Sachin and his 100th century...

Sachin Tendulkar is known for his focus on the game and never being bogged down by the pressure of the game. But I am pretty sure the hundredth 100 is playing on his mind, whenever he closes on it. That doesn't mean he is lacking in the concentration. But it simply means that we (and largely the media) has been hyping it without any reason. Every newspaper, individual (cricket-viewer) has been talking about it. He is not playing for that special century, but he just seems to be wanting to take that monkey off his back, ASAP. That will allow him to focus on the game and play the way only he can play.
So should we all stop talking about it, asking questions, doubting his ability to cope with the pressure (that we have been putting on him ever since the mid-nineties)? Yes we can talk about it, print as many articles about "when is he going to do that", (he fortunately never reads them). But more importantly, we should not be "expecting" his 100th century. It's a game and it's he who decides whether to play for the century or for the team or manage both, the way he has been doing for 2 decades. If we love the game and if we love the man, it is high time we stop passing on stupid comments on his lack of producing magnificent centuries whenever required (or whenever we want him to). Or else why would we be unhappy if he gets out before he scores that triple-digit against his name?
Cricket has always been a team-game and more than his individual landmark(s) it has always been the match-winning performances, be it a small 30+ innings or a couple of wickets, or a match-turning catch (remember the forever-etched-in-memory catch of Viv Richards by Kapil Dev in 1983-WC). As he has always maintained, it is the team's win that matters and not the individual performances or landmarks. Landmarks do happen more when you don't expect them or don't play for them.
Whenever, he has approached or closed-in on a particular landmark (34 centuries of Sunil Gavaskar, 10000 Test runs, 50th Test century...) he has always slowed down, become extra cautious which is not his natural game. He likes to go in the flow of the game and achieve whatever he can for himself and the team. However, it also means that he is "extra" aware of the on-coming landmark, more so because of the hype surrounding it. What we can do as cricket-lovers and self-proclaimed critics of the game is, simply stop expecting it, atleast on his face.
We never expected the team to win the T20 WC in 2007, especially after the disastrous 2007 WC for 50-overs. And the team returned victorious. We never had won any tournament in Australia, barring the 1985 World Series. So when the team won the 2008-09 Commonwealth Tri-Series, it was a pleasant surprise. Why can't we just leave it to Sachin and his team-mates and relax and enjoy the surprise pleasantries of the century whenever it happens?
When the 2011 WC final was ongoing, everyone expected Sachin to play trump when India started the chase, more so because it was Sachin's homeground. But from nowhere Dhoni came on the stage and literally lit on fire and produced a scintillating innings. No one expected him to do that because he had a poor run-show in the tournament. That is what the hype does, that is what the expectation does. Sachin has already carried the burden of expectations and hype on his shoulders for more than 20 years, ever since he burst on the international scene (earlier the hype of a child prodigy and then the mainstay of batting and now the senior-most player). It is time to stop expecting magic from him, just sit back, relax and enjoy his game. Let him play is own game and see him come into his own. It's then when you are least expecting that 100th century (getting bored of his "non-performance"), he will suddenly crack that triple-digit like he scored that 200* against SA in an ODI.
But then, just stand up and put your hands together for the Master. As Virat Kohli rightly said (after the WC win in Mumbai), he has carried the burden on his shoulders for 20+ years. Its time we appreciate the effort and let him be alone like he always wanted. And more importantly, never forget there are other 10 players in the team who also have their own share in helping the team win with their maybe-small-yet-useful performances. VVS and Dravid are the 2 important players in the Indian Cricket. They both changed the course of the team in that 2001 Kolkata innings against Australia. It is thanks to their never-go-down-without-fight attitude that we won the game and the series and that forever changed the game for Indian team. Sadly, with Sachin around, no one really bothers about them and their personal achievements/landmarks. Dravid is closing on 13000 runs (only second to Sachin) and Laxman closing on 8000. Dravid just scored his 36th century. How many of us did remember to appreciate his efforts, his contribution to the game? All the hype and focus has always been around Sachin, without he asking for it. Pray for a Sachin's century, but also pray for them, to continue with their contribution. Pray for Dhoni's golden-run as a captain, pray for Yuvraj who would want to prove his metal for the team, pray for Sehwag who would want to get some big runs ahead of the much-important tour down-under. Pray for Zaheer to get match-fit sooner, pray for Ishant to find his pace and rhythm back. Pray for Harbhajan to get back to his wicket-taking ways. Pray for the team to put on a good show and show the cricketing-world that it may have lost it's number-1 position in ICC test rankings, but it deserves to get it back ASAP. There are many more important things than a 100th century.