in the match, Sachin may alter the field according to what he feels is best for the team, without being cross-questioned by remaining 10 players on the field.

What’s even more enthralling is that you find all kinds of Tendulkars in the stands – fat, robust, skinny, tall and of the opposite gender too. It is one association which has been embraced by the people from the core of their hearts. The mere presence of the man on the field brings a gigantic smile to a million faces. The fever around the ground is sufficient to convert an atheist if not into a devotee, but definitely into a believer. And now, I am a believer.