Upload
vivek-ranjan-maitrey
View
230
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
1/25
Is Sachin Tendulkar the greatest schoolboy cricketerever?Twenty years ago, a fresh-faced youngster was being hailed as the next big thing. Would he play for India,the cognoscenti asked themselves
Harsha BhogleNovember 12, 2009
Comments: 29| Text size:A| A
Author's note:This piece was written 21 years ago forSportsworld magazine (and was only retrieved
thanks to Mudar Patherya, who was a young cricket writer then). Sachin Tendulkar was 15, a year and a
half away from playing Test cricket and four months short of his first-class debut. I was not yet 27, in an
advertising job out of business school, with one Test match and a handful of one-dayers on Doordarshan
behind me. We were both looking ahead in our own spheres. What a time it was, it was, a time of
innocence...
All of Bombay's maidansare a stage. Where every
cricketer has a role to play. And his seems to be
the blockbuster. Ever since he unveiled Act One
early last year, audiences have been waiting, a
little too eagerly at times, to watch the next
scene. Sachin Tendulkar is only, so far, acting in a
high-school production. Yet critics have gone to
town. And rave reviews have not stopped coming
in.
I guess it can only happen in Bombay. That a
schoolboy cricketer sometimes becomes the talk of
the town. Why, at the end of every day's play in
the final of Bombay's Harris Shield (for Under 17s)
everybody wanted to know how many he had
made. For he does bat three days sometimes! And
for all the publicity he has received, Sachin
Tendulkar is really still a kid. He only completed
15 on 24 April. And is very shy. Opening out only
after you have coaxed him for some time. As his
coach Mr Achrekar says, "Aata thoda bolaila laglai"
[He's started talking a bit now]. And it's then that
you realise that his voice has not yet cracked.
His record is awesome. He has scored far more
runs than all of us scored looking dreamily out of
the window in a boring Social Studies class when
we were his age.
For a prodigy, he started late. When he was nine years old. And it was only in 1984-85 that he scored his
first school-level fifty. But 1985-86 was a little better. He scored his first Harris Shield hundred and played
for Bombay in the Vijay Merchant (Under-15) tournament. And 1986-87 was when he blossomed. Still
"Once I get set, I don't think of anything" Unknown
Related LinksPlayers/Officials:Vinod Kambli|Sachin TendulkarTeams:India
http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/434247.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/434247.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/434247.html#commentshttp://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/434247.html#commentshttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/30009.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/30009.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/30009.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/30009.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/434247.html#commentshttp://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/434247.html7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
2/25
only 13, he led his school, Shardashram Vidyamandir, to victory in the Giles Shield (for Under-15s). He
scored three centuries - 158*, 156 and 197 - and then in the Harris Shield scored 276, 123 and 150. In
all, he scored nine hundreds, including two double hundreds, a total of 2336 runs.
By now everyone had begun to sit up and take notice. The beginning of the 1987-88 season saw Sachin
at the Ranji nets. Once again the top players were away playing Tests and perhaps the Bombay selectors
felt it wouldn't be a bad idea to give Sachin first-hand experience of a higher category of cricket. He was
named in the 14 for the first couple of games, and manager Sandeep Patil kept sending him out
whenever possible - for a glass of water or a change of gloves. All along Sachin probably knew that he
was still at best a curiosity, and that while Bombay was giving him every blooding opportunity, he had to
prove himself on the maidans.
And that is exactly what he did. Season 1987-88 was a purple patch that never ended. Playing in the
Vijay Merchant tournament he scored 130 and 107 and then at the Inter-Zonal stage he made 117
against the champions, East Zone. Then in the Vijay Hazare tournament (for Under-17s) he scored 175
for West Zone against champions East Zone.
Then came the avalanche. A 178* in the Giles Shield and a sequence in the Harris Shield of 21*, 125,207*, 329* and 346*! A small matter of 1028 runs in five innings! And in the course of that innings of
329* he set themuch talked-about recordof 664 for the third wicket with Vinod Kambli, who, it is not
always realised, scored 348*. Perhaps the most fascinating of them all was the innings of 346*. Coming
immediately, as it did, in the shadow of the world record, a lot of people were curious to see him bat.
Sachin ended the first day on 122, batted through the second to finish with 286, and when the innings
closed around lunch on the third day, he was 346*. And then came back to bowl the first ball. In April's
Bombay summer.
But when did this story begin? Like all children,
Tendulkar took to playing "galli"cricket. His brother
Ajit was a good player and persuaded Mr Achrekar,probably Bombay's most famous coach, to look at
him. Achrekar recalls, "When he first came to my
net four-five years ago, he looked just like any
other boy and I didn't take him seriously. Then one
day I saw him bat in an adjacent net. He was trying
to hit every ball but I noted that he was middling all
of them. Some time later he got a fifty and a friend
of mine, who was umpiring that game, came and told me that this boy would play for India. I laughed at
him and said that there were so many boys like him in my net. But he insisted. 'Mark my words, he will
play for India.' My friend is dead now but I'm waiting to see if his prophecy comes true.'
Tendulkar is taking first steps towards getting there. He discovered that his house, being in Bandra,
would not allow him to be at Shivaji Park whenever he wanted. He now spends most of his time at his
uncle's house, just off this nursery of Bombay cricket. When he is not actually playing, that is.
Quite often, he is playing all day; important because it has helped him build the stamina to play long
innings. "I don't get tired," he says, referring to them. "If you practise every day, you get used to it."
"People don't realise that he is just 15. They
keep calling him for some felicitation or theother. The other day he was asked toinaugurate a children's library. This is
ridiculous. These things are bound to go tohis head. He will start thinking he has
achieved everything."Tendulkar's coach, RamakantAchrekar
http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/135328.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/135328.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/135328.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/135328.html7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
3/25
And what about that world-record innings? "I could bat very freely then because my partner Vinod Kambli
was batting so well that I knew that even if I failed, he would get enough runs for the side."
Isn't there a lot of pressure on him now? Everyone assumes he will get a big score? "Only in the
beginning. Till I get set. Once I get set, I don't think of anything."
Wasn't he thrilled at being invited to the Ranji nets? "Definitely. After playing there I got a lot of
confidence."
Everything in Tendulkar's life has so far revolved around cricket. Including his choice of school. A few
years back he shifted to Shardashram Vidyamandir, only so that he could come under the eye of
Achrekar. "It helped me tremendously because 'sir's' guidance is so good," he says.
Strangely his parents were never very keen about cricket. His brother Ajit says, "They were not very
interested in the game, though they gave him all the encouragement. You see, in our colony all parents
were training their children to be engineers and doctors. And they would say, "Gallit kheluncricketer hoto
kai?" [You don't become a cricketer by playing in the alleys]. I am so happy he is doing well because now
people think he is doing something."
The question that arises then, given all the publicity is: Just how good is Sachin Tendulkar?
"For his age, unbelievable," says Sharad Kotnis, Bombay's veteran cricket watcher. "He is definitely
comparable to Ashok Mankad, who had a similar run many years ago. But remember Ashok had cricket
running in his family and his father often came to see him play. I think Tendulkar's strongest point is that
he is willing to work very hard."
Luckily for Sachin, there is a calming influence over him, just so he doesn't get carried away by this
acclaim. His coach Achrekar knows exactly what he is talking about. "He is not perfect yet. Far from it. In
fact, I would say he is not even halfway there. He still has a lot of faults, particularly while driving
through the on, which is an indicator of a class batsman. He still has a long way to go, but what I likeabout him is his ability to work hard. I don't think we should get carried away by his scores. After all, one
has to take into account the nature of the wicket and the quality of the bowlers. By his standards the
quality of the bowling he faced was not good enough.
"His real test will come this year when he plays in the 'A' Division of the Kanga League. [Sachin will play
for the Cricket Club of India, which for him has waived the stipulation that children under 18 are not
allowed inside the Club House!] He should get 70s and 80s there and not just 20s and 30s; particularly
towards the end of the season, when the wickets get better."
