Sir Sachin Tendulkar - The Greatest Cricketer Ever

[Ramakrishna]

Sachin Tendulkar breaking Brian Lara's record of most runs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCCbVvVNTTg

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Part 1 : http://mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?t=7966&start=0

[Ramakrishna]

Tendulkar scales the highest peak

S Rajesh

Thirty-nine centuries, 11,954 runs, 152 Tests - the numbers are immense whichever way you look at it. In a career spanning nearly 20 years, Sachin Tendulkar has constantly been India's biggest hope: through the 1990s, he was easily India's best batsman, especially overseas, in conditions which none of the others came close to mastering. With the emergence of Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly, the pressure has eased somewhat, but Tendulkar still remains the most prized wicket for opposition bowlers, which is a remarkable testimony to his skill levels and the high standards he has consistently achieved.

The best measure of the class of a batsman is his performances against the greatest team of his time, and if that is the yardstick then Tendulkar is matchless: in 25 Tests against Australia, he averages 56, with nine hundreds and an equal number of fifties. Since 1990, he is one of only four batsmen who have scored more than 1000 runs against Australia at a 50-plus average. (Click here for the full list.)

Through most of his career, Tendulkar has been the mainstay of the Indian batting, which is reflected in the percentage of team runs that he has scored. As you'd expect, it isn't as high as Lara's, who has often been West Indies' only hope, but it's only a few decimal points below Dravid's, and a run lesser than Gavaskar's, who was also helped by the fact that he opened the batting and hence had a greater opportunity to bat. The three Australians are at the bottom of the list, which clearly indicates the quality of the other batsmen they played with.

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/content/current/story/363717.html

[Ramakrishna]

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - Player Profile (http://content-www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.html)

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - From Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sachin_Tendulkar)

Sacin statsguru from cricinfo (http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/stats/analysis.html?search=sachin;template=analysis)

[Ramakrishna]

List of International cricket centuries by Sachin Tendulkar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_International_cricket_centuries_by_Sachin_ Tendulkar)

List of ODI Awards for Sachin Tendulkar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ODI_Awards_for_Sachin_Tendulkar)

List of Achievements by Sachin Tendulkar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achievements_of_Sachin_Tendulkar)

Quotes on Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (http://www.orkut.com/CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=23803&tid=2518627111577419134&na=4)

Sachin Tendulkar Test Match Batting Analysis (http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/player/35320.html?class=1;orderby=batted_score;template=r esults;type=batting;view=innings)

Articles on sachin (http://www.orkut.com/CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=23803&tid=2503475796209621771&na=1&nst=1)

[Ramakrishna]

Tendulkar becomes the leading Test run-scorer

Journey to the top (http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/india/content/current/gallery/373739.html)

[Ramakrishna]

Kumble, Ganguly, Dravid hail Tendulkar`s feat as phenomenal

Mohali, Oct 17: Test skipper Anil Kumble and senior players Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly today hailed Sachin Tendulkar as a "phenomenal player" after the master batsman became Test cricket's highest run-getter.

"It is a great effort for him and a great honour for all of us. It is a great moment for Indian cricket and I am happy that I have seen most of these 12,000 runs being scored by him from the dressing room," Kumble said while congratulating Tendulkar on his historic feat.

Ganguly, who will retire from the game after the four-match Test series against Australia, was fulsome on his praise of Tendulkar with whom he shared the dressing room for the last 13 years.

"It is a fantastic achievement, kudos to him. He is a phenomenal player. It has been a great honour to share dressing room with him for the last 13 years," Ganguly said.

Dravid hailed Tendulkar as a "great champion" who truly deserved the feat.

"It is a phenomenal achievement. He is a great champion and his achievement is truly well deserved," Dravid said.

[Nerd]

http://www.ziddu.com/viewfile/2423809/Presentation.mpg.FLV.html
Sachin's interview to Ravi Shastri after the end of the first days play - for the unlucky, condemned souls like me who could not catch that live.

[Nerd]

And WTH is wrong with Mohali people. The stadium was just 50% full on a day in which history was re-written by one of the greatest sportspersons India has ever seen :huh:

[littlemaster1982]

[tscii:8ed700f6e8]To the Boss (http://expertdabbler.com/2008/10/17/to-the-boss/)

Times change and yet it doesn’t.

Nineteen years, hundreds of crores wealth, and all sorts of records later, the entire world is still waiting for that one big scandal which can fill your face with cow dung, one big dissent on the cricket field which can be broadcasted the world over to embarrass, one wrong statement to the press in anger. You keep them waiting as always. Don’t let them win.

In all these years, your arms has seen more tennis elbows than you might want, you are not the tormentor you were, but your legs and your running between the wickets is still intact. You still score almost just as quickly.

Prime Ministers have come and gone but your batting average and strike rate has been the same. How I wish we had such constant GDP numbers. India has seen many a hard hitters, many a technically correct folks. You were the only one who can consistently hit hard while being technically correct. Two decades and that has not changed an iota.

Pontings may come and go, but if I were to choose between watching a gorgeous woman in nude or your trademark straight drive in full flow, I will choose your straight drive. That won’t change any soon.

During your early twenties they said you are throwing away your wicket, then in your late twenties they said you are not attacking enough, then you were discovered as selfish, now you are seen as that old guy. Indians wanted you and India win every single match. But all along the problem was always with you. You made such expectations look realistic. In the nineties, you made us forget that the game is played by eleven folks, with bat and ball. The entire country switched off the TV and went back to work once you got out.

First it was the Pakistanis, nowadays your own countrymen want you to go. Yet Shane Warne sings your praise as always. He should know since you had given him more sleepless nights than his own wife.

Retire you will one day. Your records will be broken as all records will be. You will die like all humans one day. But the master class you have given us on how a young middle-class guy should handle fame, wealth, adulation, media pressure, world class opposition, and the hopes and anger of one billion people will remain etched in our memories for ever.

My only request to you. All is well that ends well. If push comes to shove, veto them by hanging up your boots. Your greatness is more important than a few thousand runs. Don’t let them win. I know you won’t.

[/tscii:8ed700f6e8]

[Arthi]

No wonder i got goosebumb by reading the above article, well done sachin :notworthy: :victory: :clap:

[littlemaster1982]

[tscii:7f75f3522d]The legend of Sachin Tendulkar (http://cricketblog.aol.in/2008/10/17/the-legend-of-sachin-tendulkar)

Amidst all the gloom of people being laid off from work and the continued fall in the stock market, Sachin Tendulkar's latest conquest shall work wonders in cheering up the general mood of the nation on the eve of Diwali. The Little Master's achievement of overtaking Brian Lara as the leading run-scorer in Test cricket couldn't have been better timed. Such has been Tendulkar's hold on the pulse of the nation over the last two decades, that Indians have experienced a rainbow of emotions through his divine presence at the batting crease. There are many ways of judging Tendulkar – the Test player after this. His overall batting average vis-à-vis the other legends of the game, his second innings average, his centuries in Tests won by India, etc., etc. shall all be analysed threadbare on prime-time Friday night and in Saturday morning's newspapers. Even if he were to be spared the statistical inquisition, there will be those who will take sinister pride in highlighting the feline grace of Lara's shot-making or the aristocratic swagger of Viv Richard's batting disposition over 'The Bombay Bomber's'. But to indulge in all this one-upmanship either through the myopic nature of the numerical lens or via the highly subjective notion of beauty is to miss out on the completeness of Tendulkar.

Tendulkar, as he went past Brian Lara Friday, had crossed other legends of the game like Sunil Gavaskar, Viv Richards, Alan Border and Steve Waugh. His nearest rivals from amongst current players, as he sits at the very summit of runs scored in the Test arena, are Rahul Dravid (10,341) and Ricky Ponting (10,239) – the Aussie being more likely of the two to break Tendulkar's record should the Little Master hang up his boots today. Thus, the scale of Tendulkar's accomplishment shall never quite acquire the mythical proportions that Bradman's batting average has, given its relative sense of achievability and when viewed within the narrow confines of Test cricket.

However, Sachin has scored 16,361 runs in one-day cricket and is the leading scorer in that version of the game as well. It is only when this figure is combined with Sachin's Test tally (12,027 runs after a sublime 88 runs in the first innings of the current Mohali test) that the legend of Tendulkar begins to take shape. His total tally in international cricket then swells to 28,388 runs. He has also hit 81 centuries and has gone past the 50-run mark on 139 occasions (including Friday) in both forms of the game. That Sachin's nearest rivals in all these three areas are different individuals – Brian Lara (22,358 runs), Ricky Ponting (62 centuries) and Rahul Dravid (134 half-centuries) – is confirmation of the notion that he is indeed a batting god. What it takes three cricketers to do individually over a lifetime is all done by one man. If Bradman's 99.94 was the closest someone came to achieving batting perfection, then Tendulkar's numbers post-retirement - I think 30,000 international runs, 100 centuries and 175 half-centuries – shall confirm his standing as a run machine.

Sachin's longevity

Then there is the other small matter of Tendulkar's longevity as a cricketer and his day-to-day handling of the iconic position he enjoys in India. Modern cricketers world over are known to throw in the towel at some stage of their respective careers citing the challenges of non-stop playing, continuous travel and a suitcase existence. Others have fallen victim to flamboyant lifestyles.

In close to twenty years, Tendulkar has remained seemingly oblivious to all these pitfalls. He has managed to find the necessary motivation to keep himself going. Injuries have played a fair part in ruining his fairytale career at times, but each time, he has handled them like a man who has taken a knock on the chin but has come back harder, stronger and better than before.

He has amassed enormous wealth by virtue of prize money, endorsements and other business ventures, but unlike some of his colleagues, Sachin has retained a middle-class value system in his demeanour, which only adds to his aura of being the complete man. There has been the odd controversy such as the one involving the customs exemption on the Ferrari that was being gifted to him. But while the media had a field day in finally getting the opportunity to crucify Tendulkar, he handled himself with the utmost dignity by never making public his version of the entire episode.

It is in this light that we should remind ourselves of the immortality of Tendulkar's legacy. His feats in both forms of the game and his exemplary conduct off the field have put him in a realm which humans only visit in the afterlife. Fittingly, as Deepavali approaches, Tendulkar has chosen the perfect stage to illuminate our ordinary lives yet again.
[/tscii:7f75f3522d]

[Sourav]

Sachin Tendulkar: 12,027, still batting

Sachin Tendulkar is an extraordinary cricketer whose durability and skill have for many ears uplifted his country’s cricket team. Now he holds the game’s most prized batting record. It has been a magnificent, underestimated achievement. Ever since he first appeared as precocious teenager Tendulkar has known nothing except exorbitant expectations.

It is no small thing to become public property at 16. Nor has there been any hiding place. Not for sportsman the luxury of private studios. Every time he leaves his home it is an appearance; he loves swanky cars but can drive only in the dead of night. It is against this background that his career must be judged.
Spirit still intact

Remarkably, Tendulkar has managed to retain his health and reputation through it all. His body might be complaining but his spirit endures and he seems immune to stress and sickness.

During the course of his tumultuous career Don Bradman suffered several serious setbacks. Tendulkar has even managed to retain a semblance of normality in his life, a wife, children who tease him and egg him on, friends, a restaurant, and the same smile.

Throughout there has been something in Tendulkar that set him apart. Partly it is the purity of his style. From the outset he could bat in the classical way. Contemporaries insist that he was not taught the game; it came from within, like an underground spring.

From the outset it has merely been a matter of correcting the bad habits that creep in the moment the brain sleeps. His strokes are played with a bat somehow broader and straighter than any other, and his feet seem to move effortlessly into position.
Country’s hero

But it goes beyond facts and figures, style, sportsmanship, or else others could join him in his acclaim. Tendulkar has been the hero his country needed. Indians spend billions of dollars every year trying to lighten their skins. Advertisements for the appropriate creams are shown between overs. India knows that its film stars have not crossed cultural lines.

Booker prize winners cannot inspire a nation half as well as the sight of a demonstrably Asian boy repeatedly cracking feared bowling around. It was his combination of aggression and productivity that defined him. And he has been untarnished by scandal.

For 19 years Tendulkar has inspired his countrymen. Supporters cherish his introductory masterpieces, daring and almost cheeky, his hundreds scored in adversity, and his later more restrained efforts. It is idiotic to expect a man to be the same at 36 as at 16.
Superb strokes

They remember his superb strokes, resounding straight drives, hooks and the back-foot punches past point that tells him everything is in its proper place, and his duels with Wasim Akram, Shane Warne and Brett Lee.

Accordingly it is fitting that he should become Test cricket’s highest scorer. Ordinarily the number of runs a player scores is not regarded as definitive. Apart from skill, the amassing of vast career tallies requires an ability to avoid injury, war and whim. But runs are hard-earned in Test cricket besides which longevity can be as much a bane as a boon.

All the more reason to respect this record for it tells a tale of many things, the boy who grew up before our eyes, the batsman who survived everything the bowlers or life could send his way.

Tendulkar may be in decline but he has been a constant champion for 19 years. He has had more on his shoulders than any contemporary and has managed to remain intact. Oh yes and he has scored a few runs along the way, and given immense pleasure to millions of people, Indian and otherwise.

Guys check those articles posted in last pages of old thread also. :)

[Sourav]

‘Focus was on team’s needs’

Mohali: Sachin Tendulkar said it was the team’s requirement and not records that mattered more to him.

Speaking to the press after his record-breaking effort here on Friday, Tendulkar noted, “My focus was on the team’s needs. Probably the thought about records is there in the sub-conscious mind since everybody keeps talking about them. But I have never played for records.”

However, he admitted to a quiet sense of satisfaction after becoming the first man to surpass 12,000 Test runs. “But I am happy about reaching the mark. It reflects my contribution to Indian cricket over the past 19 years.

“I am happy with what I have been able to achieve for the country. It’s not my record. It’s a record by an Indian. It’s a record for India,” he said.
Ups and downs

Talking about his long and enduring cricketing career, Tendulkar said “It has been a fantastic journey. It has not been about success alone. There have been ups and downs. “It’s the cycle of life. You learn and you evolve. Success is a process during a bigger journey. I have worked on the positives with great support from my family.”

He spoke about enjoying the game and not playing under any pressure. “When I started as a 16-year-old, there were no targets. I just enjoyed the game. I continue to do so. It is so important to enjoy the game.”

Queried about what went through his mind when he looked into the sun after setting a major batting record, Tendulkar revealed, “It was for two things. Firstly, I thanked the almighty. Then, I remembered my father. Had he been alive, he would have been a happy man today.”

Commenting on selection panel chairman Krishnamachari Srikkanth’s observation that he should continue representing India for at least three more years, Tendulkar said, “Yes, I will continue to play. I am feeling good. It’s for me to decide when I should stop.

“Nobody can tell me that. Some people have certain views and opinions. They may not always be right. I don’t have to prove anything to anybody. What matters more to me is the atmosphere in the dressing room and on the ground.

“And how we plan with the captain, the coach and the manager.”
Nice coincidence

Tendulkar said it was a nice coincidence that Srikkanth, his first captain in Tests, was the chairman of the selection panel when he became the highest run-getter in Test cricket.

Asked about the innings he recollected in an eventful career, he replied, “I remember my first hundred in England in 1990. It was an important innings for the team. Then I recall my hundreds in Sydney and Perth in 1992.

“They were two Test innings played in different conditions. The pitch in Sydney was slightly slow. The one in Perth had pace, bounce and movement. Those two innings gave me a lot of confidence.”

Tendulkar spoke about his time in the middle with Sourav Ganguly here on Friday. “We decided to keep our concentration going after the long fireworks display. Sourav reminded me of the fact that he was my partner when I scored my 35th Test hundred in Delhi. It was nice batting with him.”

He called the Indian captain Anil Kumble, “the greatest Indian bowler and someone with a big heart.” On the course the second Test could take, Tendulkar said, “The pitch is on the slower side. We need a big partnership tomorrow to move into a stable position.”

[Sourav]

The toast of the nation


Will there be another cricketer with more grandeur than that of Sachin Tendulkar? It is one thing to promise and another to deliver. He has done it. He showed potential as a 14-year-old, meeting the ball with the middle of the bat at the ‘nets’ with the seniors. And he achieved success with the mastery of a wizard.

Tendulkar has been the toast of the nation and a darling of the cricketing world from the time he ignored a bleeding nose and smashed the Pakistan fast bowlers in his debut series.

That was 19 years ago.

That he has lasted this long itself is a tribute to his endurance and perseverance. You don’t see cricketers like him these days.
Bradman’s praise

When Don Bradman lavished praise on this icon of modern cricket, the world took notice. Tendulkar was special indeed and the Don made no secret of his admiration.

Now that he sits on the summit, with a number of records adorning his career, Tendulkar obviously must be a much-relieved person.

Not that the record, of highest number of Test runs, was beyond his reach.

He has reached it as if by right. But the pace to scale it had slowed in recent times.

Tendulkar the batsman was put under scrutiny by an over-zealous army of critics. But Tendulkar the man, ever humble and the least unnerved, knew his job.

In private, he was pained at some of the unjust reactions but those expressions of emotions always remained private.

He has pursued his first love in life with the dignity that has delighted the purist.

When he batted, greatness was enthroned at the crease.

The expectations grew every time he walked out. He met most, but then failed too.
The failures

The failures rankled him and the pressures weighed him down. Like a champion, he fought and conquered his opponents and detractors.

The expectations were born when he took guard in his first Test. And they multiplied as Tendulkar set new benchmarks. Brian Lara was closest to him in matching the highest batting standards.

Comparisons were obvious but the two remained greatest admirers of each other.

Tendulkar emerged the better for many reasons, his eternal poise and grace being the highpoint in a career that has remained uncomplicated and non-controversial in all forms of the game.

