End of an Epoch-Now an everlasting Vacuum

The 2^nd test between India and West-Indies scheduled next month will see an end of an eternal era. Well, the statement seems to be of tongue-in-cheek in nature, if something is eternal how can it end? But yes it’s an era which seemed amaranthine. The Cricketing Era which saw the rise and rise of the greatest of all, ‘the God of Cricket’, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. For some of us, the epoch is actually perpetual; the great man was playing when we were just infants, he was in his full glory when were in School, the same continued when we were in college and now when we are Working Professionals. And yes off course Cricket won’t be the same now, certainly the way people would feel for it, I am not saying that the craze would lessen however, everyone will feel an everlasting void.

We speak of Sportsmen having a peak in their careers. But, this man whose career has lasted more than 24 years has got a number of peaks. Just when the critics would put up a flak against him, as always he would let his bat do the talking and deliver another class apart performance. He kept on ameliorating his own performances.

 It will be interesting to know what he will be doing after hanging up his boots, relaxing for sometime, commentary, setting up an academy but the fact is, he himself is an Institution, an Academy of Cricket. As we all know Cricket is his first love, so we can very well guess that whatever he will do, will some way or the other be connected to Cricket.

With all the batting records to his name, it’s always Him and then The Rest. As a matter of fact, he was the one man army batting against the fiercest of bowling attacks all over the cricketing world in the 90s and though his burden got reduced a bit later on, he kept on winning matches for the nation. In the 90s and even after wards people would lose all hope of winning, if he would get out. However, with all the expectations on him and single-handedly fighting for the cause of winning, he has always been a team man.

It’s not only his own contributions that have mattered but also the way he has inspired a generation of cricketers who are currently playing in the team and the ones who would join in the future.

Now, as the crowds will galore at Wankhede for his farewell test, the expectation is at least of a three figure score from him. And what a perfect end it would  be to a career of a man who is an Emperor of Centuries, a Connoisseur in reaching the mark.