Past the Realms of Money.....

It was downright hilarious to read the comparisons set up between Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni after the latter signed the Rs. 200 Cr deal with Rhiti sports thus bagging the highest package (bettering Sachin's Rs. 180 Cr with Iconix). Dhoni has "beaten"/"overwhelmed" The Little Master and such statements do not anger me but I am amused by the levels of foolishness the media drops to at decent amount of times. The simple fact that they can measure the contributions of men like Sachin and Dhoni in money shows the mediocre thought processes of these minds!
Both the cricketers firstly employ completely out of phase styles while batting and hence there can be no comparison at all. Sachin is about an impeccable technique and Dhoni
is all about will power beyond the limits of the normal man. Sachin is the greatest batsman of his era but Dhoni, whatever he does with the bat and scores those runs, is not a batsman!
Do not misunderstand this statement, like I said, Dhoni has perhaps the greatest of will power I have ever seen in my life. It is a big achievement to be the number 1 ranked batsman with not the text book technique. It enables Dhoni to give that performance and maintain a 50+ average at a strike rate shade under 90 because I believe there is no word called "can't" in his dictionary. He is one of the greatest inspiration's I have in my life because of the sheer attitude that Dhoni ushers into the game and the massive self confidence and belief in his every move. He has been and will be a great fighter and leader. I would go on to say that he might be the first captain after Kapil Dev to get us to world cup glory. Dhoni's rise in cricket has been meteoric and he has continuously proved the critics incorrect, not that he cares to do it I am sure! The failures have always been as new opportunities for this man and that is what worth admiring in him.


"The Chinese draw 2 brush strokes for crisis. One indicates, identify any danger within a crisis while the other implies we should also realize the opportunity hidden in that danger"
John. F. Kennedy


In contrast, Sachin is all about batting brilliance! Since his debut in Pakistan where he went hammer and tongs after the Paksitani bowlers displaying ruthless execution especially against Abdul Qadir he has scaled one peak after the other. Of course, like any man he had his failures but he fought out of them. He always carried that burden of proving people correct which is far more tougher to do than proving them wrong as the former comes with a big amount of expectations. Seeing as we are in India where the public offers garlands and worships the images and idols of cricketers after a victory and stones their houses in loss, the immense pressure under which Sachin has delivered is worth appreciating. We can't forget the 1998 back to back hundreds against Australia in the Sharjah Cup which enabled India to win that series. Mark Taylor had quoted after the Chennai test of 1997, "We did not lose to a team called India but we lost to a man called Sachin Tendulkar." nor is it possible to forget the first 200 in ODI Men's cricket by Sachin at Gwalior against South Africa. After that innings a reporter asked him, "Sachin, its done, nothing more left, right?" and Sachin replied, "There is sky beyond the horizons". This simple answer speaks a lot of the stature of the man. He is the binding cohesive ingredient for the Men in Blue. Do no confuse him to be the jewel in the crown, he is "the crown".


Well, one can go on and on about this and I know many have done that. The important point here is not to compare 2 contrasting styles in Sachin and Dhoni. Both have taken different routes to the Indian Cricket Team and both have different games with which they are associated. I hope the media stops this bullshit. Respect the individuality of both these sport stars and their love for the game. Rather than deciding their stature in monetary terms, try and obtain the good qualities in both of them and that goes for all of us as well. Dhoni has come a long way and will go places still further, but for the fans of the little master, there is no one like him and never will be. Its not about the runs, it is the character of Sachin which has inspired generations of youngsters and will do so more.


Friends, it is important for us too to learn from the cheap actions of the said media who prefer this to value addition activities. It carries high weight age how we interpret such reports and grasp the fact that money, especially in advertisements can never be a yardstick of greatness. Both of these individuals are much above these reports. It is worth it to learn from both Sachin and Dhoni the qualities they bear and are known with and fuse it to have a better self within us so that this great nation benefits out of it.


To end the blog, there is a passage from Times Magazine worth sharing -


"When Sachin Tendulkar travelled to Pakistan to face one of the finest bowling attacks ever assembled in cricket, Michael Schumacher was yet to race a F1 car, Lance Armstrong had never been to the Tour de France, Diego Maradona was still the captain of a world champion Argentina team, Pete Sampras had never won a Grand Slam. When Tendulkar embarked on a glorious career taming Imran and company, Roger Federer was a name unheard of; Lionel Messi was in his nappies, Usain Bolt was an unknown kid in the Jamaican backwaters. The Berlin Wall was still intact, USSR was one big, big country, Dr Manmohan Singh was yet to "open" the Nehruvian economy. It seems while Time was having his toll on every individual on the face of this planet, he excused one man. Time stands frozen in front of Sachin Tendulkar. We have had champions, we have had legends, but we have never had another Sachin Tendulkar and we never will......"

Jai Hind!