International Masters League: Sachin Tendulkar Memories, They Will Never Leave You | Opinion

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International Masters League: Almost 52, Sachin Tendulkar has not turned the clock back, he has turned heads. In fact, Sachin has shown age is just a number. No cliché this, for those who watched the legend compete in the International Masters League final on Sunday (March 16), the joy and bubbly face had to be seen.

Batting like the maestro of yesteryears where creativity was like at work on a canvas, Sachin produced shots of class, where timing defined his gracious presence at the crease.

It may not have been a blast from the past, literally, but for those youngsters who were too young to see Sachin Tendulkar at his peak before retirement in November 2013 in Mumbai, Sachin did produce a few master classes.

A packed audience in Raipur was treated to exhilarating stuff from the Golden Oldies. Yes, Ambati Rayudu was on fire. But it would be no exaggeration to state people came to watch Sachin, of the famous No 10 jersey fame and Yuvraj Singh, who still gets into an argument on the field. That is competitive spirit.

Back to Sachin, everyone knows the legend is fit, does not look close to 52 and is still a rage. How many would know he still puts in hard hours at the gym. The grapevine says he is setting up a massive gym in his own house in Mumbai where the entire family will train.

Given his immense popularity even now, for Sachin to enter public gyms means distraction. The number of autograph hunters and selfie seekers has not decreased one bit. His popularity and charm are intact. He grabs eyeballs and sends the crowd into a tizzy whenever he is seen in public.

There are legends before Sachin and after Sachin as well in Indian cricket. But if there is a magical attraction like a magnet, Sachin is a charmer and entertainer to the core. Having watched the International Masters League in bits and pieces over the last 10 days, this writer feels Sachin has managed to churn fans again.

There is no way he is going to produce shots in mainstage international cricket. But the work he has done to stay fit and in sync with cricket is symphony. Sample the 'upper cuts' he was executing against the West Indies on Sunday. It was geometry, plus great hand-eye coordination and reading the ball early. How does he still do it, since he is not at 'nets' daily? Obviously, Sachin has taken even this tournament very seriously and prepared for it,

For those who loved that short backswing, straight drive, thudding into the boards along the carpet, Sachin did create it in an earlier match. And on the leg side, when he heaved, he was still very much in sync.

Unlike fast bowling, where a player has to be super fit, a batsman, err, now batter can rely so much on memory to create magical shots. For those who drew comparisons with Sachin taking on a Shoaib Akhtar steaming in and hurling the ball, only to see the ball smashed, Sachin is part of the collective conscience of the nation. This is, almost 12 years after he retired.

Some lament that he was not born in a generation when T20 was a rage, like today. For the record, the International Masters League final was a short format. In the old days, retired seniors played longer matches (over 20 overs) post retirement. One must not forget, Sachin played 78 matches for Mumbai Indians and scored 2334 runs in the Indian Premier League. It included a ton as well. Ah, memories and Sachin will never leave you.