Final Piece of the Jigsaw...

           Sports-persons are always divided into distinct categories.Some are Cricketers,some are Footballers,some Tennis players,may be a few athletes.And then there are Legends.They may be playing a particular sport only,but their influence extends far beyond the boundaries of that game.The Peles,the Tendulkars,the Federers,they are not just the great players,but the real Heroes in this Morally-disabled world of ours,shining brighter than ever when the entire world succumbs to the darkness,showing the courage when the universe is falling apart around them.On Saturday,we had the honour to witness one such Legend finally realizing his long cherished dream,after the massive wait of,mind you,21 long long years.The image of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar lifting the World Cup,with a joy only a small innocent child can display,will be etched in the memories of billions forever.

This was the image every Indian wanted to see.
On Saturday,it became a reality!

             Cynics will be quick to point out that he still failed to create a mesmerizing knock in the final,when it mattered most,that the young Brigade of India was the real reason India became the World Champions.Critics (if there are still any left!) will point out,he was lucky to survive so many times vs Pakistan in the Semi-final,and still failed to build on that foundation in the final.BUT,DOES IT MATTER ONE BIT?
Players can be mesmerizing at times,showcasing skills never seen before,creating an aura around themselves as the Invincibles,the Best in the business.But in case you haven't noticed,the Finals,the games which matter most,are almost never won because of Brilliance,they are won with grit,with determination to outlive your high-class opponents in the battle for survival.
                Roger Federer did not win the coveted French Open by defeating his nemesis,Rafa Nadal.All the hard work was done by Robin Soderling to send Nadal packing,Federer came and did what was required to be done,not anything fancy,not spectacular,but effective.FC Barcelona,the best Football playing team in the world,who were clinically destroying even the big teams with ease,had to literally scrape past Chelsea in the Semi-finals.But,it did nothing to diminish the spectacle they created for whole of that season.Even Lewis Hamilton,became youngest F1 Champion,only because a certain Timo Glock crashed his engine inches away from the finishing line.Call it Luck,call it Destiny,call it whatever you like,but it all matters.In a way,the most important knock in this tournament arguably was Sachin's error-prone 85 vs Pakistan.Yeah,it was far from spectacular,filled with lady-luck,but what mattered was Sachin stayed there.He could've easily got frusrated for not being able to play efforlessly vs bowlers like Saeed Ajmal and Hafeez,and given his wicket away,under pressure to create a spectacle.But his sheer grit showed his burning desire to win the Cup that counts.

              For a man,who has achieved so much in Cricket nobody can even dream of,this was the One piece of jigsaw missing form the puzzle.Yes,Geniuses can be imperfect.The legendary Pete Sampras failed to triumph in the Red clay of Rolland Garros,despite being one of the greatest the world has seen,George Best,considered by many, as good as Pele and Maradona,never managed to get his hands on the FIFA World Cup.But,being the Maverick he is,Sachin still had the hunger after 21 mammoth years,to go and achieve the One missing piece of Silverware from an otherwise perfect career.Almost every contemporary cricketing great has one,Gavaskar,Border,Muralidharan,Jayasuriya,why,the Pontings and Shane Warnes have three for that sake.But it wasn't just to join the elite club that Sachin wanted it,it was the final confirmation of his Greatness,the official stamp of being the World-beater that his nation craved.You may think it shouldn't matter that much,just the official tag,but then you'll have badly mistaken  the Sportspersons' mentality.The World Cup is the ultimate prize that every player craves.Sachin finally got it on Saturday after 5 failed attempts,and it will not be exaggeration to say,the Cup was honoured to be in the hands of the Little Master.

                   But then,it's not just his cricketing genius that gives him almost a God-like status in the hearts of billions.It's his unwaivering trust in his principals,that sets him apart from the rest.The unflinching walk vs West Indies even when a record 100th century was beaconing,showed what value he puts on honesty.Watch any sport,and you'll get the same.See Pele,see Federer,they are much more than just great players.They are the ambassadors of the Great human values,showing us all that you can be great with sporting brilliance.But it takes much more than that to become a Legend,to become a God.Countless people have wrote on his Greatness,those catchy quotes, I don't have any more of those,what I have is just pride,which resides withing every Indian's heart,for being able to witness the marvel called Sachin Tendulkar for so many years.I'll leave you with an unforgettable statement by Andrew Symonds,one of the fiercest competitors when on the field,which he wrote on a shirt specially autographed for Sachin,for it not only is one of the biggest compliment by an opponent,but it's precisely the thought that resonates with our entire world,

            "To Sachin,the man we all want to be"