Yesterday I happened to watch a press conference wherein Sachin Tendulkar was answering questions posed to him by press reporters. It was very interesting. I was surprised to see how humble he was despite hitting 100 international centuries. Not sure how he continues to remain down to earth. I was one of his critics when he was struggling to reach the milestone of 100 centuries. I have observed die-hard Sachin fans support him on facebook and equating him to God. However, the very fact that the pressure of getting that one last hundred got the better of him is proof enough that he is human. He has achieved a milestone that no person is likely to achieve ever. Sachin himself feels that records are meant to be broken and the only thing he hopes is that an Indian breaks it.
His interview was very insightful. He told how he did not lose hope despite the fact that critics were asking him to retire. I was one of those critics who felt that it was high time that he should retire. However, Sachin maintained that he still has the passion for the game and will retire when he feels that it is the right time. I liked the confident yet humble manner in which he made this comment. There was not even an iota of arrogance in that statement.
A young boy asked Sachin as to what would he advice to a budding cricketer like him. Sachin replied stating that one should chase his dreams and not give up hope. There would be bad times wherein you would struggle but one should not lose hope. He said that it took 22 long years to realize his dream of winning the World Cup.
The one thing that I admire about Sachin is the poise that he maintains despite being one of the greatest ever to have played the game. The fans and media set such high expectations on him and yet he doesn't seem to get overtly perturbed. I won't say that the pressure did not get to him at all but I feel that he manages to handle it better than anyone else. I do feel that his hundredth century could have come earlier and I also feel that it was the pressure created by both the media and the fans that got the better of Sachin. Ultimately he is a human and not God like many cricket fans feel. I would say he is a super human. He may be an Arjun but not Krishna.
