Why I Won't Read Sachin Tendulkar's Autobiography

Till November 16 2013, the only thing constant in my life was my unwavering devotion to Sachin Tendulkar, yet when the news broke out that his autobiography would be soon hitting the markets, I could not get myself excited about it. I didn’t even think of reading it coz no book ever, not even his own, can do justice to the man, his cricket and the joy he brought to a lot of youngsters like me. It is for this very reason, I will never read any book on Tendulkar, for whatever I wanted to know or learn from the man, is from the time he spent in the middle, batting. Also, I want to believe I know my Tendulkar, or at least the version of him which inspires me and I don't want to go beyond what works for me.

I was always the one who defended Tendulkar online till my hands and eyes ached with so much typing and processing drivel, but I know that he is not spotless in his career when taken in its entirety. Much has been made of his walking incident in the 2011 World Cup League Match against the West Indies, but I know at least of one other incident when he did not walk after he knew he hit the ball. The comparisons with God are never to be taken seriously and are fun to play along. They just add an inconsequential side to the Legend, but Tendulkar is a greater man than that and people claiming him to be God know it more than others. 

Off the field, Tendulkar is not a very fascinating man as one can gather from his interviews and post-match conferences. He utters the correct words, comes across as diplomatic as possible, distances himself from any sort of controversy and speaks positively of everyone around him. There’s scarcely any wit or sarcasm, it’s almost like he was reading from a book of diplomacy. I don’t idolize him off the field and contrary to what everyone says I’m not a huge fan of his last speech on 16^th Nov either. It was a good long honest speech but not very entertaining. I thought his autobiography would be on similar lines and this review confirmed it is. 

The only things that could have made me pick up his book then would be his views on match fixing, the Mike Dennis affair when he was accused, rightly of course, of ball tampering, Spot Fixing in IPL, Tax evasion issues on his Ferrari. Yet, I know that he will be evading all these issues with his characteristic political correctness, and instead the focus would be more on his family life, the values he upholds as a man et al. I have to confess that his outburst against Greg Chappell was unexpected but when we consider the other issues he could raise his voice against, and the grave seriousness of those, Greg appears to be a soft target after all. 

Whatever reasons he might have in writing his biography, they were all achieved a million times more emphatically on the Cricket field and his second innings as a writer won’t be adding much to his envious repertoire. The virtues of being passionate, perseverance, the importance of being motivated, of loving the game and playing it in a way he felt was right, were all demonstrated every time he walked on to the Cricket field and took guard. In comparison the biography, written in collaboration with Boria Mazumdar definitely pales.  

In another recently released, and a rather explosive Autobiography of Kevin Pietersen, there is a letter by Rahul Dravid to Pietersen on how to play spin bowling. That is the sort of detail that Dravid has committed himself to, to achieve his greatness. Had KP written to Sachin, I’m not sure if he would be of some help to KP. I’m not saying that he won’t but just that he would have difficulty in explaining what comes naturally to him. His advice mostly would be to trust in one’s instincts, be positive, play the ball on the merit or other such stuff. His Biography will be just like that.  

Sachin Tendulkar: One Last Expectation

As a youth, when Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi wanted to go to England in pursuit of higher studies, it is said that his mother made him promise her that he would never smoke, touch alcohol or women. The concern might be borne from her acute fears of what the big bad world may suck her beloved son into, but when I read the story in my ninth standard academic text I did not feel anything. Yet, in her exact shoes, I find myself today, after Sachin Tendulkar has decided to retire from playing International Cricket. I shudder to think of what we as a country will lure him into doing after Cricket and I wish he never leaves the ground, where I’m certain he will find peace indefinitely.

Sachin Tendulkar has given us moments of immense pride and joy all through his career and there have been deservedly glowing tributes showering him with affectionate praise all over the internet, yet when I think of him today, the innings that continues to haunt my mind was his gritty 91 made against England at The Oval in 2011. It was not his usual flamboyant or chanceless innings, but one that was replete with plays-and-misses, half chances, thick edges, getting beaten and surviving close calls. The way he played Graeme Swann on that day, treating every delivery like an interrogation of his skill, endurance and effectiveness. The image of him walking away from the wicket after each ball, expression as impassive as ever, dragging his bat along or resting it on his shoulders, so as not to let Swann rush through his overs, walking back to the crease to defend more tentatively, was so disturbing and powerful that it made me wonder for the first time if the end indeed was nearer than I imagined. Yet, he endured the survival, the embarrassment, while his partner, a lesser celebrated batsman, Amit Mishra looked at relative ease, all because he never wanted to give up what he loved doing the most, that is to play Cricket.  It was not the most defining innings of his career, actually quite far from that, but it certainly was one which showed us his love for the game, so much so that when he was adjudged LBW off Bresnan he never wanted to walk back from the ground, despite his struggles in it.

