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.

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.