7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
4/25
Achrekar, in fact, is quite upset about the publicity
Sachin is getting. "People don't realise that he is
just 15. They keep calling him for some felicitation
or the other. The other day he was asked to
inaugurate a children's library. This is ridiculous.
These things are bound to go to his head. He willstart thinking he has achieved everything. I hope
all this stops so he can concentrate and work
hard."
Yet both Achrekar and Kotnis agree on when they
think Sachin will become a Ranji regular. "I think
he should be playing the Ranji Trophy next year. I
think it is unfair to compare him to the [Lalchand]
Rajputs and [Alan] Sippys yet, but I think he
should play next year," feels Kotnis. And Achrekar
adds, "Inspite of what I said about him, if hemaintains this kind of progress, he should play the
Ranji next year."
Clearly the curtain call is still a long way off for
Sachin Tendulkar. He has a lot of things going for
him. Most importantly he is in Bombay, where the
sheer atmosphere can propel him ahead. In how
many cities would a 15-year-old be presented a Gunn and Moore by the Indian captain? And in which
other city would the world's highest run-getter write to a 15-year-old asking him not to get disheartened
at not getting the Best Junior Cricketer award?
Sunil Gavaskar wrote to Tendulkar to tell him that several years earlier another youngster too had not got
the award and that he didn't do too badly in Test cricket. For him the letter from his hero is a prized
possession. Another great moment was a meeting with him where " he told me that I should forget the
past every time I go to bat. I should always remember that I have to score runs each time."
He is in the right company. And the right environment. The next few years will show whether he has it in
him the mental toughness to overcome the over-exposure. If it does not go to his head, surely there is a
great future beckoning. This is really just the beginning and I will be watching this little star with avid
interest for the next three years.
If he is still charting blockbusters, I'd love to do another review then.
Harsha Bhogle is a commentator, television presenter and writer. This article was first published in Sportsworldmagazine in1988
Feeds: Harsha Bhogle
Tendulkar as a wee thing with coach Ramakant Achrekar
Unknown
http://www.cricinfo.com/rss/content/story/feeds/magazine.xml?author=334http://www.cricinfo.com/rss/content/story/feeds/magazine.xml?author=3347/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
5/25
Man-child superstarTendulkar the cricketer seemingly emerged fully formed when he first picked up a bat. So too perhaps didTendulkar the luminary
Rahul BhattacharyaNovember 15, 2009
Comments: 22| Text size:A| ASachin Tendulkar comes to the ground in
headphones. He might make a racket in the
privacy of the bus, who knows, but when he steps
out he is behind headphones. Waiting to bat he is
behind his helmet. The arena is swinging already
to the chant, "Sachin, Sachin", the first long and
pleading, the second urgent and demanding, but
Tendulkar is oblivious, behind his helmet.
At the fall of the second wicket, that familiar
traitorous roar goes round the stadium, at whichpoint Tendulkar walks his slow walk out, golden in
the sun, bat tucked under the elbow. The gloves
he will only begin to wear when he approaches
the infield, to busy himself against distraction from
the opposition. Before Tendulkar has even taken
guard, you know that his quest is equilibrium.
As he bats his effort is compared in real time with
earlier ones. Tendulkar provides his own context.
The conditions, the bowling attack, his tempo, his
very vibe, is assessed against an innings playedbefore.Today he reminds me of the time when
Why isn't he . What's wrong with him!
If the strokes are flowing, spectators feel something beyond pleasure. They feel something like gratitude.
The silence that greets his dismissal is about the loudest sound in sport. With Tendulkar the discussion is
not how he got out, but why. Susceptible to left-arm spin? To the inswinger? To the big occasion? The
issue is not about whether it was good or not, but where does it rank? A Tendulkar innings is never over
when it is over. It is simply a basis for negotiation. He might be behind headphones or helmet, but
outside people are talking, shouting, fighting, conceding, bargaining, waiting. He is a national habit.
But Tendulkar goes on. This is his achievement, to live the life of Tendulkar. To occupy the space where
fame and accomplishment intersect, akin to the concentrated spot under a magnifying glass trained in
the sun, and remain unburnt.
"Sachin is God" is the popular analogy. Yet god may smile as disease, fire, flood and Sreesanth visit the
earth, and expect no fall in stock. For Tendulkar the margin for error is rather less. The late Naren
Tamhane was merely setting out the expectation for a career when he remarked as selector, "Gentlemen,
Tendulkar never fails." The question was whether to pick the boy to face Imran, Wasim, Waqar and Qadir
in Pakistan. Tendulkar was then 16.
In a zone of his making: Tendulkar's quest on the field is
equilibrium Getty Images
Related Links
Teams:India
http://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/current/story/434507.html#commentshttp://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/current/story/434507.html#commentshttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/current/story/434507.html#comments7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
6/25
Sixteen and so ready that precocity is too mild a word. He made refinements, of course, but the marvel
of Tendulkar is that he was a finished thing almost as soon as began playing.
The maidansof Bombay are dotted with tots six or seven years old turning out for their coaching classes.
But till the age of 11, Tendulkar had not played with a cricket ball. It had been tennis- or rubber-ball
games at Sahitya Sahwas, the writers' co-operative housing society where he grew up, the youngest of
four cricket-mad siblings by a distance. The circumstances were helpful. In his colony friends he had
playmates, and from his siblings, Ajit in particular, one above Sachin but older by 11 years, he had
mentorship.
It was Ajit who took him to Ramakant Achrekar, and the venerable coach inquired if the boy was
accustomed to playing with a "season ball" as it is known in India. The answer did not matter. Once he
had a look at him, Achrekar slotted him at No. 4, a position he would occupy almost unbroken through
his first-class career. In his first two matches under Achrekar Sir, he made zero and zero.
Memory obscures telling details in the dizzying rise thereafter. Everybody remembers the 326 not out in
the664-run gig with Kambli. Few remember the 346 not out in the following game, the trophy final.
Everyone knows the centuries on debut in the Ranji Trophy and Irani Trophy at 15 and 16. Few knowthat he got them in the face of a collapse in the first instance and virtually out of partners in the second.
Everyone knows his nose was bloodied by Waqar Younis in that first Test series, upon which he waved
away assistance. Few remember that he struck the next ball for four.
This was Tendulkar five years after he'd first handled a cricket ball.
Genius, they say, is infinite patience. But it is first of all an intuitive grasp of something beyond the scope
of will - or, for that matter, skill. In sportspersons it is a freakishness of the motor senses, even a kind of
ESP.
Tendulkar's genius can be glimpsed without him
actually holding a bat. Not Garry Sobers' equal with
the ball, he is nevertheless possessed of a similar
versatility. He swings it both ways, a talent that
eludes several specialists. He not only rips big
legbreaks but also lands his googlies right, a task
beyond some wrist spinners. Naturally he also
bowls offspin, usually to left-handers and
sometimes during a spell of wrist spin. In the field he mans the slips as capably as he does deep third
man, and does both in a single one-dayer. Playing table tennis he is ambidextrous. By all accounts he is a
brilliant, if hair-raising, driver. He is a champion Snake player on the cellphone, according to Harbhajan
Singh, whom he also taught a spin variation.
His batting is of a sophistication that defies generalisation. He can be destroyer or preserver. Observers
have tried to graph these phases into a career progression. But it is ultimately a futile quest for
Tendulkar's calibrations are too minute and too many to obey compartmentalisation. Given conditions,
given his fitness, his state of mind, he might put away a certain shot altogether, and one thinks it is a
part of his game that has died, till he pulls it out again when the time is right, sometimes years
afterwards. Let alone a career, in the space of a single session he can, according to the state of the
rough or the wind or the rhythm of a particular bowler, go from predatorial to dead bat or vice versa.
The wonder is that in the years between hehas done nothing to sully his innocence,
nothing to deaden the impish joy, nothing todisrupt the infinite patience or damage theimmaculate equilibrium through the riot of
his life and career
http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/135328.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/135328.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/135328.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/135328.html7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
7/25
Nothing frustrates Indians as much as quiet periods from Tendulkar, and indeed often they are self-
defeating. But outsiders have no access to his thoughts. However eccentric, they are based on a
heightened cricket logic rather than mood. Moods are irrelevant to Tendulkar. Brian Lara or Mohammad
Azharuddin might be stirred into artistic rage. Tendulkar is a servant of the game. He does not play out of
indignation nor for indulgence. His aim is not domination but runs. It is the nature of his genius.
