Unshed tears brimmed near my eyes threatening to fall down,
hearing the news of your retirement from ODIs. I knew you will retire
completely sometime soon. All your fans knew it. The mind accepted your
decision which was logical. You would have considered many factors before
retiring like your current form, age, family, next generation ready to take
your place. I should say you have made a good decision but my heart refuses to
accept it. There are some things or people in life which you get attached to unknowingly.
You never know why. You are the only person in my life till now who made me
jump up and down as an 8-year old girl with annoying glances from my
grandparents.
The joy when I felt when you raised the bat towards heavens
after every century, half-century and many other milestones made me proud like I had gone out and achieved them. I never realized all
these feelings I had till a few years back because that was the time when you
went down with tennis elbow injury. That was the time when people started
discussing if you will ever come back to play. Frankly saying, I was afraid as
if some part of me will lose spirit if you leave the game. The game cricket,
yes. That was the time when I questioned if I ever liked the game if not for
you. No was the answer, It always has been you.
I never wanted to analyze the reasons why I should forever
watch you play without moving an inch from my seat. But when you recovered from
your injury and came back the reason stared right at my face. You were a part
of my childhood. Everyone yearns for their childhood to comeback. But for me a
part of my childhood remained with me all along even after growing up. Yes, it
was you. In some interviews you used to say, the 16-year old is still within
you somewhere when you play. Likewise the 8-year old is revived in me every
time you play.
The joy or small victories that I earned in my life till now
had some reason or the other. But the joy I derived seeing you play needs no
reason or explanation. It is the joy of getting the kid in me back who jumps
around for no reason without any one questioning me. The unbound joy you gave
will always be treasured in my heart forever. I never need to see a YouTube
clip or some match highlights to remember you. The way you belted down Warne,McGrath, Akram, Murali and all those bowlers. The way you played after your
father’s death and scored a century or the moment you reached 200. The time you
cried unabashedly when India won the world cup last year.
My heart which felt the same joy also feels the same amount
of grief now when you leave the game. You also feel the same like you said on twitter.
But I know though you leave the game, the memories will never leave. Every
ground across the world will be haunted by the ball thumped over rooftops. Yes,
you have left cricket behind, but you have etched your footprints in the books
of cricketing history. The sands of time will never see another humane person
like you who chased the game as much as the game chased you. Cricket will never
be the same to me without your straight drive, cover drives and paddle-sweeps.
But the tears which brim my eyes never fell, because I realized ‘Do you look
back at your childhood and cry? No, the memories make you tearfully happy’
Sachin, Thanks for being my childhood.