His consistency, longevity, discipline and camaraderie have been an invigorating and infectious influence on his team-mates. Pressures and injuries have failed to lay him low.
Tradition and style

Tendulkar has lit up an era in which commercialism is synonymous with professionalism. He has kept the traditions and the style alive.

The fact that he continues to command his place and audience in these times is a glowing tribute to the Mumbaikar. Even as ‘experts’ and critics question the durability of the `Fab Four’ and press for youngsters to be blooded, he holds his place in the Indian team on his terms. He has done it for nearly two decades now.

Now that he has got past Lara’s record, it would be fitting to allow the man to play without any pressures.

The Tendulkar of the 90s, domineering at the crease, imperious when facing the best, would be the biggest gain from this landmark at Mohali.

And please, let him decide when to play his last innings for India. He deserves this honour.

[Sourav]

http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/18/images/2008101877771901.jpg

[Sourav]

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=TOICH/2008/10/18/1/Img/Pc0011600.jpg

[littlemaster1982]

[tscii:26619f6cb2]‘THERE MIGHT BE ANOTHER 16-YEAR-OLD IN ME’

Mohali: Greatness, they say, is the dream of youth realized in old age. For Sachin Tendulkar, perpetually 16, greatness had been preordained, a nation living off an exquisitely talented batsman’s dreams as he grew up in the public eye.

It couldn’t have been easy, but genius knows only barriers of the mind. On Friday, Tendulkar finally claimed the record many felt he had been born for, ever since his debut in Pakistan as a diminutive teenager, with a perpetually raging fire in the belly.

It was a record 19 epochal years in the making, and Friday saw a moment at the sun-drenched PCA Stadium which will be etched in sporting immortality. The first ball after tea, with India rebuilding after the fall of three quick wickets, Tendulkar steered Australian debutant Peter Siddle to third man to ease past West Indian stalwart Brian Lara’s record and become the highest scorer in Test cricket history.

It was inevitable, planned for, such is Tendulkar’s enduring prowess. Yet it was worth the wait. The years had taken away some fleetness of foot, some sharpness of reflex, and the tongues were wagging, the swords out. The ceaseless grind of international cricket had taken a big toll on the body. He had failed in three Tests in Sri Lanka, where he went needing 172 to breach the 11,953 mark. He failed in the first Test of this series in Bangalore, falling for 49 in a knock which helped save the game for India. He needed only 15 here, and as a surprisingly sparse Mohali crowd exploded, fireworks went off in the mid-afternoon heat and Ricky Ponting and the Australians rushed to congratulate, Tendulkar merely looked up at the heavens, more in relief than celebration. In a lifetime of living up to expectations, he had lived up to the biggest of them all. He revealed later he was thanking his gods, and missing his father (“He would have been a proud man”). He then went on to another first, breaching the 12,00-run mark, before falling 12 short of his 40th Test ton.

“Success is a process,” an understandably philosophical Tendulkar said later. “It’s a lot of sweat, challenges. I’d have preferred to get to this mark earlier. This is not only my record, it’s a record for all India. Kaafi baat ho rahi thi. I never played for records when I started out. I still don’t. But as the career progresses, the subconscious mind starts thinking about these things. Everyone kept reminding me of it. At least I don’t have to give them the same answer.

“I knew it would come. As always, I decided to just keep it simple and keep my eye on the ball, not the record. The journey has been fantastic. There have been ups and downs, but each step has taught me more. It’s a circle of life, success and failure comes as a package deal. Sometimes there are stones thrown at you and you convert them into milestones. This is one of my proudest moments.”

For 19 years, Tendulkar hasn’t slept well before a Test match. He didn’t sleep well on Thursday night either. “I don’t think it’s abnormal,” he smiled wearily, “It’s just the pressure of a Test match.” Being alone at the top isn’t new for Tendulkar, but what next? “Who knows, there might be another 16-year-old in me,” he laughed, “Who knows what might happen next. All records are meant to be broken. I don’t want to give up yet. Opinions don’t bother me, it’s only the team I care about. I have always batted for joy. When you enjoy the game, you can deliver the goods. I don’t want to complicate my game. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone. I feel good, I’m going to continue.”

He proceeded to thank his family, none of whom were present (“it’s not my family style to go over the top”), his coach, Anil Kumble and the day’s other milestone man, Sourav Ganguly. “Sourav was also there when I got my 35th ton, and he reminded me of that. I said, ‘How can you think of such things in the middle?’” :lol:

Times of India.[/tscii:26619f6cb2]

[littlemaster1982]

[tscii:124806420a]For the record, he is the greatest

As Test cricket’s most prolific run-maker, the question kind of becomes redundant. But it will still be asked in certain uncharitable quarters. So here goes: Is Sachin Tendulkar the greatest batsman this game has seen?

The answer, at least before the ugly new millennium sneaked in, was close to an emphatic yes. But since then, the body — probably jealous of its own extraordinary exploits — rose in revolt. It blunted the one thing that made him super-special: his stroke-play.

Tendulkar has always been a smart cricketer; but more than that, he has also been a smarter person. He did his math, plusses and minuses, and painfully arrived at the conclusion: it’s better to forsake a thing or two for that ultimate gain: the highest perch in history.

He cut off a few strokes, paced his innings more and yielded the spotlight to the younger guns. The booming coverdrives, searing cuts and pulls surfaced only as afterthoughts. The cheeky shots became part of his repertoire.

Well before he had entered the Test arena, of course, he had abandoned the towering sixes; now, the boundaries too came only as rapidly as they do for most other batsmen. The ones and the twos got pally with him too. But then Tendulkar always understood the real value of every drop.

As the world mocked him, he laughed along: the grander designs of great men are never understood by the lesser mortals of this world. Today, as he crosses 12,000 and enters an even more rarefied stratosphere, one can only look up and marvel at his conquests.

For many years, Tendulkar was of course the little boy on the burning deck, fighting fire with fire. Before him, Indian batting was more about survival, even self-preservation, when it came to the fiercest fast bowlers; after him, the word fear was removed from our conscience.

It didn’t matter if it was Waqar Younis, Allan Donald, Curtly Ambrose, Wasim Akram or Glenn McGrath; the faster they came at him, the harder he hit them. Incredibly, he had all the time in the world to play them; more fascinatingly, perhaps, he brought serenity to the crease. As the years rolled on, however, the assaults came from within: he had to be ever-conscious of his back, his elbow, his little finger. He just didn’t know which part would betray him in the next match; more than the little screams from inside, though, the noises from outside were disturbing.

Everybody wanted him to be that little boy again; everybody yearned to see him dominate the bowlers. But Tendulkar had already evolved: he had gone on to the next level. The world might not like it this way; but he is at peace with himself, and the world too.

Let us never forget, he has spent 19 years of his life taking the game higher and higher. First, he brought big money into cricket; then, he made it a national passion. Indeed, for a very long time, he was the main unifying force in the country; in times of trouble, he was the only soothing balm too.

Along the arduous journey, though, he maintained his poise all the way. Dignity and humility were part of his armour; amazingly, the hunger for the game never subsided. Is it surprising, then, that virtually all the important records in the game have come and lay down at his feet? Can there be any greater player than that?[/tscii:124806420a]

[littlemaster1982]

[tscii:d912ef50fa]‘A master, tutor and elder brother’

Team India Salutes Batting Genius And His Spirit

Nagpur: On the day Sachin Tendulkar climbed the Everest of expectations, some of his colleagues joined the chorus of people from every walk of life to acknowledge and appreciate his titanic achievement.

‘‘Paaji (Sachin) is such an inspiring presence at the wicket and in the dressing room. He still retains a school boy’s enthusiasm for the game and he’s always willing to share his wealth of experience,’’ said Dhoni. “It’s no secret that whenever a new player joins the team, he silently keeps studying Tendulkar for the first few matches. But the man himself is like an elder brother. He’s never short of valuable tips for all of us,’’ he dded.

Finally, when Dhoni did make it to the Indian team, he made the most of Tendulkar’s presence around him.

‘‘I remember in the 2006 series in Pakistan, when India was struggling in the Faisalabad Test, I came to the wicket when Shoaib Akhtar was bowling at 150 plus. The first few balls were lightning fast and honestly I had no clue. It was here that Tendulkar walked down from the non-striker’s end and told me, ‘Play the way you always play with a smile on your face and enjoy the challenge.’ That gave me a lot of confidence and I hit the next ball for a six over mid-wicket. I went on to score my maiden Test hundred (148) and we saved the follow-on.’’

Another senior pro, VVS Laxman, too showered praises on Tendulkar. ‘‘He has been around for 19 years and he has been absolutely brilliant. He has been playing the game with such love, passion and commitment, it’s unbelievable. No one deserves the record more than him.’’

Sharing his dressing room experience with Tendulkar, Laxman underlined the man’s modesty. ‘‘For a man of his accomplishments, he is very humble. He is always willing to share his experience. He is an amazing team man.’’

One of the promising youngsters who has gained from sharing the dressing room with Tendulkar is RP Singh. ‘‘There’s so much to learn from him. He’s friendly, and always willing to help,’’ RP said. Yuvraj Singh probably symbolises the sentiments of most young guns best vis a vis Tendulkar’s overwhelming presence in the dressing room. ‘‘When I first came into the team, I was scared to talk to him. But he is such a fantastic person that he would himself come up and speak to me. And that made me very happy. Later on, we became good friends and I value his presence on and off the field. He is not only a great batsman but he is also a great human being.’’

The dashing left-hander reckoned that it was a ‘great feeling’ to see Tendulkar break the record. At the same time he was a bit surprised that he did not go on to score a well deserved hundred. ‘‘This is probably the only time that Sachin has raised his bat thrice without going on to score a hundred. First when he went past Lara’s record, next when he crossed 12,000 runs and the third time when he completed his half-century.’’

Yet another young gun to benefit immensely from the little champion’s presence in the dressing room is Irfan Pathan. ‘‘The way he conducts himself in the dressing room is also a part of the learning process. He has such a great knowledge about the game that he is always willing to share it. Not just that, you can even learn a lot without him saying a word. On the field, he has given me useful tips standing at mid-off or mid-on.”
[/tscii:d912ef50fa]

[littlemaster1982]

[tscii:cc9adc5b53]Career highlights

Holds the record for most Test hundreds away from home — 23

Shares the record for most Test hundreds (16) with Gavaskar in India

Holds the record for most runs away from home - 6821 at 53.70, 87 Tests.

Holds the record for most runs in India - 5118 at 54.44 in 64 Tests.

Recorded seven scores in the 90s. Rahul Dravid and Steve Waugh, with 10 scores in the 90s, jointly hold the record for most nineties.

Holds the record for the fastest 8,000 runs in Tests (154 innings)

Only Indian batsman to amass 300 runs in a Test without being dismissed — 241 not out + 60 not out vs. Australia in Sydney in Jan, 2004.

Is the only batsman in Test annals to register two unbeaten fifties apart from aggregating 300 runs in a Test without being dismissed against Australia.

Only batsman to post 9 centuries in India-Australia Tests. Only England’s Jack Hobbs, with 12 hundreds, has recorded more hundreds than Sachin against Australia.

His tally of 7 tons is the most by any batsman against SL.

Four times in his career, he has aggregated 1,000 runs in a calendar year — 1000 (ave.62.50) in 12 Tests in 1997; 1088 (ave.68.00) in 10 Tests in 1999; 1003 (ave.62.68) in 10 Tests in 2001 and 1392 (ave.55.68) in 16 Tests in 2002.

Holds the partnership records for the third, fourth and 10th wickets for India.

Best series in terms of run-aggregate — 493 at an average of 70.42 against Australia in 2007-08.

Hit four centuries at M.A.Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai in eight Tests — the most by him at any one venue.

At four Test venues, his average is 185-plus - 266.00 at Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka; 221.33 at Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia, 193.00 at Headingley, Leeds and 187.00 at Old Trafford, Manchester.

His tally of 11 Man of the Match awards is an Indian record.

Hit most fours in Test Cricket — 1579. [/tscii:cc9adc5b53]

[Sourav]

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=TOICH/2008/10/18/21/Img/Ad0210406.png

[Sourav]

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=TOICH/2008/10/18/22/Img/Pc0221600.jpg

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=TOICH/2008/10/18/22/Img/Pc0221100.jpg

[Sourav]

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=TOICH/2008/10/18/22/Img/Ar0220001.png

[Sourav]

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=TOICH/2008/10/18/22/Img/Ar0220201.png

[littlemaster1982]

[tscii:febe4a70a5]TENDULKAR TRIVIA

Named after legendary music director Sachin Dev Burman by his father.

Grew his hair and tied a band around it to copy his idol John McEnroe. Was called McEnroe by his friends. Admires tennis stars Boris Becker and Pete Sampras-and Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona.

Wanted to be a fast bowler and that desire took him to the MRF Pace Academy but head coach Dennis Lillee asked him to concentrate on his batting.

Has scored big runs on major Indian festival days like Gokulashtmi, Raksha Bandhan, Holi and Diwali.

Enjoyed vada-pav eating competitions with cricket buddies Vinod Kambli and Salil Ankola Loves sea food; Owns a restaurant in Mumbai.

SCG is his favourite ground. He has scored three hundreds there.

Is a great lover of Kishore Kumar and rock group Dire Straits. Guards his personal stereo like his life.

A devout worshipper of Lord Ganesha, Sachin visits the Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai in the wee hours of morning.

Always wears his left pad first and has the tri-colour pasted inside his kit bag.

Enjoys dunking his glucose biscuits into his tea and devouring them with a spoon.

Has ambidextrous skills. Bats with his right hand, signs autographs and eats with his left Used to sleep with his cricket gear on during his junior days.

Refused to shoot for a soft drink ad of him smashing cricket balls with a fly swatter. He reportedly toldad film-maker Prahlad Kakkar, ‘‘it would make me greater than the game.’’ The ad was modified: he hit the balls with a stump.

Enjoys fast-cars.

Came back from the four-month tour of Australia after the 1992 World Cup and turned up to play for his college, Kirti College, in April 1992.

Was without a bat contract during the 1996 World Cup where he emerged as the highest run-getter.

Fielded for Pakistan as a substitute during a one-day practice match against India at the Brabourne Stadium in 1988.

Was a ball boy during the 1987 World Cup semifinal between India and England at Wankhede.

The first ad he shot was for sticking plaster In school, he was once mistaken for a girl by Atul Ranade because of his long curls.

Became a big fan of Amitabh Bachchan after watching blockbusters Deewar and Zanjeer.

Sang and whistled with Vinod Kambli during their 664-run record stand in the Harris Shield in 1988 to avoid eye-contact with the coach’s assistant, who wanted to declare while the duo wanted to bat on.

Was a bully at school but was kind to cats and dogs. His first captain, Sunil Harshe, said that he loved to pick a fight. Every time he was introduced to someone, his first reaction was, ‘will I be able to beat him?’.

Used to go fishing for tadpoles and guppy fishes in the stream that ran through the compound of his building.

Made his mother once look for a frog bhaji recipe.

He once put a hose pipe into Sourav Ganguly’s room, and turned on the tap. Ganguly awoke to find his gear floating.

Calls Ganguly, Babu Moshai. Sourav calls him Chhota Babu. [/tscii:febe4a70a5]

[littlemaster1982]

All the articles above are taken from Times of India.

[Sourav]

LM,
I had to del/edit 2 or 3 posts...Because u posted them seconds b4 me...
:lol: :thumbsup:

[Sourav]

SACH IS LIFE: SOURAV
Gaurav Kanthwal | TNN

Chandigarh: At the fag end of his career Sourav Ganguly crossed another landmark in the Test cricket, making him the fourth Indian batsman to cross the 7000 runs mark.
Not showing any sense of achievement and any emotion of relief on his face, a calm and composed Ganguly chose to play down his feat. “It is a great day for Sachin. Being the highest run scorers in both forms of the cricket and having maximum centuries under his belt, it is unbelievable,” he said, congratulating the Little Master.
“In two decades, Sachin has scored runs like no other cricketer in the world,” continued Ganguly, adding, “He is a phenomenon. He is such a big inspiration for the next generation of cricketers that every kid in India wants to emulate him. Every country has sporting heroes and we are lucky enough to have him in our side.”
Incidently, Friday’s is the second landmark that Tendulkar has crossed with Ganguly giving company at the non-striker’s end. When Tendulkar had crossed Sunil Gavaskar’s record of 34 Test centuries at the Feroz Shah Kotla in December 2005, the Kolkatan southpaw was at 39, weaving a partnership of 112 runs. “I recalled that partnership with Sachin and wished him luck just before he scored the record breaking runs,” he recalled. “What sets Sachin apart from other cricketers is his hunger for runs. Despite playing there for two decades, everytime he comes down to bat he shows the same zeal that he had when he made his debut as a 16 year-old,” said Ganguly. “His hunger for runs is insatiable. Though, he is happy with the way he is playing but he is not satisfied and wants to continue scoring runs.” :D :D

[Sourav]

When Sachin spoke...


