a toast for a genius

That was the time when my grandpa was still able to bear me on his lap.i was just 9 years old and i used to be cute(from credible sources).My grandpa was a cricket freak and his sons and grandsons followed him and even excelled him: still as cricket freaks.It is one of the earlier days i remember myself seeing a cricket match.
I dont remember who were playing or who won.But i know that it made an impact on many of my thoughts and afterthoughts.

Indian batsmen are known to put the opposition back into the game when everything seems to be going their way in most of the games.I think there is a reason behind that.They believe in the capabilities of the opposition more than in themselves.But then in that game i saw a teenager who looked very different from the rest.
He never allowed the bowler take the lead.He defied their prominence.
He possesed a trait which impressed me a lot and still keeps impressing me now and that is his AGRESSIVENESS and his defiance to dominance.

Heriditarily or as a matter of fact i too became a cricket freak and i used to see almost all the matches played by india.And every time i saw a match my awe for his ability and character increased exponentially.I loved the way he put himself in a separate level of class and brilliance.

As i grew into my teens,my view of things changed but the veneration still remained.By then he claimed for himself a rightful place in the clan of legends.the world realised his genius.

When i hear the word "genius" i dont think it is just a quality of a person.It is something more than that.It has an element of beauty in it.It has an element of extraneousness.This great thing is beyond the person we see.It is not just einstein or someone else,it is beyond them.
now,i loved that..i forget everything else when i see that beauty which brings bliss to my eyes and a "wow" from my mouth every time he hits a shot with near perfection...his ability to challenge the benchmarks(read records)..his impeccable timing...the way he ridiculed every opposition bowler who must have thought there is atleast a slight probability of getting him out...and most amusing of all,the way he made them look stupid.
This is what had got me becharmed more than anything else.

It may look doltish on my part when i say that i used to switch off my television when he gets out,but i watched most of the matches only for that part when india were sure to be on the top.I didnt want to see some loser come and replace his position as the next batsman and make all the work done go to the gallows.And the ridiculous thing is that people blame him for the loss,for all he had done.SHAME ON THEM.

whenever he plays he makes the task look very easy which some lower mortal may think is a work for the atlas' shoulders.This is the difference he makes.

The screen showing him lift his bat every time he crosses over the three figure mark has been taken for granted:)and whenever he fails(i dont agree with this word in his context),people who have a fallacious memory tend to criticise him.
Dont they remember the way he carried the burden of indian batting for a decade and very seldom failed them? Dont they have any sort of respect for his extraordinary ability? why do they keep comparing him on averages with other people who at best can be "run machines" but not geniuses? plzz dont compare him plzz.He deserves much more than that.
I personally dont think batting is only about making runs.it is also an art which can be perfected only by mozarts or beethovens or bradmans.the way he turns the ball to every corner of the ground for singles.the way he uses his feet to dictate terms.the square cut-which whizzed past the gr8 jonty rhodes who at that instant had become stupidly helpless.
The paddle sweep- an innovation yet to be perfected by someone else
The pull shot-for shane warne which brought nightmares and
The more recent hop sending the ball over the square-offside rope to get the shit out of the rawalpindi express.
Who can forget these exploits and if they forget then they dont enjoy anything on earth leave alone batting.
Now he has moved into his thirties and i feel very sad that he can provide it only for a few more years.At the same time i feel very proud to be born on his era which i consider is an era when indian batting has claimed more audience than ever...isnt it because of him...or is it because of gangulies and dravids or whoever looked swamped when he batted on the other side of the pitch..think about it..