Sach is the craze, such the risk

Imagine an asking rate of a billion expectations. The pressure of managing billion-rupee earnings. And, of course, the burden of being a supreme sporting icon. Once there was child-man Sachin Tendulkar.
In less than a decade after his debut, he rose to become God. With it came surreal compliments: an Aussie cricketer thought he was "better than Ben Hur" and BBC Online summed up his success as "Boyzone meets Beckham".
On the 22-yard strip, it isn''t easy to live up to such hype.For many, it gets too heady to handle. Scores of flannelled dandies have remained outfielders in the game after an initial spark of brilliance.
There is no turning a blind eye to the hoopla either. The world simply won''t recede on that. Consequently, Sachin has faced newer versions of Jardines and Larwoods on the field.
He has had to counter them with iron wrists, gentle arrogance and a bat that is the broadest in the business. He''s handled the equilibrium well, although detractors may complain he hasn''t won many matches on his own.
Being on the pedestal is risky business in Indian cricket. Even if it entails a staggering bank balance, Sachin Inc. could have worked its tedium.
The promise of value, of course, had to be enhanced by a compelling attention span even on television. When Sachin bats, cricket fans sit back and watch spellbound. When he isn''t playing, they watch his commercials.
But how easy is it to stay a brand and perform? Money management, image management and so on... Ask Big B, who has been through a tumble or two, about the pitfalls. Especially in a country where the cricket team can set hearts pounding.
The Aussies may be a team of eleven individuals. But the Indians are half-a-dozen brands plus five others playing jointly.
Being Sachin is like living in an epic - appeasing the cricket fan as well as the consumer. Most of these are mental challenges, though. A strong psyche and sharp focus could still help him jump over the hurdles of celebrityhood.
But what about the body? The hazards of swinging a heavy bat thousands of times, the compulsion of practising for hours and hours with the elbow and the front foot in line and the resultant strain on the muscles of the forearm.
It isn''t an injury that plagues only cricketers, tennis or squash players. Painters and carpenters suffer it too. Little could you imagine this can come to a man who has picked up the plums of prize money and sponsorship like nobody in the game had.
In a game as popular as cricket is in India, anybody will have to put himself out. Only the encumbrance of being a Sachin doesn''t come at a discount.