It’s a coincidence that it’s happened against Australia. I’d have liked to get this record against any side. But Australia being the top side in the world, in the ICC rankings they’re No. 1, and so it makes it special to get it against the top side in the world.
I’m very happy I’ve made this record. There had been a lot of talk about this, and my concentration was only on what the requirement of the team was, and how I had to get as many runs as I could.
I’m quite pleased with the knock today. When I went to bat we’d lost three wickets within no time so it was extremely important that we got into a good partnership and continued from there.
When I looked up, I obviously had two thoughts on my mind. One was that I thanked the Almighty for everything he’s given me; the second one, obviously, that I thanked my father because today I miss him. He definitey would have been a proud man… yes, I thought of them.
The wicket is on the slower side, I would say. It’s not kind of wicket which’s got extra bounce or extra spin. As the game goes on, it will keep changing its nature so a big firstinings score is important.
I was disappointed to get out because we had targets and I thought if especially after those crackers went off… we (Sourav and me) both decided that we had to focus on our game and continue batting for a long time. That was the idea. But the reversing (old) ball and then the new ball to play, it’s completely different. And it took me that just fraction too long to adjust and I paid a heavy price for that.
It’s been a fantastic journey, and I’ve enjoyed it. It’s not been only about success, there have been ups and downs and through that various challenges, I have been able to overcome those obstacles. I think it’s been fantastic. Success is a process and during that journey sometimes there are stones thrown at you and you convert them into milestones — it’s a great feeling.
I’ve been able to overcome a lot of challenges and that’s been because of my family, my well-wishers and everyone around. Everyone wants me to do well and so it’s a huge strength.
I’m sure the next target would be to just continue to play like this. I’ve enjoyed my game and I need to just continue with that because I started as a 16-year-old, there were no targets. I just wanted to go out and enjoy every moment, and I wish to continue that… because it’s important to enjoy the game. When you enjoy the game, you always are in a different mood to go out there and there and deliver the goods, the needful. That’s what I’d like to continue, not think about too many things. Not to complicate my game.
I think all records are meant to be broken, and it’s just that we need to see what happens in future. Talk about today, and I’m pleased that it’s come my way. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. As a 16-year-old, I didn’t have any targets, but this happened. Now there may be another 16-year-old who wouldn’t have any targets and who knows where he’s going to go?!
To be honest, I was not under so much pressure about this record. I knew that I just had to go out and play my game and it would come at some stage.

[Sourav]

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=TOICH/2008/10/18/23/Img/Pc0231200.jpg

[littlemaster1982]

Sourav,

Post that RBS ad in TOI too. I was not able to get the link.

[Sourav]

Sourav,

Post that RBS ad in TOI too. I was not able to get the link.

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=TOICH/2008/10/18/24/Img/Ad0240901.png

[littlemaster1982]

:ty: :ty:

[Sourav]

Prez, PM hail Sachin’s feat


New Delhi, Oct. 17: Congratulating Sachin Tendulkar for eclipsing West Indian Brian Lara’s record to become the highest run-getter in Test cricket, President Pratibha Patil on Friday expressed hope that he would continue to set new standards. “I am extremely delighted and proud that you have reached the pinnacle of achievement in cricket today, by becoming the highest run getter in Test cricket. By doing so you have given joy to billions of Indians and I am sure that you will continue to set new standards of achievement in future,” the President said in her message to the master batsman.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hailed Tendulkar as a ‘genius.’ “I congratulate Sachin Tendulkar on becoming the highest run scorer in Test cricket. Sachin is truly worthy of the mantle of the greatest run scorer in Tests. I have been following his cricket and there is no doubt that he is a genius,” Mr Singh said.

[Sourav]

http://epaper.dinamalar.com/DM/DINAMALAR/2008/10/18/Article//019/18_10_2008_019_010.jpg

[Sourav]

http://epaper.dinamalar.com/DM/DINAMALAR/2008/10/18/Article//019/18_10_2008_019_009.jpg

[HonestRaj]

http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2008/oct/17sachin.htm

[HonestRaj]

There is no picture of Thalaivar in the first page :?

[viraajan]

In Times of India,

First page-la thalaivar-ku ore pughazharam than... padikkumbodhe kaanula thanni varudhu... Tears of joy :)

Romba sandhoshama irukku...

[HonestRaj]

Tendulkar elated by "fantastic journey"

MOHALI, India (Reuters) - Sachin Tendulkar described his career as a "fantastic journey" after eclipsing retired West Indian Brian Lara's world record for most test runs on Friday.

"It has taken me 19 years to get the record," the 35-year-old Tendulkar said after achieving the feat on the first day of the second test against Australia.

"It can't happen overnight," Tendulkar, who made his debut as a 16-year-old and holds the records for runs and hundreds in both tests and one-dayers, told reporters.

"It has been a fantastic journey. There have been ups and downs in the process of success."

Tendulkar, who is among the team's senior players facing questions about retirement, added jokingly: "If stones are thrown at you, you convert them into milestones."

The batsman had needed 15 runs to surpass Lara's record of 11,953 runs, a feat he achieved after tea.



FEELING GOOD

He also completed 12,000 runs in tests before being dismissed for 88. Tendulkar missed out on the record in the first test in Bangalore, where he dug in to salvage a draw on the final day.

"I decided to just keep things simple, watching the ball, keeping my eyes on the ball and be alert," he said.

Tendulkar said he had no plans to quit, dismissing media criticism of senior players following the July-August test series defeat in Sri Lanka.

"I don't need to prove anything to anyone," he said. "All these years I didn't play cricket to prove anything to anyone, whether it was the first year of my career, 10th or 19th.

"I'm going to continue obviously. I'm feeling good. So many things have been said and written but it is not necessary they are always right. They are only opinions and what I feel is more important."

"As long as I'm enjoying it I will play. I don't need X, Y or Z to tell me when I should stop or continue. When I started playing nobody told me that. So nobody need to tell me now either."

http://in.news.yahoo.com/137/20081017/375/tsp-tendulkar-elated-by-fantastic-journe_1.html

[Nerd]

aahaa mudilapA.. Thanks for the efforts.. I am teary eyed now :cry2:

[Thirumaran]

Sachin :clap: :notworthy:

[viraajan]

Very good Name for this topic. "Sir" - :bow:

//Dig
"Sir maamannar imsai arasan 23am pulikesi" comes to mind :rotfl:

[viraajan]

"As long as I'm enjoying it I will play. I don't need X, Y or Z to tell me when I should stop or continue. When I started playing nobody told me that. So nobody need to tell me now either."


:thumbsup: Thalaiva.... :redjump:

Also, Kambli has told in a recent interview that Sachin will play next workld cup after which he may retire :bluejump:

[ajithfederer]

Pudhu thiri arambitha ramakrishna avargaluku nandri.

Seythigal pala kondu vandhu sertha sourav/lm/Honest raj/viraajan avargalukkum nandri.

Palaya thiriyil ulla anaithu seythigalayum oru pon kalanjiyamagaa naam padhukaaga muyarchi seyvom. Adhanai archive seyyum velaigalil udanae idupadumaaru saga sachin visiri sridar avargalukku vendugol vidukinrein.

Mukyamana tharunathil naan ingae kurippaga illamal ponadhai yenni varutham adaiginrein. Ennai ethirpaartha anaithu ullangalukkum ennudaya nandrigal.

Thodarndhu sachin pala saadhanaigalai saathipaar ena nambi avar aadum aatangalai parthu magilvom

:D

[Sourav]

Hey AF... :D

[ajithfederer]

[tscii:82f66ecea1]One before I arrive later in the day

Tendulkar a special talent, says Gavaskar

3 hours ago

NEW DELHI (AFP) — Former India opener Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday led a galaxy of cricketing greats in praising record-smashing Sachin Tendulkar, saying his compatriot had always been an extraordinary batsman.

Tendulkar became the leading scorer in Tests on Friday when he shattered retired West Indies captain Brian Lara's record of 11,953 runs during his 88 against Australia in the second Test in Mohali.

Gavaskar, the first batsman to complete 10,000 Test runs, said he was convinced that Tendulkar would achieve greatness when he first saw him bat in the nets two decades ago.

"I stood hidden in the players' enclosure and had my first glimpse of the genius of Sachin Tendulkar," Gavaskar wrote in his Hindustan Times column under the headline "A talent designed by God himself".

"He played a couple of forcing shots to midwicket off the backfoot off (former India paceman) Raju Kulkarni, and that was enough to convince me that he was a special talent.

"There wasn't the slightest of doubt that he was destined to bag all batting records."

The 35-year-old Tendulkar also holds three more world marks -- most runs in one-day internationals (16,361) and highest number of centuries in Tests (39) and one-dayers (42).

"It is hard to imagine any player in the history of the game who combines classical technique with raw aggression like the little champion does," said Gavaskar.

"There is not a single shot he cannot play. The batting records couldn't be in better hands, for here is a player with special talent who has been a role model for a generation."

Former Australian captain Allan Border said he was highly impressed with Tendulkar's ability to adapt himself to different conditions.

Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 148 in the Sydney Test and 114 in Perth against Border's team in 1992.

"I was amazed at his impeccable adjustments in technique and his stunning proficiency off the back foot," Border wrote in the same newspaper.

"He enjoyed playing strokes off the front foot, but his adjustments and supreme control off the back foot at Perth were a treat to watch."

Sri Lankan batsman Sanath Jayasuriya said it was always difficult to find weaknesses in Tendulkar's batting because the Indian was good against both pace and spin on fast and slow pitches.

"In my opinion, Sachin is unquestionably the best player of the modern era," said Jayasuriya, the only Sri Lankan to have completed 10,000 runs in one-day internationals.

"Brian Lara, the man he overtook yesterday, was his closest peer. But while Lara's strokeplay was breathtaking and spoke of genius, Sachin wins over him for his astonishing consistency in a career spanning over 19 years."

India Test captain Anil Kumble said Tendulkar's ability to keep cool in pressure situations separated him from the rest.

"I've watched Sachin have his ups and downs, battle injury and deal with everything with immaculate calm. It's an amazing quality, a blessing," said Kumble, the world's third-highest wicket-taker in Tests with 616 scalps.

"That calm is what has always fascinated me, apart from his game itself and the way he approaches it. The other thing I've admired is the way he takes nothing for granted and prepares meticulously for every situation."

Indian batsman Sourav Ganguly, quitting international cricket after the ongoing series against Australia, was all praise for Tendulkar's technique, saying it was "so simple, yet so solid."

"What has stood up in his success story is his ability to adjust and change his game according to the situation," said Ganguly, who has scored more than 7,000 runs in Tests and 11,363 runs in one-day internationals.

"At times I have seen him do completely different things in the middle of a Test innings and have wondered how he could do it straight in a game without trying it at nets. That's why he is such a great player."

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5g1GRbImnh5S88rDMiES1YDRgx9yw[/tscii:82f66ecea1]

[Sourav]

[tscii:6e57fdbb43]Sachin more consistent than Lara: Sanath


Mumbai: The comparison between the two great batsmen of the modern era – Brian Lara and the man who surpassed his Test aggregate Sachin Tendulkar – will be made for a long, long time to come according to Sri Lanka’s star batsman Sanath Jayasuriya the Indian star is more consistent than the former West Indies skipper.

"In my opinion, Sachin is unquestionably the best player of the modern era. Brian Lara, the man he overtook yesterday, was his closest peer. But while Lara’s stroke-play was breathtaking and spoke of genius, Tendulkar wins over him for his astonishing consistency in a career spanning over 19 years," Jayasuriya wrote in this column for the Hindustan Times on Saturday.

"Right from the time he played his first game aged 16, he has scored runs like a machine against all opponents. Only in 2006, when he averaged just 24.27 did his form dip. And against the best in the world, Australia, he’s played some of his finest innings, averaging 56 with nine hundreds," he added.

"Sri Lankans have not been spared either. His record against us in 18 Tests is very impressive, seven hundreds at 64.38. And for us he has always been the prized scalp. Take Tendulkar and you are halfway to beating India. Now that is perhaps less true, but for over a decade it was how we thought," he said.

[/tscii:6e57fdbb43]

[Sourav]

Major records held by Sachin

* Only batsman to make 12,000 runs in the history of Test Cricket.

* Only batsman to register 10,000 runs in Test cricket at No.4 position - 10,041 at an average of 56.09 in 201 innings, including 34 hundreds.

* Holds a world record for most Test centuries - 39.

* Holds the record for most Test centuries on foreign soil - 23.

* Holds the record for most runs on foreign soil - 6,821 at an average of 53.70 in 87 Tests.

Today, I miss my dad: Sachin Tendulkar | Progression of Test run-aggregate record

* Amassed 1,000 runs in a calendar year four times - 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2002.

* Sachin's 10th fifty against Australia is his 50th fifty in Tests.

* Sachin is the second Indian and the fourth in Test annals to have registered 50 fifties or more in Tests, joining Allan Border (63), Rahul Dravid (53) and Steve Waugh (50).

* Tendulkar, during his innings of 88, has established another record. He is now the leading run-getter at Mohali - 547 runs at an average of 54.70 in eight Tests, eclipsing Rahul Dravid's tally of 509 (ave.56.55) in seven Tests.

[viraajan]

Feddy anne, vandhutteengala :D

[Shakthiprabha.]

.............

WELCOME BACK :)

[Sourav]

[tscii:1817879ba2]‘Is he human?’ British papers unite in praising Sachin

They may squabble over politics, but British newspapers sank their well-known political differences to heap praise on the genius of Sachin Tendulkar Saturday, with one former captain wondering: “Is he human?”"The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter,” wrote former skipper Michael Atherton in the Times, considered a pro-Establishment paper.

“As [political commentator] Mathew Parris wondered of [US presidential candidate] Barack Obama in these pages recently, is he human?”

The pro-Labour Guardian newspaper carried an editorial article which said: “Tendulkar’s greatness has been much foretold, not least by those whose standing in the game he now challenges.

“[West Indian batsman Brian] Lara said of him: ‘You know genius when you see it. And let me tell you Sachin is pure genius.’ Cricket’s greatest ever batsman Sir Donald Bradman had the same reaction.”

The Guardian’s veteran cricket writer Mike Selvey said Sachin’s feat in becoming the highest run scorer in cricket “serves to restart the debate over which of the record-holders should be regarded as the greatest of modern batsmen,” naming Viv Richards, Alan Border, Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara and Sachin.

“Coming up strongly, and almost certain to set new standards both in terms of runs and centuries, is Ricky Ponting who may render the argument superfluous,” Selvey said.

Former England Test player Peter Pringle wrote in the pro-Conservative Daily Telegraph: “Supreme greatness has been predicted ever since he made 326 not out in a school match, and yesterday, on the first day of India’s second Test against Australia in Mohali, that karma came to pass.”

Echoing Atherton’s comments, Pringle said: “…While occasionally lured into indiscretions outside off-stump, he has never been lured into any outside the laws. Nothing has stained Tendulkar’s saintliness over his 20-year career. Indeed, he appears to have no unnatural appetites, save for scoring runs and Formula One.

“Plenty are born with talent but few are as driven to express it in full and he is as much a product of the nets as blessed genes.”[/tscii:1817879ba2]

[Sourav]

The Importance of Being Sachin Tendulkar

http://www.khabrein.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17791&Itemid=60

[selvakumar]

Sachin :thumbsup: :D :bluejump:
Vaanavedikkai, saravedinnu ground ae ninnuchu - unakku mattumthaan :smokesmirk:

[selvakumar]

[tscii:054e24ca39]
http://www.khabrein.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17791&Itemid=60


Every time he goes on to bat, the whole of India, if not the whole world that watches cricket, cheers, as if a gladiator has walked into an arena full of hungry tigers. The pious ones pray to God. The more pious ones put vermillion on the television screen (not kidding). The hysterical ones watch every ball he faces from behind a pillow bunker as if their eyes shot rays of misfortune that’ll go through the TV screen and bowl Sachin out. No matter what the opposition does, as long as Sachin is out there, there’s hope India can still win, even if it is mathematically impossible. Sachin is a superhero - he can even bend the rules of mathematics and take India to victory. Heck, Sachin can bend light.
:notworthy:

Thanks sourav ! :D[/tscii:054e24ca39]

[Vivasaayi]

Sachin :thumbsup: :D :bluejump:
Vaanavedikkai, saravedinnu ground ae ninnuchu - unakku mattumthaan :smokesmirk:

ada yenga...mohali oru mattamana ground for making this record...very sparse crowd

imagnie the atmosphere in mumbai or chennai...chumma stadiume konja neram aadeerukkum

as sangakara has said in his recent article

"I will always have one striking memory of Sachin that will be forever etched in my mind: his thrilling entrance onto a cricket field. The anticipation of him emerging from the pavilion, and his walk from the boundary to the centre, is almost surreal. The sound of a passionate Indian crowd all chanting "Sachin, Sachin" as they wait in anticipation, followed by the enormous roar when he emerges onto the field, is electrifying. "

what true words...his persona..the electrifying atmosphere when he enter the field... priceless :clap: matchless hero :notworthy:

[selvakumar]

imagnie the atmosphere in mumbai or chennai...chumma stadiume konja neram aadeerukkum
Mumbai :notthatway:
Chennai - :thumbsup:

[viraajan]

as sangakara has said in his recent article

"I will always have one striking memory of Sachin that will be forever etched in my mind: his thrilling entrance onto a cricket field. The anticipation of him emerging from the pavilion, and his walk from the boundary to the centre, is almost surreal. The sound of a passionate Indian crowd all chanting "Sachin, Sachin" as they wait in anticipation, followed by the enormous roar when he emerges onto the field, is electrifying. "


:bow: Aiyo.... amazing lines.... pullarikkudhu... :bow:

[Sanguine Sridhar]

Adhanai archive seyyum velaigalil udanae idupadumaaru saga sachin visiri sridar avargalukku vendugol vidukinrein.


Done sir!
Welcome back, we missed you. Muyarchi veen pogala :)

Btw added some snaps in the first post let me know if anyother snaps needs to be uploaded.

Vaazhga Sachin!

[Sanguine Sridhar]

Dedicating this picture to all the hardcore Sachin fans! :D

[html:92bc850995]

http://i26.tinypic.com/xnrcr8.jpg%5C

[/html:92bc850995]

[P_R]

imagnie the atmosphere in mumbai or chennai...chumma stadiume konja neram aadeerukkum
Mumbai :notthatway:
Chennai - :thumbsup:

Mumbai :x naansens !
They booed at Sachin in the England series 2006.

Chennai - the most knowledgable cricket audience in India- just lapped up Sachin. Chennai is his pEttai. 4 great Test centuries :bow:

It was 4 centuries in his first 5 tests ('93 England, '98 Australia, '98 Pakistan and '01 Australia). After that he has gone without a century or 50 for the next 4 matches played there. We have been witness to some nice strokes but then disappointing end to those innings. But we have only been 'disappointed', it was we who missed the 'treat'. It is the kind of crowd he deserves.

