Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

What is genius if it is not the wizardry that magically alters our perceptions of things/events?

What is greatness if it does not, at its apotheosis; redefine the possible and the impossible?

What is bewitching sorcery if it is not the ability to turn sand into silver, the mundane into the breathtakingly celestial? 

What is unmatched (unmatchable) talent if it is not the judge's gavel that ends all arguments?

And, what, oh what, is Sachin Tendulkar if he is not the greatest batsman of our times, an enforcer-beyond-compare with the bat, a doer of things that have remained unmoved, unmovable from the dreams of even some of the greatest post-War batsmen, never seeing the light of reality?

There comes a time in life of great sportsmen when the wings of their genius carry them to heights where the only company they might find is their own. In less than two weeks since the Australians landed in India this season, Tendulkar has left the atmosphere of the mortals and soared into stratospheric heights.

In the course of a few unforgettable days from the time he took the great Shane Warne apart at Chepauk and turned what might have been a gripping, close series into a no-brainer, to the day he authored the momentous Operation Desert Storm at Sharjah before coming up with another gem to steer India to a trophy triumph, to the last match of the recently concluded series against a hapless Australian side where he scored a defiant yet majestic 98,  the little giant has drastically altered our perceptions, redefined a few things in cricket and ended one seemingly endless argument.

So, ladies and gentlemen, let us say this now without a semblance of doubt: if there is a greater batsman than Tendulkar in contemporary cricket, then he is well hidden from our eyes, perhaps showcasing his gifts on Mars or perhaps in some other distant galaxy! 

Brian Lara may still be the owner of all sorts of records, a five hundred in first class cricket and a 400* in tests. Shewag's effortless brilliance may be breathtaking. Ricky Ponting, when in mood, may be able to take any bowling apart, Kevin Petersen might leave bowlers all around the globe breathless, but nobody, really nobody, can do what Tendulkar does as a matter of routine: make the best of bowling look pedestrian; redefine for awed spectators and television viewers what a good ball and bad ball is. For, no batsman since Vivian Richards departed from the scene has taken so many off so many good deliveries as has Tendulkar.

Which bowler in contemporary cricket can say, confidently, truthfully, that he can bowl a ball that will, on any day, in any situation, demand the greatest respect from the little master? Yes, there are moments when Tendulkar may be tied down. There are moments when a part-time bowler might get him. But, more often than not, what is awesome bowling, what represents a big challenge, to many of his contemporaries, is nothing but fodder for the great man.

Much has been said - and written - about the Tendulkar innings that helped make the final against Australia at Sharjah in 1998 and also his 200 not out against south Africa in 2010.. To many good batsmen, even to a few great ones, it might have been the innings of a lifetime. But the little man's lifetime in international cricket is filled with such gems and they just keep coming series after series, match after match. At the end of the day, we'll be spoilt for choice. The good thing is each of us can have his pick!

For most Indian fans though, a peak moment of sorts happened in the 2003 World Cup. Only one match, and more likely, only one shot existed — the brief but exhilarating plot of a layered rivalry struggling to retain its edge, a World Cup stage, a super-quick beast steaming in, and the repartee — the slightest movement, the obscene bat-speed and the six over backward point. Tendulkar needn’t have bothered with anything else…even the Player of the Tournament. I hope you all realized what I am referring to, in case you didn’t, it was the slap over cover for a six off Shoaib Akthar, the Pakistani speedster.

On the face of it, it is a strange fact of life that some of the greatest human achievements, among them the truly epochal, seem to lack the element of surprise. When Michelangelo was done with the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, surely those who first set their eyes on the timeless work of art might have felt a sense of awe and wonder. But few who were aware of the real measure of Michelangelo's genius might have been surprised that he had created something as breathtakingly beautiful.

While there can be no real comparison between high art and modern sport, the feeling is similar when an outstanding sportsman raises the bar higher than ever before, as did Sachin Tendulkar today, when he scored his 49th Test century(!!!!). From the moment he set out to play his first Test innings in Karachi in November 1989 as a baby-faced boy-wonder, Tendulkar was expected to do what he has done till date and much else besides

In short, Tendulkar is the world’s sporting colossus. To find comparisons, you have to cross borders — geographical boundaries, dividing lines represented by eras and borders between vastly different sports.And god knows even if we do search for an equal genius, we may never find a match.

Celebrate his genius now, revel in its incandescence now. In other lands where cricket is played, they build monuments for far lesser men. So let us celebrate Tendulkar’s genius, in victory and in defeat. Sometime in the not too distant future, we may not have anything quite like it in the Indian cricket team and World cricket,  to celebrate. 

In my world, anyway, there is nothing in Indian sport now (perhaps ever) that is quite as worthy of celebration as the genius of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.