Thursday, February 01, 2007

Playing the (weak) fields

A champion sportsperson is one who comes back against the odds to silence his critics. And that's exactly what Sachin did when he scored a dashing century against Madagasacar recently.

The 33-year-old infact said post the match that he knew his batting. He had played long enough to know what was good for him and hence he has decided to play only against teams like Madagasacar, Namibia, Luxembourg and Seychelles. He further told a packed press conference room, that he did not want to know what others were thinking though he knew what they were thinking but that was of no consequence to him as people who think were not his fans!

When queried about his future plans he said "My schedule is packed with ad shoots for Maghai Pan House, Lalchand Bulchand Dalmoth and Snowywhite Washing Powder. And I am also seriously considering the Airy Underwear and Banian endorsement offer."

On the upcoming International events he said " I will be going for a knee surgery during India's tour of Australia and a shoulder surgery during the Pakistan tour.” He will however be 100% fit for India's tour of Malta. Sachins fans are ecstatic and predict that Sachin will soon reach his 100th Century!!

Sachins fans are also very happy that they will see their star more often now endorsing detergent powder, baby diapers,Besan, Sooji, toothpoweder etc. in bewteen Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu thi and Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki eventhough they would rather die than admit that they watched these serials.

The ton was Sachin's easiest one-day hundred, but importantly it was also the first time he was batting without a single ad contract in his kitty, which according to some is a record of sorts too. He did get two 'lives' along the way after the Madagascarian fielder dropped him in sheer exhaustion when he was 85 and 91, but that didn't stop the fans and experts from gushing about the way he compiled his knock. The Madagascarians had walked all the way from Madagascar you see and had to convene for net practise soon after arrival. One of them was heard enquiring " Why are we being kept in the Net like chickens?".

However Sachin's fan say that this was not the reason for Sachin's great form. The Bombay Bomber showed glimpses of his glorious best as he demolished the malnourished Madagascarian bowlers in the last ten overs. The Madagascarians were at the receiving end as Sachin set the ground on fire and it had nothing to do with the fact the Madagascarians had never played Cricket before.

"The shots he played were outstanding; the Madagascar players had no clue how to stop him. He obviously seems to be on a roll " gushed Prakash an ardent Sachin fan.

The debate over whether he should open, and his indifferent form in recent times has attracted more attention in the media, something the Indian skipper finds quite funny.

"Like I said yesterday, we were not unduly worried about Sachin. Maybe everyone else can stop worrying about it now as we have signed tour agreements with Japan, Netherlands and Iceland, so that we can have a bit of peace around." said Rahul Dravid, Indian Cricket Captain..

"But I think it was a great innings. I think Sachin showed why he is a great player and why he can play in different situations, and why he can adapt though I am not spelling it out," he added.

The Indian skipper could not have summed up Master Blaster's innings better.

The Madagascar team has since thrown their tennis racquets in the sea and have decided to pursue Cricket under the aegis of the BCCI. The BCCI have declared that they will henceforth spend 75% of their earnings in developing Cricket in the above mentioned nations. "Get set to watch some glorious Cricket from Sachin in the coming future" said a BCCI spokesperson with a mysterious smile.

The comments section for this post was unavailable till recently due to a problem with blogger. Thanks for bearing with me :)

38 comments:

mathew said...

Ah..finally blogger shows mercy on you.. :-)

Btw a blog entry quite dangerous..like something against the tide.SO infact should appreciate that you wrote something people talk in hushed tones these days..

By the way it is a thin line between self confidence and over confidence..And Sachin seems to cross that line quite often these days.

For me I lost all respect for Sachin after that Ferrari tax waver episode in which he made a obscene demand for tax exemption!!

Sachin R K said...

The comments field is too small, methinks. Must post in response to this.

Anonymous said...

Ah,nice way to attract attention to your blog by discussing sachin..;-)...surprised there are no comments on this one and I being the first...;-)
and didn't notice your name as anjali..always been silverine the fundu writer....

Vinodh

silverine said...

mathew: Yes, the comment section was available from the evening only today :) Surprisingly except for one polite mail telling me that I was rude, most people had the same opinion as you :)

sachin rk:The comment section was unavailable till today due to some glitch in blogger. But the statcounter took a heavy beating :p

Vinodh:The comment section was unavailable till today...and I dont need to attract attention to my blog, I think you will agree to that :)

SP said...

Hope this removes the embargo on writing against Sachin. Good job!

Dev said...

Owing to public pressure, the BCCI has just announced a lifetime membership for Sachin in the Indian Cricket team, based on his performance over the past couple of days...

I can imagine sitting around with my grandkids when Sachin walks out to open the Indian innings with a cane "hamaare zamaane mein bat lekar aata tha woh..."

