If there is one subject in cricket on which you have profuse details to explore and write about, then it has to be Sachin Tendulkar. Despite that, I find him to be one of the most difficult subjects to write about. Some might find this an amateur statement on my part but pieces on him are in oodles, touching almost every facet of his life, cricketing or otherwise.
While thinking on those lines, I came across a piece on the famous cricinfo website written by Sam Pilger, a freelance sports writer and author of two books on the Ashes. It was his good fortune to have bumped into Sachin during his European family vacation while the Indian team’s unsuccessful defence of its World T20 title.
Sachin was in London for the launch of his Opus, an honor bestowed only upon Diego Maradona before Sachin. He walked on the streets unnoticed, hopped over to make a phone call from a roadside phone both, had unmolested visits to cinema and restaurants, watched the Wimbledon final, went to Iceland and much more. In short, a solitude he only dreams of in India.
In Pilger’s masterly written article titled ‘Chilling with Sachin’, Tendulkar talks about Twenty20, retirement, being in disguise, and the man who reminds him of himself. I guess that is lure enough to read the whole piece. So click here to read it. Enjoy!