As a person, Sachin Tendulkar may evoke respect but his personality is far from being considered fascinating. He looks out of place in any attire other than his jerseys and whites, and his words were always too simple, his praise measured and his demeanor never allows anyone to know what actually goes on in his mind, there probably is nothing other than the thoughts about his next practice session or game. However, once he gets on to the ground, he expresses himself emphatically and the communication with us is always certain, undeniably emotional, almost romantic. Words are never needed and can never do justice to the way he connects instinctively to everyone tuned into the game or watching him live, as if in his trademark straight drive he says that all is well with the world and asks us to accompany him in his journey. We are only too grateful for the offer Sir. We always were.

The recent developments in the country in particular and general ways of the world in general, made me a bit cynical and might have turned me into a bitter person, but Tendulkar always remained the only beacon of optimism. I have always wanted the best of everything to happen to him on the Cricket field, whether it is wishing every innings of his to be a century, or watching him to bowl leg spin more often, or take stunning catches. I don’t want him to be one of us, not that he would become one, though I don’t think we can offer him a better place than a Cricket Ground.  

As the great man walked back into the pavilion for one last time, a silent tear welled up in my eye, as deliciously salty as it was when I saw him holding the World Cup in 2011, but I’m equally worried about what he might walk into.  Is he equipped to face the challenges the other side of the world has for him? What lies next for him and if he will be able to cope up with life after Cricket? These are daunting questions and though I’m a lot younger than him, I cannot help the fatherly concern, rising within, of a man towards his most favorite son about his future.

It is said that Mahatma Gandhi never broke the three promises he made to his mother and I wish Tendulkar’s mother makes him promise not three but just one. Never to stop playing Cricket.

2nd April 2011: The Tendulkar Story

In many ways, the Indian World Cup Victory on April 2nd 2011 was a fitting end to what can be called The Tendulkar Story ignoring the fact that the man's career itself has not ended.It would be difficult to say, what was the most striking aspect in a ODI World Cup Victory, that fascinated Sachin Tendulkar the most, for the man devoted himself to the cause for 19 years starting from 1992 to 2011 with utmost dedication, putting in his most passionate efforts(arguably more than what he would have done in a Tri-Series game). But, the way the events have unfolded game after game across the continents is no where short of becoming a biopic, one that has all the twists and turns to become an interesting one at that.

The year was 1992 and a 8 year old boy was looking at the portable balck and white television screen willing Ravi Shastri and Sanjay Manjrekar to get out soon, so that he can watch his favorite player in action. He knew nothing about cricket or its legacy, Gavaskar or Kapil Dev, but the words Benson and Hedges, Sachin Tendulkar rang in his mind so much so that he used to wake up early in the morning to catch the action. The cheer in the household at THAT Ajay Jadeja's catch to dismiss Allan Border still holds a special place in his heart. He was not so much interested in the World Cup once India were out and eventually Pakistan won it, nor was he versed with the fact that the next world cup in 1996 would be in India where a delight awaited him.


1996 world cup saw Tendulkar stamping his supremacy over the world in becoming the highest run getter of the tournament. He has shown his class and the innings in each of the league matches except that against with Zimbabwe were a pleasure to everyone, so much so that the nation dared to look at retriving the coveted cup after 13 years. The Quarter Final against Pakistan was an absolute cracker of a match, probably the best Ind-Pak game the boy has ever seen in a world cup.India arrived at Calcutta, being named big time favorites and were truly on course banking on a majestic 65 from the master. But things turned and how. The match though ended abruptly, was a major scar on the boy's psyche, that he cried in bed that night and refused to eat food for the entire next day before hunger eventually got the better of him. Probably during this time, the desire for his country to win the Cup became more fervent after seeing how close they were to achieving it, more so to the master batsman than to the then 12 year old young man watching him.

