On February 24th 2010, Mechanical students of National Institute Of Technology, Calicut were looking forward to one of the most eventful days in their Engineering career. Our pre-placement talks(PPT) were scheduled to be held and subsequently registration for placement as well. I can tell you, it is quite a titillating feeling to realize that you are going to get a job, and earn money. But little did we know, that the PPT is going to be postponed to a further date....
Well, here is the rationale...40 of the 120 students(Total strength of Mechanical and production branches) were absent. Apparently, history was being made in Gwalior, a city in the heart of India. As South Africa took on hosts India in a must win match to deny India an unassailable victory margin, the 36 years and 206 days veteran from Mumbai had his eyes set on a peak unscaled since the inception of ODI cricket, all of 40 years back. Sachin Tendulkar was nearing his double-ton, first ever in ODI cricketing history. Few things get postponed in our college. However, as it turned out, our PPT was postponed. It is not our transgression....after all, Sachin is not just anybody, a double ton is not just anything....
And people who watched him play would invariably acknowledge that this was not another of those heinous acts of audacity that is so often bracketed with engineering students. It is only a fitting tribute to someone who has put his blood, sweat and body on the line pursuing his first love and in the process, made us all proud...proud of the fact that we were born on the same stretch of land as he.
A double ton in limited overs format is not something a modern cricket analyst will reckon as impossible. Many players over the past 2 decades have fallen agonizingly close to it. That we have 15 175+ scores, says it all. Nevertheless, “ordinary” is one word you simply can't associate with Sachin. Despite having played 147 balls and striking them at over 136 per 100, Sachin had played one of the most chance less innings ever. There were no dropped chances, even no lbw shouts, no mis-hits, no mindless slogging...The fact that a record 25 boundaries along the ground and 3 over it were hit against arguably the best pace attack of contemporary cricket makes it all the more momentous. He used his bat like a surgeon at work. It was as if all of his 20 and half yrs at the international level were put together to showcase his entire batting armory. And even as the inevitable came closer, he was able to run doubles with assuage giving testimony to his unfathomable fitness.
The shot that he played off Dale Steyn(current best ICC Test bowler), when he non chalantly strolled across the stumps and picked a ball almost yorked a foot and a half outside off to bully it through the midwicket boundary for a four was the highlight of the innings. Subsequently, Dale Steyn looked up in awe and admiration, and let out a wry smile of helplessness, knowing full well that it was the best he can give, although even his best will do little to prevent history being re-written.
The students who thronged our common room(ideally some of them should have been in Training and Placement department) even outnumbered the contingent that had witnessed India overwhelming Pakistan in a close T20 Final about 3 yrs back. It continues to confound me how people in India take all Sachin's achievements as their own...and obviously all his failures personally as well. At about 6 pm...the atmosphere was electrifying...Sachin...Sachin..Sachin...!! Eventually, when he steered the ball past point and set off for one more single thus accomplishing his double ton, they all went up in unison and let out vicious roars, bellowing their heart out, dancing, jigging and exulting as their hero fulfilled their dreams.It was incredible....
Thankfully, our PPT is now scheduled to be held on 11th March 2010, a day when Sachin won't be playing any match. And for all those who still think Sachin is not the God of Cricket...all I can say...is...Think again....!!
