Virtual World Record

When we talk of world records in sports, we are still restricted to the field of play - even when the erstwhile distinct divide of the world into the actual and the virtual is becoming more and more fuzzy.

And like every sphere of the actual game, in the virtual world too, Sachin Tendulkar is the trailblazer, lighting up the web in a way that outshines firewalls.

When he was nearing his 200 against South Africa - the first man to score a double hundred in an One Day International - the crowd of users flocking to check the updates crashed Cricinfo.com. For a long period of time, the site was unavailable. The first time this had happened because of overload in the history of the website.

Mark of a genius ... and I guess some indication of the way he influences the lives of millions.

However, I get the feeling that before long the charisma, x-factor, and popularity of sportsmen will be judged by the number of hits - not across the net or past the fielders, but on the web pages.

Or is it already the case? New cognitive world view ... new Weltanschauung.