an open letter to sachin from one of his unending list of fans

THE FOLLOWING LETTER IS AN OPEN LETTER TO SACHIN, FROM A FAN WHO CALLS HIMSELF SACH IS LIFE, ON SACHIN'S BIRTHDAY. THE LETTER IS QUITE A WONDERFUL ONE AND A MUST READ FOR EVERYONE. IT DESCRIBES WHAT A FAN EXPECTS FROM SACHIN AND HOW HE ADMIRES HIM. READ IT FOR SACH IS LIFE PLZZ. U WILL LUV IT.


This is the 1st time I am writing a letter to you. I choose this time to write a letter as your birthday is coming. The birthday I celebrate as a fest. I am your fan since Hero Cup semi-final against South Africa at Kolkata in 1993. The first time I heard your name was in 1990 when you were playing with Indian Team in Sharjah. I was merely 7 years old at that time and I still remember how much my gymnastic coaches were expecting from you during our practice session (I used to practice gymnastic). I still wonder how people can expect so much from a 16 year old kid at international level when he's playing with and against the likes of Devs, Imrans, Marshals, Bothams and so on. The expectations were huge from the people of India from the 16 year old kid at that time and the expectations got bigger by every passing day since that time. Now you are playing with likes of Pontings, Dhonis, Yuvrajs, Haydens, Flintoffs, and so on. Players came and gone but Sachin Tendulkar is still there, yes at the top. The burden you carrying since you made your debut at the age of 16 is simply enormous & you carried it in your own style.

People often ask me why I am your fan and the reply is quite simple - trust, personality and consistency. " You can not fix a match until and unless Sachin Tendulkar is out" This what a bookmaker said to CBI officers during the interrogation of match fixing scandal in 2000 and later accepted by the Team's doctor Dr. Ali Irani. In my opinion this is the best and most satisfying compliment. As a fan I can proudly quote this line among all cricket fans as no one in the entire cricketing world got this compliment. When you love someone you look for the trust and you proved every cricket fan in India that Sachin Tendulkar plays for the team so we can watch the entire match without considering how will others play as far as you are there on the crease, That's why in the 90's whenever you got out in any match people used to switch off their television.

Does this happen with any other player? And when talking about your personality there is no one in India as a celebrity who shown us the way how to live our lives even after getting success. Your on and off the field behavior is the one every fan look into his/her idol. . You're neither outspoken like the new aggressive youngsters (cricketers) nor like the bollywood celebrities who just for media attention do lots of nonsense. You shown us that success doesn't always get into your head until n unless you know how to handle it.. Now talking about consistency, we all know you have scored thousands of runs in both form of cricket. Its not the number of runs you scored, its because the quantity of runs you scored against all the opposition, for which we love you. You stared your carrier in 89 and you still playing with same hunger and passion. The whole bunch of under 19 world cup champion team not even born at that time and the day they won the world cup you were writing the script of one of the most famous victories of India in Sydney. Besides playing copy book strokes you invented few shots which now become a trend in ODI's and T-20, like the upper cut over the slips (which you 1st played against South Africa in 2001 off Kallis for a six) and the paddle sweep against the spinners(against Warme and all).
It's simply impossible to quote all your runs and innings which make everyone proud, be it Chappels or Manjrekars. But there is one inning which every cricket fan would love to talk about. The sand storm inning at Sharjah on 22nd April 1998. I can not forget that inning. I have the video of that inning and I always play it whenever I need inspiration. Yes you are source of inspiration too for me. This inning motivates me that whatever the situation is, whether you're alone or not you can always succeed How to cope with pressure situation, hope and determination is key to success and you can win. The inning motivates me so much that its hard to put in words.

The way you single handedly pushed the team into the finals was amazing, And when Tony Greg was shouting like anything "Sachin Tendulkar wants to win this match " , it made me felt like there's one man army playing against the 11 players and 2 umpires. You have been known as the one man army in the 90's as no one gave you enough support and you lot of matches just by your majestic performance. Dada,Wall and VVS were new to international cricket and the old champs were retiring (and few were involved in match fixing). India can't loose a match if Sachin Tendulkar is on the crease. This feeling is still there even in the 2000 when you have enough support of Yuvi, Dhoni, Uttapha . There is no certainty whether they will win the match if they will be the last batsman on the crease.
During the opening ceremony of IPL when Ravi Shastri was inviting the captains for special signature, the 50K crowd cheering for their heroes. But the biggest cheer was not for the local boy Dravid , neither it was for the India's most successful captain Ganguly, nor it was for the 20-20 world cup champion caption Dhoni (who is known as the new generation hero) and not for the sixer king Yuvraj. After Ravi Shashti called Warne on the stage the crowd gone crazy and started chanting "Sachin Sachin" even though Yuvraj, Sehwag and Laxman were yet to be called. After the crowd started chanting your name it was impossible to hear what Ravi was announcing from the stage, and when Ravi was about to call your name, the crowd gone mad and the biggest roar of the night came when Ravi called you Boss but we (consider your fan all around the world) call you God. The response of the crowd showed that no one is bigger icon than you, though the biggest filmstars and business tycoons were also present their. No one can even come closer to your status.

And its all because you won single handedly almost all the matches in the 90's. You may not have six 6's in a over or two triple centuries or a world cup trophy still you are above all these guys, just because the way you played cricket and me closer to your status. And its all because you won single handedly almost all the matches in the 90's. You may not have six 6's in a over or two triple centuries or a world cup trophy still you are above all these guys, just because the way you played cricket and carried yourself all these years. You always replied with your bat against all your critics whether they are stupid former cricketers who barks on tv channels or the columnist like Manjrekar who one day says that India will not miss Sachin Tendulkar in the latest Ahmedabad test (because we have triple centurion Sehwag and co) and later saying that India missed Sachin because you the only Indian player (other than Dravid) who can bat on such a deadly track. The electronic media, former cricketers and columnist like Manjrekars totally depend on your performance. They earn on your success and failure, they sell their views and columns on your success and failure.
As a fan my only expectation from you is that you should be a part of World Cup Champion team( which you were almost in 2003). I don't want a triple hundred or 6 sixes in an innings or breaking the record of Saeed Anwar in ODI of highest individual score , and you know why? Because its your dream. I read and heard many times in your interviews that winning the World Cup for India is your ultimate dream and so as of your fans. If you some day get time to surf internet please try to login into Orkut website. You will find many crazy fans like me. As a cricketer your community is the biggest community in orkut . Around 4 lakh guys are the member of your community. And I am one of them. I have been known as SACH Is LIFE !!! in the community and among my friends in Orkut.

Even my 1st email id is on your name and score (tendulkar_186@yahoo.com)
Wishing you all the best for IPL tournament (may be there is a case of city loyalty, but when it comes to Sachin Tendulkar, the support will be 100% for you where-ever you play, and we will teach people like Raj Thackrey that Sachin Tendulkar belongs to whole India and not only to Maharashtra., like he feel as a proud marathi). I am waiting for the match Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Dare Devils on 24th may. I will be present in the stadium with my friends and will cheer for you and your team and wish that your team win the match and the tournament (although Delhi is my Karm Bhumi)
Wishing you a very Happy and Blasting Birthday. Enjoy your birthday and keep playing till 2011 world cup and win it for the entire nation. Thanks for all the inspiration and motivation and famous Indian victories. All the Best for future. Bye and take care.

Your Ardent Fan
SACH Is LIFE !!!
Ritesh