Mumbai: 
For 74 glorious runs the clock turned back and so did time - Sachin Tendulkar, batting the way fans have known and loved.
Cover drives, straight drives and that perfect defence. It had to end sometime, and it finally did. And the great man walked off the stage, pausing to turn around and acknowledge the crowd that hadn't stopped chanting his name since the Test began.
And as Sachin began to walk up the stairs, there was a sudden lump in the throat as the nation realized that this was the last time ever.
Last time? Well, yes. Unless by some miracle West Indies were able to put up enough of a target for India to chase again in the second innings.
The crowd soon realized that too, and so we had some of the most surreal scenes at a cricket ground in India.
Chants of "declare, declare" were fair enough. But then the crowd starting appealing in sync with the bemused West Indians, leaving Kohli and Pujara wondering if they had been teleported to Karachi. All of this accompanied by the never ending chants of "Sachinnnn, Sachin."
Chants that will never really fade away. But as the new generation of cricket stars like Pujara, Kohli and Sharma helped India sail past the 400 mark, and as the lead soared over 200, the prospects for the West Indies became bleaker by the minute. So did the chances of another Sachin Tendulkar innings for India.
For 74 glorious runs the clock turned back and so did time - Sachin Tendulkar, batting the way fans have known and loved. Cover drives, straight drives and that perfect defence. It had to end sometime, and it finally did. And the great man walked off the stage, pausing to turn around and acknowledge the crowd that hadn't stopped chanting his name since the Test began.
And as Sachin began to walk up the stairs, there was a sudden lump in the throat as the nation realized that this was the last time ever.
Last time? Well, yes. Unless by some miracle West Indies were able to put up enough of a target for India to chase again in the second innings.
The crowd soon realized that too, and so we had some of the most surreal scenes at a cricket ground in India.
Chants of "declare, declare" were fair enough. But then the crowd starting appealing in sync with the bemused West Indians, leaving Kohli and Pujara wondering if they had been teleported to Karachi. All of this accompanied by the never ending chants of "Sachinnnn, Sachin."
Chants that will never really fade away. But as the new generation of cricket stars like Pujara, Kohli and Sharma helped India sail past the 400 mark, and as the lead soared over 200, the prospects for the West Indies became bleaker by the minute. So did the chances of another Sachin Tendulkar innings for India.
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