lara or tendulkar

lara or tendulkar......just pop this phrase to a group of people in india and you are bound to start an argument that would put most legislative assemblies to shame. make no difference, from corporate boardrooms to connaught circle to common bylanes you would evoke nothing short of a detailed discussion comprising statistics to techinical finesse and character.

to vast majority of indians tendulkar is no less than a demi god exalted to immortality. you think jordan created furore and chaos with announcements of return and retirement from the game, wait till you see how indians react to tendulkars retirement. people hang onto every piece of information that newspapers, radio channels and local tv throw at them. i bet after tendulkars tennis elbow and the subsequent diagnosis by newspapers there has been an increase in the cases of orthopaedics having to put up with "tennis elbow" complaints from young and old alike.

lara is by no means at a lower level when it comes to idolizing and fan following. but caribbeans have a lot of things on their mind like catching the wave and partying. like a surfer catching a wave lara burst onto the scene (i know its a cliche but theres reason to why they call it a cliche, because its appropriate and true!!!!) caribbeans have idolized as many times as they have burnt him at the stake. you love to hate him and loathe to love him. that to me is the defining when it comes to pure entertainment.

i aint no cricket expert my loyalties lay elsewhere but like all children i grew up on a staple diet of test matches and one day internationals. to me lara brings an avalanche of emotions when he comes to bat. true tendulkar has scored more hundreds, i think he scores like 1 hundred for every 10 ODI matches (its an approximation, dont get statistical with me, im past that age!!!) and lara scores like half of that. but not knowing what to expect, a hundred, a duck, a quick 20 or 30 he still gives me an eyeful to watch and anticipate.

true, laras personal and professional life is a disaster, but that is the beauty of watching an true genius. what is john nash without the controversies of homosexuality, mahatma gandhi without the controversies of partition or michael schumacher without the controversies of a tyrant on a race track. a genius gives you what nobody else does, a roller coaster ride, expect the unexpected, exaltation when he succeeds and exasperation when he succumbs.

you would love to curse lara when he gets out at inappropriate moments or fails but with tendulkar that is next to sacrilege. more reasons have been contrived for his untime dismissals that would put most politicians to shame. tendulkar is the perfect role model to todays young children and aspiring cricketers. in a country which is starved of true role models, a man with so much humility and simplicity after achieving so much, you would have to be blind or insane not to take your hat off to him.

to me tendulkar embodies all that is indian conservatism. minimal and precise footwork, neat crisp strokes, copy book shots and getting into zen mode while batting. lara, with his ungaily backlift, chaotic footwork is an example of a free spirit, a man who let things come to him naturally, a man whos comfortable with verbal bouncers and a man who would definitely take the time to convey what a failure the bowler is when it comes to doing his job.

i respect tendulkar saying that his batting matured with age but it make no sense. do u see agassi not returning quite as well because hes aged, do u see mcgrath bowling a foot short because hes aged or have you heard of nymphomaniacs giving up because they were too old for conservative society (the last one is quite inappopriate but mischevious, aint it?) but i would rather give my sleep to watch lara bat than tendulkar carve a hundred. why? because lara gives to me frustrating failures, awe inspiring innings', gives me more ups and downs the waves that lash his private beach. geniuses keep failing, give up what they do but when they come back they often have a point to prove or add finishing touches to what is already a masterpiece. i would rather anticipate a failing masterpiece which holds only promise but no fruition than a calendar drawing which is very beautiful but evokes no emotions!!!!!!