Related Links

From The Cricket Journal, published on Dec 10, 2005

Today, will go down in history as one of the more momentous days in world cricket. First, New Zealand chasing down a total in Christchurch, which once seemed tougher than scaling the Everest, but thanks to Scott Styris and Brendon McCullum, even 331 did not seem intimidating enough against the Aussies. But, more importantly, closer to every Indian fan's heart would be the Master, the Genius - here the titles do not seem enough, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, going past Sunil Gavaskar to scale the highest and toughest peak in International Cricket - Most Test Centuries. So lets join in the celebrations, by saluting the Master himself.
 

It was never a question of - Will he or won't he ? But, only a matter of when he would get it. It was 364 days before that Sachin hammered a 248 against a low-rated Bangladesh attack at Dhaka. I remember the great Sunil Gavaskar walking down the commentary box to the ground and acknowledging the feat. This time around, it was 22 men clad in white, and another million in anticipation, finally bowing to the great batsman after crossing the mark. I would rate this knock by Sachin, as one of the better innings he has played, simply because the manner in which it came by. After being in the critics' book since a long time for his self-defensive adaptation of Test cricket, the great man has finally shown the world, his ability to patiently and efficiently work towards an approach that qualifies as "workman" like, which is why this inning of his deserves plaudits. The time has finally come for analysts and fans alike, to come to terms with his approach in Test cricket, which could best be described as "Cautious Aggression". What really separates him from the best is the ability to translate perseverance into performance. After all, 73 hundreds in International cricket is no joke.
 

This inning is not merely a record-breaking one. It is one that has conviction attached all over it, with some strokes looking to silencing some mouths, who wrote him off. None bigger than a Pakistani astrologer, who predicted his retirement before the year. Maybe that man has got his stars wrong, after all.

As emotions sweep through the country and the world alike over this enormous feat, satisfaction is something that lies deep within, for a man who has put Indian sport in the galaxies of the world. It will be surely interesting to see how many more does he produce in his already illustrious career. I am being an idealist, but I would pitch for 10 more in a career that should last for at least 4 years. For now, lets just sink in the moment and celebrate a day of achievement, and wish the Master and his bat many more runs in the matches to come.
 

Top of the Page