Tendulkar from the other side
Hassan Cheema, writing for the Nightwatchman, illustrates how Pakistan viewed and defined themselves through the successes and failures of Sachin Tendulkar
ESPNcricinfo staff
03-Mar-2014
Hassan Cheema, writing for the Nightwatchman, illustrates how Pakistan viewed and defined themselves through the successes and failures of Sachin Tendulkar.
It seems odd to argue that a foreign sportsman could have such a far-reaching influence on a country's youth, but the view that Pakistanis had of India - and by extension of Tendulkar - is unique. Their attitude towards the Indian team was how Pakistanis proved they were Pakistani, as the post-Zia nation over the last three decades went from isolation, and in search of recognition, to a place the world knows about - not necessarily for the right reasons. It's no coincidence that at the time the rest of the cricketing firmament prostrated before Tendulkar, a major Pakistani news channel ran a segment about how Javed Miandad, Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf were each his equal.