Anonymous said...

you have some guts, i must tell you, to take on the holy cow of indian cricket! as usual, it made an excellent read. really sharp sarcasm, coated with just the right amount of humor...deep below the humor coated criticism, can i see the truely disappointed sachin fan, who would forgive and forget yet another ferrari like fiasco, if only he manages to pull his act together for the worldcup...? maybe i'm wrong, but just thought it felt that way...whatever the case, keep up the sharp observations...cheers!

Synapse said...

ah, i see silverine's got sharp teeth too! :)

Neihal said...

when I first read this post I knew wht I want to comment, abhi,however much I try I cant remember the damn thing, wht did I want to write!!! ..now I can write any random comment like 'I agree, or nice post, LOL....blah blah"
but the stupid me is so hung up on writing exactly wht I first intended to, that I wont wirte the blah blah...so pls take this as my official comment for this post :)

Oh btw, I hardly pay any attention to Sachin these days, anyways. :))

Sunil Shinde said...

You will like this Sachin short story

http://sunilshinde.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!86F26A0982085FDC!432.entry?owner=1&wa=wsignin1.0

naveen said...

I feel pity on you...I am surprised that you ppl speak of nothing when Sachin scores some quality centuries. Well, as the Captian put it...U need some topics to discuss,rite...Felt really bad...But, as some one else said, U r riding against the tide...something brave,I must say...But is it right????

silverine said...

sp: Thank you chechi :)

dev: LOL that was a good one!

espritnoir: Nice to see you here buddy!! I think it is high time we stopped deifying people. You can't talk against an Amitabh, Asha Bhonsle, Lata, Sachin etc etc. Take a look at
this

synapse: Most definitely!! :p

neihal: Me too!

naveen: Correction...most people are of the opinion that I have done the right thing by breaking the taboo of writing against him.

Sunil: Interesting read!

mathew said...

@Naveen

No one writes just for the sake of writing..Sachin has been praised eloquently when he deserved it..and he didnt have any qualms in accepting the people's adulations..

I admire his Desert storm knocks..His brilliance against the australians...but that doesnt mean that he cant be criticised!!

And for that matter he himself has said that he doesnt care much about others opinion!!

Sachin R K said...

Taboo Siverine (in reference to your response to Naveen ) ? Pick up any paper today and I dare you *not* to find an article on why Sachin is a failure.

aks said...

hey sil nice bold post...liked the way uve brought out things....

and hey Silverine = anjali....wen did that transition occur...havent been online 4 ages...noticed it jus today/..

aks said...

ey sil nice bold post..liked the way uve brought out the tings...

hey wen did Anjali come out of Sil's sadow...any reason for this bold revealation.....me haven been online 4 ages...so noticed the transition only today

jay menon said...

sachin's wife is also anjali right....no wonder u r against him ;)

pophabhi said...

True to the word. Although I still admire the vintage Tendlya, and his high spirits.
For the good of Indian cricket, hope he clicks in World Cup, rather than being more of a paper tiger.

Anonymous said...

I really don't know what to say!!!
Really... I cam't make up my mind on what to write!

- BV

Anonymous said...

Beware of Red Ferraires racing towards you....

HaRi pRaSaD said...

Any great player is bound to go through lean patches and a guy playing cricket for close to 2 decades is no exception.Of course it is disappointing for his fan, but this does not mean you can poke fun at him in this manner. The problem with him is, he has set such high standards for himself, that whenever he fails in a few matches then every chicken in the street voices its opinion on how poor a player he is...

Sachin is one to the greatest batsman in the world.Period.

Nevertheless, a well written piece with great sense of humor! :)

HaRi pRaSaD said...

You have enabled comment moderation so that you read only what you want to read and allow the world to see.

If I am right, your so sensitive to the comments and criticism of a few hundred or a few thousand people reading your blog. Then take a moment and imagine the kind of pressure on an individual with the whole world having a comment or cirticism on his form or performance.

Anonymous said...

@ mathew..same here. The Ferrari episode and the betting scandals put me off cricket. And I am TRULY happier. I find it about the only game in which guys with the body shape of Ranatunga, Sehwag, and Sachin can play!

naveen said...

@ Mathew

If you are criticizing a player when he is down, you don't deserve to appreciate a person upon his success. Imagine yourself in a situation when everyone who was with you suddenly became against you because you are not doing well?? And then imagine all those same people supporting you when you are successful !!! Doesn't that say something about those persons?? Don't know about you boss, but for me true friends are those who stand by you at your bad times... No offenses meant to silverine , though...

silverine said...

