Sportsmen are more than just mortals, they have the ability to define the character of a nation, help carve dreams of a society, bring breathless moments to life, unite people, dissolve barriers of caste,religion and regionalism in case of INDIA.
Cricket in India is a religion, if anything else can unite the country, its probably the hatred for Pakistan, but except that cricket rules, and if it rules Indian hearts, in the last decade, five men are responsible for mentoring the game, getting laurels for the country, instilling confidence - Yes, Sachin, Rahul, Saurav, Laxman and Kumble are the men.
Sachin: Boy he is a genius, and i swear, Raj Thackrey can not stop any Indian from any corner of the country to stake a claim of pride in this marathi manus. He started at 16, gave us many a memorable moment, i still remember the bleeding nose in a test in Pakistan form a Waqar Snorter, and the "Mai Khelega" story still raises a few hairs of excitement. The Sharjah innings is still unforgettable, the demolition of Shane Warne is still haunting a few aussies apart form the Warnie himself, no other man in recent history has given so much happiness to a nation, every time Sachin scored, every single run that came from his bat, led to cheers in India. Of course, we greedy Indians burdened him, we did expect a century everytime, we probed his cars, his life, everything, and being a mortal he did give us moments of despair, but well, no Sachin Effigy has ever been burnt, and I am sure, this Bradman of India will retire with grace and leave us moments to cherish always.
Rahul the Wall: Rahul is my personal favourite. He is probably the most good looking of the fab five, bet he broke a few hearts ;). Technically, i don't think India has seen a better batsman. Be it cape town, Durban, Leeds, Brisbane, Rahul "the wall" has saved tests for India. Rahul is a professor, the cover drives, the immaculate defence, the cool head, well he is the "Mr Dependable". Has any one shown more responsibility in an Indian team, he opened when required, he kept wickets to accommodate that extra batsman, he won a test series in England and west indies. I did feel sad when the crowd in Sydney Test booed him for taking 48 deliveries for a single, and only a Dravid could have taken that boo in a sporty way, he shrugged off and went back to his usual technically right way. No one has saved more matches than this guy, and no one ever could possibly be more selfless. Hats off Mr Dependable!!
Laxman: Vengipurrapu Venkata Sai Laxman... Very Very Special Laxman, Boy! No Indian mom has been able to give birth to a better timer of the cricket ball till date. This guy is an artist, probably the best India has, see that delivery wide outside off stump flicked down to square leg, and you can see how gifted he is. He has the usual afflictions of an artist, some times he fails, sometimes he seems withdrawn, lost in his world,looks stupid with his shot selection, but ability, he has plenty, can any Indian of the current generation forget that splendid Innings in the Eden, did any other innings in Indian history, take the Indian pride to such heights? That Sydney, that Kotla, that Eden, cricket is music and art when this guy plays....I wonder if bowlers realise they are being plundered when he is on song, may be they enjoy the show..that's why all the big big hundreds :)
Saurav : Dada, the God on Offside: I haven't seen David Gower live, only some recorded shots, but i feel our own Dada was way better, he really is a God on the offside.No one was courted more controversies in recent times, we loved it when Dada took off his shirt in Lords, we said India has become assertive now, India has become confident, we can stare in the eyes of the white bullies! When he choose the next generation, we admired him, he gave us a zaheer, a sehwag, a Dhoni, he nurtured a new India. He had his share of shadows, his affair with Nagma, his problems with Chappel, his arrogance in the dressing room, but we cared a damn, we loved his cover drives, we love Dada stepping out to put the ball to the long off stands. Dada will play his last test in Nagpur next week, and Indian cricket should give him the best send off they can, for like it or not, he is still the most successful Indian Captain.
Dada is the "DADA" of Indian cricket, Hail the God on offside :)
Anil Kumble: Jumbo as he is known, has been a real "jumbo" for India, a tireless fighter, i don't think India has seen as relentless, as dedicated a player as Anil in recent times. He took all 10 Pakistani wickets in Kotla, crossed Kapil Dev to be the highest Wicket taker for India, never courted any controversy of a personal nature, been a role model as such for any youngster.He retires today, and India will start the search for a spin ace again, we have Bhajji, but Bhajji in spite of all his talent, is not a role model, he is too aggressive, too emotional, we need another Kumble, we will miss our Jumbo and I hope we find one soon. Hats off to Anil Bhai for the splendid job he has done for India, we will miss him sure.
Each individual mentioned in this blog has been great in his own right, contributed to Indian cricket in his own might. They sowed the seeds for the "Chak De"generation. Take a bow guys!!
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