The genius still doesn't explain the cricket world's enchantment with Tendulkar. Ricky Ponting and
Jacques Kallis are arguably not lesser cricketers than he, but have nothing like his following or presence.
Among contemporaries only Shane Warne could draw an entire stadium's energy towards himself, but
then Warne worked elaborately towards this end. Tendulkar on the pitch is as uncalculated as Warne was
deliberate. Warne worked the moments before each delivery like an emcee at a title fight. Tendulkar
goes through a series of ungainly nods and crotch adjustments. Batting, his movements are neither
flamboyant nor languid; they are contained, efficient. Utility is his concern. Having hit the crispest shot
between the fielders he can still be found scurrying down the wicket, just in case.
Likewise, outside the pitch nothing he does calls up attention. In this he is not unusual for the times. It
has been, proved by exceptions of course, the era of the undemonstrative champion. Ali, Connors,
McEnroe, Maradona have given way to Sampras, Woods, Zidane, Federer, who must contend with the
madness of modern media and sanitisation of corporate obligation.
Maybe Tendulkar the superstar, like Tendulkar the cricketer, was formed at inception. Then, as now, he
is darling. He wears the big McEnroe-inspired curls of his youth in a short crop, but still possesses the
cherub's smile and twinkle. Perhaps uniquely, he is granted not the sportstar's indulgence of perma-
adolescence but that of perma-childhood. A man-child on the field: maybe it is the dichotomy that is
winning. The wonder is that in the years between he has done nothing to sully his innocence, nothing to
deaden the impish joy, nothing to disrupt the infinite patience or damage the immaculate equilibrium
through the riot of his life and career.
Rahul Bhattacharya is the author ofPundits from Pakistan: On Tour with India, 2003-04Feeds: Rahul Bhattacharya
'Tendulkar controls the game'What are the things that set the great man apart from mere mortals? The ability to read the game acutely,pick the ball early, dedication, discipline and more
As told to Nagraj GollapudiNovember 15, 2009
Comments: 58| Text size:A| A
The first time Virender Sehwag met Sachin Tendulkar was in March 2001, at a practice session ahead of
thefirst ODIof the home series against Australia. For Sehwag, Tendulkar was the man who had inspired
him to skip exams in school and allowed him to dream of cricket as a career. Sehwag was shy then, and
didn't speak to his hero. He got 58 off 51 balls and picked up three wickets. Tendulkar later walked up to
him and said, "You've got talent. Continue playing the same way and I'm sure you will make your name."
That ability to motivate youngsters is one of the traits, Sehwag says, that makes Tendulkar special. Here
he tells Cricinfo about 10 things that make Tendulkar stand out.
http://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/current/story/434385.html#commentshttp://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/current/story/434385.html#commentshttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64706.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64706.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64706.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/rss/content/story/feeds/magazine.rss?author=236http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64706.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/current/story/434385.html#comments7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
8/25
Discipline
He never comes late to any practice session, never
comes late to the team bus, never comes late to
any meeting - he is always five minutes ahead of
time. If you are disciplined, it shows you are
organised. And then he is ready for anything onthe cricket field.
Mental strength
I've learned a lot of things from him as far as
mental strength goes - on how to tacke a
situation, how to tackle a ball or bowler. If you are
not tough mentally, you can't score the number of
runs and centuries he has in the last two decades.
He is a very good self-motivator.
He always said to me: whatever the situation or
whichever the bowler you face, always believe in
yourself. There was this occasion in South Africa,
early in my career, when I was not scoring runs
fluently, so he suggested I try a few mental
techniques that had worked for him. One of the
things he said was: Always tell yourself you are
better than others. You have some talent and that
is why you are playing for India, so believe in
yourself.
Picking the ball early
He can pick the ball earlier than other batsmen
and that is a mark of a great batsman. He is
virtually ready for the ball before it is bowled. Only great players can have two shots for one ball, like
Tendulkar does, and a big reason is that he picks the ball very early.
Soft hands
I've never seen him play strokes with hard hands. He always tries to play with soft hands, always tries to
meet the ball with the centre of the bat. That is timing. I have never been able to play consistently with
soft hands.
Planning
One reason he can convert his fifties into hundreds is planning: which bowler he should go after, whichbowler he should respect, in which situation he should play aggressively, in which situation he should
defend. It is because he has spent hours thinking about all of it, planning what to do. He knows what a
bowler will do in different situations and he is ready for it.
In mydebut Testhe scored 155 and he knew exactly what to do every ball. We had already lost four
wickets (68 for 4) when I walked in, and he warned me about the short ball. He told me that the South
African fast bowlers would bowl short-of-length balls regularly, but he knew how to counter that. If they
Master and pupil: Sehwag credits Tendulkar with teaching him
how to compile big hundreds AFP
Related LinksSpecials :'Awesome feeling to get that Chennai hundred'Players/Officials:Virender Sehwag|Sachin TendulkarTeams:India
http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63951.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63951.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63951.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/story/434587.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/story/434587.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/story/434587.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35263.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35263.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35263.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35263.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/story/434587.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63951.html7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
9/25
bowled short of a length, he cut them over slips; when they bowled outside off stump, he cut them; and
when they tried to bowl short into his body, he pulled with ease. Luckily his advice had its effect on me,
and I made my maiden hundred!
Adaptability
This is one area where he is really fast. And that is because he is such a good reader of the game. After
playing just one or two overs he can tell you how the pitch will behave, what kind of bounce it has, which
length is a good one for the batsman, what shots to play and what not to.
A good example was in theCenturion ODIof the 2006-07 series. India were batting first. Shaun Pollock
bowled the first over and fired in a few short-of-length balls, against which I tried to play the back-foot
punch. Tendulkar cautioned me immediately and said that shot was not a good option. A couple of overs
later I went for it again and was caught behind, against Pollock.
Making bowlers bowl to his strengths
He will leave a lot of balls and give the bowler a false sense of security, but the moment it is pitched up
to the stumps or closer to them, Tendulkar will easily score runs.
If the bowler is bowling outside off stump Tendulkar can disturb his line by going across outside off
stump and playing to midwicket. He puts doubts in the bowler's mind, so that he begins to wonder if he
has bowled the wrong line and tries to bowl a little outside off stump - which Tendulkar can comfortably
play through covers.
In Sydneyin 2004, in the first innings he didn't play
a single cover drive, and remained undefeated on
241. He decided to play the straight drive and
flicks, so he made the bowlers pitch to his
strengths. It is not easy. In the Test before that,in
Melbourne, he had got out trying to flick. After that when we had a chat he said he was getting outplaying the cover drive and the next game he would avoid the cover drive. I thought he was joking
because nobody cannot not play the cover drive - doesn't matter if you are connecting or not. I realised
he was serious in Sydney when he was on about 180-odd and he had missed plenty of opportunities to
play a cover drive. I was stunned.
Ability to bat in different gears
This is one aspect of batting I have always discussed with Tendulkar: how he controls his game; the way
he can change gears after scoring a half-century. Suddenly he scores 10-12 runs an over, or maybe a
quick 30 runs in five overs, and then again slows down and paces his innings.
He has maintained that it all depends on the team's position. If you are in a good position you tend to
play faster. He also pointed out that the batsman must always think about what can happen if he gets
out and the consequences for the team. The best example is theknock of 175. I was confident he would
pull it off for India and he almost did.
Building on an innings
I learned from Tendulkar how to get big hundreds. He told me early on that once you get a hundred you
are satisfied for yourself. But it is also the best time to convert that into a bigger score for the team
because then the team will be in a good position.