[salaam_chennai]

Thalaivaaaa :notworthy: :notworthy:
collection of quotes by lesser mortals about god over the years

[tscii:fb02e67ba8]Andrew Symonds
wrote on an aussie t-shirt he autographed specially for Sachin. "To Sachin, the man we all want to be"

Mathew Hayden:
I have seen GOD , he bats at no.4 for india in Tests.

Ravi Shashtri:
He is someone sent from up there to play cricket and go back.

Brain Lara:
Sachin is a genius , i am a mere mortal!

Barry Richards:
Sachin is crickets GOD

Martin Crowe:
The shot played on this ball is only possible for the GOD of cricket.

Ian Botham:
If someone says that Sachin is not a big match player , throw that person from the highest peak of the world.

Shane Warne:
I would go to bed having nightmares of sachin dancing down the ground and hitting me for sixes.

Sourav Ganguly:
He batted like GOD today.

Viv Richards:
He is 99.5% Perfect.. I’ll pay to watch him play.

Dennis Lillie:
If I had to bowl to Sachin I would bowl with a halmet on. He hits the ball so hard.

Michael Kasprowicz:
Don't bowl him bad balls, he hits the good ones for fours."

Barry Richards:
Consensus is that Sir Donald Bradman was the best batsman ever to play Cricket. Sir Don did not play One-Day Cricket but if he did, he could easily be Sachin Tendulkar.

Richie Benaud:
He has defined cricket in his fabulous, impeccable manner. He is to batting what Shane Warne is to bowling.

Geoffrey Boycott:
Technically, you can't fault Sachin. Seam or spin, fast or slow nothing is a problem.

Sir Garfield Sobers:
I have watched a lot of Tendulkar and we have spoken to each other a lot. He has it in him to be among the very best.

Jeff Thompson:
Sachin is an attacker. He has much more power than Sunny. He wants to be the one to set the pace. He has to be on top. That's the buzz about him.

Hashim Amla:
Nothing bad can happen to us if we're on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it.

Shane Warne:
"Sachin 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

Martina Navratilova:
Tennis legend joins the Sachin Tendulkar fan club after watching him bat at Sydney.

Steve Waugh:
"You take Don Bradman away and he is next up I reckon."

Adam Hollioke:
"In an over I can bowl six different balls. But then Sachin looks at me with a sort of gentle arrogance down the pitch as if to say 'Can you bowl me another one?'"

Allan Border: (after India won the Coca-Cola cup )
"Hell, if he stayed, even at 11 an over he would have got it."

Ajay Jadeja
"I can't dream of an innings like that. He exists where we can't."

Desmond Haynes
In terms of technique and compactness, Tendulkar is the best

Mark Taylor
He's a phenomenon. We have to be switched on when he plays allow him no boundries, for then he doesn't stop

Wasim
"Cricketers like Sachin come once in a lifetime and I am privileged he played in my time,"

"Tuzhe pata hai tune kiska catch chhoda hai?" Wasim Akram to Abdul Razzaq when the latter dropped Sachin's catch.


Anil Kumble -he's shy little gentleman

Navjot Sidhu:
"His mind is like a computer. He stores data on bowlers and knows where they are going to pitch the ball."

Azhar
The more I see him, the more I want to see him.

Harsha bhogle
if sachin plays well..india sleeps well

Andy Flower:
There are 2 kind of batsmen in the world. One Sachin Tendulkar. Two all the others.

Shane Warne:
You have to decide for yourself whether you're bowling well or not. He's going to hit you for fours and sixes anyway. Kasprowicz has a superior story. During the Bangalore Test, frustrated, he went to Dennis Lillee and asked, "Mate, do you see any weaknesses?" Lillee replied, "No Michael, as long as you walk off with your pride that's all you can do".

Rudy Kortzen
"I never get tired during umpiring whenever sachin is on crease"

Saurav Ganguly:
SACHIN MADE 9 CENTURIES IN ONE YEAR BUT MANY CRICKETER DIDNOT MAKE 9 CENTURIES IN THEIR WHOLE CARRIER.

Harsha Bhogle:
There’s no better sight on the cricket field than watch Tendulkar bat.

Rev David Shepherd, England.
"Sachin Tendulkar! If he isn’t the best player in the world, I want to see the best player in the world".[/tscii:fb02e67ba8]

[Sourav]

Michael Kasprowicz:
Don't bowl him bad balls, he hits the good ones for fours."
:lol:
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=QXRkHervQJc
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=H3xYBiGBtAo
:notworthy:

[Sourav]

Sachin Tendulkar's five greatest innings
Sachin Tendulkar has become the most prolific run-scorer in the history of Test cricket. Here are five highlights from the Little Master's Test career.

1) 119 not out, England v India, Old Trafford, 1990.

In England, this series will always be remembered for Graham Gooch's 333 in the first Test at Lord's. But that was not the only remarkable batting feat of the summer. For a 17-year-old playing in alien conditions, and under the most intense pressure, Tendulkar's century at Old Trafford was arguably even more impressive than Gooch's achievement. India were struggling to avoid defeat on the final day at 127 for five, but Tendulkar batted for four hours with the tail to guide his side to safety. It was his first Test century, and confirmed the arrival of a special talent.

2) 114, Australia v India, Perth, 1992.

Back in the days before Perth became just another batting track, Australia's quick men would start salivating as soon as their plane crossed into Western Australia. In 1992, the WACA was as its most lethal, but Tendulkar's innings of 114 brought Craig McDermott and Merv Hughes to their knees. With wickets tumbling at the other end, Tendulkar, still only 19, met the challenge head on. The Australian public have loved him ever since.

3) 169, South Africa v India, Cape Town, 1997.

Another epic counter-attack in hostile conditions. South Africa racked up 529 in the first innings before their stellar seam attack reduced the tourists to 58 for five. Tendulkar, then approaching his peak, wasted no time in taking the fight back to the Proteas. In partnership with Mohammad Azharuddin, Tendulkar hit 26 boundaries in his century, almost all of them absolute crackers.

4) 155 not out, India v Australia, Chennai, 1998

Many of Tendulkar's finest innings were played outside of India, or in a losing cause. But his greatest series came at home, against the world's best team, and ended in a glorious victory. With Shane Warne bowling around the wicket and into the rough, Tendulkar used his eye, his feet and his innovative stroke play to destroy the greatest slow bowler in history. Warne would later admit Tendulkar's fireworks left him clueless and the Australian named Tendulkar as No 1 in his list of 50 greatest cricketers.

5) 136 v India v Pakistan, Chennai 1999.

India were set an unlikely 271 for victory, which seemed impossible when they collapsed to 82 for five. Chronically hampered by a back injury, Tendulkar stood firm and refused to accept defeat. Through dogged will and astonishing skill, he coaxed India close to the winning line before falling to Saqlain Mushtaq. Tendulkar's wicket prompted an Indian collapse, and another superhuman effort ultimately ended in defeat.

[Sourav]

Oz tour set up Sachin's magic show

SACHIN Tendulkar yesterday revealed his maiden tour of Australia 16 years ago had played a key role in shaping his brilliant career.

Centuries in Sydney (148 not out) and Perth (114) in that five-Test campaign of 1991-92 gave the man who is now Test cricket's leading run-scorer confidence to prosper in any conditions against any attack.

Tendulkar's coming of age in Australia came less than five months after he notched his maiden Test ton in England -- a match-saving and unbeaten 119 in Manchester.

"I think the first hundred will always be the important one," he said. "It was a special one because we kept ourselves alive in that series in England.

"The Australian tour immediately after in 1991-92 was extremely good for me because I had a good tour, scored a couple of hundreds at Sydney and at Perth, two different kind of surfaces.

"That gave me immense confidence. I felt I could tour anywhere in the world now and score runs. That was probably the turning point of my career, I would say."

Tendulkar's ton against a four-man battery of Craig McDermott, Merv Hughes, Mike Whitney and Paul Reiffel on a WACA Ground wicket which, in those days, was a haven for pace bowlers, remains one of the great innings played on Australian soil.

Only 19, Tendulkar cut, pulled and hooked Australia's quicks to all parts of the ground.

While he still is capable of the spectacular, Tendulkar isn't the force he once was and it's doubtful he would be able to craft such a knock now, aged 35.

He refuses to be specific about how long he would like to play, but the indications are he would like to play the 2011 World Cup to be held in across the subcontinent.

National selection chairman Kris Srikkanth said yesterday he believed Tendulkar could play for another two years, after he passed Brian Lara's run-scoring record on day one of the second Test against Australia.

Tendulkar holds the run-scoring records in Tests and one-day internationals.

[Sourav]

[tscii:ae091a88bf]‘Tendulkar an extraordinary batsman’

NEW DELHI: Former India opener Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday led a galaxy of cricketing greats in praising record-smashing Sachin Tendulkar, saying his compatriot had always been an extraordinary batsman.

Tendulkar became the leading scorer in Tests on Friday when he shattered retired West Indies captain Brian Lara’s record of 11,953 runs during his innings (88) against Australia in the second Test in Mohali.

Gavaskar, the first batsman to complete 10,000 Test runs, said he was convinced that Tendulkar would achieve greatness when he first saw him bat in the nets two decades ago.

“I stood hidden in the players’ enclosure and had my first glimpse of the genius of Sachin Tendulkar,” Gavaskar wrote in his column under the headline ‘A talent designed by God himself’.

“He played a couple of forcing shots to midwicket off the backfoot off (former India paceman) Raju Kulkarni, and that was enough to convince me that he was a special talent.

“There wasn’t the slightest of doubt that he was destined to bag all batting records.”

The 35-year-old Tendulkar also holds three more world marks — most runs in One-Day Internationals (16,361) and highest number of centuries in Tests (39) and One-Dayers (42). “It is hard to imagine any player in the history of the game who combines classical technique with raw aggression like the little champion does,” said Gavaskar. “There is not a single shot he cannot play. The batting records couldn’t be in better hands, for here is a player with special talent who has been a role model for a generation.” — Agencies[/tscii:ae091a88bf]

[ajithfederer]

Sourav/LM please post the news links when posting them. :)

[ajithfederer]

[tscii:0b28671784]

Tendulkar becomes leading Test run-scorer

'I can't be running after every record ' - Tendulkar

Cricinfo staff

October 17, 2008

Top Curve
Sachin speak

* On the journey:
Success is a process and during that journey sometimes there are stones thrown at you and you convert them into milestones. It's a great feeling.
* On how long he thinks he can keep the record:
I don't what is going to happen in future. I started as a 16-year-old, without any such targets. There might be another 16-year-old, who might not be having any targets and who knows where he is going to go.
* On the pressure:
"To be honest, I was not under any pressure for this record. I knew that I have to go out and play my game. It will come at some stage. There was no burden as such. Today I decided just to watch the ball as closely as possibly."
* On the sparse crowd to witness the record-breaking run:
"I did not feel anything about the poor crowd attendance. It's about quality not quantity. I got a fantastic reception in a pleasing moment. I appreciate it every applaud whichever came in my way I take it wholeheartedly."
* On the missing World Cup:
"That is something I would like to have. We were close to it in 2003. It was so close yet so far. I'm not looking that far ahead [2011]. I just want go out and enjoy myself and my game and not think of any targets. If it there is in the vicinity I will focus on it. Right now I want to enjoy myself."
* On getting there in Mohali:
"I always wanted to do it in front of the home crowd and I'm quite happy that an Indian has achieved that record. It is not my record, it is India's record. I'm happy it has been done here."
* On his family not being there at the ground:
"It is not my family style to go over at the top. I know they will be extremely happy."

Bottom Curve

It was about 15 minutes into Sachin Tendulkar's press conference. He had answered wide-ranging questions, not all pertaining to the match or his record. Before the next question came his way, the media coordinator asked him if he would like to continue. Tendulkar moved away from the mike, and although he could not be heard, it seemed he said something to the effect of "Why not?" The press conference continued for the next 11 minutes, way longer than the ones at the end of a day's play.

Tendulkar was in that kind of mood. He looked animated, spoke in three languages - English, Hindi and Marathi - and looked relieved and happy, and was subtly funny. He started off by admitting that although the record was not a big distraction, the anticipation around it did mean something. "During all the talk about the record, I concentrated on how to score runs for the team, but everybody I used to meet would talk about only one thing. Now that it is done, I know I wouldn't be asked the same question again and again."

On a personal level, he doesn't have a "what next" now? "I started as a 16-year-old, and there was no targets then," he said. "I just wanted to go enjoy every moment. That is what I like to continue with - not to think of too many things and complicate my game in the process.

"I have not played for records. I can't be running after every record [answering a query about breaking Brian Lara's 400]. I would be looking after what the team needs. The team obviously needs it. If it comes my way, I will take it. If it doesn't come, there will be no regrets."

Despite that attitude there must have been moments when he would have realised he could end up the leading run-getter in both Tests and ODIs. "As the career progresses, there is sub-consciousness mind starts thinking about it," he said. "You know that people start talking about it the records. That is how you are aware of all these things.

"There have been occasions that I didn't know how many runs I needed [to get to the record]. A couple of team-mates did not believe. I was willing to swear on anyone that I don't know. That is when they believed. The beauty is just to go out and play, and while doing that the records were meant to be broken and various milestones achieved."

What was he thinking when it happened? The steer towards the third-man boundary that got him past Brian Lara? "When I looked up, obviously I had two thoughts in my mind," he said. "One was I thanked the almighty and the second, I thanked my father. Today I miss him. He would definitely be a proud man, and I just thought of him."

Sourav Ganguly was a special partner to have when the record happened. He reminded Tendulkar of the fact that he was his partner when Tendulkar got his 35th century. "If you can remember that in the middle of all that ..."

He also dedicated the record to Ramakant Achrekar, his childhood coach, his family who have been by his side "whether or not he did well", and especially "my mother".

Almost in paternal manner, he subtly put his critics in their place. "I don't need to prove anything to anyone," he said. "I have been around for 19 years, and those 19 years I did not play cricket to prove anything to anyone, whether it was first year of my cricket or 10th, or 15th, or 19th.

"I'm not here to answer to what x, y and z is writing or saying about me. It is their opinions, and I don't take all those opinions seriously ... But sometimes I don't know how they can figure out what's going on in my mind when sometimes I myself can't figure that out."

That was the only time he sounded mildly sour, but only mildly. The talk eventually went back to the celebration when he got the record. "The duration [of the fireworks] was bit worrying." When a journalist informed him they had planned 11,954 crackers, he said, "Eventually I figured out it was 11,954 crackers or something like that."

© Cricinfo

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/indvaus2008/content/story/374396.html[/tscii:0b28671784]

[ajithfederer]

[tscii:d625fd32eb]http://www.cricketnext.com/news/tendulkar-is-master-of-adjustments-border/34891-13.html

Tendulkar is master of adjustments: Border

Cricketnext.com

Posted on Oct 18, 2008 at 11:43

Mumbai: Former Aussie skipper Allan Border said the secret of Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar’s phenomenal success is his technique to adjust to all kinds of wickets anywhere in the world.

"My earlier insight into Sachin’s precocious talent was on India’s 1992 tour to Australia. The visitors struggled in the series, but Sachin stood out, and it was clear that he had arrived. During that I was amazed at his impeccable adjustments in technique, and his stunning proficiency off the back foot," Border wrote in his column in the Hindustan Times.

"Sachin made a brilliant 148 on a Sydney featherbed, but it was his 114 at Perth that convinced me that he would be a force to reckon with in future. In early 90s WACA was far quicker and bouncy, putting batsmen’s technique to tight scrutiny. He enjoyed playing strokes off the front foot, but his adjustments and supreme control off the back foot at Perth were a treat to watch," he added.

"Sachin has dominated a number of world-class performers in his outstanding Test career. He has outsmarted Shane Warne on numerous occasions, and has performed exceptionally against fast bowlers of the caliber of Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Waqar Younis," Border observed.

"He can play shots all-round the wicket like most great batsmen, but is particularly among the best at playing straight. His trademark straight drive with the high elbow and full face of the bat is a purist’s delight, and a few play that shot better than Sachin," he added.

[/tscii:d625fd32eb]

[ajithfederer]

http://www.cricketnext.com/news/cnnibn-exclusive-little-masters-look-back--at-road-ahead/34916-13-0.html

CNN-IBN Exclusive: Little Masters look back & at road ahead

Rajdeep Sardesai | CNN-IBN

Posted on Oct 19, 2008 at 18:46 | Updated Oct 19, 2008 at 19:02

Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar are among an elite group of men who know what its like to hold the world record for most Test runs. And now for the first time, the two legends reflect on their feats and the road ahead.

They sat down with Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai in a CNN-IBN world exclusive.

Rajdeep Sardesai: What is the one piece of advice you would like to give Sachin Tendulkar today, if there is anything? I am sure you gave him when he was 15 or 16, when you first saw him but today after he has scored 12,000 runs would you want to set more targets for him?

Sunil Gavaskar: I think I did that four years ago but I am not going to do that. I won't advice him but want to make a plea, 'Please regain the World Cup for us in 2011.'

Rajdeep Sardesai: You are putting pressure on him!

Sunil Gavaskar: If this is pressure then just imagine the pressure he is under otherwise.

Page 2 of 2

Rajdeep Sardesai: Do you believe that he is still fit enough?

Sunil Gavaskar: Yes, of course he is.

Rajdeep Sardesai: Are you one of those who believe that age should not be a factor or in fact, a batsman gets better with age?

Sunil Gavaskar: Yes, a batsman get better with age.

Rajdeep Sardesai: So he can certainly play World Cup 2011?

Sunil Gavaskar: Yes, it is only a couple of years away.

