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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : March 8, 2014 3:24 PM IST
Yet to come to terms with his retirement, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday said it was the right time to end his 24-year 'dream journey' as his body needed the rest. 'It hasn't struck me that I won't play cricket again. It has been a dream journey, no regret that I am leaving cricket. This was the right time to stop playing cricket. An enjoyable journey,' Tendulkar said at a conference. Tendulkar said it hadn't been easy to overcome some of the injuries he has had in his long career and felt his body no longer could take the rigours of consistent cricket.
'I was enjoying cricket still. I have always said the day I felt I should stop playing, I would inform you. I got that feeling, because after 24 years, you have to appreciate ... had many injuries, not easy to overcome. You reach a stage when your body gives you a message, enough of this physical load. The body requires rest. The body is not able to take more load consistently,' he said.
Sachin Tendulkar's speech at the Wankhede Stadium was one of those timeless moments which brought the entire nation to a standstill. Normally, known for his reticence, Sachin Tendulkar thanked each and every person who had made his career feasible.
He said about the doctors, physios and trainers who looked after him: 'I would be failing in my duties if I did not thank all the doctors, the physios, the trainers, who have put this difficult body together to go back on the field and be able to play. The amount of injuries that I have had in my career, I don't know how you have managed to keep me fit, but without your special efforts, it would never have happened. The doctors have met me at weird hours. I mean I have called them from Mumbai to Chennai, Mumbai to Delhi, I mean wherever. They have just taken the next flight and left their work and families to be with me, which has allowed me to play. So a big thank you to all three of you for keeping me in good shape.'
Sachin's battle with injuries
There's only so much the body can take and Sachin Tendulkar has suffered various injuries throughout his career. He suffered toe, ankle, back and thigh injuries and even played the 2003 World Cup with a finger injury. However, his most testing moment came when he suffered from the infamous tennis elbow. 'Every morning when I wake up, I don't feel the same. I have played with some serious injuries, but the problem here is that I cannot grip the bat. It's as basic as that. In other injuries, you can at least hold the bat and still manage, not this one,' Tendulkar said in 2004.
'It is actually a small tear in the origin of muscles at the elbow that runs through to the wrist. In effect, wrist movement causes pain at the elbow. It can happen acutely and immediately, need not have to be over a period of time.' Dr Anant Joshi, who was a consultant with the BCCI at that time, told The Hindu.Following surgery, he returned but critics claimed that he was only delaying the inevitable, that the end was near. One magazine even had the now famous headline: Endulkar. (Read: How his fitness kept him at the top for so long)
Suresh Menon, an acclaimed author had written in 2004: 'An injured toe is beyond repair; his strained back continues to cause worry. And now the tennis elbow. Tendulkar is only 31 but no sane doctor will give him a clean chit to continue playing indefinitely. India will have to contemplate a future without Tendulkar. Perhaps the future is already here.'
Former coach John Wright recently told the HT how Tendulkar had weathered the storm: 'It was a very difficult period for all of us. Not just for Tendulkar and his family, but even his teammates, extended family, cricketing family and friends. It's true that some people genuinely felt the end was near. But no matter what people said, no matter what articles appeared, Tendulkar just stayed focussed and gave into Andrew Leipus and later John Gloster, the team physios. He gave them all he could, gave them discipline. And I, for one, am not surprised at his longevity.'
Wright also revealed that thought the tennis elbow put doubts in his mind, Tendulkar never thought of quitting. . 'By that time, Sachin was already playing for 15 years. He had been through so many injuries. But for me as a coach, the way he carried injuries is what made him great. He would often suppress injuries and pain. There were always some niggles, but he carried all of that out of the dressing room and onto the ground. And he carried the burden of so many expectations while going through that pain. It was only during that phase (in 2004-05) when many people got to hear of his injury. But Tendulkar suffered many more minor injuries that he silently played through.'
Apparently, Sachin Tendulkar is no stranger to biomechanics (study of structure and function of biological systems by means of mechanics), knew his body well and was an extremely disciplined individual who always followed what the physios told him. The Kiwi also revealed that Tendulkar received shock treatment for the tennis elbow in England (an extremely painful procedure) and also his frustrating rehabilitation period afterwards. It's almost hard to believe that Sachin will never bat again. We from www.thehealthsite.com wish Sachin a happy retired and peaceful life. God knows who deserves it.
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