Only great players can have two shots forone ball, like Tendulkar does, and a big
reason is that he picks the ball very early
http://www.cricinfo.com/rsavind/engine/match/249214.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/rsavind/engine/match/249214.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/rsavind/engine/match/249214.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64062.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64062.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64061.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64061.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64061.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64061.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/416240.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/416240.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/416240.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/416240.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64061.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64061.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64062.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/rsavind/engine/match/249214.html7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
10/25
If you look at my centuries they have always been big. A good instance of this wasin Multanin 2004,
when he told me I had given away a good position in Melbourne (195) the previous year and the team
lost, and I needed to keep that in mind against Pakistan. In Multan, in the first hundred of the triple
century I had hit a few sixes. He walked up to me after I reached the century and said he would slap me
if I hit any further sixes. I said why. He said that if I tried hitting a six and got out the team would lose
the control over the game, and I needed to bat through the day. So I didn't hit a single six till I reached295. By then India were 500-plus and I told him I was going to hit a six!
Dedication
This is the most important aspect of his success. In his life cricket comes first. When he is on tour he is
thinking about nothing but cricket, and when he is not on tour he dedicates quality time to his family.
That shows his dedication to the game and to his family. He has found the right balance.
Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at Cricinfo
Feeds: Nagraj Gollapudi
The Sachin I knowTendulkar has found the urge, and the solutions, to be able to play for 20 years. That is a landmark to becelebratedHarsha BhogleNovember 13, 2009
Comments: 112| Text size:A| A
Sachin Tendulkar may have inspired others to
write poetry but he batted in robust prose. Not for
him the tenderness and fragility of the poet, the
excitement of a leaf fluttering in a gentle breeze.
No. Tendulkar is about a plantation standing up to
the typhoon, the skyscraper that stands tall, the
cannon that booms. Solid. Robust. Focused. The
last word is the key. He loves the game deeply but
without the eccentricities of the romantic. There is
a match to be won at all times.
But Tendulkar too was a sapling once. And his
brother Ajit sheltered him from the gale, kept him
focused. Sachin looked after his cricket, Ajit looked
after Sachin. Twenty-two years ago, I was asked
bySportsworldto doan articleon this
extraordinary schoolboy. It wasn't Sachin I had to
speak to, it was Ajit. When the time for the interview came, at Ramakant Achrekar's net in Shivaji Park,
The battle within: Tendulkar walks off, having scored a hundred
in the game against Kenya in the 1999 World Cup Getty Images
Related LinksPlayers/Officials:Sachin TendulkarTeams:India
http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64081.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64081.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64081.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/current/story/434224.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/current/story/434224.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/current/story/434224.html#commentshttp://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/current/story/434224.html#commentshttp://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/434247.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/434247.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/434247.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/rss/content/story/feeds/magazine.rss?author=23http://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/rss/content/story/feeds/magazine.rss?author=23http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/434247.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/current/story/434224.html#commentshttp://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/current/story/434224.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64081.html7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
11/25
Ajit was there with a cyclostyled copy of Sachin's scores. And Achrekar admonished me for spoiling his
child, for fear that Sachin would get distracted.
The interview was done. Sachin was neither overwhelmed nor garrulous; indeed he was so limited with
his words that you had to hold on to every one of them. It was sent to Sportsworldin Calcutta by courier
(or was it just put into a normal post box?) and then came a request for two photographs. Again it was
Ajit who produced them. When I got the cheque, I noticed they had paid me an extra 100 rupees for the
photographs. They weren't mine but Sportsworldhad a policy of paying for them and so I wrote out a
cheque to Ajit for Rs 100. It was acknowledged and accepted gratefully. We lived in different times then!
It was also my first realisation that young men in the public eye needed to be sheltered so they could
focus on playing cricket; that they needed an elder brother, or an equivalent, to put a gentle hand on the
shoulder and, occasionally, lay one the back side. A lot of other young men today see Tendulkar's runs,
eye his wealth, but their brattishness comes in the way of noticing his work ethic. For Tendulkar's life is
not the story of extraordinary ability but of an extraordinary work ethic.
Twelve years later, on a cold evening in Bristol, preparing for a World Cup game against Kenya the next
day, I saw him in dark glasses, fiddling around with his kit. Aimlessly, like he was searching forsomething to do. At most times he would be bounding around with energy, bowling off 18 yards, taking
catches, shouting thoughts to other batsmen.
I approached him hesitantly, I couldn't see his eyes because they were shrouded by these huge dark
glasses, probably the only time they were used to cover rather than to adorn, for he had just lost his
father. I asked him if he would talk to us about coming back to play. He nodded his head and only briefly
took the glasses off. His eyes were red and swollen; you could see he had been crying copiously. For the
interview he put them on, and once the camera had stopped rolling, admitted he didn't want to return,
that his mind was all over the place, that he felt anchorless. It was the only time he didn't want to play
for India but he had been forced back by his family, aware that only cricket could help him overcome his
grief. When he got a hundred the next day and looked heavenwards, some other eyes were moist. Evenin his grief there was resolve, for he wanted that century. It might only have been Kenya but he was
battling himself, not the bowlers.
Four years later he agreed to do an interview for a
series of programmes I was then doing. Our
producer thought we would make it special, and to
our surprise and joy, Amitabh Bachchan agreed to
introduce the programme. In the first break Sachin
whispered, "That was a beautiful surprise." Little
did he know there was more to come.
Sometime earlier he had told me he was a big fan of Mark Knopfler and we thought it would be great if
we could get the great Dire Straits man to talk to us.
"I'm recording all night but immediately after that, before I fall asleep," Knopfler said, and somehow we
persuaded Sachin to do the programme in the afternoon rather than in the morning. And when the
moment came, we patched the line on and when I said, "Hello Mark," Sachin looked puzzled. A minute
later his eyes lit up when he realised which Mark we had on the line. And then he was like a child,
It has been fantastic having a ringside viewof this journey, watching a cricketer, and a
person, grow. But one thing hasn't changed.He still approaches every game like a childwould a bar of chocolate, feeling happy and
fortunate
7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
12/25
tongue-tied, fidgety, excited - much like most people are when they first meet Tendulkar. Even the stars
can get starry-eyed!
And there have been moments of surprising candour. When asked, as batsmen tend to be, which bowlers
had troubled him the most, he smiled an almost embarrassed smile and said, "You won't believe this."
When probed, he said, "Pedro Collins and Hansie Cronje."
"In fact," he said, "I once told my partner 'Will you please take Hansie for me? I don't mind playing Allan
Donald'"
Tendulkar's batting has been much chronicled over the years. Indeed, I believe he has been the most
analysed cricketer in the history of the game. Yet he has found the urge, and indeed the solutions, to
play on for 20 years. Now that is a landmark to be celebrated, not the many inconsequential others that
we exploit for our own need. It has been fantastic having a ringside view of this journey, watching a
cricketer, and a person, grow. But one thing hasn't changed. He still approaches every game like a child
would a bar of chocolate, feeling happy and fortunate.
Read the Sportsworld article from 1988hereHarsha Bhogle is a commentator, television presenter and writer
Feeds: Harsha Bhogle
A giant's peaksTwo decades of highlights: we look back at the jewels in Tendulkar's crown
Cricinfo staffNovember 13, 2009
Text size:A| A
http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/434247.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/434247.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/434247.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/rss/content/story/feeds/magazine.rss?author=334http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/434247.html7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
13/25
119 not out v England, Old Trafford, 1990
England pile up519 on a benign pitch,and India
reply with 432. England stretch the lead to 407,
and though the pitch is still good and the bowling
(Devon Malcolm, Angus Fraser, Chris Lewis, Edie
Hemmings) not terribly menacing, India findthemselves in deep water at 127 for 5 with only
one recognised batsman left. And he's only 17
years old. Tendulkar battles for nearly four hours,
grimly but never dourly, and ends the day with
119. India lose only one more wicket, finishing
with 343. With one more session, they might even
have won.
114 v Australia, Perth, 1991-92
The fastest pitch in Australia has been reserved
for thelast Test.India have been beaten already,only humiliation awaits. Batting first, Australia
score 346. Tendulkar enters at a relatively
comfortable 100 for 3, but watches the next five
wickets go down for 59. Tendulkar is the next man
out... at 240. He has scored 118 of the 140 runs
added while he is at the crease, and has made
them in such an awe-inspiring manner that
commentators ask themselves when they last saw
an innings as good.
