Sunday 13 March 2011

Sachin deserves World Cup triumph

Like a fine wine, Sachin Tendulkar gets better with age.

His majestic 111 against South Africa on Saturday offered just a snapshot of his brilliance.

His century was his 99th, yes 99th, hundred in international cricket alone.

His nickname is the Little Master and never has a nickname been more fitting.

He doesn't look at all initimdating, standing at 5ft 5ins.

But when he picks up his bat and takes guard, he makes even the tallest and fastest of bowlers quiver.

He can do anything with a bat in his hand. From his trademark beauties down the ground for four to magnificent pull strokes into the crowd, there seems nothing he can't do.

He is the only man ever to score 200 in a one-day international, the leading run scorer in both test and ODI cricket, has the most centuries in test and ODIs, is the reigning cricketer of the year and, despite being almost 38, he is just getting better and better.

He was brilliant in last year's Indian Premier League, the number one Twenty20 tournament in the world, to show he is very much a modern player.

He has two centuries in this World Cup alone and is the leading century maker and run scorer in World Cup cricket.

He has been at the top of the game for over 20 years and not one bowler has worked him out. You can't work him out.

Every hundred he makes right now seems to break multiple records and there seems no end in sight.

And he does all this with the eyes of India on him everywhere he goes.

Imagine David Beckham's popularity and interest in him in England and multiply that by 1000, and you still probably aren't anywhere near understanding Sachin's popularity in India.

With that brings enormous pressures, with the whole country expecting him to deliver every time he enters the field of play.

But he deals with that, no pun intended, masterly.

Despite his records and supreme talent, he is still extremely humble.

So humble that he finds the whole world rooting for him when he goes out to bat.

He is also an accomplished bowler and sets a great example in the field, there really is no end to his talents.

He deserves a World Cup triumph on his CV. This may well be his last chance, and who would bet against him guiding India to victory at his home stadium in Mumbai in April?

But he can't do it all on his own.

India's batting line-up is exceptional, with the likes of Virender Sehwag and MS Dhoni truly world class to go alongside Tendulkar.

However, their collapse against South Africa showed they have their frailties.

Dhoni at times is too humble, he should have gone in ahead of Yusuf Pathan against the South Africans - he is one of the best finishers of the modern day game.

As for the bowling, it seems very weak.

Zaheer Khan is not getting any younger and the rest are struggling for wickets, there seems no safe score for India any more.

They have now failed to close out games against both England and South Africa, they will have to improve if they are to have any chance of winning the tournament.

South Africa, despite their defeat against England, are the team who have most impressed me most so far.

Their brilliant comeback win against India showed their quality lies in the all-round team, not just their batsmen.

Dale Steyn is the premier paceman in the tournament and is greatly supported by Morne Morkel, Jacques Kallis and the spinners: Botha, Tahir, Peterson and du Plessis.

Their batting line up is also the envy of their counterparts, with AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla in the form of their lives.

The likes of Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis also add extra weight to their batting and it will take a great performance to stop the South Africans in this tournament, with their batting display against England surely a one-off.

Perhaps Sachin is the only man who could do it.

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