Every Sachin fan has a sense of untold Hypocrisy within them

"Cricket is my religion, Sachin is my god." Sounds more like a promise made on the Bhagavad Gita in the court of Law. But cant help it, when I firmly believe that every Sachin fan has a sense of untold Hypocrisy within them. Every Sachin Tendulkar fan believes that they are the best fan of him. Of course they're entitled to feel so, as the impact created by this god-man on them is simply enormous. He has powered the belief of an average Indian cricket fan to eccentric heights, which went to an extent, that people switched off their TV sets, as soon as he was out. How would you describe such a centripetal cricketer, who pulls fans & adulation from around the world? Even if you're the minutest part of the cricketing fraternity, you can't help but get attracted to his cricketing avatar.  Whether you like it or not, the fact that he's single handedly carried Indian cricket on his shoulders for 2 decades will always remain to be turned into history. A lot of cricket buffs would want to debate on that point instinctively, hesitantly, for the love on him or for the heck of it. 

Even today, whenever Sachin walks out to bat, the pressure is similar to that of how it was a decade ago, infact its much higher than what it was with the world anticipating his 100th century. With yet another never-before-achieved landmark waiting to be unfolded by this great man, every ball in his every innings is being watched with bated breath around the world, even by the people who aren't too aware of this sport. Spare a thought for this man ! From the time 1989 till date, the expectations of millions that he has carried is unimaginable and can never be done by any other sportsperson. And especially with such consistency, is truly a god-like effort. When such a person is on the verge of a historical milestone, it is fair to comment on his retirement & pile up more pressure on him. During this period, his 60's, 70's & even his 90's don't seem to create a mark. Is he cursed for putting up great performances?

After his lean patch during the 2006-2007 season, he has never looked back & infact he has played the best cricket of his life during this period. He cant be held responsible if the numbers are purely on his side. He has just played cricket with its maximum intensity, integrity, commitment, honesty and numbers are a mere entity which have picked themselves up as salute to the kind of cricket that he has played in a variety of situations. And that is epitomized with 2 of the best milestones in his cricketing career; (a) To be the first man to score a double century in the history of the game in limited overs cricket; (b) After an epic 6 appearances in the world cup, finally he managed to be part of the World Cup winning team in 2011 & that too in his home ground. And to blame him for concentrating on numbers is as good as blaming god for creating mankind.   

Having said that, slowly we have began to identify a trend that Sachin's gradually easing out his cricketing services to the country. He decided to opt out of the National T20 side, along with Dravid during the Inaugural T20 World cup. And after that he's just been concentrating on important series, where his services might be needed, in the 50 over format of the game. It was beginning to be clear that, he's gradually pulling out of the 50 over format as well. His previous campaign in ODI's preceding the current Australian series, is the historical world cup. The fans are slowly beginning to accept his absence from the ODI format as well. Thanks to a very fiery crop of talented youngsters, who play cricket more cohesively, and never give up till the final ball, which wasn't the case with the teams, when Tendulkar was at his helm. Sachin has begun to rotate & choose his games against strong opponents. To play the game at his will is what he has earned over the last 20 years. This shows his empathy towards the path the Indian cricket is proceeding and moreover he does understand that he's aging and there will surely be a point when he has to bid adieu to the game that loved him the most, though that will be a day of disbelief for the entire cricketing fraternity, especially his fans. But on that day, though a fan will be disheartened not to see Sachin play for India anymore, he would have by then got used to Sachin not playing at a high frequency, which will enable him to digest the fact far more quickly. And that fan who ideally never wanted Sachin to retire, will be a far more refreshed man, not facing anymore debates with respect to Sachin's selection in the team, formally giving birth to hypocrisy, even without his knowledge.

Having said that, have you ever stopped to think, that there might be a barrage of questions that are sub consciously doing the rounds within every fan of his? Though I maybe forced to think that Sachin is indispensable; Sachin is just one innings away from getting back to his purple patch; Every innings that he plays I'd believe that he will get to his 100th century; Sachin can never be a weak-link in the team; He can never get old, instead he can just get better; Sachin is still a run machine sending numbers into a tizzy & much more. But on the hindsight, every fan might actually be fearing to think the following 'un-thinkables'  as a Sachin fan. Is Sachin getting old? Is Sachin pushing his cricketing expiry date? Is Sachin bothered about his 100th century? Is Sachin an unwanted god in the Indian team? Is Sachin a liability to the young team? Is Sachin denying an opportunity to an upcoming youngster?  Where Sachin Tendulkar is placed, in the current scheme of things with respect to Indian cricket ?   

People of my generation, who were born & bought up by Sachin's cricket, can never believe that such a thought can crop up in our minds. Even if it does, we'd want to get rid of it as soon as possible, either hoping for Sachin to put up a great score or just simply moving away from the topic. Often in an argument between a-Sachin -fan Vs Not-a-Sachin-fan, though the former starts of solidly, there are only two reactions at the end of it; (a) He furiously exits the conversation ranting about Sachin's numbers towards the end, (b) He just decides to keep quite and walks off thinking that Sachin is too great for him to be discussed with a cricket illiterate. But have you keenly noticed, after the debate's done, the after-taste leaves you a bit disappointed or exhausted. The reason to that disappointment can either be because you weren't able to defend you're god to the fullest or you just wasted you're time explaining about proven excellence to a novice. But sub-consciously, you might have actually been hurt with certain facts that were spelt out in the open, about someone who holds the highest regard in your heart. You hesitantly begin to ponder over those 'un-thinkables' as a Sachin fan. We fear that the truth might actually be bitter & instantly we decide to shut out that thought, pacifying ourselves about is greatness & his past performances. This can probably be the part where the sense of untold Hypocrisy crops up in a fan. When he forces himself not to tell out his thoughts loud, something negative, about a person whom you treat like god. Ultimately you'd never give up someone whom you love the most, even if there's something wrong with them. We try and defend them blindly with various reasons, but secretly wonder if their reasoning was good enough for themselves to believe.   

So, should Sachin retire or not ? Gods can never retire, their mere presence gives birth to new opportunities ! Yes, I'm a Sachin fan & yes, this is the sense of untold hypocrisy within me !