169 v South Africa, Cape Town, 1996-97Batting first, South Africa make amatch-winning 529.
Playing only for honour, India find themselves grovelling before Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Brian
McMillan and Lance Klusener. Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin get together at 58 for 5, and start
spanking the bowling as if they were playing a club game. They add 222 for the sixth wicket in less than
two sessions, and Tendulkar has 26 boundaries in his score of 169. Donald, by his own admission, felt
like applauding.
155 not out v Australia, Chennai, 1997-98
Seventy-one runs in arrears, India start thesecond inningsand despite Navjot Singh Sidhu's 64 find
themselves only 44 in front when Tendulkar joins Rahul Dravid. The duo has to contend with Shane
Warne bowling from round the wicket and into the rough. Tendulkar, who has practised against LaxmanSivaramakrishnan and a few other bowlers on artificially created rough patches before the series, decides
to take apart Warne. In a breathtaking assault, with the match hanging in the balance, he deploys his
unique slog sweeps against the spin to steer India past Australia and snatch a match-winning 347-run
lead.
Twin centuries v Australia, Sharjah, 1997-98
India are chasing Australia's 284, but more importantly they need to score 254 to beat New Zealand on
Tendulkar's 98 against Pakistan in Centurion was one of the best
innings of the 2003 World Cup Neil Lane
Related LinksPlayers/Officials:Sachin TendulkarTeams:India
http://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63535.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63535.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63535.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63567.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63567.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63567.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1996-97/IND_IN_RSA/IND_RSA_T2_02-06JAN1997.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1996-97/IND_IN_RSA/IND_RSA_T2_02-06JAN1997.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1996-97/IND_IN_RSA/IND_RSA_T2_02-06JAN1997.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1997-98/AUS_IN_IND/AUS_IND_T1_06-10MAR1998.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1997-98/AUS_IN_IND/AUS_IND_T1_06-10MAR1998.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1997-98/AUS_IN_IND/AUS_IND_T1_06-10MAR1998.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1997-98/AUS_IN_IND/AUS_IND_T1_06-10MAR1998.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1996-97/IND_IN_RSA/IND_RSA_T2_02-06JAN1997.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63567.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63535.html7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
14/25
net run-rate and make their way to the final. Single-handedly Tendulkar takes India close to the cut-off
when sandstorms disrupt play. Just when India's prospects of making it to the final look bleak, Tendulkar
not only takes them beyond the target, but for a brief while lets them entertain hopes of a win.
Twin centuries v Australia, Sharjah, 1997-98
It couldn't have got better. It does. Two days later, at the same venue, chasing a similar total, 273, to
win the final, Tendulkar decimates the Australian attack. By the time he is out in the 45th over, he has
left India only 25 more to get. Shane Warne is so devastated he confesses Tendulkar hits him for sixes in
his nightmares.
141 and 4 for 38 v Australia, Dhaka, 1997-98
Six months after having destroyed the Aussie bowlers' psyches, Tendulkar meets them again in a big-
match environment:the semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy.
And again, single-handedly he puts Australia out of the game with his third century against them in three
matches. His 141 comes in 128 balls, and India are 280 in the 46th over when he gets out. To put the
matter beyond doubt, Tendulkar kills an interesting contest by dismissing Steve Waugh, Michael Bevan,
and Damien Martyn with 4 for 38.
136 v Pakistan, Chennai, 1998-99
Few Indian batting performances have been as
heroic, or as tragic. Chasing271 in the fourth
inningsof a low-scoring match, India experience a
familiar top-order collapse, and are sinking fast at
82 for 5. Tendulkar finds an able ally in Nayan
Mongia, and rebuilds the innings in a painstaking,
un-Tendulkar-like manner. After helping add 136
for the sixth wicket, Mongia departs to an ungainly
pull. Tendulkar, whose back is giving way, shifts
up a gear or two and starts dealing in boundaries.
But one error of judgment and it's all over. Saqlain
Mushtaq defeats the intended lofted on-drive with
a magical ball that drifts the other way, catches
the outer part of Tendulkar's bat and balloons up
to mid-off. The tail disgrace themselves, and India
fall short by a gut-wrenching 13 runs.
233 not out v Tamil Nadu, Mumbai, 1999-
2000
It's aRanji semi-finalagainst a strong Tamil Nadu,
and Mumbai are looking down the barrel after
their bowlers have given away 485 runs. A first-innings lead is crucial, and Mumbai look down for the
count at 127 for 4 when old pal Vinod Kambli joins Tendulkar and they see Mumbai out of trouble. They
are not anywhere near home when Kambli falls with the score on 266. Tendulkar then takes charge, and
with the lower order, sees Mumbai just past Tamil Nadu's total and into a final Mumbai go on to win. It is
just the kind of against-the-odds match-winning knock that has eluded him at international level, which is
perhaps why he ranks it among his best in all forms.
The first match-winning fourth-innings century, in Chennai
against England in 2008 AFP
http://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/66165.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/66165.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/66165.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63828.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63828.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63828.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63828.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63828.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63828.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/1999-2000/IND_LOCAL/RANJI/KNOCK-OUTS/BOM_TN_RJI-SEMI2_11-15APR2000.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/1999-2000/IND_LOCAL/RANJI/KNOCK-OUTS/BOM_TN_RJI-SEMI2_11-15APR2000.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/1999-2000/IND_LOCAL/RANJI/KNOCK-OUTS/BOM_TN_RJI-SEMI2_11-15APR2000.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/1999-2000/IND_LOCAL/RANJI/KNOCK-OUTS/BOM_TN_RJI-SEMI2_11-15APR2000.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63828.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63828.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63828.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/66165.html7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
15/25
155 v South Africa, Bloemfontein, 2001-02
On the first day of anoverseas series,India's plight is a familiar one - four down for 68, with all the
wickets going just the way the South Africans planned - to rising balls. Tendulkar has a debutant for
company, with another to follow. He takes 17 balls to score his first run, but 101 come off the next 97
deliveries. It isn't the prettiest of Tendulkar's Test tons, but it is one of the most savage, characterised by
pulls and vicious upper-cuts. The South Africans have a plan for India, and Tendulkar makes a mockeryof it. By the time his innings ends, India are reasonably well placed, though they go on to lose the Test.
98 v Pakistan, Centurion, 2003
Tendulkar has been compelled to live thisWorld Cup matchagainst Pakistan for a year in advance. He
does not sleep well for 12 nights going into the match. Faced with a target of 274, Tendulkar shows no
anxiety whatsoever. Or is it that nervous energy? He finishes his hyped battle against Shoaib Akhtar in
the latter's first over with an uppercut for six, and then a flick and a straight block for two boundaries.
Every bowler is dealt with with similar disdain. Tendulkar has not looked as pumped up before. And
although he misses a century, he leaves the match sealed in the 28th over.
117 not out v Australia, Sydney, 2007-08
Going into thefirst finalof the CB Series, Tendulkar has not achieved many things: an ODI century in
Australia, a century in 37 innings, a chase-winning century since 2001, a century in any chase since
March 2004. In a 235-minute masterclass, he washes it all away, scoring 117 off 120 balls and leading
India to the 240-run target on a difficult wicket just about solo. He dominates in the initial overs,
shepherds the tentative middle order, and stays unbeaten to see the side home.
37 and 103 not out v England, Chennai, 2008-09
Tendulkar has to his name every batting record worth having, except one perhaps: a fourth-innings
century in an Indian win. Having struggled against the spin of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar in the
first innings of theChennai Test, India are left to chase 387 on a deteriorating pitch. The explosive start
is provided by Virender Sehwag, and the final touches by Yuvraj Singh, but in the middle Tendulkar
nurtures the chase, hardly ever looking under pressure, scampering through for singles like a teenager,
breaking the shackles every now and then with the odd boundary. The last of those fours finishes the
chase, and brings up the elusive century. It works a treat that it has come at the venue that was the
scene of heartbreak nine years before, against Pakistan, and weeks after one of India's worst terror
attacks. With Tendulkar, India smiles again.
