So many sporting careers have started and ended as Sachin chipped away at records with his bat. KRISHNARAJ SINGH JASANA looks at the maestro’s secret of such unparallelled longevity in a sport
Pete Sampras had not won a single Grand Slam then, nor had Zinedine Zidane made his France debut. Usain Bolt was only just managing to crawl in his diapers and Roger Federer was only eight years old and far far away from holding a tennis racquet. That’s when Sachin Tendulkar had already taken a blow from a Waqar Younis bouncer in Pakistan in 1989. The Master Blaster's career has no parallel with 24 years between his debut and retirement. In this time, the sporting world may have seen many revolutions but Tendulkar rotated from glory to glory.
Tiger Woods only turned professional the same year that Sachin made a record of amassing the highest number of runs (523) in any World Cup in 1996, the same year that leander Paes won an Olympic Bronze as a single’s player. Paes became a professional in 1991 and is still going strong but he took to doubles route later on in order to advance his career beyond the traditional tennis age.
In cricket, most greats had either not debuted or were finding their feet in world cricket. Steve Waugh had by then scored just two of his 32 hundreds when Sachin was in Indian whites. By the time the former Australian captain retired, Sachin had one more than him. Another Australian, Rocky Ponting, debut six years after Sachin and in December 2008 both men were neck and neck with Ponting having scored 36 Test tons and Tendulkar 40. While the Aussie retired last year with 41, the Master-Blaster can add to his 51 as he has two more Tests to go. Sachin turned 40 this year, Ponting is a year-and-a-half younger.
Even the legendary Brian lara, who is four years older toTendulkar, debuted likewise in Pakistan but a year later, fell short in comparison. He amassed 11,953 runs in 131 Test at an average of 52.88 against 15,837 runs at 53.86 over 198 Tests. His stint with the game started after the maestro and ended six years before him.
Rahul Dravid, though of the same age as Sachin, started his career more than six years after him and ended it last year while South African Jacques Kallis remains the only player to have been in the game before the 1996 WC, he started in 1995, turns 38 in three days time and is more than 2500 runs behind the maestro and seven hundreds less. He has a better average of 56.10 but has also played 36 Tests less. His surpassing the legend looks unlikely with the all-rounder also in the autumn of his career.
And, that's been the USP of the Mumbai marauder. It's as if it has been only him throughout the past quarter of a century of sports. Transitions have happened around him, Formula One has gone from Michael Schumacher to another German in Sebastian Vettel, then, the entire Australian cricket team has changed.
Perhaps the reason, by his own acknowledgement, is wanting to just play cricket. It's this single-minded approach that has made him thrive even when down due to back injuries, the tennis-elbow, loss of form in 2006.
Sachin's longevity in the game is also an example of burn out not being a big issue. He has proved that you don't have to be the jack of all trades if you're the master of one.