Mumbai salutes Sachin’s knock in Bangladesh

MUMBAI: For 20-year-old Saiyami Kher, Sachin Tendulkar’s 100th international hundred would go down as one of her prized moments. Nothing can match the moment Sachin took off his helmet and kissed the national tricolour at Mirpur in Bangladesh---it was not just a swell of pride for Kher but also a big one for the nation. Mumbai, too, swelled in pride.From state leaders to Sachin’s neighbours, everyone stood as one to celebrate the master blaster’s achievement. Fans say that this feat would silence all critics who have been clamouring for his retirement.
Kher was celebrating Sachin’s achievement at a Lower Parel restaurant when The Times of India caught up with her. “I had gone to his house with a cake and a bouquet. This is a great moment me. I am planning to go back to his house once I finish dinner. I was a little anxious when he was nearing the century mark but he managed to do it once again,” she said, as she argued with her friends that Sachin’s achievement was bigger than anything else---for that moment India’s loss did not matter. “He has achieved a lot. One cannot take this away and you cannot blame him for the loss.”
Unlike Kher, 60-year-old Krushna Ramakant Kapse argued with the vada pav stall owner near Sachin’s’s Perry Cross Road house that it was time for the master blaster to bid farewell. “After this feat, he should make way for youngsters. Unless he puts his bat down, how will others come up? No doubt very few will be able to achieve what he has achieved,” said Kapse who was interrupted by another Sachin fan. “Why should he retire? He is still young and has the potential to carry on. There is no question of him retiring. His shots are as sharp as ever,” said Waqar Younis.
Cricket writer and Sachin’s old friend Dwarkanath Sanzgiri echoed the same sentiment. “If Jack Hobbs retired at 45, why should Sachin retire now when he is just 39? He has the divine talent and has the ability to overcome a lot of pain. The century at Mirpur was actually the moment that we have been waiting for. After he crossed 80, I was chasing every run.He has achieved the unthinkable.” Mayor Sunil Prabhu has also congratulated the master blaster and has promised to felicitate the cricketing genius. “It is a proud moment for the city,” he said.
If Jack Hobbs retired at 45, why should Sachin retire at 39? He has the divine talent and the ability to overcome a lot of pain.
The century at Mirpur was actually the moment that we have been waiting for. After he crossed 80, I was chasing every run. He has achieved the unthinkable