Mathew: Thanks buddy...I think you have made a very valid point here :)

Sachin: There are articles against Sachin I do agree, but every author walks on egg shells as there is a palpable fear of a backlash.

aks: Aks buddy you always turn up when I write on controversail issues like a true friend :)

Jay: *hugs* nice to see you back :)

Browser: I will!!

Pophbahi: Tendulkar in his prime was a treat to watch.

Anon: Thanks for the comment anyways ;)

Hari: Thank you, you are entitled to your opinion, mines on the blog:) And comment moderation is not to weed out criticisms but to prevent people from using my blog for other activites than commenting on the post.

Naveen: No offense taken...I will support anyone who plays well for India...till he plays well after which I will applaud if he hangs up his boots and not hang around in the team gobbling match fees and a team slot based purely on past records. Sentimental attachments should be kept off the sporting arena.

accidental diva said...

well written silverine...sure this post has stung the "sachin" fans out there who think he can do no wrong:)...
great read, sarcastic and humorous at the same time:)

flaashgordon said...

Lol !!Silverine at her "sarci" best ! Well, guess many of us got carried away by the shock on Sachin being criticized (that too by a mere girl :p)to appreciate the awesome homour of this post..kudos to u for that..

Well,now its the job of every player to do well and its the right of every fan to voice our opinion. And none is above criticism either. Sometimes we are wrong too - It looked like Ganguly's career was over and we all thought he should quit ; but then it looks like he has came back. Dunno this, till the World Cup..Similarly,it would be Best if Sachin answers the critics with the bat" and against the best sides in the world and we critics would only be too happy to eat crow :-))

Naresh Krishnan said...

You got some beef to have a go at a holy cow! By the way, how's the fire going? Now that you've started it, as well barbecue..

Bon Appetit.

Sanjay said...

Innings or articles both invoke deep slumber now a days (no reflection on the scribe though). Moot point is whether one has enough time to crash during the innings? You could wake up and find nos 9 and 10 presenting the full face of the bat

Why not try doing one on Ronaldo and Beckham?

Alexis said...

What you have said is true and it has to be said. Every great player, has to go when his time is over. It is better to do it gracefully rather than being thrown out.

Tendulkar is a great player and is a treat to watch when he is on a roll. But, he is, as Mr Brijnath has mentioned in an article in The Hindu "a gently declining genius is at best a sentimental selection."

Unknown said...

Hey...

just read this one some time ago...

i'd like u to have a look at this
http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2007/jan/29guest.htm

btw.. sachin score a tripple hundred playin against teli galli....

how did u miss on that one?

Anonymous said...

should i say....even the worst of critics should be sportive

good luck buddy!

One in the crowd said...

I am so trying to be furious about everything you've written about Sachin but I am actually cracking up :P

silverine said...

accidental diva: Thank you dear :)

Flaash: he he your approval sort of affirms the post :) Belive me I will be pleasantly surprised if Sachin proves us wrong and ready to eat crow too :)

naresh: lol that was classic Naresh, btw no heat no fire and no barbeque :)

Sanjay: Me too have lost interest in Cricket after the scandals and I have no idea about football to do a post on either :)

Alexis:That is exactly what I am trying to say!! I loved him when he was on a roll, but then his patchy performances should have made him hang up his boots.

iceman: "the triple ton against teli galli" lol Do check out the link I have given in my reply to Neihal.

mahalakshmi: Thanks for your wishes.

bleddy blogger: You are a sport lol :p

fob said...

I abondoned Indian Cricket and Sachin after the Indian tour of South Africa during 1993. I saw Demi-Gods and idols crumble under the relentless and planned attack of ordinary mortals under Hansie Cronje.The ascend of Indian middle class into Indian cricket was exposed and destroyed catagorically.

Thanks for exposing the naked king!

Arun Jose Francis said...

Interesting post... but begs to differ as I am an ardent Sachin fan..!
I agree west indians are not good like Australians or SA or Pakistanis, but that effort by Sachin was special. It's not easy to score a hundred coming in as 4th down. And the same west indians had swept indians off their feet in West Indies and they did reach the finals of Champions Trophy. So they are not a bad team.
I did not see any one apply the same yardstick to Ganguly when he made runs against the same west indian attack. Everybody had only praises for him. And I know that this is because of the high standards that Sachin had set for himself.
And regarding him gobbling up match fees and taking a slot in the team, there is no one in the ranks who can have as much impact on a game than Sachin, even now.

Rohit said...

stumbled upon this one while searching something else....what did you try to convey ?

silverine said...

Rohit: It is pretty obvious you did not stumble here. What I was trying to convey has been understood by all commenters here. Rest have refrained from commenting. I suggest you do the same!