Tendulkar was made the captain of Indian Cricket team, following the phenomenal world cup success, but it is the emergence of Rahul Dravid and Saurav Ganguly that were proved important to Indian teams' winning ways leading to the 1999 Cricket World Cup. The action then in England, with the ball swinging in both directions and Pakistan with their group of talented bowlers made good use of the conditions to obtain a finals berth, though they never really turned up for that encounter. For India, that tournament had little to offer except the victories against Pakistan and England, but the match that hurt them throughout was the close defeat against Zimbabwe. Tendulkar had to suffer the unfortunate demise of his father though he never made that a deterrent to his ambitions. Other than a hundred against Kenya, he was largely ineffective in that edition, a statistic reflected on the team's performance as well.

The lead up to 2003 World Cup in South Africa could not have been worse with the team's dismal performance on New Zealand tour. India have managed a moderate victory against Netherlands and suffered badly against Australia, causing a huge outrage among the fans back home. But, the team turned things around with comfortable victories against Namibia and Zimbabwe. The victory against England was a huge morale booster and then came the epic which saw THAT six off Shoaib Akhtar. India reached semi finals, with vicotries against Kenya, Sri Lanka and Newzealand in Super Sixes but more importantly, the team has come out of its huge dependence on one man. Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly shared equal responsibility in the victories, often ensuring Tendulkar to play his flamboyant Cricket. The hype over the 2003 World Cup final was huge as comparisons and analyses running wild but Australia was simply unbeatable in that tournament with many of their greats in their prime form and they proved too mighty an obstacle to overcome. Thanks to the absence of T20 Cricket the target of 360 in the final was never chased with a conviction specially after the dismissal of Tendulkar in the first over and India had to contend themselves being runners. Then a 19 year young man, more matured than his younger self admitted to himself that the best team won.

2007 edition in West Indies saw many changes in the squad with Greg Chappell, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar forming the core team of decision making. Those were turbulent times in Team India, something that the players themselves do not want to look back to. The team was mauled by Bangladesh and Sri Lanka's bowling was too good for India. The only moment of success was against Bermuda which proved rather insignificant, the records tumbled notwithstanding. Tendulkar was not opening again, a rather curious pattern to be noted(1992-League stage, 1999- Quarter Finals 2007 -League Stage) (1996-Semis, 2003-Finals 2011-Won). It does not take a genius to guess where the master wanted to bat in ODIs.

I think the failure of 2007 World Cup made Tendulkar to panic a bit. He immediately voiced his desire to play in the 2011 world cup and even he raised his game to such a level that he had the best phase of his career all over again. This phase saw India becoming Number One Test team, BUt Tendulkar had his eyes firmly set on the World Cup in INdia, and he adjusted his schedules by giving up T20 Cricket, taking care of his body so that he would be at his best when the situation demanded. Every Indian Victory in 2011 World Cup in India was a riot, with the fans going into a frenzy and beleiving their team had a real chance. The beauty of 2011 edition, was that no team was really dominant and each of them had their own flaws and demons to deal with. South Africa who could have been a real threat to India, defeating them in league stages were out of the tournament in Quarter Finals thanks to some spirited performance on field by the Kiwis. India, on the other hand, reached finals in a dream run. The matches against Australia and Pakistan were what can only be termed as a bliss from an Indian Fan's perspective.Tendulkar, contrinuted two hundreds in league games, though India never won them and a match winning but hugely flawed 85 against Pakistan. India viewed the finals against Sri Lanka as a blessing in disguise as the two teams played against each other quite a lot those days and India were the better team then. The looming hndredth hundred milestone in front of home crowd in a World Cup final was a mouth watering prospect but the man disappointed. A 27 year old man was almost in tears, but the class of Gambhir and street smart confidence of MS Dhoni playing his finest knock in the series saw us home. The celebrations knew no bounds as the incredible journey of 19 years culminated in a brilliant victory and brought tears of satisfation to the man who played the ODI game with a single dream in mind and pursued it with a fervour and attained the ultimate Nirvana setting an example for the country and its people to beleive in their dreams and chase them with steadfast commitment. The 27 year old man I turned out to be exactly a year ago,saw the spent up look of joy on his idol's face and learnt something that he would value and try to emulate.