The love of the game and one legend

During the ongoing India-Australia series, one placard at the SCG read "Commit all your crimes when Sachin is batting. They will go unnoticed because even the Lord is watching." Arguably, the greatest passion in India must be Cricket. An old saying, which has almost become a cliche in India, goes "Cricket is religion, Sachin is god". Cricket is the talk of the street, it is the center of gossip for Indian youth. The whole country turns into a bunch of cricket experts during any cricket series featuring the home team. News channels can create hour-long programmes even on the hair-cut of cricketers. The fans swing between two extremes; one day - if you are national cricketer and you failed miserably in a series - your effigies could be burnt, your house could be stoned; on the very next sunny day - if you score some runs or take some wickets; all forgotten, all excused - well, you could be the national hero too. Cricket is not just a sport in India, much beyond that. One may argue Cricket is a media-created hype that has grasped the youth, one may argue cricket has made other sports insipid in the country. But if you are cricket lover, and it's a cricket season - who cares - it's excitement time, it's time for celebration in win, it's time for desperation in loss. Cricket runs in the blood of India today.
And one man; no ordinary man, one great, one legend, one true human - who has made Cricket so popular, so exciting for every Indian is Mr. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. The name itself is enough to get incitement running through your spine. Oh !! what a player, and most importantly what a human being !! Untiring contribution to Indian national team - stylish, elegant, fearless yet humble, soft-spoken, dignified. He has been nightmare for every bowler in every cricket playing nation, yet every cricketer - doesn't matter where he hails from - has a respect for this little fella. People get tied to their seats to see this genius architect building yet another splendid cricket innings. He competes with himself, he tries to excel himself. We leap everytime he sent a dancing ball out of the fence, we weep everytime he has to walk back to the pavilion. He controls the emotions of billions watching him. Yes dear, Lord must be watching him play ... and criminals too !!!