Life after 40 (tons)

The unstoppable run machine called Sachin Tendulkar achieved yet another milestone at the Nagpur test. When the reports came in yesterday, it struck me how similar I and he were. We could be confused for twins. Not convinced? Read on...
Sachin scored his 40 th century on Thursday. I just turned 40 recently.
He has made more than 12,000 runs in Test cricket so far. I have smoked more than 12,000 cigarettes. Both of us are likely to score a lot more by the time we are done.
He lives in Mumbai. I live in Pune. Astrologically speaking, we live in the same place (the degree of separation between the two cities is negligible).
He drives a Ferrrari. I drive a Fiat Palio. Same manufacturer, although the make and model are different.
His wife is two years older than him. Mine is two years younger than me. Same difference.
He is a doting dad. So am I.
He has often been criticised for taking time off work using 'lame excuses' like tennis elbow, groin injury, etc. I too have recieved brickbats for taking extended leave from work to pursue genuine passions.
A lot more people remember the times he let the team down than when he was the only reason for the team's success. Same here.
He has other interests apart from cricket, such as the restaurent business and charity. I too dabble in a lot of things apart from work, like blogging, for example.
He is very humble and low-profile. You never see Page 3 pictures of him, partying with the socialites or the glitterati. He rarely talks publicly about his unparalleled success.
I too am very modest about my achievements. I can bet you haven't heard about any of them.
I rest my case!