He's still a mop haired darling

Sachin's just scored a cracking century in the match against the West Indies; the match is yet to finish but the result is pretty much foregone. What made this century of his special was that it came off 70 odd balls...a strike rate for a century that hasn't been seen from him for a while.

Now this isn't meant to be an analysis of his innings or whether he should really be batting in the middle order. What caught my attention was CNN-IBN's coverage of the match during the innings break. The anchors couldn't stop smiling. There was electricity in the studio. You knew that everyone in that room was crackling with childish exuberance. And that is the magic of it all. He's grown from a 16 year old kid to a mature 33 year old, but the joy he brings to the people hasn't changed. Sehwags and Dhonis are flavors of the year, but who else has the nation loved for nearly two decades?

We still love our big-hitting runts.