If there was any doubt that Sachin Tendulkar is not god, it was laid to rest at Mohali yesterday. For once in his career he actually looked unworthy of his own genius. It is a measure of how below par he was, not just by his own improbably high standards but even by those of lesser mortals, that even after six survival chances he did not make his 100th century.
He should have got out first when he was only 27, then 45, 71 and 80. Those four catches were dropped by Pakistani fielders as if the ball was laced with an infectious disease. I am not even including two very close calls he survived before that, one for lbw and the other for stumping. I am sure Tendulkar had his very private expression of WTF in his mind every time he got away.
The only reason why the match does not appear to have been fixed was because the incompetence of Pakistani fielding did not come across as manufactured but genuine. Even the generally resourceful bookies could not have ordained the pathetic Pakistani fielding. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik may still discreetly try to find out about all the spectacular fumbles.
That said it has to be acknowledged the Indian team has in recent years evolved into a unit propelled as much by its obvious talent as by its self-belief and persistence. It is as if the team has rid itself of any sense of defeatism until the very end. They convey the sense that they are in it to win it. This transformed mindset can also be attributed to the overall climate of ‘can do’ that one sees in all walks of life in India these days. What would barely 20 years ago have been regarded as audacious has now become the norm in India.It is a great quality to have for a country that is trying to lift hundreds of millions out of debasing poverty.
Coming back to cricket and its reluctant deity, it could be poetically fitting were Tendulkar to score his 100th century in Mumbai on April 2 against Sri Lanka and in the process help India win the cup again after 28 years. If he is indeed leading a scripted life as many Indians believe he is, then let the climax be predictable where his triumphs personally yet again and in the bargain helps India triumph too.