The Phoenix

I have always been fascinated by the Phoenix.

phoe·nix also phe·nix (fē'nĭks) n.
Mythology. A bird in Egyptian mythology that lived in the desert for 500 years and then consumed itself by fire, later to rise renewed from its ashes.
A person or thing of unsurpassed excellence or beauty; a paragon

Of all the heroic tales that I have heard or read, the ones in which the protagonist has come up against all odds and proven his mettle under the most trying of conditions have fascinated me the most. I have often wondered whether such tales are limited to mythology or the imagination of those who love to weave beautiful tales out of nowhere.

The Phoenix rose again yesterday…this time from a cricket field. Hitherto trapped under the ashes of bad form, injuries, self-doubt and an accusing public and media, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar rose like a modern day Phoenix silencing his critics and reassuring his doting fans that he is ready to lead India’s charge in the coming World Cup. The same people who were baying for his blood are now hailing him as India’s only hope in the World Cup. His 41st ODI century and perhaps his most important, has once again placed him in the pantheon of the cricketing greats. The innings showed some glimpsed of the old Tendulkar but more importantly it threw some light on the way we can expect Sachin to play in the future. The innings also demonstrated one of my favorite concepts in marketing-“Repositioning”

Sachin then: Open the innings, go for your shots, bat as many as overs as you can and lay the foundation for a good total.
Sachin now: Come in the middle overs (around 20th), stabilize the innings in case of early hiccups or build on the start given by openers, accelerate towards the end for a good total.

What’s so great in this one would say? Sachin opening or playing in the middle overs? How difficult could that be?
Answer: Very difficult… and that’s why the task was given to the little genius himself. He has taken up the task with all that he has to offer Indian Cricket and yesterday’s innings shows that what he can offer is more than the opposition can handle.


The GOD is here… Long live the GOD.