Sachin Tendulkar: 24 yrs, 22 yards and Bharat Ratna

Just when you thought that with his retirement Sachin Tendulkar’s best is over, the cricketer, with a microphone in hand instead of a bat, delivered one of his finest performances.

For 24 years, his seemingly weak falsetto voice held strongly the stoic diplomatic curtain he covered himself with. His eyes had rarely betrayed his heart and he had hardly spoken about anything else but cricket. But that was not to be the day he retired after playing his 200th Test.

When the curtains came down on his career, Tendulkar opened a rare window to his heart in front of a near full house at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.

“All my friends, settle down, let me talk, I’ll get more and more emotional. My life between 22 yards in the 24 years, it’s hard to believe that it’s coming to an end,” he said as the stands echoed with sounds of crowd cheering him.

Tendulkar went on to thank everyone who helped him, mainly his family, coaches and friends. He spoke about not being there for his children and how people from various walks of life have helped him reach where he has.

Thanking the crowds he said: “The memories that you have left with me will always be with me, forever and ever, especially ‘Sachin, Sachin’ which will reverberate in my ears till I stop breathing.”

What had been an emotionally charged moment so far assumed surreality when the crowd responded with a crescendo of the famous chant that resonated with a goosebumps-inducing harmony.

As the voices of the crowd unified, Tendulkar started to take a lap of honour and captain MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli carried the maestro on their shoulders.

After the lap, Tendulkar took a lonely walk back to the pitch. He bent down, touched the turf with both hands and then, like a true devotee, touched his forehead and heart. He paid respect to the 22 yards where he built his life and also the dreams of a nation.

On his way to the pavilion, he wiped a tear or two. His fans may have labelled him ‘God’ but during his walk back, a teary-eyed Tendulkar was mere human much like the millions, who were sharing their tears with him.