175 v Australia, Hyderabad, 2009-10 Australia have amassed a massive 350 on a flat pitch inHyderabad,
and Tendulkar almost chases it down single-handedly. He displays through the innings how he has
mastered the art of scoring quick runs without taking any risks. The only support comes from Virender
Sehwag (38) and Suresh Raina (59). Tendulkar, who scores 175 off 141 balls, gives hardly a chance
through the classic. When he does take risks, it's worth preserving the shots in an album: stepping out to
spinners, lofting straight down the ground; the unbelievably late flicks and the even later late cuts. It all
ends in heartbreak, though: in Chennai in 1999, Tendulkar, having played an innings just as incredible,
left the last three wickets 17 to get; on this night he leaves them 19 off 17. The rest choke like they did
in Chennai.
India's proudest possessionTendulkar has gone two decades being a blend of the sublime and the precise, incapable of ugliness or ofbeing dull; and those are among the least of his achievements
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2001-02/IND_IN_RSA/SCORECARDS/IND_RSA_T1_03-07NOV2001.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2001-02/IND_IN_RSA/SCORECARDS/IND_RSA_T1_03-07NOV2001.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2001-02/IND_IN_RSA/SCORECARDS/IND_RSA_T1_03-07NOV2001.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/65268.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/65268.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/65268.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/291371.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/291371.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/291371.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/361050.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/361050.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/361050.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/416240.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/416240.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/416240.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/416240.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/361050.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/291371.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/65268.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2001-02/IND_IN_RSA/SCORECARDS/IND_RSA_T1_03-07NOV2001.html7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
16/25
Peter RoebuckNovember 14, 2009
Comments: 167| Text size:A| A
Sachin Tendulkarhas been playing top-class
cricket for 20 years and he's still producing
blistering innings, still looking hungry, still
demolishing attacks, still a prized wicket, still a
proud competitor. He has not merely been around
for two decades. From his first outing to his most
recent effort, a stunning 175 in Hyderabad, he has
been a great batsman. Longevity counts amongst
his strengths. Twenty years! It's a heck of a long
time, and it's gone in the blink of an eye.
The Berlin Wall was taken down a week before
Sachin Tendulkar first wore the colours of his
country, Nelson Mandela was behind bars, Allan
Border was captaining Australia, and India was a
patronised country known for its dust, poverty,
timid batsmen and not much else. In those days
Tendulkar was a tousle-haired cherub prepared to
stand his ground against all comers, including
Wasim Akram and the most menacing of the Australans, Merv Hughes. Now he is a tousle-haired elder
still standing firm, still driving and cutting, still retaining some of the impudence of youth, but nowadays
bearing also the sagacity of age.
It has been an incredible journey, a trip that figures alone cannot define. Not that the statistics lack
weight. To the contrary they are astonishing, almost mind-boggling. Tendulkar has scored an avalanche
of runs, thousands upon thousands of them in every form of the game. He has reached three figures 87times in the colours of his country, and all the while has somehow retained his freshness, somehow
avoided the mechanical, the repetitive and the predictable.
Perhaps that has been part of it, the ability to retain the precious gift of youth. Alongside Shane Warne,
the Indian master has been the most satisfying cricketer of his generation.
Tendulkar's feats are prodigious. He has scored as many runs overseas as in his backyard, has flogged
Brett Lee at his fastest and Shane Warne at his most obtuse, has flourished against swing and cut,
prospered in damp and dry. Nor can his record be taken for granted. Batsmen exist primarily to score
runs. It is a damnably difficult task made to look easy by a handful of expert practitioners. Others have
promised and fallen back, undone by the demands, unable to meet the moment. Tendulkar has keptgoing, on his toes, seeking runs in his twinkling way.
In part he has lasted so long because there has been so little inner strain. It's hard to think of a player
remotely comparable who has spent so little energy conquering himself. Throughout, Tendulkar has been
able to concentrate on overcoming his opponents.
But it has not only been about runs. Along the way Tendulkar has provided an unsurpassed blend of the
sublime and the precise. In him the technical and the natural sit side by side, friends not enemies, allies
It's never been hard for Tendulkar to play cricket. The hard part
will be stopping Associated Press
Related LinksPlayers/Officials:Sachin TendulkarTeams:IndiaSites:Cricinfo ICC Site
http://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/current/story/434360.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/current/story/434360.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/current/story/434360.html#commentshttp://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/current/story/434360.html#commentshttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/site/297120.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/site/297120.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/site/297120.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/site/297120.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/current/story/434360.html#commentshttp://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/current/story/434360.html7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
17/25
deep in conversation. Romantics talk about those early morning trips to Shivaji Park, and the child eager
to erect the nets and anxious to bat till someone took his wicket. They want to believe that toil alone can
produce that straight drive and a bat so broad that periodically it is measured. But it was not like that.
From the start the lad had an uncanny way of executing his strokes perfectly. His boyhood coaches insist
that their role was to ensure that he remained unspoilt. There was no apprenticeship. Tendulkar was
born to bat.
Over the decades it has been Tendulkar's rare combination of mastery and boldness that has delighted
connoisseurs and crowds alike. More than any other batsman, even Brian Lara, Tendulkar's batting has
provoked gasps of admiration. A single withering drive dispatched along the ground, eluding the bowler,
placed unerringly between fieldsmen, can provoke wonder even amongst the oldest hands. A solitary
square cut is enough to make a spectator's day.
Tendulkar might lose his wicket cheaply but he is incapable of playing an ugly stroke. His defence might
have been designed by Christopher Wren. And alongside these muscular orthodoxies could be found
ornate flicks through the on-side, glides off his bulky pads that sent tight deliveries dashing on
unexpected journeys into the back and beyond. Viv Richards could terrorise an attack with pitilessbrutality, Lara could dissect bowlers with surgical and magical strokes, Tendulkar can take an attack
apart with towering simplicity.
Nor has Tendulkar ever stooped to dullness or
cynicism. Throughout, his wits have remained sharp
and originality has been given its due. He has, too,
been remarkably constant. In those early
appearances, he relished the little improvisations
calculated to send bowlers to the madhouse:
cheeky strokes that told of ability and nerve. For a time thereafter he put them into the cupboard, not
because respectability beckoned or responsibility weighed him down but because they were not required.Shot selection, his very sense of the game, counts amongst his qualities.
On his most recent trip to Australia, though, he decided to restore audacity, cheekily undercutting lifters,
directing the ball between fieldsmen, shots the bowlers regarded as beyond the pale. Even in middle age
he remains unbroken. Hyderabad confirmed his durability.
And yet, even this, the runs, the majesty, the thrills, does not capture his achievement. Reflect upon his
circumstances and then marvel at his feat. Here is a man obliged to put on disguises so that he can move
around the streets, a fellow able to drive his cars only in the dead of night for fear or creating a
commotion, a father forced to take his family to Iceland on holiday, a person whose entire adult life has
been lived in the eye of a storm. Throughout he has been public property, India's proudest possession, a
young man and yet also a source of joy for millions, a sportsman and yet, too, an expression of a vast
and ever-changing nation. Somehow he has managed to keep the world in its rightful place. Somehow he
has raised children who relish his company and tease him about his batting. Whenever he loses his
wicket in the 90s, a not uncommon occurrence, his boy asks why he does not "hit a sixer".
Somehow he has emerged with an almost untarnished reputation. Inevitably mistakes have been made.
Something about a car, something else about a cricket ball, and suggestions that he had stretched the
In part Tendulkar has lasted so long becausethere has been so little inner strain. It's hardto think of a player remotely comparable whohas spent so little energy conquering himself
7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
18/25
facts to assist his pal Harbhajan Singh. But then he is no secular saint. It's enough that he is expected to
bat better than anyone else. It's hardly fair to ask him to match Mother Teresa as well.