Rajdeep Sardesai: Sachin, is that a goal? Is that a goal left?

Sachin Tendulkar: It has always been a dream because that is the ultimate thing that you can get for your country.

Rajdeep Sardesai: Is that the one thing perhaps that is missing from this fantastic career?

Sachin Tendulkar: We came so close to it in 2003 and it is by far the best World Cup that I have played and has been a part of. We came so close to it but I think in the finals we just tried too hard to get the Cup back home.

(You can catch the world exclusive with Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar in conversation with Rajdeep Sardesai on Friday 24th October at 8 pm )

[ajithfederer]

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mr.srikanth-why-are-you-som-unjust-to-ganguly/374696/

[tscii:4c375b480d]India will need Tendulkar for next 2-3 years: Srikkanth

Posted: Oct 17, 2008 at 1716 hrs IST
Print Email Feedback Discuss
Chairman of Selectors Srikkanth said that Sachin Tendulkar still has a lot of cricket left in him.Chairman of Selectors Srikkanth said that Sachin Tendulkar still has a lot of cricket left in him.

Chairman of Selectors Srikkanth said that Sachin Tendulkar still has a lot of cricket left in him.
Related Stories: Ganguly scores century; India all out for 469‘Stones are thrown at you, turn them into milestones’How Sachin prepared, with a little help from his friends‘Seniors’ hit back at critics with long partnership, take India past 300-run mark on Day OneSachin’s record plays onSachin will quit cricket when he will not enjoy: Anjali
Mohali, October 17: : Sachin Tendulkar still has a lot of Cricket left in him and India will need him for the next 2-3 years to guide the youngsters in the team which is ‘in the transitional phase’, Chairman of Selectors Krishnamachari Srikkanth said.

"He should play cricket for another 2-3 years. We need him as the team is going through a transition phase. He is a fantastic team man, very involved cricketer and we need him so that he is able to guide cricketers of future," Srikkanth said after Tendulkar became the highest run-getter in Test cricket.

The master batsman on Friday surpassed Brian Lara's earlier record 11953 runs in the second Test against Australia at PCA grounds in Mohali.

Heaping praise on Tendulkar, Srikkanth said when youngsters make it to the team in near future ‘we would need somebody like Sachin to be there to guide them’. [/tscii:4c375b480d]

[wrap07]

hi stan, :D
nice to see u back.
flooded with so much information about sachin. Yes, Chennai would have been fabulous for this record. :D

[ajithfederer]

The perfect stance (http://i34.tinypic.com/fmmih4.jpg)

The Billion expectations (http://i35.tinypic.com/2m5nhjl.jpg)

Snap of Shots - 1 (http://i33.tinypic.com/2h5v291.jpg)

Snap of shots - 2 (http://i37.tinypic.com/v4xoc6.jpg)

Sridhar Upload any of them in the first page.

[ajithfederer]

Gavaskar on sachin (http://i34.tinypic.com/2en0qk8.jpg)

[ajithfederer]

[tscii:55752f83c4]http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081019/jsp/sports/story_9989012.jsp

Adjustment more important than perfection, says Sachin
- ‘If you respect cricket, the game will take you everywhere’
LOKENDRA PRATAP SAHI
A TELEGRAPH EXCLUSIVE
Sachin Tendulkar

Chandigarh: Sachin Tendulkar didn’t wake up feeling any different, on Saturday, but the country continues to toast Test cricket’s No. 1 run-getter.

Sachin has always been pressed for time and the demands have got more after he eclipsed Brian Lara’s record. Late on Friday, though, he found some time to speak to The Telegraph at the Taj.

The following are excerpts

Q After such an exhaustive media conference, there’s little left to ask... However, is perfection possible?

A Look, you can always try and get close to being perfect... But I’d say that perfection isn’t everything... I know of players who haven’t been absolutely correct, or perfect, technically, but have still been able to adjust to the demands of big-time cricket... For me, then, adjustment is more important than perfection.

What about excellence?

It can be achieved, yes... It won’t come on a platter, though.

After almost 19 years, what are your memories of your Test debut in Karachi?

It’s all a blur and it has been that way for quite some time and not related to everything that has been happening after this record... About the only thing I remember is that I was so, so excited to play for India... Remember, I was just 16... Those five days went by so fast... (After a pause) What I also recall is that I’d been tense and nervous while batting.

At the media conference, you spoke of having converted the stones thrown at you into milestones. What exactly did you mean?

(Emotionally) It’s not only about me... I was also thinking of the other seniors (in the present team) when I made that comment... I think people need to show more respect to the seniors... We’ve achieved a certain level because of the sweat and tears we’ve put in and nobody should run us down... We’ve never taken anything for granted... We’ve been committed to our job and, to give a personal example, I’d be very hurt if somebody said and wrote (negative) things about my heroes... I’m so disappointed at what’s being written and said about Anil Kumble... He’s been around for over 18 years and his achievements do all the talking. Should he be subjected to what has been going on?

If anything, the seniors have always tried to raise the bar...

Absolutely... We’ve tried to put up a better performance... Getting better, irrespective of the achievements, has been our driving force.

So, what’s the legacy you’ll be leaving?

That’s not for me to say... If the next generation of cricketers find something that’s useful then they’ll try and do the same thing... It will be for them to say if they found something in me to motivate them.

Your message for young cricketers...

Take to cricket wholeheartedly and respect the game... Indeed, if you respect cricket, the game will take you everywhere. I didn’t take to cricket so that I could do certain things and go to certain places, but the game has done everything for me... I’ve stayed focused and being that would be my advice to others.

The final one: You’re seen as a unifier, among the few Indians whose following cuts across regional and religious lines. Does that, in a different way, add to the pressure?

I consider myself very fortunate that I’m able to bring people together... I stay the way I am 24x7... I don’t make an effort to do anything special, don’t try and change my behaviour... If I am a role model, it’s because people have appreciated the things I’ve done and, yes, I’m grateful to them. I guess I’ve been blessed.
Top[/tscii:55752f83c4]

[Sourav]

http://epaper.dinamalar.com/DM/DINAMALAR/2008/10/20/Article//017/20_10_2008_017_008.jpg

[Sourav]

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=TOICH/2008/10/20/22/Img/Pc0220900.jpg

The world’s best batsman?
Sachin Tendulkar became the top runscorer in Test history last week, but how does he compare with the rest. SIMON WILDE attempts to find out


Anybody who has had direct dealings with Sachin Tendulkar — who on Friday became the leading runscorer in Test history — will have their own memories of the man, and mine are his slippers. Bear with me: there is a point to this story.
Last year, during India’s tour of England, I had the rare opportunity to interview the great man in the lead-up to the first Test. The Indian team were staying at a hotel in the Essex countryside and I was told to go there and await my summons. After much hanging around, and some last-minute negotiations, it was decreed that Tendulkar would grant an audience but, Howard Hughes-like, only in his room.
There, in his curiously soft, highpitched voice, Tendulkar spoke for the best part of an hour about his career and — this view burned bright - his constant love of cricket. When it was put to him that his game was in decline, and that he had become vulnerable to shortpitched bowling, he bristled. As photographs were taken afterwards (again, in the room) I took in the scene. Tendulkar’s room was very tidy. Clothes lay over furniture rather than on the floor; most possessions were stowed neatly in an open suitcase.
Then, behind an armchair in a corner, I spied a pair of slippers. They were like Aladdin’s slippers, curled up at the front and studded with jewels (at least they looked like jewels). Immediately it occurred to me that Tendulkar had placed them there because he didn’t want a stranger to see them, and I felt like an intruder. Tendulkar has spent all of his adult life fighting for every precious moment of privacy he can find - the stories are legion of him going out in the dead of Mumbai’s night, sometimes in disguise, to escape the crowds — and here was I prying into one of the few remaining spaces he could call his own, the space behind an armchair in a nondescript hotel room in Essex.
And yet this is precisely why Tendulkar has proved such a great cricketer. The suffocating intrusions and the unbearable expectations of a billion fans must be intolerable; indeed, they have often been survivable only thanks to a phalanx of lathi-wielding policemen who would corral him into cars or on to coaches, away from the outstretched arms of blind worshippers. Tendulkar is in the 20th year of this madness and throughout has remained mentally stable, professional and decent. Despite all the riches that have come his way, he never lost sight of his job, scoring runs for his country. This is easier said than done. Remember Vinod Kambli, Tendulkar’s fellow schoolboy prodigy, who went off the rails within a few years, never to be seen again. Remember Brian Lara, who was forever riding an emotional rollercoaster. There were times when Lara fell out of love with cricket but that was never the case with Tendulkar. He remained true to his quest for perfection and there were times when he got awfully close.
When the identity of cricket’s alltime greats are discussed, Tendulkar is assured a prominent place in the debate. There are obvious reasons for this. For starters, there’s his unrivalled number of runs in Tests and one-dayers. In the not-too-distant future his combined aggregate in these two forms will top 30,000, an astonishing tally. Then there is the testimony of Sir Donald Bradman, who said Tendulkar’s batting style was the closest to that of Bradman himself, and Shane Warne, who places Tendulkar top of his list of contemporary cricketers.
But is he the greatest batsman of the modern age? Some of us think not and here is why. Watching Tendulkar bat is fascinating but his method is clinical, unemotional and largely predictable. Watching Lara - and bowling to him - wasn’t like this. With Lara, it was always a seat-of-the-pants ride. With Lara, we asked ourselves what would happen next; with Tendulkar we pretty much know. Warne may have been disingenuous when he said Tendulkar was better than Lara, for Lara tore him to shreds more often and to greater effect: Warne experienced defeat to West Indies seven times, to India four times.
Tendulkar coped with the immense burden of mass expectation remarkably well, but to say it did not affect him, or alter the way he played, is nonsense. Tendulkar always played like a man being watched by a billion pairs of eyes a man conditioned against undue risktaking. Sunil Gavaskar, the last Indian to hold the world runscoring record, also played like this, as does Rahul Dravid, the third Indian to top 10,000 Test runs. Nor were either of these two, like Tendulkar, great captains.
It is already being predicted that Tendulkar won’t hold the runscoring record for long. Don’t be so sure. Dravid is older, while Ricky Ponting is 20 months younger but is 1,700 runs behind. Jacques Kallis is a further 500 runs behind but 30 months Tendulkar’s junior. He could be more of a threat but has just had a poor tour of England and is now injured.
Back to the hotel room in Essex. As we parted, Tendulkar asked to see the piece when it was written, an indication of how closely he guards his reputation. I e-mailed him a copy. He sought several changes, including the removal of the reference to the slippers (it stayed in). He revised his defence of how he played short-pitched bowling to “no comment”, but within months gave a more eloquent reply with two scintillating hundreds in Australia. The Sunday Times

[ajithfederer]

[tscii:a98d47720a]http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Sports_News&subsection=Cricket&month=October2008&file=Sports_News2008101805155.xml

A batsman for all ages -- By Saurav Ganguly
Web posted at: 10/18/2008 0:51:55
Source ::: PMG

The first time I saw Sachin was in Kanpur where he had come to play for West Zone in the Vijay Hazare tournament. Obviously, there was huge attention on him as they were touting him to be the next big thing in Indian cricket.

I had not seen him before, but the knock he played against us, gave ample proof that if he had his head in right place, he would dominate international cricket.

He was using an Ihsan bat, which easily could have been a bench press rod for fitness work because of its heavy weight.

It amazed all of us that the man of a short stature could pick up such a heavy bat and still manouvre it. Obiovusly, in future he continued using a heavy bat and still had so much time to play genuine fast bowling.

We went on to be a part of under-17 camp under the great Vasu Paranjpe in Indore and what amazed us how much he loved batting in the nets, for hour after hour.

With time, over the years, by sharing the same dressing room, going through the highs and lows of Indian cricket, he has become a very good friend.

He is still as humble and soft spoken as he used to be and so keen and childish in narrating his childhood stories to the team-mates – whether batting for 54 days in a row in different matches when he was 14 years old and the way his coach Mr Ramakant Achrekar used to take him on his scooter around the maidans (grounds) of Mumbai.

I see no reason to say that he transformed into one of the best batsman of the modern era with hard work. His technique is so simple, yet so solid. What has stood up in his success story is his ability to adjust and change his game according to the situation. At times, I have seen him in Test matches do completely different things in the middle of an innings and asked him a few times that how could he do it straight in a game without even doing it in the nets? That’s why probably he is such a great player.

After being around for 18 years, his hunger for the game has not reduced at all and every time I see him walking out to play Test match as if he is play his first game.

I have been fortunate enough to witness some of his best Test and one-day knocks.

To my mind his best Test innings is the hundred he scored at Perth in 1992 during the tour of Australia 18 years ago.

His best one-day inning innings would be the hundred against Australia at Sharjah and also the innings of 97 against Pakistan at Centurion in the 2003 World Cup.

He has never been a fitness fanatic in an era where training is such an important criteria.

He never believed in all these and would always be spending his energy and time in harnessing his cricket skills rather than lapse around the park. He considers bowling in the nets is the way to keep him fit and that also is one of the reasons he has survived 18 years. In recent times, obviously, his body has broken down a few times, but I still feel he has got good two to three years of international cricket left in him. For the good of Indian cricket, we all hope that he continues to fire as long as he plays.

To us, he will not just be remembered as a great player and lovely human being, but also as somebody who has been trying to learn Bengali for the last fourteen years: unfortuntaley, he has never managed to do that. [/tscii:a98d47720a]

[ajithfederer]

[tscii:b8f9470ea2]http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/374341.html?wrappertype=print

Beyond legendary

He has played for two decades, carrying the hopes of a nation, and done it with grace and class. Tendulkar has transcended every other cricket hero there is

October 18, 2008

This is the first in a new series where Kumar Sangakkara looks at his favourite contemporary players.



Out of this world but down to earth: part of Tendulkar's greatness is how he has stayed humble and unassuming all through © AFP

As an international cricketer of the current generation, the Tendulkar era, I will always have one striking memory of Sachin that will be forever etched in my mind: his thrilling entrance onto a cricket field. The anticipation of him emerging from the pavilion, and his walk from the boundary to the centre, is almost surreal. The sound of a passionate Indian crowd all chanting "Sachin, Sachin" as they wait in anticipation, followed by the enormous roar when he emerges onto the field, is electrifying.

That experience also tells you much about Sachin and his special place in the game's history. He is not just the finest and most complete batsman of the past two decades. In a country that is cricket-mad, where players are deified and worshipped, he stands out and stands alone. In a continent of cricketing legends of the calibre of Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, and in a tradition of cricket that has produced other great heroes, Sachin seems to have transcended all of them and achieved a revered, almost superhuman, stature.

I remember playing in a charity game in 2003 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Thousands of people turned out to watch the match and the familiar chant filled the ground as he walked out to take strike with Virender Sehwag. However, two overs later, Sachin's dismissal was followed by pin-drop silence. As he left the field, the only sound was the murmur of the dispersing crowd. For me, that kind of pressure every single day, and the lack of a truly private life, would, I believe, prove too much.

But Sachin, somehow, has taken it in his stride for an incredible 20 years almost. To my mind that ranks as a higher achievement than the long lists of statistical records he has claimed. Playing for India is no easy task. The pressure to perform in every single outing, to win every single match, is tremendous. Magnify that a thousand-fold and that is what Sachin has to deal with.

He may have millions of fans, but he has his share of critics as well. Many times over the years India has failed to convert an appearance in a final into a win, and when this happens the first barbs of criticisms are invariably aimed at one man. "Sachin," they say, "does not win India finals." The man who has been rewriting the record books has been judged by some to have failed India in some crucial games that everyone seems to remember and talk about.

This criticism is totally unfounded and unfair. Sachin is extremely strong mentally. You have to be, to last 20 years at the top. That he is still able to carve out match-winning performances now, despite all the injuries and the physical and mental overload that comes with being a top-flight international cricketer, is testament to his mental toughness. India have not lost so many finals because of Tendulkar; they have lost because of poor team performances.

Therein lies the danger of having individual brilliance in your cricket team. Many are the times I have sat in the dressing room, watching Sanath Jayasuriya single-handedly win matches. However, without realising it, we reached the stage, at one point, where our whole confidence hinged on the rise and fall of Sanath. His early dismissal would sow seeds of doubt, and his continued presence in the middle would fuel confidence. We have succeeded now in breaking free of that dependence. It is a similar battle that India have fought with Sachin.

I first watched Sachin on TV when I was 12 years old, and for me the most striking thing about his batting has been its beautiful simplicity. The picture-perfect stance; the straight, measured back-lift; the neat forward-defensive and the checked-drive have changed little over the years. Of course, he was blessed with enormous natural talent, but that talent has been fulfilled because of a rock-solid technical foundation.



That he is still able to carve out match-winning performances now, despite all the injuries and the physical and mental overload that comes with being a top-flight international cricketer, is testament to his mental toughness. India have not lost so many one-day finals because of Tendulkar; they have lost because of poor team performances



His simple technique has helped him adapt to, and dominate, all formats of the game under all conditions. Use Cricinfo's Statsguru to assess his overall record and you can only marvel at the completeness of his career. He has scored runs in every cricketing country, on every type of pitch, against every bowling attack. Furthermore, his dominance extends from Test cricket to one-day cricket, and even to the newest format, the Twenty20 game.

Various teams have used different tactics against him over the years, probing his technique to find weaknesses. However, even if they did find any, he was always able to adapt and evolve his game to overcome the challenge. That is what great players do. To my mind, his only obvious weak spot has been against the ball that nips back in from outside off stump - a delivery that troubles several of India's batsmen, though for different reasons.

Since 2003, life does seem to have become tougher for Sachin, mainly because of injuries and the physical toll of the international treadmill. I sense that this - especially the injuries - has introduced a more cautious attitude to his batting. Which is why the appearance of Sachin today does not bring with it a cloud of doom for the fielding team, as it used to do. His increased conservatism has dulled his threat, although he remains very capable of compiling match-winning scores.

