Thanks For 24 years of such an entertainment - Sachin Entertainment.

Sachin Tendulkar walks away with millions longing for more.

Sachin is playing his 200th international test match and he is the only one to do so. He creates this unbreakable record of playing 200 test matches. All his fans are happy for his yet another record. But the fact that this is his last match makes them all sad. We probably watched his last international innings in whites as the West Indies team does not look good enough to offer Indian cricket team another chance to bat. Sachin scored 74 runs before giving a catch in the slips. Dev Narine was the lucky bowler who got Sachin Tendulkar's wicket in his final test match.
  Sachin, as usual for last 24 years, did not disappoint any of his fans and looked in great touch during his stay at the crease. The match was also the rare and only occasion when Sachin's mother watched him play while sitting in the VIP-box. At this moment every Indian has this feeling of departure. We all feel as if we are losing something really big and something very close to our hearts. Yes we know its him, but may be its time to respect his decision and stand by the one who stood for us each time we wanted him to.

BCCI did it again. They chose money over feelings and VVIPs over common man.

The cricket board in India is famous for its pro-business strategies. This was the reason why such an important test match ( Sachin's 200th) was snatched away from South African cricket board and arranged within India. Yes the top management were successful in making this event commercially a hit but Sachin Tendulkar's fans will never forget how almost all the tickets went to the rich and VVIPs and even the broadcast rights were limited to a particular section. The board never seemed concerned about the people who lost opportunity of watching Sachin one last time. In present era where every single One day international is being shown on National television the fact that no one tried to show this match on DD1 was heart breaking. The poor in this country would have never complained about zig-zag picture quality but may be the BCCI wanted to protect us from any such experience.

 Well one can always complain about one or the other thing and therefore I am holding my thoughts back for some time. Its time to celebrate the huge event. We all congratulate Sachin Tendulkar for the successful carrier that he has just completed with yet another success and also wish him best of luck for the upcoming challenges. I want to modify the lines written on the score board that were shown while Sachin was present on the ground like this-

Thanks for 24 years of such an entertainment - Sachin Entertainment. 

For all the Sachin fans who are a bit nostalgic about all the great memories related to the Master Blaster, here is a light moment from the pages of history in the form of following funny picture-

I am not sure about the place or country that these guys were in during this beach party. If any one knows something about the occasion, he or she can always drop a comment below and share it with everyone here.

Tomorrow I will post another interesting pictures related to 2003 world cup final that features Sachin in a different mood.

Sachin Tendulkar-Indian cricketer with widest range of strokes. Any Doubt?

The biggest name in the world of cricket

Sachin is the only batsman capable of playing four or five shots at any bowling variation he faces. Till the very end only he knows which one is going to be played. No one can ever sum up number of shots he can play with high efficiency and I am only trying to recall most famous of his shots and thus probably ignite a discussion on this page about the great master blaster.

Sachin Tendulkar is one of the best batsmen cricket has ever seen. He can play in any conditions and against any opposition. His fans admire the way he executes every single shot. This master can play any stroke that is there in cricket books. There are certain shots that have been invented by him.

 I thought it would be interesting to find out his best shots list. Yes he plays them all with equal authority but I just wanted to enlist some of his most liked and enjoyed shots. Hence here is the list of those shots and as we all know these shots are beyond words.

Sachin plays it straight

Straight Drive- Sachin Tendulkar makes it look so simple. His balance during the shot execution is like his trademark on this shot. We can recall numerous incidents where an umpire would struggle to get out of the way of his sweetly timed straight drive. I Just can't forget those days when David Shepherd would be jumping on a nelson (111) score and Sachin times one straight into his hat. Almost all current players can play this shot with a lot of horse power but not with Sachin's class.

Upper cut- Sachin Tendulkar is best when it comes to using the bowler's pace to maximum advantage. He is credited for inventing this shot and refining it. The shot he played against Shoab Akhtar during 2003 World cup match was one example. The shot became famous as shot of the millennium. Later he started playing it more and more straight, exactly over the wicket keeper's head (to be precise).

Leg glance- We all know where the ball ends if a bowler bowls at his middle or leg stump. He would simply tap it towards fine-leg for four. He played it so finely that it at times ends up behind the wicket keeper. Getting a fine-leg fielder frustrated by playing this shot towards both his sides seems to be Sachin's favorite hobby.

Cover Drive- The cover drive is a shot that Sachin would usually get going with. More often than not he puts his first runs on the board by timing one sweetly through the cover or extra cover region. What makes his cover drive so special is that he could play it of both his feet; be it when he is on front foot or when he stands tall at the back foot and plays the ball with ease and grace. His high elbow while playing this shot is unmatched and his trademark on this shot.

Square Drive/Cut- This is the business area for any Indian batsman and Sachin as usual is excellent here too. He knows how to play it early or delay it so as to pierce the point and gully region. More refined version of same shot is the late cut that he makes look so simple. Also the shot upper cut was a result of square drive or late cut played in the air.

Paddle Sweep- All the above shots are usually played against fast bowlers and help him creating new "Sachin Tendulkar records". But Sachin is same batsman who has given nightmares to the likes of Abdul Qadir and Shane Warne with his step-out sixes and the paddle sweeps. He looked nimble footed when steps out of his crease and equally effective when he plays that late paddle sweep behind the square. Again Sachin is the one who is credited for the invention of the shot pedal sweep.

The list of such strokes could become very long but I want to know yours favorite ones. Is it one of the above or shots like pull-shot, reverse sweep or on-drive. You can leave your favorite shot in the form of a comment below and we will take the discussion even further.

For more on sports:- Indian Cricket's lone Star-Virat Kohli.