Sachin Tendulkar, one of cricket’s greatest heroes, on Saturday thanked everyone involved in his career that lasted 24 years as screaming fans on and off the ground and colleagues bid the Master Blaster an emotional farewell.
India crushed a hapless West Indies by an innings and 126 runs to complete a 2-0 whitewash in one of the most lopsided contests in recent history.
“It’s hard to believe that my life on the cricket field is coming to an end,” said Tendulkar in his farewell speech asking cheering fans at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to settle down.
Tendulkar thanked his family and friends and said that it was his father who gave him the freedom to play and the power to chase his dreams.
“The most important person in my life is my father and every time I do something special I dedicate it to my father,” he said.
He acknowledged his wife Anjali for “bearing with all my dreams, frustrations and all the rubbish I spoke” and “two diamonds” – daughter Sara and son Arjun.
“You are the best partnership I’ve had in my life,” Tendulkar told Anjali.
He said that the turning point of his career came when his brother took him to cricket coach Ramakant Achrekar.
“Sir took me to all over Mumbai on his scooter to make sure I got enough match practice,” said Tendulkar as he talked about 82-year-old Achrekar who groomed him.
He also thanked the Mumbai Cricket Association and the BCCI for their support “during all times, good or bad”.
His teammates, Tendulkar said, were his family away from home.
“It is going to be difficult to not be a part of the dressing room.”
After his side completed the formalities of a victory over West Indies, Tendulkar collected a stump as a memento and wiped tears from his eyes as he slowly made his way off the field through a mobile guard of honour formed by his team mates.
As television coverage broadcast images of a huge banner in the stands proclaiming “Legends Never Retire”, the 40-year-old Tendulkar shook hands with opposing players and staff before climbing the stairs leading to the dressing room.
Earlier, responding to chants of “We want Sachin, We want Sachin” from a packed Wankhede Stadium crowd, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni allowed Tendulkar to bowl two final overs in his 200th Test match, fittingly at his home ground.
A wicket was not forthcoming for the world’s most prolific run-scorer but he did show off a full repertoire of deliveries in his cameo, offering leg-spin, off-spin and an immaculate googly which tail-ender Shane Shillingford somehow defended.
The regular bowlers returned to finish off a match that will be largely forgotten as a contest but remembered as a fitting farewell for a man who may be small in stature but cast a giant shadow of greatness over cricket in India and beyond.
His son Arjun, who was doing the duty of a ball-boy, stood applauding at the boundary line.
Starting the day at 43 for three, the West Indies were skittled out for a paltry 187 in their second innings as Pragyan Ojha completed a match-haul of 10 wickets taking his second five-for.
Starting with a 8-1 off-side field, Ashwin bowled on Gayle’s pads as he was clipped for three boundaries in a single over by the big-bodied Jamaican.
Marlon Samuels (11) stepped out to a flighted delivery from Pragyan Ojha, only to find that Dhoni had effected the easiest of stumpings.
Gayle also followed suit as he edged a straighter one from Ojha for Dhoni to take a sharp catch. At 87 for five, there was a fear that the match may well get over even before lunch session as Narsingh Deonarine (0) offered a simple return catch to become Ojha’s fourth victim of the innings and ninth of the match.
However Chanderpaul, playing his 150th Test match offered some resistance in company of Denesh Ramdin (53) as they added 68 runs for the seventh wicket before the veteran padded up one from Ashwin that went straight after pitching. Chanderpaul scored 41 with four boundaries.
Skipper Darren Sammy (1) who had demoted himself in the batting order didn’t fare any better.
Ramdin, however, continued hitting the odd boundaries in between as he reached half-century as wickets fell at the other end.
It was Mohammed Shami, who brought an end with a typical inswinging delivery that brought curtains down on a wonderful career.
As Team India begins a life without Tendulkar, one question that will haunt everyone is that who will fill the void left by him.
Cricket lovers now look up to the likes of Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma to keep the flag of Test matches high for India.
The man who dominated the cricket scene in India and the world over has played his knock and will be missed sorely.
(With inputs from Reuters and PTI)
Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/sachinretirement/india-stands-still-as-god-of-cricket-sachin-tendulkar-bows-out/article1-1151868.aspx