At times India has sprung too quickly to his defence, as if a point made against him was an insult to the
nation, as if he were beyond censure. A poor lbw decision- and he has had his allocation- can all too
easily be turned into a cause celebre. Happily Tendulkar has always retained his equanimity. He is a
sportsman as well as a cricketer. By no means has it been the least of his contributions, and it explains
his widespread popularity. Not even Placido Domingo has been given more standing ovations.
And there has been another quality that has sustained him, a trait whose importance cannot be
overstated. Not long ago Keith Richards, lead guitarist with the Rolling Stones, was asked how the band
had kept going for so long, spent so many decades on the road, made so many records, put up with so
much attention. His reply was as simple as it as telling. "We love it," he explained, "we just love playing."
And so it has always been with Tendulkar. It's never been hard for him to play cricket. The hard part will
be stopping. But he will take into retirement a mighty record and the knowledge that he has given
enormous pleasure to followers of the game wherever it is played.
Peter Roebuck is a former captain of Somerset and the author, most recently, ofIn It to Win It. This article was firstpublished inSportstarmagazine
Feeds: Peter Roebuck
Tendulkar smacks Shoaib aroundFirst came a six, then a four, then divine magic
Rahul BhattacharyaSeptember 13, 2009
Text size:A| A
http://www.cricinfo.com/rss/content/story/feeds/magazine.rss?author=2417/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
19/25
Centurion, 1 March 2003
Sachin Tendulkarhas never batted better than in
the World Cup of 2003, and during it never better
than for three famous deliveries against Shoaib
Akhtarin Centurion.
This was a match Tendulkar said he was
compelled to live a year in advance. Everywhere
he went, people reminded him about the 1st of
March, the fixture against Pakistan. Consequently
he did not sleep properly for 12 nights leading up.
Facing a handsome target, Tendulkar shed his
pent-up anxiety with three strokes in Shoaib's
opening over to jumpstart a classic innings. The
first of them - reaching out (were he not so
pumped up, he would have surely let it pass for awide), at once cutting and tipping, very high over
the square third-man boundary - would become
an icon, for cricketing merit; its sheer thrill, and
nationalist symbolism, a sort of belated rebuff to
the Miandad six.
The second stroke was his lovely trademark - back
in the crease and with swirling wrists diverting a
reasonable delivery to square leg. But the third
shot - the third shot.
A little trot across to off stump, block, down the
ground to the on, four. No back-lift, no follow-
through: none needed. I have never seen such a
concisely expressed cricket stroke. He simply met
the ball and the entire execution began there and finished there. And by now the crowd, the most vividly
alive of the tournament, had gone quite wild. Visually it was like a cinematic special effect: everything
moved in a blur - flags, roars, horns, waves, the ball, Shoaib - and amid it Sachin and his pure stroke
appeared magically frozen.
Rahul Bhattacharya is the author ofPundits from Pakistan: On Tour with India, 2003-04. This article was first published inthe print version ofCricinfo Magazine
Feeds: Rahul Bhattacharya
The saintHis purity of technique and image make him an icon with more than a touch of the divine
Greg BaumNovember 1, 2003
Text size:A| A
The first cut: the six over third man Getty Images
Related Links
Players/Officials:Sachin TendulkarMatches:India v Pakistan at CenturionSeries/Tournaments:ICC World CupTeams:India|PakistanOther links:50 Magic Moments
http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/match/65268.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/match/65268.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/match/65268.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/65268.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/65268.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/65268.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/series/61124.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/series/61124.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/series/61124.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/team/7.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/team/7.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/team/7.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/url/387507.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/url/387507.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/url/387507.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/rss/content/story/feeds/magazine.xml?author=236http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/url/387507.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/team/7.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/team/6.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/series/61124.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/65268.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/rss/content/story/feeds/magazine.xml?author=236http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/match/65268.htmlhttp://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.html7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
20/25
The two keenest appreciations of Sachin Tendulkar were made from
vantage points that could not have been more opposite to each other, and
together serve as an incontrovertible cross-reference to his greatness. The
first was Sir Donald Bradman's famous remark to his wife during the1996
World Cup that Tendulkar put him in mind of how he himself batted.
The second is the widespread understanding in the cricket community that
match-fixers will not successfully get on with their crooked business until
Tendulkar is out, and an anecdotal account of how Tendulkar once
unwittingly ruined a fix by batting too blissfully well.
It must be understood that neither reflection would have been made
lightly. Sir Donald was not given to hyperbole or glibness, but rather was
precise in everything he did and said. Nor would the fixers have bothered
with throwaway lines.
Together, these tributes convey immutable impressions of Tendulkar that
accord with less quantifiable, more aesthetic understandings of the glory ofhis batsmanship, Here is a man capable of changing the course of any
game. Here is a man incorruptible in the face of the venal temptations that so many of his peers could
not resist. Outside the laws or outside the off stump, he could not be lured. Here is a man not susceptible
to human failing in any endeavour, a man not so much invincible as invulnerable.
Here is a man whose name is synonymous with purity, of technique, philosophy and image. If Ian
Botham can be seen as the Errol Flynn of cricket, or Viv Richards as the Martin Luther King, or Shane
Warne as the Marilyn Monroe, or Muttiah Muralitharan as the hobbit, Tendulkar is surely the game's
secular saint.
Right from the beginning, he appeared to be touched by divinity. He came among us as a boy-god,unannounced. He was 16 and was hit on the head in his first appearance, but neither flinched nor
retreated a step. Nothing thenceforth could harm him, temporal or otherwise. He was short and stocky -
like all the best - and mop-topped and guileless to behold. He has scarcely changed since.
Tendulkar was born with extravagant natural talent, but he was also driven and indefatigable. When a
boy, he would bat from dawn to dusk, and even a little beyond. As with all the greats, he came not from
another dimension, nor the mystical east, but from the nets. By such dedication, he came to understand
intimately his own gift, and at length to lavish it upon others.
That Sachin Tendulkar
stands tall everyday
with eyes watching hisevery move is a
wonder Getty Images
7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
21/25
His movements at the crease are small but exact. He said once that he did
not believe in footwork for its conventional purpose, because the tempo of
Test cricket did not permit a batsman the textbook indulgence of getting to
the pitch of the ball. Rather, he thought of footwork as a means of
balancing himself up at the crease so that each shot was hit just as he
meant it. He scores predominantly through the off side, an unusualcharacteristic for such a heavy run-maker, but of course he can play every
shot.
Tendulkar's method promotes an air of calm, reassurance and poise at the
crease. Brian Lara's batting is characterised by explosion and violence, and
Steve Waugh's by grim resolve, but Tendulkar's ways are timeless. His
battles with Shane Warne, genius versus genius, have been for the ages. It
is said that the common element to concepts of beauty among all peoples
is symmetry, a balance between all the parts. So it is with Tendulkar's
batting.
How easily he carries the hopes and takes responsibility for the well being
of untold millions on that impossible subcontinent; in this, he is also divine.
All eyes are upon him, day and night, but no scandal has attached itself, not in his private life nor in his
cricket endeavours. Across the land, he is the little man on the big posters and hoardings, creating a kind
of reverse Big Brother effect; he is not watching them, but they are watching him. Still he stands tall.
Sometimes petty criticism is made that he fails India in its hours of need, but it is not borne out by the
figures, and besides, no one man could take upon his shoulders all of India's needy hours. Just 30, he
has already made more than 50 international centuries.
When called upon, he also bowls intelligently, if sparingly. He is sure in the field. There is even about
him, as there was about many saints, something of the ingenu. He is not a natural captain for themodern era because he can lead only by example. He does not have a charismatic presence in a cricket
stadium, but rather fills it in a different way, as the one certainty in a sea of doubt. Batting is the most
fraught of sporting pursuits because even for the best the end is only ever one ball away. Tendulkar
seems to turn that verity upon itself.
As Tendulkar put Bradman in mind of himself, so he puts others in mind of Bradman. Once I was on a
night train winding down from Simla to Kalka that stopped halfway for refreshments at a station lit by
flaming torches. On a small television screen wreathed in cigarette smoke in the corner of the dining
room Tendulkar was batting in a match in Mumbai. No one moved or spoke or looked away. The train
was delayed by 20 minutes. Not until Tendulkar was out could the world resume its normal timetables
and rhythms.
