I have borrowed rather got inspired and learnt much from Sachin Tendulkar than just this quotation. People always talk about his cricketing skills but I think that there are deeper things to learn from him. Every chapter of his life holds myriad lessons. This is my tribute to my hero, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
The most striking thing to me is his quality to learn from his mistakes and get back. I saw this in the 2011 Freshman Letter video of Princeton University. Somewhere it says “When you make a mistake, admit it, but don’t dwell on it. Rather, get back up again.” This is synonymous with Sachin and I believe one of the principal reasons why he is so great. I think it takes character to be so strong so that failure becomes your strength. Not everyone can do it. It’s hard. But there are only a finite number of mistakes one can make. And if you don’t let the passion die, you’ll eventually win.
The other thing that sets him apart is his hunger to learn more and take it to perfection. Ever since I’ve seen him, I’ve seen the strokes in his armour increase and getting better by the passing day. He is never content with what he has. I have not seen this in any other batsman. There have been greats, who have their style. But after a point all of them became stagnant in their stroke play. Sachin keeps growing and hence there is always so much to learn from him. It also keeps him from getting dated. This may sound trivial when you are in the process of acquiring success. I think the quality of driving oneself to improve even when you are at the pinnacle relative to others, when there is no mortal incentive to do so, is extraordinary.
Geniuses think differently. I have always marveled at the way Sachin thinks about situations. Even the legends do not think that way. Everyone wanted Sachin to retire after the world cup. Hailing that as a gallant exit. Exit at a time when people will remember you forever. Sounds perfect. Greats have done it. Imran Khan and Kapil Dev said that it is the correct thing. The most cited example is that of Sunil Gavaskar. Sachin says that it is a selfish thing to do. When you are playing at your best that is when you can contribute to the team most. I was stunned when I first heard it.
Sachin’s way of looking at things is so different yet so perfect that I have given up questioning his decisions long ago. Many experts (let alone people who have never held a bat) who pass judgments do not realize that they do not understand things like he does. Perhaps they never will.
Sachin’s argument of not taking runners and his plan on how to win the 2003 world cup final had left most of us in awe. And yet we criticize his judgments, when they do not work, simply because we do not understand them.
Chasing dreams does not mean dreaming about your dream. It takes a lot of hard work. Relentless hard work. The willingness and the passion to do so. Not ordinary people can sustain so many injuries, both mental and physical, that Sachin has. It takes a lot of character. It takes discipline. It takes humility. It takes focus.
In my journey from St. Stephen’s to Princeton, I have borrowed so much from Sachin. At times I had to make decisions and I always looked up to him for reference. I tried to see what he did in a similar situation or imagine what he would have done. Sometimes I took the decision first and an analogous incidence with Sachin would come out in the papers later. If it matched, I knew I was correct.
No one can tell you when to quit. You are the best judge. For you know if you can make the effort. 2007 I was told to quit academics by “experts” for they thought I would not survive. 2012 I get through the world’s best PhD program. Incidentally 2007 was also when Sachin was asked to quit. 2012 comes the century of centuries. Hard work and perseverance can take one beyond imagination. No one will ever know how much work it takes to realize dreams until you have achieved it yourself. But there is nothing that hard work cannot achieve. Period. I can say that from experience. And it is not that we cannot work that extra bit. Everyone can.
In the past few years, my biggest strength has been Adidas’ “Impossible is Nothing”, well because Sachin said it. I had that written on a poster in my room. My friend thought I was an Adidas fan. So he wrote “Just do it” below that. What a coincidence it is that the “impossibility” is actually “done”. For Princeton there are many people to whom I am thankful and grateful. But I owe a big one to Sachin. I was also too fortunate to have Sachin to look up to. Without him I may not have survived.
Vivian Richards puts it beautifully for me.
“Sometimes, walking away is the easiest thing to do. When pain, injury, age and naysayers conspire, it takes a very courageous individual to keep at it only because he has it in him.”
What next? Just as Sachin would. Extend the frontiers. Simple.
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