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My heart says Sachin Tendulkar could've played for two more years: Dhanraj Pillay

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We are all fortunate that a sportsman like Sachin was born in this country and represented it for 24 years. He is one among billion. To have played so consistently for the country, I am sure he must have sacrificed a lot. His entire happiness, sadness lies in cricket. Not only in India, but also whoever follows the game world over, sees Sachin as an idol. Whoever wants to become a sportsperson, does so with Sachin’s image in front him.

Sachin is younger to me, we made our debuts in the same month, same year. But I have learnt a lot from him. When he walks into the field, it shows that he has come out to play for the nation. He motivates a lot. He talks very little, but jo baat karta hai, ekdum tol-mol ke karta hai.

I think the whole country will be saluting him, and I don’t think a player like Sachin will be born ever again in our country. I rate Virat Kohli very high, but somebody like Sachin cannot be made.

Whenever Sachin came back after playing for India, the next morning he would be ready to practise with the Mumbai team. That dedication is rare, and is in-born. He is so passionate about the sport that he couldn’t do anything else. It is the same with me and with the likes of (Leander) Paes and (Viswanathan) Anand among others. When you’re in the field, you leave all your problems behind for those 70 minutes or one day, and after that whatever the result, win or lose, you’re satisfied.

During the last World Cup, I messaged him before the semifinal and final. Before the semis, I messaged him ‘Sachin you have to win this match.’ I had also got a message from someone before playing a final in 1998, saying, ‘Dhanraj, if you win the 1998 Asian Games, you can play for four more years.’

I went into that tournament thinking it will be my last Asian Games and that I would never play for the country again. We won the gold there after 32 years. And I played for six more years. So I sent a similar message to Sachin before the WC final, saying ‘If you win this WC, you will play four more years.’

People wanted him to retire after that. But he played till 2013. My heart says he could’ve played for two more years. But somewhere even he would have been disappointed about what the media and people were talking about him. A player never retires from his heart. The hunger and eagerness is so much that one wants to represent the country even at 50. Sachin is 40 and he is still going strong, and could have kept going.

It must have been very, very tough for Sachin to decide on retirement, because once you get into a sport very passionately, you only think about it. I’m sure even he will be doing that. The media can write good things about a player, but the second or third day it can bring you down also. In the last two or three years the media was after him to retire. I think Sachin never carried all this criticism into the field.

If you have noticed, the only way Sachin celebrates — be it after a 100 or 200 — is to remove his helmet, raise his bat, look up and thank his father and God. I’ve seen him getting standing ovations in so many stadia, whenever he stepped out, everyone used to get up. He really deserves all that.

I have met Sachin many times. My most memorable one was when we were going to attend wedding in Lucknow. A flight was booked for all famous people from Mumbai — Bollywood stars, cricketers and others. I was the only hockey player invited.

I remember that hour-and-a-half or so with Sachin and Ravi Shastri in the business class. I was sitting next to Shastri but after the plane took off, Sachin and I stood and spoke for a long time about cricket and fitness. That was the best moment in my life. 

After that we met on many occasions and we always met with a lot of love and hugged each other.

Whenever we used to meet we used to talk only in Marathi.

I have spoken many times in public about hockey being given step-motherly treatment compared to cricket, but you sometimes say such things in anger. I have never been disappointed with Sachin, I have always felt proud of him. Players like him deserve it.

There is one thing everyone should know about Sachin, and that is his humbleness, his dedication and his hard work. Not even once after so many years has he said that he is tired, and that he will sit down after batting. I, as a player, salute Sachin. He has given his life, his entire 40 years to cricket and the sports world. Not only did Dhanraj Pillay learn a lot of things from him, but even the younger generation will learn a lot from him.

I don’t need to advice Sachin on what to do next. He knows what to do. But I also know that he will be associated with the sport, he will help the younger generation, he will be known as a mentor, he will be known as the God of cricket.

—As told to Rutvick Mehta

(Dhanraj Pillay is a former India hockey captain)

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