Popular: ICC rankings | Bangladesh Premier League | A Zia
The Inbox

« In praise of Ishant Sharma | A plan for Tests »
November 13, 2008
Posted on 11/13/2008 in Extras
Flying high with Sachin

From Pradeep Ramarathnam, India

Nobody likes early morning flights. Especially chronic nightbirds. Although I nagged myself to sleep at 12:30 am, my body, as usual, threw tantrums at 5:30 in the morning. After a lot of huffing and puffing, I woke at 6 am. I packed, and at 6:02 am, I made the wise decision of taking a raincheck on the bath and made do with coldwater and facewash. Time to run.

I dozed off peacefully in the car and when I reached terminal 1B, I was greviously late. And to top it all, Jet Airways cancelled the Nagpur flight! I was 'web-checked' in and didn't bother to check the airline on the boarding pass.They shunted me off to Jetlite. I was the among the last few to clear security check and rush inside the aircraft.

There was a general sense of doom in life for the past few days. Dada is going, Jumbo is gone and Dravid is struggling. These are the guys I grew up watching. (Technically, I was 15 when Dravid and Dada made their debuts, but still.) It was a stark reminder of the end of middle class cricket. Sitting around in a canteen,discussing the latest Sportstar, trading posters, going to National College, Basavangudi grounds and watching Kumble play for Bangalore Cricketers (Circa 1991), I even remember meeting Javagal Srinath, whose sister lives down the road. I was elated when I saw his shirt marquee - Peter England. How typically Jayanagar! Cutting edge Bourgeouis Elegance. So overwhelmingly inclusive it felt.

I have just noticed that my general tendency to meander has caught up with me again. Back to the flight.

I stuffed my arm with newspapers and got in. A quick "Good Morning" to the graceful, middle-aged stewardess was followed by a side step to the right to find my seat, and more importantly, stowage area.

Around this time is when time froze. Sitting right in front. Seat number 1F was Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. I shall not trivialise his greatness (Or make this piece tacky) by using loose adjectives of sobriquets here. He is Tendulkar. I'm sure you get it.

I really didn't want to stare. There were already a few pot-bellied trader type guys who were giggling like 12 year old girls. Sachin, now that I was already 25 seconds into my short peek at him, seemed a lot more, what's the word, pink than he looks on TV.

I was going to warm my behind in 1D! Same row, two seats away from the greatest, God-dest, cricketer ever! (Ok, I said no corny adjectives. I thought God-dest was a nice touch)

I said a quick prayer to ensure no loser makes a grab for the middle seat. I shoved my bags under the seat and looked askance to see if Sachin was checking me out. He wasn't. He was busy signing autographs, but I'm sure he did. You can tell these things.

The steward then put on his best accent and made the safety announcements. I was cursing myself. I really really wish I had taken a bath. Now I wasn't sure if the deo was working. What if Sachin wanted to change his seat? Imagine if he calls the stewardess and tells her, in his warm, endearing, boyish voice " This guy stinks. Give me window on the 30th row". I decided to avoid this scene by aborting my plan to hug him.

Five minutes into the flight, a middle aged guy wearing an ill-fitting Ed Hardy Tee and a wild pair of jeans came to our row and started blabbering in Marathi. I 'm not sure what he was saying, but he used a lot of names and had a wide grin throughout. He was uniformy fawning and utterly deferential.

Imagine the horror on my face, when instead of brushing him off by looking outside the window, (like we do to avoid shelling out change to beggars on trains) Sachin patiently replied in Marathi.

It was all so poetic. The syllables seemed carefully measured and worded. I could make out ("Barobar"- Right, Right) and "Ani"- And. Marathi is a beautiful language, Especially in Sachin's voice.

He signed probably 40 autographs at least in the hour long flight. He even blessed an infant. (I remember the name, I am going to track his progress. He's going to be huge.)

I kept thinking to myself," This guy is seriously polite. If he had no talent and wasn't a cricketer, he would have been a great hotel receptionist. Or a Front Desk executive for Air Deccan. No wonder McGrath could do nothing to him. How dare Gilchrist say all those things about him. Should I ask him something?"

I kept quiet and concentrated on the Economic Times Supplement in my hand throughout, except for the occasional stare with my tongue out. What could I tell him? I know so much about cricket. Why can't I come up with a good line to start the conversation? Maybe if I had a bath I would have been more confident. Then I would definitely have impressed Sachin. Maybe he would have called me his friend. Sigh.

'Accentboy' then announced landing. It was now or never. I swallowed hard. Time to go hell for leather, I thought.

"Excuse me, Sachin. Pradeep here, big fan." (D-uh!)

"Hi Pradeep" (Hand comes out.)

I don't shake well. Too soft sometimes, too hard sometimes. But this time, I just wanted to touch. Ideally, I should have hi-fived Sachin. I high-five well.

"Have you checked out the new stadium before?"

"No, that's why I am going early."