Despite his great achievements Sachin has managed to stay an unassuming, humble and very approachable human being. He is a family man whose life is steeped in good moral and religious values. His interaction with players, both in his own team and in the opposition, has given many a cricketer a humbling insight into the mind of this genius. He is always ready to accommodate his fellow cricketers in conversations that might range from cricket to his family, food, travel, and his two other passions: cars and watches.

This is all revealing because it helps explain where he gets his mental strength from. His simple private life, his clear values and strong ethics, and a very good support system in terms of his family and close friends, have given him the foundation and strength to be able to shoulder the hopes and expectations of millions. Underpinning him is a natural zest for life, a passion for cricket and also for humanity. To me, he is the embodiment of the gentleman cricketer. He does not need aggressive rhetoric or psychological battles to prove his worth. He has his bat and he lets it do the talking.

© Cricinfo


Sachin :thumbsup: :D :bluejump:
Vaanavedikkai, saravedinnu ground ae ninnuchu - unakku mattumthaan :smokesmirk:

ada yenga...mohali oru mattamana ground for making this record...very sparse crowd

imagnie the atmosphere in mumbai or chennai...chumma stadiume konja neram aadeerukkum

as sangakara has said in his recent article

"I will always have one striking memory of Sachin that will be forever etched in my mind: his thrilling entrance onto a cricket field. The anticipation of him emerging from the pavilion, and his walk from the boundary to the centre, is almost surreal. The sound of a passionate Indian crowd all chanting "Sachin, Sachin" as they wait in anticipation, followed by the enormous roar when he emerges onto the field, is electrifying. "

what true words...his persona..the electrifying atmosphere when he enter the field... priceless :clap: matchless hero :notworthy:[/tscii:b8f9470ea2]

[ajithfederer]

Sachin's Glorious career in Images (http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/gallery/0767/)

[ajithfederer]

'Tendulkar rightful owner of Test cricket's most run-getter' (http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/007200810181882.htm)

London (PTI): Former England captain Mike Atherton on Saturday sang paeans of Sachin Tendulkar, saying that the mantle of Test cricket's highest run-getter passed on to the rightful-owner.

"The record (of highest Test runs) passed to its rightful owner. Two decades of consistent run-scoring against the very best the game has to offer, having made his debut at 16 and achieved in a country that has refused to allow him the possibility of failure," Atherton wrote for 'The Times'.

Atherton said Tendulkar's greatness was such that Australia, who steamrolled any cricketing country in the world in the last 20 years, had never been able to subjugate him.

"While they (Australians) might have steamrolled the rest of cricket world over the past two decades, they had never quite found a way to subjugate Tendulkar's talent. He averaged 56 against the world's best team."

Former England medium pacer Derek Pringle said Tendulkar conquering Test cricket's summit was never in doubt from the day he strode the cricket field for the first time as a 16-year-old.

"If ever a destiny was written in stone it was that Tendulkar would become Test cricket's leading run-scorer. Supreme greatness has been predicted ever since he made 326 not out in a school match.

"Plenty are born with talent but few are as driven to express it in full and he is as much a product of the nets as blessed genes. The endless practice has not yet dulled his zest, but it has made his batting mechanically precise. That does not make him dull to watch, though," he wrote for the 'Daily Telegraph'.

[ajithfederer]

Sachin Tendulkar: A God In The Making? (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/70714-sachin-tendulkar-a-god-in-the-making)

Sachin Tendulkar, "The Master Blaster" has become the highest run getter by crossing the 12000 run mark. Indians are, as usual, jubilant with his achievement.

What he has done is indeed commendable, but somewhere I believe that the jubilation and happiness is somewhat overdone.

He is no doubt a brilliant cricketer, but there are cricketers who are perhaps a shade better than him and who don't even get half of the accolades he gets.

He has been dominating Indian cricket for over two decades now and should perhaps hang his boots paving the way for new and enthusiastic talent.

There was a time in the Nineties when Sachin was the Prima Facie player and the entire team used to depend on him so much so that, if by chance he used to fail, the entire side used to collapse like a pack of cards.

It was frustrating to see India lose just because Sachin did not perform.

It was only in the late '90s that the Indian team actually stabilised a bit and the dependence on Sachin actually reduced, but even then, he was the one who was always centre-staged and the rest, the rest were pointedly ignored.

A lot of Indians love to compare Sachin to the likes to Lara and Sir Viv Richards. These players had their own uniqueness which was perhaps their trademark and I wonder whether it is justified comparing Sachin to these players.

Sometimes, I even get the feeling that Sachin more often than not, plays for himself. This might very well be my prejudice but there are many incidents which give me second thoughts.

The most prominent one being the first test match between India and Pakistan played in Multan in 2004. It was the test in which Virender Sehwag became the first Indian to score a triple hundred.

And then there was our Sachin; who scored 198 runs not out and who was openly cribbing that the acting captain Rahul Dravid had declared the Indian innings before he could complete his double hundred.

Later on he did issue a public a statement saying that he was perfectly in tandem with any decision that the captain takes.

But the incident did leave a bad taste in the mouth and this from the person who has always been treated as an emperor.

Nowadays the BCCI is forcing the senior cricketers to retire but with Sachin they somehow develop cold feet. If players like Ganguly, Dravid are old then is Sachin getting young?

Moreover his fitness is also not what it used to be. He gets injured, has to be kept out of the squad but still won't admit that he has become old!

When players like Dravid and Ganguly get dropped from the side when they don't score runs, why doesn't Sachin get the same treatment? Why such step-motherly treatment when their statistics is almost on par with Sachin?

Yes I do accept that Sachin has often been the knight in shining armour when we have needed him, but the attention and treatment that he gets exceeds what he deserves.

And it is not only the media which has raised him to a pinnacle. It is the crowd as well.The crowd who forget that there were cricketers beforeSachin, cricketers with Sachin and there will be cricketers after Sachin.

"Sachin, Sachin." the name seems to be reverberating everywhere and sometimes it just ends up being a cacophony which is absolutely uncalled for.

[ajithfederer]

[tscii:71ab06f018]http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=145300

The unbeatable cricket mogul Sachin

THE PENT-UP anxiety was at its crescendo between Siddle’s delivery and Sachin’s batting. The next moment a record was created breaking another. Cricket mogul and India’s asset Sachin Tendulkar surpassed Brian Lara’s 11,593 test cricket runs with his 12,027 runs in 152 Test match, in the second Test match at Mohali. It was a historic moment for world cricket as the record came from the ’Master Blaster’. Waves of thrill and exhilaration whizzed zillions, making the moment unforgettable.

In the late 80’s Indian cricket fell into a void with the retirements of legends like Gavaskar and Kapil. Riding on the back of Sachin’s genius, it gradually revived the rage to take over the world. His contribution towards a commanding cricketing status of India is absolute.

There have been many cricket stalwarts, but the kind of undiluted respect and love that Sachin is crowned with is unique. Controversies have never blemished his fame. This solely points at the fact that he is a greater human being than a great player. Although he enjoys a celebrity status, his identity remains grounded as a gamut of ethical values. He has shielded his philanthropic activities from publicity.

Awarded with Padma Vibhushan and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, his modesty makes him all the more great. A nondescript face that brings all smiles and a voice that motivates a toddler to swish his bat.

With this record the talking point is back: Is Sachin the greatest? Such a relative question is contextual and time-bound. What Garfield Sobers achieved in his age is incomparable with what Sachin has accomplished.

Gavaskar attributed Sachin in his writings as ‘A talent designed by god himself’. Sachin’s enigmatic playing style proves this. He started his career in 1989 in a Test match against Pakistan under the guidance of Srikkanth. He got his training from Ramakant Achrekar. He still reserves those 13 coins, which Achrekar rewarded him for staying not out. He attended the MRF Foundation to get training as a bowler. But the famous Dennis Lillee turned him into batting. Today Sachin is the name of the phenomenon, beyond time and place. He is the one player who is even saluted by the zealous Australians. It was the moment of every Indian in January 2008, Sydney, to see Sachin receiving a standing ovation. Today even if India loses a match, every Indian would proudly says “so what Sachin is ours”. Such is the greatness of Sachin.[/tscii:71ab06f018]

[viraajan]

Today Sachin is the name of the phenomenon, beyond time and place. He is the one player who is even saluted by the zealous Australians. It was the moment of every Indian in January 2008, Sydney, to see Sachin receiving a standing ovation. Today even if India loses a match, every Indian would proudly says “so what Sachin is ours”. Such is the greatness of Sachin.[/tscii:f1544a94d0]

:clap: :bow:

[HonestRaj]

http://content-eap.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63632.html

found this intresting (IND Vs SL test match scorecard)

[Thirumaran]

http://content-eap.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63632.html

found this intresting (IND Vs SL test match scorecard)

why posting here :?

[HonestRaj]

http://content-eap.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63632.html

found this intresting (IND Vs SL test match scorecard)

why posting here :?

Its a 1994 match & Sachin out for 96 :P

M Prabhakar c Dassanayake b Wickramasinghe 14 (43)
NS Sidhu lbw b Muralitharan 99 (228)
VG Kambli c Wickramasinghe b Muralitharan 82 (132)
SR Tendulkar b Anurasiri 96 (140)
M Azharuddin lbw b Muralitharan 108 (217)
SV Manjrekar c Mahanama b Muralitharan 39 (111)
N Kapil Dev not out 53 (68)
NR Mongia not out 18 (47)

[HonestRaj]

TM,

I was checking Sachin's performance in India's biggest wins & i found the above score card to be intresting. I was an innings victory.

[Thirumaran]

TM,

I was checking Sachin's performance in India's biggest wins & i found the above score card to be intresting. I was an innings victory.

Oh ok :P

[CEDYBLUE]

Kudos to Ramakrishna for starting a thread for the greatest living cricketer!

hope our little giant plays for a couple more years atleast so that we experience the sheer joy of watching him!

[ajithfederer]

http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jeEz2gYCH5Q2T7MD7XD9NxmUuGZw

Lara hails little master Tendulkar

7 minutes ago

Brian Lara may have seen his Test run-scoring record surpassed by Sachin Tendulkar last week, but he believes the India batsman is only keeping it warm for Australia captain Ricky Ponting.

Tendulkar claimed the highly-regarded record on Friday, during his first innings score of 88, as India paved the way for their comprehensive 320-run win against the Aussies in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar series.

"There is no better individual or batsman in the world that could can go past you than Sachin Tendulkar," Lara said. "He has been a great for so many years and is someone who is deserving of such a record. So I just want to wish him the best. Ricky Ponting is someone who is in line to hold such a record as well."

The 35-year-old had stretched his new mark out to 12,037 runs by the end of the match in Mohali.

And Lara added: "I think it (the record) is the one that most batsman would cherish.

"I would think that (Ponting) still has 30 or 40 Tests matches left under his belt and he has already gone past 10,000 runs so it is one of those records that if you play long enough and you score runs consistently then you are capable of doing it."

Ponting, who will turn 34 in December, has scored 10,246 runs in his 121-Test career to leave him 1,791 runs behind Tendulkar, who has played 31 more matches.

The Tasmanian right-hander has shown no signs of slowing, scoring his first Test century on Indian soil during the first Test in Bangalore to edge his average ever closer to the 60 mark.

By contrast Tendulkar's international future has come under the spotlight during the past 12 months, highlighted by a forgettable series in Sri Lanka in July when he averaged just 15.8.

:D

[ajithfederer]

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/007200810211660.htm

Tendulkar, Ganguly felicitated

Mohali (PTI): Sachin Tendulkar, who broke Brian Lara's record to become the highest run-getter in Test cricket and Sourav Ganguly, the fourth Indian batsman to cross the 7000-run mark, was felicitated here on Tuesday during the prize distribution ceremony.

Punjab Governor General (retd) SF Rodrigues presented a trophy to Tendulkar while BCCI Secretary N Srinivasan handed another trophy to Ganguly after India won the second Test by 320 runs at the PCA ground.

Out of eight Tests played by India on this ground, the hosts have tasted success thrice. Tendulkar also became the only Indian player to have played in all the eight Test matches here.

[ajithfederer]

http://www.orkut.com/Main#CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=34362644&tid=5258462098489047822

A Tribute to the Lord from the Core of My Heart!!!
Hey This is Something i Wrote 4 Lord Sachin Tendulkar..I ws Partyin Yesterday so Cudnt Post..This is Just a Small Gesture to say thanks to the Lord 4 Giving Just So Much..Thanks Sir Sachin..Though i can never Thank you enough Bt this is Just My Heartfelt Wishes For you..Thank you Sir!!!

Once in a Millenium ,On Earth Comes God's Incarnation
As Every other Day such Legends are not Born

God Sent it to Earth to Bless us people
Thats Why for Everyone he is So Special
He is the Soul of the World
And this Run Machine Never Comes to a Halt

He is as Pure as the Ganges' Water
He is Popularly known as Sachin Tendulkar
His Class and Elegance is Difficult to counter
He can Play any Ball Whether That be a Googly or Bouncer

I Call him the Cricketing Czar
Because one Special Innings from him can end a War
As Even the War Fighters Wont do Such Silly Things
They Would Miss Everything but not Sachin's Innings

This Maestro is Just so Difficult to Explain
When he is Batting the Runs Keep Coming like Rain
His Smile is Sweeter than a Sugarcane
His Batting Will Give Nightmares to Bowlers Even 20 Yrs Down the Lane

He Performs the Art of Batting to an Amazing Perfection
Watching him Play, every Youngster has a Lot to Learn
His Class Can Never Be Imitated by Anyone
He is the One and Only " The Cricketing Don"

This Master Brought So Many Critics to Rest
He has in a Magical Way Surpassed Every Test
He Lets his Bat do the Talking
And if he is Out , You'll FInd him Walking

Thats why he is a Cricketing Genius
Who has an Inborn Class
He has Proved Time and Again that he is A Champion
Cricketers May Come and Go But Like Sachin There will be None

Yet This Day is Just so Special for Me $ the Sachinism Family
All the Records have Been Bagged Finally
I Will Party Dance and Rejoice
I Will Shout at the Top of My Voice
Thanks Sachin For Everything tat U Have Given
No one Can Ever Come close To your Contribution
You Efforts Will Never Ever Be Forgotten
You Are and Will Always Be Loved by Everyone!!

[ajithfederer]

[tscii:2fa2ba1d74]http://www.sportstaronnet.com/stories/20081025501201300.htm
From the publishers of THE HINDU

VOL.31 :: NO.43 :: Oct. 25, 2008

• Contents

Printer Friendly Page Send this Article to a Friend
ON THE BALL / W.V. RAMAN COLUMN

The class of Tendulkar

While his aggregate may probably be surpassed by someone in the years to come, I seriously doubt if anyone can be as great a human being as Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

I was reminded of the statement, “Even if the little kid loses half his ability with the passage of time, he will still go on to be a world beater”. It was made by the late Raman Lamba in the late 1980s, even before the little kid (Sachin Tendulkar) made his debut in international cricket.

The chubby little kid then has gone a long way since making his debut at the age of 16. And on October 17 (incidentally, it is the birthday of another legend, Anil Kumble), he reached yet another milestone at Mohali. It was rather strange that people felt Sachin made them wait a shade longer before he got past the aggregate of Brian Lara.

Poor Sachin! One does not score 12,000 runs in Test cricket within a certain time frame. There has been no let-up for Tendulkar during his journey that has lasted 19 years and it is rather sad that sometimes people do not express their adulation for him in the right manner.

The little master is generally not prone to reacting to negative reports about him in the press but the hurt was evident when he mentioned that the stones hurled at him enabled him to reach several milestones in his career. Obviously, Tendulkar would not have forgotten the criticism of him and the Indian team following the debacle in the last World Cup. There was a public outcry for ousting the little master as well as the other senior cricketers from the team. It is remarkable that Tendulkar stayed away from the eye of the storm as the mood in general then was not conducive to giving any explanation whatsoever.

Tendulkar must certainly be relieved that the monkey is off his back. But even before he could savour the achievement, the press wanted him to predict the shelf life of his latest record! One wonders why the media is always so keen to be so far-sighted and analytical while there is no saying what the future has in store. By and large, the media have been good to Tendulkar over a good period of time, but unfortunately insensitivity has also sneaked in at times and that probably would hurt the great batsman more than anything else.

“When will Tendulkar rejoin the team?” was the question at a time when a bereaved Sachin had to return to India during the 1999 World Cup. Of course, the implication was that Tendulkar is the man for India, but the way it was conveyed was not very pleasant, especially at a time when the little master was going through a personal tragedy.

Enough has been written about his batting and his technique over the years but what has escaped one’s attention is his sustained dedication and the sacrifices he has made in order to achieve laurels for himself and the country. His dedication to the game borders on obsession so much that for the time being he cannot entertain the thought of life without the game he loves so dearly.

Tendulkar’s retort, “you are in the wrong press conference”, to a reporter when he was asked about his retirement indicates the passion he still has for the game. Passion is just about the only reason why he is continuing to play the game, for he has done all that is possibly there to be done on a cricket field.

Since Tendulkar is aware that there is nothing left for him to prove to anybody, he would be looking to enjoy the game for whatever duration that he represents the country. While Tendulkar would want to have a good time, the onus is on his followers to enjoy the entertainment that he will provide and not indulge in formulating his retirement plans. The little master has surpassed the record of his good friend Lara and though Ponting may be on his heels, we Indians must be proud of the great batsman and cherish his achievement.

It will be difficult not to talk about Tendulkar the person as sportsmen are not only expected to excel on the field but also to be role models. Tendulkar has been impeccable in his behaviour on and off the field. This in itself is a great achievement considering the media attention on him over the years. To be in the limelight from the age of 16 and have the world at your feet and yet not lose one’s bearings is a phenomenal achievement by itself.

