It was there for all to see as Sachin Tendulkar yielded magic one last time before finally heading into the sunset. A spotless 74 was perhaps an ideal finish, next only to the expectation of him scoring a hundred. But no one cared as the 40,000-odd stood up paying respect to India's most loved son once Narsingh Deonarine scalped the most-priced wicket of his career.
Clearly, it was the best we've seen him play in quite some time. The ball was hitting the middle and the footwork was exemplary. The back-foot punch that went missing for a while came back haunting Tino Best who tried peppering the great man with his antics, only to realise just who the absolute 'Best' was. A few words from the West Indian pacer every now and then did little to rattle Tendulkar. All it fetched him was a smile accompanied by a glorious array of shots.
From the moment he came out to bat and looked up towards the sky, an entire nation knew they had to associate their emotions with him for one last time. Wankhede was graced by many stars, a cricket great in the commentary box, a controversial politician, a silver-screen super hero, and a perfectionist who wasn't promoting a movie. But it did not matter to the individual for whom all this was put together in the first place; for he was aware that this might very well be the last time he ever padded up.
His first boundary was a cut off the backfoot as the ball made a lovely sound off the tri-coloured bat made especially for this occasion. The second was a picture-perfect drive through deep extra-cover which assured him of his timing. Once the nerves settled in, there was no looking back as a long due innings began to unfold. Three straight drives brought the exact same results (no rocket science). A few 'aahs' and 'oohs' might have skipped a few heartbeats in the stands as he attempted and missed a couple of upper cuts. But he was still there in the middle, much to the joy of the onlookers.
Century number 101 is probably what India would have wanted, but falling 26 short of it is something many wouldn't mind as this was any day better than a 90-ball 20 or a 50-ball 15. He came in, played his shots, provided the crowd plenty of reasons to erupt in joy and went out with his head held high, something he richly deserved. His 81 against Australia earlier this year was the last he batted so fluently. With no cobwebs in his head, he blazed through and his 118-ball innings was just a way of thanking 'his' masses.
Every stroke that came out of his willow resulted in massive adulation and celebration. Replays showed his eyes focussing on the ball till the very last second of its release. His punch of the backfoot brought up his half-century after which Tendulkar gestured to the fans by raising his bat. The volume of the cheer went up, Sudhir Gautam waved the flag as always, and many who faked an illness to skip work dint regret their decision. Tendulkar was at his sublime best, in his final innings.
His dismissal would have prompted emptiness to descend upon many a hearts. As he went up towards the dressing room, Sunil Gavaskar thanked him repeatedly on the air but considering his place in the hearts of Indians, words ought to remain insufficient. Rest assured, Cricket and Tendulkar would move on, and so will a billion people. But not before they've had savoured each and every moment of his remaining bit in the field and bid him adieu with a smile and a tear rolling down the cheek.
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