Welcome back, Tendulkar

Saturday morning, Sanjay Manjrekar and I were discussing Sachin Tendulkar's celebrated tennis elbow and the prospects of his playing the third Test at Nagpur, unaware that he was undergoing a fitness test, perhaps at that very moment. "He's been out for close to eight weeks, not enough nets, difficult to go into a big game straightaway even if fit," I said sceptically."He is the kind who weighs all options carefully, but he is very resolute and strong in the mind, so he could play if the doctors clear him," said Manjrekar, who has shared the dressing room and many partnerships with Tendulkar and obviously knew better. By evening, Tendulkar was on a flight to Nagpur. Unless there is a last-minute hitch, he should walk out at No 4 to bat for India. It's been an exciting series as yet, but now it will get an added edge. Inevitably, though, the question uppermost in everybody's mind is how well he can play after this lay-off. Public expectation, as always, will be phenomenally high. But what marks Tendulkar out from most other cricketers is how he copes with this pressure, as seven-time world billiard champion Geet Sethi explains in his extremely perceptive book on mind control, 'Success vs Joy', released just last week and which should be a must-read for sports lovers. "I consider Sachin to be a great sportsperson, not just because of his skills, but also his ability to withstand the pressure of a billion expectations," writes Geet. "Look at Sachin, you see calmness and serenity on his face. Where does this serenity come from? Does it come from the knowledge that many millions have great expectations of him? "If Sachin started worrying about what his fans expect everytime he walks out to the crease, he would not display the level of equanimity he does. Nor would he have performed as brilliantly and consistently as he has for more than 15 years now.....To have the ability to disregard the expectation of others - shrug them off, if you like - one has to first remove all expectations from one's own mind." Geet will undoubtedly monitor Tendulkar on a plane different from the rest. For my part, I share the sentiment of the 'rest': Delighted to have you back. There have been conflicting reports from Nagpur about how the pitch there will play. Those in the know say that the Indian team would like a turner, the VCA officials insist it will be a 'sporting wicket' (whatever that means), while old-timers maintain that it will be a paata as usual, which from the colloquial to the conventional would translate as "full of runs and a nightmare for bowlers". I say, do what you must guys, but let's facilitate a good contest. This has been an exciting series as yet, and it would be a travesty if the tempo were to slacken. As Neville Cardus observes: "There is no room with its shadows and uncertainties, for dull, unentertaining sport. Dreary cricket will today be regarded as a waste of time, manpower, money and temper. Sport in these years needs to aim beyond the usual competitive prizes; it has a larger job to serve, the great and necessary job of cheering us all up." (A Cardus For All Seasons) Incidentally, he wrote that in April 1948. In circa 2004, it's even more relevant.