I felt quite kicked. It was a reasonably smart question I thought. Maybe it would have looked smarter if I was a girl. People always think girls don't know cricket.

The aircraft thudded and made a fierce landing at Nagpur airport. For a split second, I thought Maybe I could get to save Sachin's life.

Sachin seemed in a hurry to get out." Excuse me", he said, as he made his way to the aisle to pick up his bags. Why is he requesting me? I would grimace in joy if he stood on me and picked his bags.

I caught him one last time and took his autograph for my little nephew." Good luck Sachin for Nagpur", I said loudly as if I knew him. I tried to get a quick snap, but in my nervousness only caught his right shoulder on his way out.

I made a quick mental note to send a box of sweets to the travel desk for booking me in 1D. I also congratulate Naresh Goyal for discontinuing the Jet flight and pushing us into Jetlite. I salute all airlines with no business class.

I'm glad I did my MBA. I'm glad I joined my organisation. I'm glad they gave me MP state to handle. I'm glad there are no direct flights to Jabalpur and the only way is Nagpur. I'm glad I travelled today and not tomorrow.

I really doubt I'll ever sit side-by-side with my hero again. In case Sachin is reading - It was a pleasure traveling with you. Every single one of us on that flight was destined to have a great day on November 4, 2008. Nothing can go wrong today. And thanks, finally I have a story to pick up chicks with.

PS - I really wish I was less emotional about the whole thing, But it's Sachin Tendulkar. I'm sure you understand.

Comments (34)
Posted by: Amandeep Singh at November 13, 2008 1:12 PM

Awesome piece dude... Kudos!

Posted by: Akshay at November 13, 2008 1:32 PM

Vert true whatever you said and excellent rewinding of "the day you met Sachin" events. I wish i am as lucky as you and stuck up with Sachin on some Delhi/chd or Delhi/mumbai or whatever flight. Doesn't matter i just want to meet him once and tell what a great person and ambassdor for India he has been. I have been staying in States and Europe for last 3-3.5 years and it's not very infrequent when some foreigners who do not know dime about cricket comes and ask if you are from Sachin's land? Such an honour!!!

Posted by: Shankar Krishnaiah at November 13, 2008 1:55 PM

Mate,
Absolutely great. I loved the way you told the story. It felt like I were you..
Cheers.

Posted by: ANKUR at November 13, 2008 2:04 PM

I DEFINITELY DO UNDERSTAND.

Posted by: ACE at November 13, 2008 2:21 PM

i would cry if i seee sachinnn the only reason i watch cricket ya ths rite im not interested in any team or the game jus watchin tht mann bat makes my dayyyy....

Posted by: Vikas T at November 13, 2008 2:25 PM

Pradeep, your piece is one of the most captivating ones that I have ever read. I could relate to it so much to the point that I thought that I was there. I have never been an autograph-crazy fan of anyone, but being a cricket buff (& player) just the word Sachin takes a whole new meaning. And you've said it so beautifully. You can make a fantastic novelist......your style was very capturing indeed. Loved it.

Posted by: Gaurav at November 13, 2008 2:33 PM

My god so much pressure on Sachin.. he doesn't have private life even on flights.

Posted by: Sachin Tendulkar at November 13, 2008 2:42 PM

Pradeep, I was really wondering till the end whether this guy will ask for an autograph or not... you made me nervous mate. Thank God you did in the end. It calmed me down, otherwise Nagpur would have been a big disappointment for me.

Posted by: Guru at November 13, 2008 3:53 PM

Pradeep, I feel you are one of the very few luckiest persons on this earth. And I really loved the way you have expressed your feelings. Wish I were you.

Posted by: Thambi at November 14, 2008 4:19 AM

great story, keep em coming.

Posted by: Ruby at November 14, 2008 5:56 AM

the first love of my life- Sachin
and now looks like the 2nd is your writing!
i loved ur piece not only coz of Sachin, but b'coz u made me feel like i was there. Great work. Keep writing!

Posted by: syko at November 14, 2008 6:22 AM

Yes, lovely piece o' writing sire. Yes!

Posted by: sandeep tewari at November 14, 2008 6:49 AM

Hi Pradeep really liked your piece its completely in line with you as a person unassuming and simple and in these two qualities you relate completely with Sachin who himself is simple and unassuming.All the very best hope next time you have a more detailed conversation.

Posted by: karthik narayan at November 14, 2008 8:21 AM

brilliantly written dude - from all the of the IQL gang out here

Posted by: Sheshank at November 14, 2008 9:53 AM

beautifully written.

Posted by: Vada at November 14, 2008 10:20 AM

you owe me the autograph. let it be put on record here :-p

Posted by: senbub at November 14, 2008 10:23 AM

sensationally written!
enjoyed it thoroughly... as if i was there
and i'm sure he did check u out ;-)

Posted by: Sukant at November 14, 2008 4:28 PM

Ahh...I want to meet him too :) I remember when I was at Jaipur airport and Mr. Warne was right behind me trying to check in..Similar thoughts! As we say...Cheen (Sacheen) hai to hum hai !!