This piece first appeared in the November 2003 issue of Wisden Asia Cricket.
Greg Baum is a writer with the MelbourneAge.. This article was first published in the November 2003 issue ofWisden AsiaCricketmagazine
'Here is a man not
susceptible to humanfailing in any
endeavour, a man not
so much invincible asinvulnerable' Afp
7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
22/25
If you try to hit a six I will hit you on the bum.Sachin Tendulkar's warning to Virender Sehwag during the Test against Pakistan in Multan, 2004. Sehwag reached histriple century with a six.
Sep 17, 2009
I'll chew his ear off.Phillip Hughes vows to talk shop with Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai
Aug 30, 2009
Twenty20 cricket is the dessert and you can't survive on that. Who wants to eat onlydesserts?Sachin Tendulkar resorts to a food analogy to explain the pecking order of cricket's formats
Aug 6, 2009
Maybe they all think it's my last tour.Sachin Tendulkar on the standing ovations he gets wherever he plays in the world.
7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
23/25
Mar 20, 2009
I used to receive letters written in blood, but not anymore.Sachin Tendulkar reflects on how the adulation directed at him has changed over the years
Feb 19, 2009
A batsman is so much covered with protective gears that one might say [Sachin] Tendulkar isplaying if I go in the middle to bat.
MS Gill, the Indian sports minister, clearly feels today's cricketers have it far easier than those of the pastJan 23, 2009
Tall peaks are not always better than long plateaus as true greatness must include protractedexcellence.TheICCexplains why their idea of including Matthew Hayden in their list of all-time greats, while excluding the likes ofSachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, wasn't such a great one after all
Jan 15, 2009
I couldn't sleep all this time. I am numb. The images keep playing in my head. This was just notan attack on Mumbai, it is an attack on India.Sachin Tendulkar recounts the horrors of watching the terrorist attacks on his hometown
Dec 2, 2008
Sachin and Sehwag are also spectacular, but when in full flow Yuvraj really stands out.Mahendra Singh Dhonipraises Yuvraj Singh
Nov 19, 2008
It was like holding a Rolex watch and a Patek Phillipe watch and saying which one looks bestAndrew Symonds pays tribute to the batting of Laxman and Tendulkar in the 2008 Sydney Test, in his book Roy on theRise
Nov 14, 2008
That Porsche comment ... why would I say that to Tendulkar? He's got aeroplanes.England wicketkeeper Matt Prior says the infamous "I drive a Porsche, what car do you drive?" sledge to Sachin Tendulkardidn't happen
Oct 27, 2008
We don't need him to say these things [about Tendulkar] just because he is retired.Harbhajan Singh delivers his take on the Gilchrist-Tendulkar affair
Oct 25, 2008
The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not onereported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter ... As Matthew Parris wondered of BarackObama in these pages recently, is he human?Michael Athertonponders the sinless Sachin Tendulkar in theTimes
Oct 19, 2008
I'm so disappointed at what's being written and said about Anil Kumble ... He's been around forover 18 years and his achievements do all the talking.Sachin Tendulkardefends his team-mate
Oct 19, 2008
Why did you get out to such a silly shot?Anjali Tendulkar tells off her record-breaking husband for a poor stroke.
Oct 18, 2008
To me he will not just be remembered as a great player and a lovely human being, but assomebody who tried to learn Bengali for the last 14 years but never managed to do so!Sourav Ganguly pays a sort of tribute to Sachin Tendulkar
Oct 18, 2008
I don't know how they can figure out what's going on in my mind when sometimes I myself can'tfigure that out.Journalists work in mysterious ways, Sachin Tendulkarfinds out
Oct 17, 2008
7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
24/25
Success is a process... During that journey sometimes there are stones thrown at you, and youconvert them into milestones.Sachin Tendulkar in an interview at the end of the day he went past Brian Lara to become the leading run-scorer in Testcricket
Oct 17, 2008
I think you are at the wrong press conference.
Sachin Tendulkar answers a query about his retirement plansSep 18, 2008
"Even my father's name is Sachin Tendulkar.Tendulkar's daughter, Sara, tells her class her father's name after the teacher informs them of a restaurant of the samename in Mumbai
May 31, 2008
Performance is one thing, performing back to back is something else. People may call him[Tendulkar] a sitting elephant, but he's the best. He never said a word, and wanted to let his bat dothe talking.Mahendra Singh Dhoni speaks for his veteran team-mate
Mar 8, 2008
With Tendulkar, it's like the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about.Sanjay Manjrekar wonders why Sachin Tendulkar's failures, especially while chasing, are not questioned by the media
Feb 28, 2008
With Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, it was better to be friends and make them smile ratherthan wind them up.Sledging doesn't work with all players, warns Shane Warne
Feb 10, 2008
I now know what Sachin Tendulkar feels every time he bats in India.Adam Gilchrist soaks it up while batting in his final Twenty20 in front of a packed MCG
Feb 6, 2008
Sometimes I need to look at the scoreboard to figure out whether I'm batting hundred-plus orwhether I am on zero.Sachin Tendulkar struggles to distinguish between his standing ovations for entering the pitch and then for getting hishalf-century and century.
Jan 30, 2008
Commit all your crimes when Sachin is batting. They will go unnoticed because even the Lord iswatching.
A placard at the SCG when Sachin Tendulkar was on his way to a magnificent century
Jan 9, 2008
He is my hero and playing against him is a special moment in my life. I cherish that.Sachin Tendulkar reflects on playing against Viv Richards during a Yorkshire-Glamorgan county match
Dec 2, 2007
He loves India. He has named his child India. His biggest player is actually Tendulkar. Right nowI'm hoping Tendulkar does not hit a catch to him because he will probably drop it to watch himbat.Irving Romaine on team-mate Lionel Cann, who is just a bit overawed by being at the World Cup
Mar 3, 2007It really surprises me ... you are so consistent and I'm not
Sachin Tendulkar, on his 33rd birthday, thanks the media for their unwavering love and affection and assures himself of agood press into the bargain
Apr 25, 2006
The positions of Jupiter and Mars are not good. I wish I am wrong but this is what the starstell.Abdullah Shaukat Chowdhry, a 70-year-old astrologer from Lahore, predicts that the end is nigh. The end of SachinTendulkar's career, that is ...
7/30/2019 tendulkar mania.docx
25/25
Jun 4, 2005
Come on, his sleeves are absolutely unique.A female fan in Kolkata explains how to recognise Sachin Tendulkar
Dec 6, 2004
Nothing bad can happen to us if we're on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it.Hashim Amla, the South African batsman, reassures himself as he boards a flight
Dec 2, 2004Sachin Tendulkar is, in my time, the best player without doubt - daylight second, Brian Lara
third.Shane Warne delights the Indian press with his views on batting greats of this era
Oct 8, 2004
If you get Dravid, great. If you get Sachin, brilliant. If you get Laxman, it's a miracle.Brett Lee repeats the words of wisdom of his former captain, Steve Waugh
Sep 27, 2004
The thing about India is that while they will miss Sachin, they have the ability to put out anotherbatsman nearly as good.Michael Vaughan gives overestimation a new meaning before the first match of the NatWest Challenge
Aug 31, 2004
Sometimes you get so engrossed in watching batsmen like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkarthat you lose focus on your job.Yasir Hameed tries to zero in on the exact reason for dropping a vital catch in the third Test at Rawalpindi
Apr 13, 2004
Sachin was so focused. He never looked like getting out. He was batting with single-mindeddevotion. It was truly remarkable. It was a lesson."Tennis legend Martina Navratilova joins the Sachin Tendulkar fan club after watching him bat at Sydney
Feb 2, 2004
You can never say that he is out of form. He is a volcano waiting to explode and we hope hedoesn't do that against us in the one-dayers."Daryl Tuffey hints that Sachin Tendulkar's modest form may be the calm before the storm
Oct 22, 2003