Happy birthday Sachin!

There couldn't be a better day than today to write about one of my superstars, whom I admire for his stylish approach to his batting, his impeccable commitment and above all, a simple, down-to-earth human being. On this day when he celebrates his 34th birthday, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is a star to millions of Indians. Whatever the media says or people who don't like him try to anguish his fans like me, the statistics speak for him. I'm not going to elaborate on the statistics and prove that he is a great player. Cynics never agree on them, anyway.

As Tony Greig often says in his commentary "What a player!", he is truly a gem in the current, high pressure game of cricket. It wasn't a smooth journey for him in the past 17 years of cricket, especially the last 7 years. His consistent, flawless and ferocious approach to the game for a span of 10 years had taken it's toll on his physical health and he is not able to perform at the same high limits that he had set for himself. As a result, people expect him to hit a century every single inning. More than individual fans, it's the media that takes him to an unbelievable height when he hits a century and drops him to such low depth when he fails, creating a speculation that he is due for retirement. Whether he performs well in his batting or not, his sheer presence makes wonders in the mindsets of youngsters. According to me and many of his fans, there is still about 4 years of cricket left in him. All he needs is to become completely fit, focus on some key areas where he gets out most of the time these days and work on them. That's it! There's nothing wrong in his style or manner of batting. He is still as aggressive as he was 10 years ago. I'm sure he is going to bounce back soon, entertain his fans and quieten the cynics. This day is not so far!