Posted by: karthik at November 14, 2008 5:56 PM

wow!! i think iam speechless...i would leave it for u...cheers mate!! what an incredible fortune to meet the god (make no mistake i meant it)... may be a day like this before my last breath

do share more of it.. that was truely amazing and i would be glad if u could tell us more about this incredible man in ur journey with him

clebration time for u.. i must say that was 'tryst with destiny' u r extremeeeeeeely lucky!!

Posted by: Priya at November 15, 2008 6:03 AM

awesome article. it felt like i was right there on the plance with Sachin. u sure are one lucky guy. i would do anything to get a chance like this. i wish i meet the GOD before i die. he is sooooo gentle and kind on and off the field. ur experience too proves it. anyway hope u get another chance to have a more detailed discussion with him.

Posted by: Charu at November 15, 2008 6:08 AM

Sachin is the ultimate... what an experience you had. I would have been tongue-tied too if I were in your position. I liked this line the most "Why is he requesting me? I would grimace in joy if he stood on me and picked his bags." cos I feel the same way too. I feel great after reading this peice. It feels as if I got his autograph while seated next to him on the plane.

Posted by: Aditya at November 16, 2008 8:25 PM

I have spoken to Sachin before as well. And he was more down-to-earth than so many of the other Indian players. He's a great person, and when you talk to him it's not like you're talking to some kind of superstar, it's like you're talking to a regular person.

Posted by: Vijay at November 17, 2008 6:04 AM

Pradeep, Superb article.. Very well written. keeping the tempo all through the article.. And I can really understand how I would feel if Ireally meet Sachin on the plane that too on the same row .. wow !! I was just talking to my friends about how it would be just a day earlier.. and I read this article and almost felt I was there..

I have met so many celebrities on airplanes but never came across Sachin.. wish I would some time..

Posted by: Agni at November 18, 2008 5:27 AM

Mate!! Really sensational writing.. felt as if I was taking the plane journey along with you.....
Cheers Agni.

Posted by: Param at November 18, 2008 4:25 PM

Nicely written!

Posted by: Tanay at November 20, 2008 1:23 PM

Very well written dude, I really do hope sachin gets to read this :-)

Posted by: Chabs at November 24, 2008 8:03 AM

Awesome writing... thoroughly enjoyed!

Posted by: daffy at November 25, 2008 7:40 AM

An irritating article. I couldnt care less. This kind of foolish and sentimental behaviour doesnt need to be told to the entire world. Perhaps you also remember the colour of his undies?

Posted by: S V Girish at November 28, 2008 11:05 AM

Beautiful writing.. Imaginative and captivating.. :)

Posted by: vijay at November 29, 2008 1:15 AM

all responses to pradeep's article came straight from the heart and they truly reflected the nature of the responders and the kind of feelings we indians have for the man - Sachin.
Brilliantly written Pradeep. Reading your piece gave me a lot of joy. God bless you.
And finally, to our friend daffy. Try to be human and enjoy other people's success. I still cannot fathom what was irritating about the article. All I could surmise was that there are indeed people with brains that have never developed. What a pitiful retard you are, daffy.

Posted by: daffy at December 2, 2008 6:37 AM

Pradeep, looks as if you have described yourself beautifully in your post. Some people indeed lack grey matter. And oh, BTW I gave my opinion on the post. I did not go about attacking all those who had praised the article and the writer. Dont you think you can do the same? Ah, sorry. I forgot you lack grey matter. So obviously you cant think!

Posted by: daffy at December 2, 2008 6:39 AM

Sorry, my last post was meant for Vijay. Not Pradeep.

Posted by: Sagar at December 27, 2008 5:06 PM

Very Well Written Piece. Looking Forward for another well written article.

@daffy
Quote "Perhaps you also remember the colour of his undies?"

Perhaps you could have avoided such below the belt comments, even if you did not like the article.

Posted by: daffy at January 5, 2009 4:25 AM

Sagar, maybe it was out of place. It is just that such adulation is also out place and unnecessary. Cricketers fight it out for their country and they deserve to be praised and admired. But elevating them to God like status is irritating and does the game no good. It only tells how foolish certain fans are, however well educated they may be.

Name: Email Address:
Comments: characters left
The Inbox will feature submissions from you with us playing gatekeeper as we do with the rest of the site. We will set no rules apart from ensuring a certain quality that you have come to associate with Cricinfo. You may write on the aspects of the game that you hold dear; about matters that rile you; about players, teams and trends; you may share your memories and views, and you may so do so in 100 words or 500. The only tip we will give you is to repeat a line from our style sheet: Brevity is not just the soul of wit, it is the heart of all writing.
Latest News
Specials
Sitemap  |  Feedback  |  RSS  |  About Us  |  Career  |  Privacy Policy  |  Terms of Use
© ESPN EMEA Ltd