The Surfer

Broad, no shrinking violet, rather likes an extra bit of pressure. No doubt Australia's fourth estate was trying to offer patriotic support but we were soon reminded of the "Is That All You've Got?" headline, which was directed at England's reliance on Jonny Wilkinson's boot at the start of the 2003 Rugby World Cup. This competition came to its conclusion exactly 10 years ago in Sydney with England beating Australia 20-17 in extra time - thanks to Wilko's boot.

We all know the runs and records, the stats and scorecards. But as Tendulkar wakes up to make himself tea and contemplate life without cricket in the many mornings to come, it is time to examine his impact on the three generations he played alongside and the ones to follow; time to understand the intangible legacy of India's most celebrated sportsman and its most revered hero since Mahatma Gandhi. Paaji, coaching manual, bhagwan, role model extraordinaire, legend, inspiration and master, Tendulkar has essayed many roles and earned many labels from his teammates--of whom 93 made their Test debut and 121 their limited-overs debut after him.

Indians missed seeing their hero but accepted it was in the best interests of the team. South Africans say their man should stop playing golf and get back on the cricket field. Or retire. Despite the team clearly lacking a middle-order batting anchor and the security of another all-rounder in the lower order.

Now it seems that when we win a series, it is almost expected that we will complete a whitewash (laughs). There is a confidence now. Often there is huge expectation and responsibility. But now, not just us, but the public -- even rickshaw-pullers -- also know that when we are in trouble someone will put his hand up. Not just Shakib or Tamim, but anyone like a (Sohag) Gazi, a Mominul (Haque) or a (Shamsur Rahman) Shuvo can turn up and play a big hand.

Miller's retirement and Whitaker's elevation means there is a vacancy on the selection panel and a personal view is that he should not have an association with a county (as Ashley Giles was when first appointed); nor be involved with the media, unless prepared to give it up; nor have connections with the management of players. It will not be an easy spot to fill.

Most kids would say that they want to bat like Tendulkar. Everywhere I have watched the game, he has been a draw card. People come to watch him play. He has been cheered on most international arenas he has played in. Audiences at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Lords' and Antigua anticipate his arrival at the crease and cheer him as much as the crowds at the Wankhede, the Eden Gardens or Chepauk do. Just as many aspiring musicians wanted to sing like Bhimsen Joshi or M. S. Subbulakshmi, almost every cricketer of the next generation wanted to play the game like Tendulkar -- not only in India, but around the world. Yes, Tendulkar never found a cure for AIDS nor did he advocate world peace, but neither did Bismillah Khan.

Sportswriters and their editors are partial to over-reaching. They like to assess significance, no, not enough: They like to see meaning. When CLR James wrote that "West Indians crowding to Tests bring with them the whole past history and future hopes of the islands", he instructed generations of writers. Other sportswriters are superiorly concerned with the craft of the thing, constructing with similar diligence their own cocoon. But to go watch Tendulkar bat is, fortunately for us all, to invariably see what Tendulkar means. This too is what Tendulkar means.

Some Australians, emboldened by signs their team have bottomed out, are predicting 3-1 - conceivable, if injury strikes a major England player. For instance, if Alastair Cook broke a finger and Matt Prior had to take over as captain; or if Kevin Pietersen's knees give way again and England lose their capacity to score quickly and give their bowlers extra time; or if James Anderson, heaven forfend, proved mortal at last.

Many England supporters are predicting 3-1 in their favour which, again, is possible if injury intervenes. Australia's batting would be lost without Michael Clarke, whose back ruled him out of the Champions Trophy last summer. Or if Ryan Harris, their attack leader, is injured - and he has managed only 16 Tests in his 34 years - they are down to the reserves of Ben Hilfenhaus and the uncapped Nathan Coulter-Nile.

Not least of the benefits may be advice from Pakistan on how to cope with life without India. The PCB, after all, has now managed to survive over six years without playing India in a full series. It is, the CSA might care to know, possible to do so.

The chief one is this: Ali, with a raised mirror in one hand and a raised finger in the other, asked a society to stare at its reflection and focus on the ugliness. He took on outsized social causes, civil rights for the black people and protests against the Vietnam war, and spent time out of the boxing ring at the peak of his career. Tendulkar, on the other hand, was like Steve Jobs: he gave a society what it yearned for even before they realized that this was what they wanted.

Tendulkar was the diminutive colossus who showed his countrymen that an Indian, too, could be the world's best. He was elevated to God in the country's cricketing pantheon. But the confident India of 2013, with a stronger economy that carries more weight in the world, an India wooed and courted by global leaders, doesn't need a God to project its capabilities. Mere mortals are good enough to win when winning comes naturally.

"Sachin was always special. He had all the shots and a great temperament. He also was blessed in a way, everything happened at the right time for him. Most importantly, he had a great background," says Gurav. "Background is everything," he adds, after a pause.