While his aggregate may probably be surpassed by someone in the years to come, I seriously doubt if anyone can be as great a human being as Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.[/tscii:2fa2ba1d74]

[ajithfederer]

http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/0/CB1A13058D75FC8D652574EA003449B4?OpenDocument

Warne hails Tendulkar for becoming highest run-scorer in Tests



London, Oct 22 (PTI) Retired spin legend Shane Warne has hailed Sachin Tendulkar on becoming Test cricket's highest run-getter, saying that a batsman of his class and skill deserved to be on top of the run heap.
"I just think he has a class about him. I just take my hat off to him. It's everything about him. The way he conducts himself on and off the field, the pressure he's under with a billion people watching him every time he goes out to bat, the way he handles decisions, he's pure skill," Warne told British radio broadcaster talkSPORT.

Warne would not forget the beating he got from the Indian master batsman during Australia's tour of India in 1998.

"Bowling to him in the mid-1990s, when I thought I was at my best and I thought a lot of the Australian bowlers were at their best, the way he played quick bowling and spin bowling was just fantastic.

"It was always a challenge to bowl to him. You knew if you bowled well then you would get him out, if you were lucky. If you didn't bowl that well he would smash you all over the park," he added.

Warne had also rated Tendulkar ahead of Brian Lara as the best player in his recently released book 'Shane Warne's Century' in which he picked 100 cricketers he had played with or against.

He also said that though Australians were 'outplayed' by India in the second Test at Mohali, they could bounce back.

"Australia just didn't play that well. They are 1-0 down in the series and it will be tough for them. But I'm sure they'll bounce back. I thought India were fantastic. I thought their bowling was outstanding, their batting was good, and their tactics were good. They just generally outplayed Australia," he said. PTI

[ajithfederer]

http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3629284.cms

Tendulkar returns to top 20 batsmen in ICC Test rankings
22 Oct, 2008 1805hrs IST, ANI

DUBAI: India great Sachin Tendulkar has proved again that he still has what it takes to make an impact at the highest level.


Before the second Test against Australia, he had slipped to 24th place in the Reliance Mobile ICC player rankings for Test batsmen, his lowest position for 15 years.

But the 35-year-old has broken back into the top 20 batsmen and now sits in 19th position after scoring 88 and 10 not out in the Mohali Test against Australia.

Tendulkar now has Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman in his sights as both have lost ground in the latest rankings.

Australia left-hander Michael Hussey has slipped from the number-one perch to third position. West Indian Shivnarine Chanderpaul takes his place, while Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka moves up to the second spot.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting has dropped one place to fifth after scoring just seven runs in the match while Virender Sehwag (up one place to 10th) and Michael Clarke (up two places to 13th) enjoyed more success in the top 20.

The other big movers include Gautam Gambhir, who moves up eight positions to 29th place after innings of 67 and 104, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who progresses seven places to 37th, and Sourav Ganguly, whose century in the first innings gave him a two-place boost to 23rd on the list.

New Zealand's Daniel Vettori in the first Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong has netted him the 31st spot in the latest batting rankings.

India's Harbhajan Singh with a match haul of 49-12-96-5 in the Mohali Test is back into the top 10 Test bowlers. He is now India's top-ranked bowler, taking over from Zaheer Khan who slips one place to 12th spot.

Australian Mitchell Johnson is 30th in the list, while Ishant Sharma is in 31st position.

Twenty-five-year-old leg-spinner Amit Mishra is a new entry at number 50 after taking seven wickets for 106 runs in a dream debut against Australia.

Vettori now sits in 14th position in the bowling ladder, up seven places in the latest rankings.

[littlemaster1982]

வாட்ட்ட்ட்ட்ட்ட்ட்ட் எ எ எ எ எ சிக்ஸ்.....

பிரேசில் மக்களைக் கடவுள் என்று எழுதச் சொன்னால் P e l e என்றுதான் எழுதுவார்கள். அதே பாணியில், 'கிரிக்கெட் எங்கள் மதம், சச்சின் எங்கள் கடவுள்' என்று ரசிகர்களைச் உச்சரிக்கவைத்து கடந்த இருபது வருடங்களாக அவர்களை மயக்க நிலைக்குக் கொண்டு சென்றவர் சச்சின்.

தெண்டுல்கரை அவருடைய ஆரம்ப காலம் முதல் பார்த்துவரும் பாக்கியம் எனக்கும் உண்டு. 1989-ம் வருடம் வெளிச்சம் போதாமையால் நிறுத்தப்பட்ட ஒருநாள் ஆட்டம் பிறகு கண்காட்சி ஆட்டமாக மாற்றப்பட்டது. ஆளுக்கு இருபது ஓவர்கள் ஆடுவது என்று இந்தியாவும் பாகிஸ்தானும் ஒரு முடிவுக்கு வந்தன. 20-20 கிரிக்கெட்டின் ஆரம்ப விதை அங்கு விதைக்கப்பட்டது.

பம்மலில் உள்ள எனது நண்பர்களான லெனின், பால் வீட்டில் இந்த மேட்சைப் பார்த்துக் கொண்டிருந்தேன். இந்திய அணியில் ஸ்ரீகாந்த், அசாரூதினைத் தவிர சொல்லிக்கொள்ளும்படியான வீரர்கள் ஒருவரும் இல்லை. மஞ்ச்ரேக்கர், ராமன் லம்பா, டபிள்யூவி ராமன், அஜய் சர்மா (முட்டி போட்டு சிக்ஸர் அடிக்கப் போகையில் பலமுறை இவர் ஆட்டம் இழந்திருக்கிறார்) விவேக் ரஸ்தான் போன்ற சொங்கி வீரர்கள்தான் இந்திய அணியை நிறைத்திருந்தார்கள். பாகிஸ்தான் அணி முதலில் ஆடி 20 ஓவரில் 157 ரன்கள் குவித்திருந்தது (20-20 உலகக் கோப்பை இறுதி ஆட்டத்தில் இந்திய அணி எடுத்ததும் இதே ரன்கள்தான்).

அப்போதெல்லாம் 50 ஓவர் ஆடி 200 ரன் அடித்தாலே அது பெரிய காரியம். 20 ஓவரில் பாகிஸ்தான் சர்வசாதாரணமாக 157 அடித்தது இந்திய டிரெஸிங் ரூமில் பேதியைக் கிளப்பியிருந்தது. டெண்டுல்கர் ஆடவரும்போது 5 ஓவரில் 69 ரன்கள் தேவைப்பட்டன. அசட்டுத் துணிச்சல் இருந்து பந்துகளை எதிர்கொண்டால் கூட இத்தனை ரன்களை குறுகிய ஓவர்களில் அடிக்கமுடியாது. அதுவும் எதிரே இம்ரான் கான், வாசிம் அக்ரம், வக்கார் யூனுஸ், அக்யூப் ஜாவத், அப்துல் காதர், முஷ்டாக் முகமது போனற பாகிஸ்தானின் சென்ற தலைமுறை, அன்றைய தலைமுறை, அடுத்த தலைமுறை என மூன்று பிரிவினரும் பந்துவீசிக்கொண்டிருக்கும்போது. வந்த வேகத்தில் முஷ்டாக் முகமது பந்தில் இரண்டு சிக்ஸர்கள் அடித்தார் சச்சின். பாகிஸ்தான் வீரர்கள் ஒருவரையொருவர் பார்த்துக்கொண்டார்கள். முஷ்டாக்கும் அப்போது பாகிஸ்தானுக்குப் புதிது. அப்துல் காதிர் நேரே சச்சினிடம் வந்தார். என்ன தம்பி, புது ஆள் பந்துல மட்டும்தான் சிக்ஸர் அடிப்பியா. முடிந்தால் என் பந்திலேயும் அடி என்று சும்மா இருந்த இளஞ்சங்கை ஊதிவிட்டுச் சென்றார். தெண்டுல்கரால் பதில் பேசமுடியவில்லை. பேசாமல் காதில் வாங்கிக்கொண்டார் சச்சின். துணைக்கு ஸ்ரீகாந்த் ஆடிக்கொண்டிருந்தார்.

அடுத்த ஓவரை அப்துல் காதர் வீசினார்.

6, 0, 4, 6, 6, 6

நானும் என் நண்பர்களும் எப்போதும் படுத்துக்கொண்டுதான் மேட்ச் பார்ப்போம். ஒவ்வொரு பந்துக்கும் கிரீஸை விட்டு எகிறி குதித்து சச்சின் ஆடியபோது டேய்ய்ய்... என்று கத்தி எல்லோரும் எழுந்துவிட்டோம். யார்ரா இவன், வெள்ளையும் தோளுமா முயல் குட்டி மாதிரி இருந்துட்டு அப்துல் காதரை இப்படிப் பொளக்கறான் என்று நான் என் அதிர்ச்சியை வெளிக் காட்டினேன். உலகக்கோப்பை இறுதி ஆட்டம்போல பிறகு அந்த ஆட்டத்தில் கூடுதல் கவனம் செலுத்தினோம். அந்த க்ஷணத்தில் நூறு ஆண்டுகளுக்கு ஒருமுறை பிறக்கும் ஒரு வீரன் கண்முன்னே ஆடிக்கொண்டிருந்தான். மூன்று ரன்கள் வித்தியாசத்தில் இந்தியா தோற்றுப் போனது.

அதன்பின்பு தெண்டுல்கர்மீது தனிக்கவனம் செலுத்த ஆரம்பித்தேன். என்னைப் போலிருந்த பள்ளி மாணவர்களை வெகுவாகப் பாதித்திருந்தார் சச்சின். இந்திய அணியில் கபில்தேவ், ஸ்ரீகாந்த் என்று பாதி பேர் ரிடையர் ஆகும் தருணத்தில் இருந்தார்கள். இளமையாக இருந்த தெண்டுல்கருக்குத்தான் ராக் ஸ்டாருக்குரிய மகத்துவம் கிடைத்தது.

92-ம் வருட உலகக்கோப்பையில் பாகிஸ்தானுடன் இந்தியா ஆடியது. ஏதோ இரு நாடுகளின் போரை நேரில் பார்ப்பதுபோல விறுவிறுப்பாக அந்த ஆட்டத்தைப் பார்த்தேன். அந்த மேட்ச் பார்ப்பதற்காக பம்மல் சங்கரா வித்யாலயா பள்ளிக்கு நான் செல்லவில்லை. இனிமேல் உலகக்கோப்பையில் இந்தியா-பாகிஸ்தான் ஆட்டம் காணக்கிடக்காது என்கிற கிளர்ச்சியே அந்த மேட்சுக்காக எல்லாத் தியாகங்களையும் செய்யச் சொன்னது. குழந்தைபோல அழகாக இருந்த தெண்டுல்கர் அந்த ஆட்டத்தில் 50 ரன்கள் சொச்சம் எடுத்து இந்திய அணியின் வெற்றிக்கு சூத்திரதாரியாக இருந்தார். அன்றுமுதல் எப்போது கிரிக்கெட் மேட்ச் நடந்தாலும் தெண்டுல்கரின் ஸ்கோரை மட்டும் தனியாகக் கேட்கத் தொடங்கினேன்.

96 உலகக்கோப்பை முதல் சச்சின் நட்சத்திரமாகிவிட்டார். அவருடைய ஒவ்வொரு அசைவும் மீடியாவால் கவனிக்கப்பட்டது. தெண்டுல்கரோடு ஆடத்தொடங்கிய மஞ்ச்ரேக்கரும் காம்பிளியும் சிறிது காலத்தில் மங்கத் தொடங்கி அணியை விட்டு வெளியேறினார்கள். சச்சின் அணையாவிளக்காக ஒவ்வொரு ஆட்டத்திலும் இந்தியாவின் மானத்தைக் காட்கும் ரட்சனாகப் பார்க்கப்பட்டார்.

98-ம் வருடம். ஷார்ஜாவில் இந்தியாவுக்கும் ஆஸ்திரேலியாவுக்கும் இடையே கோக்கோ கோலா கப் இறுதி ஆட்டம். கடும் காய்ச்சலுக்கு மத்தியில் கொட்டக் கொட்ட கண்விழித்துப் பார்த்துக்கொண்டிருந்தேன்.

'ஓஓஓஓஓ.... வாட்ட்ட்ட்ட்ட்ட்ட்ட் எ எ எ எ எ சிக்ஸ்..... வாட்ட்ட்ட் எ எ எ சிக்ஸ்...'

டோனி கிரேக் முழு வீச்சில் கத்தினார். பந்து பவுண்டரி கோட்டுக்கு வெளியே போய் விழுந்தது. எனக்கு குப்பென்று வியர்த்துவிட்டது. எழுந்துவிட்டேன். காஸ்பரோவிச் பந்தில் லாங் ஆனில் காட்டமான சிக்ஸர் ஒன்றை அடித்திருந்தார் சச்சின். ஸ்டீவ் வாகின் நெற்றிப் பொட்டில் புல்லட் பாய்ந்தது போலிருந்தது. பந்து கூரையின் மேல் விழுந்தது. 134 ரன்கள் குவித்து இந்தியாவின் வெற்றியை நிச்சயமாக்கினார் சச்சின். சச்சினின் முக்கியமான ஆட்டங்களில் சார்ஜா மைதானத்தில் ஆஸ்திரேலியாவுக்கு எதிராக அடித்த செஞ்சுரிகள் அமரத்துவம் பெற்றவை. இன்று வரைக்கும் அந்த சிக்ஸரும் டோனி கிரேக்கின் அலறலும் என் நினைவுகளில் பத்திரமாக கொண்டிருக்கின்றன.

பிராட்மேன் வாழும் காலத்தில் நீங்களும் நானும் இல்லை. பீலே வாழ்ந்த காலத்திலும் இதே நிலைமைதான். ஜான் போர்க்கை நாம் பேப்பரில் பார்த்துதான் தெரிந்துகொண்டோம். ஜெஸ்ஸி ஓவன்ஸைப் பற்றி ஒலிம்பிக் போட்டி நடக்கும் சமயங்களில்தான் கேள்விப்படுகிறோம். ஆனால் சச்சினை நீங்களும் நானும் அவர் ஆடிய முதல் நாள் முதல் கவனித்து வருகிறோம். கொடுப்பினை.


இதே சச்சினை சகட்டு மேனிக்குத் திட்டியிருக்கிறோம். ஒருபோதும் சச்சினை மனிதனாக எண்ணியது கிடையாது. மிஷின். ரோபோ மிஷின். மைதானத்துக்குள் இறங்கிவிட்டால் இந்தியாவுக்கு வெற்றித் தேடித் தராமல் நீ திரும்பக்கூடாது என்று மனத்துக்குள் அவருக்குக் கட்டளையிடுகிறோம். சொற்ப ரன்னில் தெண்டுல்கர் அவுட் ஆனால் மட்டும் நமக்குக் காது புடைக்கிறது. வாயில் வந்ததைத் திட்டி டிவியை ஆஃப் செய்துவிடுவோம். வேறு எந்த வீரர்மீதாவது இப்படிப்பட்ட உரிமையை எடுத்துக்கொண்டிருக்கிறோமா?

இன்று லாராவின் சாதனையை மிஞ்சிவிட்டார் தெண்டுல்கர். ஒருநாள், டெஸ்ட் போட்டிகளில் அதிக ரன்களைக் குவித்த பெருமை இனி சச்சினுக்கே. கலைஞனும் விளையாட்டு வீரனும் வாழ்ந்த காலத்தில் பேசப்படுவதைவிட மரித்த பின்னர்தான் அதிகமாகப் போற்றப்படுவர்.நூறு ஆண்டுகளில் கழித்துப் பார்த்தாலும் முக்கியமான ஆவணமாக சச்சினின் சாதனைகள் மெச்சப்படும். பாதுகாக்கப்படும்.

சேப்பாக்கத்தில் நடந்த இரு ஆட்டங்களில் நான் சச்சினை நேரில் பார்த்திருக்கிறேன். அப்போது கல்கி நிருபர். சேப்பாக்கம் மைதானத்துக்குள் நுழைந்து பெவிலியனுக்கு அருகே சச்சின் பயிற்சி எடுப்பதை அருகில் சென்று பார்த்து புளங்காங்கிதம் அடைந்திருக்கிறேன். சச்சின் பயிற்சி எடுப்பதைப் பார்ப்பதற்கே சேப்பாக்கத்தில் ரசிகர்கள் அதிக எண்ணிக்கையில் கூடுவார்கள். ஒருசமயம், காவலர்களின் உதவியோடு பாதுகாப்பாக பஸ் ஏறி அமந்தார் சச்சின். ஆனாலும் நானும் ஐம்பது பேரும் ஆட்டோகிராப் புக்கை எடுத்துக்கொண்டு பஸ்ஸின் முன்கதவு அருகே நின்றுகொண்டிருந்தோம். காவலர்கள் எங்களைத் தள்ளிக்கொண்டிருந்தார்கள்.

பேருந்தின் முன்வரிசையில் அமர்ந்திருந்த சச்சினைப் பார்த்து நான் என் ஆட்டோகிராப் நோட்டை மேலே தூக்கி நீட்டினேன். சச்சின் அதைப் பார்த்துவிட்டு உடனே கீழே இறங்கினார். நடப்பதை என்னால் நம்பமுடியவில்லை. சச்சின் கீழே இறங்கி என் அருகே வந்தார். இதைப் பார்த்துவிட்டு எல்லோரும் முண்டியடித்துக்கொண்டு முன்னேறினார்கள். நேராக சச்சின் என் நோட்டை வாங்கி சைன் பண்ணினார். அவரால் முடிந்தவரை பத்து நோட்டுகளுக்கு கையெழுத்திட்டு மீண்டும் பேருந்தினுள் சென்றார். இருக்கையில் அமர்ந்த பிறகும் அவர் ரசிகர்களைப் பார்த்து கையசைத்துக்கொண்டுதான் இருந்தார். ஒருபோதும் தன் பார்வையைத் தாழ்த்திக்க்கொள்ளவோ வேறு திசையிலோ பார்க்கவோ இல்லை. அதை அவர் செய்யவேண்டும் என்பது கிடையாது. ஆனால் பேருந்து எங்களிடமிருந்து மறையும்வரை கையசைத்துக்கொண்டும் புன்னகை செய்துகொண்டும்தான் இருந்தார். பிறகு அந்த ஆட்டோகிராப் நோட் எங்கே காணாமல் போனது என்று எனக்குத் தெரியவில்லை.

