Mumbai: After holding his emotions in check for 24 long and momentous years, the man everyone calls God opened his heart to his adoring fans all over the country and indeed from across the world over.
As everyone watched with a lump in the throat and moist eyes, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar too could not stop the tear that dropped from the eye as he thanked many, including, most of all, his fans, who responded at once with a loud and long chorus of “Sachinnnnnnnn Sachin“ for the last time at a cricket ground.
Sachin had said that the chant “would reverberate in my ears all my life and until I breathe“.
Then, with a wave to his cheering and emotional fans, and wiping away the tears that began to flow, he stepped out of the ground one last time.
Tendulkar was hoisted on to his teammates' shoulders for a victory lap around the field, waving a giant Indian flag, as the nation seemed to stop to watch an event that may perhaps never repeat itself.
A whole nation would now be wondering what cricket would be like without Sachin In a fitting farewell, the government decided to bestow the Bharat Ratna on him on the day, making him the first sportsperson to be conferred the nation's highest civilian honour. He is also the youngest to be so honoured.
Sachin leaves international cricket with a mountain of a record of 664 matches, 34,357 runs, 164 fifties and 100 hundreds.
Some of the records Sachin picked up from “My life of 22 yards for 24 years“, as he described his total I MISS MY FATHER VERY MUCH TODAY My father gave me freedom at the age of 11 and said 'chase your dream but don't find shortcuts. The path will be difficult.' He told me to be a nice human being. I have tried my best. I miss him today.
MY MOM PRAYED HARD FOR ME I don't know how my mother Rajni managed a naughty child like me. She just prayed and prayed from the day I started playing the game. Her prayers have given me the strength to go out and perform.
MY WIFE SACRIFICED HER CAREER FOR ME I know that being a doctor there was a big career in front of her.
When we had a fami ly, she decided that inue playing I should continue playing and she took care of the kids. Without her I don't think I would have played cricket freely. You are the best partnership I ever AJIT ALSO GAVE UP HIS CAREER FOR ME Ajit my brother, We have lived this dream together. He sacrificed his career for me. Even last night he called me to discuss my dismissal.
MY CHILDREN ARE PRECIOUS DIAMONDS Sara and Arjun are the two precious diamonds of my life. I have missed out on their birthdays for the last 16 years. The next 16 years and more are for you involvement with the game, may never be broken. “It's difficult to talk but I will manage,“ he said and then went on to deliver the most stirring and longest impromptu speech of his life.
Only after touching the ground and kissing it in the course of the team's lap of honour after the ceremonies did the enormity of leaving the game hit Sachin as he broke into tears and wept like a baby . Living up to great expectations had been his eternal challenge right from the age of 11 at which he picked up a bat.
Having met expectations so well for so long he could not possibly fail in the theatrical setting of a sports arena that was hanging on to his every word that was also carried live to over 65 countries.
“Goodbye“ was the last word he uttered before walking away into the sunset.
