The Giant Elf : A Satire On SRT

Imagine yourself to be a 5 foot 5 inch dwarf, facing hostile short-pitched stuff on the wickets of South-Africa or England. One hit on the head and you'd question,"Why has God made me so small?",or instead,you'd be utterly surprised and ask yourself, "How did the ball climb so high?". Add to that, the pacemen taking advantage of your short stature and giving you a long scary stare after every bouncer. At the end of it all, you'd reach the conclusion,"Cricket is not my cup of tea". This is what one would expect from a normal low-height Indian. Sachin, apparently, had a different mindset altogether. What was a shoulder-high short delivery for a tall Australian, would turn out to be a big wide in the case of Sachin and this thought probably gave him the confidence to go on and achieve,what he ended up achieving.

Sachin Tendulkar is a short man,and he has sometimes found it hard dealing with the half-trackers.But,what has been harder for him is dealing with the umpire's call. He has often been a victim of dubious LBW decisions given by the umpires. The funny thing is that he has been adjudged LBW when the ball hasn't even hit his legs! It does sound ridiculous but it seems even more derisive looking at the video.

The most unfortunate thing that happened when Sachin was adjudged caught-behind on 99 was when the replays clearly showed that the ball had just brushed past his elbow guard.He had been toying around with the English bowlers throughout the innings until the umpire decided he would toy around with him. Sachin, helpless and heart-broken yet again, had no choice but to take the long walk back laughing away.Watch the innings and the dismissal and most importantly, Sachin's reaction to the umpire's call:

Sachin's professional career has always been bereft of controversies but the sad part for us writers, readers and banterers is that it has been bereft of bloopers too. Nevertheless, his voice and his style of bending over when new to the crease, will always be a source of laughter for his innumerable fans around the globe. Many mimics have gone on to imitate his style but this piece of mimicry is,according to me, the best. Not only does this man imitate Sachin with utmost precision but he mimics Harsha Bhogle, Ravi Shastri, Ian Chappell and Tony Greig brilliantly too.

With this amazing video, I wrap up the 'Little Master' series. It is still hard for many to accept the fact that Sachin won't be seen on a cricket field ever again. To them I say,"Keep Calm and Let It Sink In". There's no Sachin but surely there are the Sharmas, the Kohlis and the Dhawans to keep us engrossed in the game. If there is one thing we humans can invest time in, then that is surely Hope; because there is nothing more powerful than that.