உணர்ச்சிவசப்பட்ட நிலையில்தான் நான் இக்கட்டுரையை எழுதுகிறேன் என்று எனக்கு நன்றாகப் புரிகிறது. இதே சச்சின் மே.இ தீவில் நடந்த உலகக்கோப்பையில் மோசமாக ஆடியபோது அவரை அணியிலிருந்து வெளியேற்றும்படி கல்கியில் காட்டமாக ஒரு கட்டுரை எழுதினேன். அப்போது அந்த விமரிசனங்களுக்கான முழுத் தகுதியும் அவரிடமிருந்தது. சறுக்கல் என்பது வாழ்வின் நிகழ்வுகளில் ஒன்று. சாதிப்பவன் விமரிசனங்களுக்குக் காது கொடுக்கமாட்டான். அவனுக்குத் தெரியாதா அவனுடைய ஒவ்வொரு தவறும்? ஈகோ இல்லாமல் தோனியின் தலைமையில் சச்சின் கூடுதல் பொறுப்புடன் ஆடினார். இப்போதும் ஆடிக்கொண்டிருக்கிறார். தன் வாழ்க்கையில் சச்சின் சந்திக்காத விஷயம் என்று எதுவும் இல்லை.

இந்திய கிரிக்கெட் அணிக்கும் இந்தியாவுக்கும் சம்பந்தம் இல்லை, அது பிசிசிஐ என்கிற ஒரு வாரியத்தின் அணியே என்று பிசிசிஐ கோர்ட்டில் தெரிவித்தபோதும் இன்றுவரைக்கும் தனது ஹெல்மட்டில் மூவர்ணக் கொடியைப் பதித்திருக்கும் ஒரே இந்திய வீரர் சச்சின்.

லாராவின் சாதனையை சச்சின் உடைத்ததுபோல நாளை இன்னொருவர் சச்சினின் ரன்களைக் கடக்கலாம். ஆனால் அவரும் தெய்வீகத்தன்மை கொண்டவராகக் கொண்டாடப்படுவார் என்று நிச்சயமாகச் சொல்லமுடியாது.

A blogger (http://www.sanakannan.com/sachin.html)

[selvakumar]

இந்திய கிரிக்கெட் அணிக்கும் இந்தியாவுக்கும் சம்பந்தம் இல்லை, அது பிசிசிஐ என்கிற ஒரு வாரியத்தின் அணியே என்று பிசிசிஐ கோர்ட்டில் தெரிவித்தபோதும் இன்றுவரைக்கும் தனது ஹெல்மட்டில் மூவர்ணக் கொடியைப் பதித்திருக்கும் ஒரே இந்திய வீரர் சச்சின்.
:)


லாராவின் சாதனையை சச்சின் உடைத்ததுபோல நாளை இன்னொருவர் சச்சினின் ரன்களைக் கடக்கலாம். ஆனால் அவரும் தெய்வீகத்தன்மை கொண்டவராகக் கொண்டாடப்படுவார் என்று நிச்சயமாகச் சொல்லமுடியாது.
:exactly:

பிராட்மேன் வாழும் காலத்தில் நீங்களும் நானும் இல்லை. பீலே வாழ்ந்த காலத்திலும் இதே நிலைமைதான். ஜான் போர்க்கை நாம் பேப்பரில் பார்த்துதான் தெரிந்துகொண்டோம். ஜெஸ்ஸி ஓவன்ஸைப் பற்றி ஒலிம்பிக் போட்டி நடக்கும் சமயங்களில்தான் கேள்விப்படுகிறோம். ஆனால் சச்சினை நீங்களும் நானும் அவர் ஆடிய முதல் நாள் முதல் கவனித்து வருகிறோம். கொடுப்பினை.
:exactly:

LM - Thanks a ton ! :notworthy: What an article ! 8-)

[Vivasaayi]

:shock:

all sachin fans have the same feelings

a year before in my blog I wrote these lines which reflect the feel of this author

"tony greig while commentating the famous sharjah match against australia where sachin ravaged australian bowling said "this little man is the nearest thing to b bradman that has ever been".that single day of commentary by tony greig made him my most favourite commentator.especially his words.."what a player...whaaaaaat a player"."

"There may be a player who would surpass the records of sachin in future.but the impact sachin created among the indian crowds and the hope that indian crowd pinned on sachin tendulkar couldnt be surpassed by anyone.thats his unbeatable record."

the sharjah math is ofcourse "amarathuvam" vaaindha match :notworthy:

Heroism on cricket field :cool:

[crajkumar_be]

I can never forget the way Sir shouted at Hrishikesh Kanitkar on his way out after being dubiously 'dismissed' by the umpire (not in the final but in the match before that). Must have been Something like "otha ozhunga match a *win* pannungada!" - we didn't have to win that match as Sir had double-handedly made us qualify...
vethu pasanga adhukkappuram aadnadhu... :banghead:
Sir dressing room la parade-a kalappiruppaaru nu nenaikkaren...

And during the match(es) my brother was in hospital after an accident.. he told me to watch the match and give reports whenever possible... Unforgettable two days of cricket.. and if IIRC, at that time many cable operators were not showing ESPN/STAR Sports (?) and podhu makkal sila pala peru koral kodutha odane dhaan enga area la pottaanga...

[P_R]

Bala, adhai vida periya kodumai 136 dhaan.
mudhugu valiyOda oru manushan uyirai kuduththu viLayAdittu pOraan.
Joshi,Kumble, Prasad, Srinath....naalu pErum sErthu oru 17 run adingadAnnA :curse:

idhula enakku eRichchal ennannA.....adhE season-la , idhE Chepauk-la, TN v Kar match. Joshi and Kumble had turned the match around with a century and fifty respectively :x

[crajkumar_be]

Bala, adhai vida periya kodumai 136 dhaan.
mudhugu valiyOda oru manushan uyirai kuduththu viLayAdittu pOraan.
Joshi,Kumble, Prasad, Srinath....naalu pErum sErthu oru 17 run adingadAnnA :curse:

andha kodumaya nenachaale thudikkidhu bujam! :evil: :(
adhulerndhu meelave time-aachu, seriously...



idhula enakku eRichchal ennannA.....adhE season-la , idhE Chepauk-la, TN v Kar match. Joshi and Kumble had turned the match around with a century and fifty respectively :x
Oh! :lol:

[Vivasaayi]

Bala, adhai vida periya kodumai 136 dhaan.
mudhugu valiyOda oru manushan uyirai kuduththu viLayAdittu pOraan.
Joshi,Kumble, Prasad, Srinath....naalu pErum sErthu oru 17 run adingadAnnA :curse:

idhula enakku eRichchal ennannA.....adhE season-la , idhE Chepauk-la, TN v Kar match. Joshi and Kumble had turned the match around with a century and fifty respectively :x

most unforgettable match :oops:

joshipaya vandhu six ellam adichan .. :lol:

if sourav and rahul were in the 1996 world cup team we would have won that series comprehensively on our home soil...

manjarekar,azarudin,prabhakar...andha teama nenachale vomit varudhu

[Kalyasi]

Bala, adhai vida periya kodumai 136 dhaan.
mudhugu valiyOda oru manushan uyirai kuduththu viLayAdittu pOraan.
Joshi,Kumble, Prasad, Srinath....naalu pErum sErthu oru 17 run adingadAnnA :curse:

idhula enakku eRichchal ennannA.....adhE season-la , idhE Chepauk-la, TN v Kar match. Joshi and Kumble had turned the match around with a century and fifty respectively :x

antha match la DADA va 1 pitch catch pudichu out aakitaanga... Rascals... I still remember it was Steve Dunn who gave Dada out for that 1 pitch catch....

[ajithfederer]

Nandri senthil :D

[ajithfederer]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tms/2008/10/witnessing_history_from_afar.shtml
Witnessing history - well, almost

From a personal point of view it was a mistake to match Nasser Hussain's decision to bat at the Gabba in 2002 or Allan Donald's decision to run in the 1999 World Cup semi-final.

Back home in England before I set off for India, the thought of a 40 or 50-hour train journey north from Bangalore to watch the second Test against Australia and a week in the Milton Keynes of the Punjab that is Chandigarh had seemed like one trip too far in my cricketing journey.

And so, sat in various hotel rooms and bars around Karnataka, Kerala and Goa, I suffered in self imposed exclusion wondering what I had been thinking of to miss Sachin Tendulkar make history in Mohali.

Sachin Tendulkar

One very, very tiny positive that came from watching from afar was the chance to sample the TV coverage of the Test and I was soon spellbound by the incredibly swift advertising breaks between each over.

With only a handful of ads being rotated throughout the day's play I'm now completely sure what bank (although I guess some British shareholders wouldn't agree!) to choose, which motorbike to ride, which suit to wear and which widescreen plasma TV to watch my IPL, sorry Test match, cricket on!

More importantly, I now can also confirm, thanks to the epic two minute ad during each drinks break, that Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra IS the most beautiful women on earth!

In between the avalanche of ads there was, of course, quite a decent Test match going on between India and Australia.

Rather naively, I thought that when Sachin finally broke Brian Lara's Test runs record, the feat would be recognised, celebrated and then the match would move on.

How wrong I was! Within minutes of Sachin going past the landmark viewers were showered with a series of Sachin stats and it seemed a host of companies had a 'Congratulations Sachin' adverts up their sleeves ready for blanket coverage from the moment the Little Master broke the record.

If you've never been to India before it really is impossible to describe the sheer depth of feeling and interest there is in Sachin Tendulkar and the affection shown to him over the 19 years of his impeccable Test career.

I can add little to what has already been said around the cricketing world but I do genuinely believe the game of cricket will never see the like of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar again.

And it didn't end with Sachin's record of course.

Having sat through two painful Ashes series defeats in Australia in the past it was, and I'll admit it openly here, nice to see the Aussies brought down a peg or two.

But not even I, or those surreptitious drinkers watching the game with me in a drinking den in Bangalore, could believe what we were seeing on the fourth afternoon as five Australian wickets tumbled in what seemed like about five minutes.

I'd like to think they were sober the following morning when India wrapped up a historic 320-run win and claimed yet another piece of history that I, so foolishly, had missed seeing in the flesh.

[crajkumar_be]

antha match la DADA va 1 pitch catch pudichu out aakitaanga... Rascals... I still remember it was Steve Dunn who gave Dada out for that 1 pitch catch....
Steve Dunne is the worst umpire to have ever been part of the 'elite' panel.
He was a notorious 'out-giver', especially to LBs. Appeal panlenaalum kuduppaan, appeal panna kandippa kuduppaan...

[ajithfederer]

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/10/23/1224351451472.html

FORMER Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist is set to further inflame tensions between cricket's superpowers by questioning India's sportsmanship, singling out its most revered player, Sachin Tendulkar.

Gilchrist implied that Tendulkar was a sore loser, and questioned his honesty during last summer's "Monkeygate" affair that soured relations between the Australian and Indian sides.

In his autobiography, an extract of which appears in tomorrow's Good Weekend, he describes as a "joke" Tendulkar's evidence at an appeal over the episode, in which Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh was accused of calling Andrew Symonds a monkey.

He said that when Tendulkar told the initial hearing that he could not hear what was said he was "certain he was telling the truth" because he was "a fair way away".

But Tendulkar told the appeal that Harbhajan used a Hindi term of abuse that sounded like "monkey" to Australian ears. Harbhajan's suspension was quashed, infuriating the Australians.

"The Indians got him off the hook when they, of all people, should have been treating the matter of racial vilification with the utmost seriousness."

Gilchrist, considered one of the fairer players to represent Australia during its dominance, makes it clear he believes Harbhajan was guilty and says India's threat to abandon the tour was "a disgraceful act, holding the game to ransom unless they got their way".


He says there was a cultural difference in the way the teams approached the game. "In the Australian mentality, we play it hard and are then quick to shake hands and leave it all on the field. Some of our opponents don't do it that way. Sachin Tendulkar, for instance, can be hard to find for a changing room handshake after we have beaten India. Harbhajan can also be hard to find.

"I guess it's a case of different strokes for different folks."

The comments are certain to revive ill-will between the rivals, which are in the middle of another testy series, in which India has taken a 1-0 lead. Tensions bubbled over late in the second Test, with Indian bowler Zaheer Khan fined 80% of his match fee for abusing Matthew Hayden.

The book also reveals the depths of Gilchrist's feelings about the whispering campaign about his private life during Australia's 2002 tour of South Africa.

He describes how he received a telephone call from his manager telling him to turn on his laptop and check his emails.

One of them linked to a website called Cricket365. To Gilchrist's horror the site featured an anonymous email saying his recently born son Harry had been fathered by his former teammate Michael Slater.

"At first I thought it was a prank, and had a chuckle," Gilchrist writes in True Colours. But as he reread the email, "my eyes dimming over", he "got a sick feeling in my stomach". He immediately called his wife, Mel, back in Australia, who was extremely agitated and had to be "calmed down".

Minutes before taking the field in the first Test, he surveyed the stadium and spotted a huge banner reading: "Baby Gilly, who's your daddy?" Next to it, another sign read: "Slater, Slater."

"This was a disgusting thing to do," Gilchrist writes. "But my initial feeling wasn't outrage. It was more a vicious stab of paranoia. It set me thinking: 'Is the whole world talking about it behind my back? Are my teammates talking about it?' "

Gilchrist describes the rumour as "preposterous nonsense".

[ajithfederer]

Gilchrist edhukku indha vendadha velai.

:)

[littlemaster1982]

Sagavaasam sari illai-nu ninaikkiren :?

[ajithfederer]

Is anybody supposed to talk on an issue after it has been taken to ICC?. Isnt that a violation or something.

Sachin can be hard to find after a loss aama, vera velai illa paarunga :).

[littlemaster1982]

Is anybody supposed to talk on an issue after it has been taken to ICC?. Isnt that a violation or something.

Sachin can be hard to find after a loss aama, vera velai illa paarunga :).

I have lost all the respect I had for Gilchrist :banghead:

[ajithfederer]

[tscii:08f37f0085]http://www.cricketnirvana.com/columns/g-rajaraman/2008/October/columns-20081017-8.html

What a journey and what a man!

In the beginning there was just an intense dream. And, of course, there was faith that the dream could be realised. Back in 1989, when he made his Test debut against Pakistan, he was a wiry lad, eminently gifted and confident. The 35-year-old now sits on top of Test cricket's charts as the greatest run-scorer in its history. He has lived the dream every moment. Along the way, he spawned, fuelled, stoked, encouraged and inspired others to dream as well.

What a journey and what a man!

On Friday, even when Sachin Tendulkar turned Peter Siddle to third man for three runs and ventured into unchartered terrain, he was showcasing a remarkable intensity, a quality he has not allowed to flag even one bit. When his partner in a stirring fightback, Sourav Ganguly turned down a plea for a third run, there was an intensity in his "C'mon yaar" reaction.

He has remained intense while adjusting to changing environs of the dressing room with great comfort. There have been many who came to the Test side after him and have faded away. From being a little teenager to being the senior statesman in the squad, he has accepted the changing roles and evolved. He has stayed intense when, despite the growing years, he is thinking a step ahead of the bowlers. Of course, all batsmen make mental preparation. But when you can read the bowlers as well as Tendulkar does, you can find fruit over a number of years.

Till the time his body started complaining, Tendulkar radiated an unadulterated joy with his Viv Richardsesque approach to batsmanship. The first signs of trouble came during the knock of 136 against Pakistan in Chennai in 1999 when his back caused him trouble. A defensive and watchful approach seemed to take over his mindset and accumulating runs was paramount.

I have often said that Tendulkar has shifted gear – deliberately, it would appear – to be an accumulator rather than aggressor that he was in the first decade of his wonderful career. With a set of wonderful batsmen around him like Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Ganguly, he has had the chance to determine his own role.

But none of that has diminished the intensity he brings to the table.

My favourite Tendulkar story – and I will never tire of relating this – is more than a decade old. I was interviewing him for the first time during a match at the Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad and I remember asking him what was uppermost in his mind when he scored a century – happiness or satisfaction. He took his time and told me that the two things were different states of mind.

"I am allowed to be happy when I score a century because it is a milestone but if I allow myself to be satisfied, I am denying the facts that I may have edged a few deliveries or may have been beaten or mistimed a few shots in the innings," he said. "Satisfaction is like engaging the handbrake in a car and hoping the vehicle would move forward."

He could not have given a better expression to his hunger for excellence. It was a great lesson in living. He has given Indians – and everyone else – many wonderful moments. Not only to celebrate them but also to ruminate on some of those in our moments of solitude and reflection.

On Friday, as the helmet came off and he looked heavenwards, it was clear that he was having a private moment with his late father, Prof Ramesh Tendulkar. Each time he does this, he reminds me of the first time. There was a lump in the throat as one saw him make his way to the crease at the fall of a wicket in Bristol in May 1999.

He had returned to bat for India from Prof Ramesh Tendulkar's funeral. His innings against Kenya under grief and stress was reminiscent of Raj Kapoor's wonderful performance in the lead role in Mera Naam Joker. Aware of his mother's death, the protagonist in the movie wears a pair of dark glasses to hide his tears from the world as he entertains the audience under the big tent.

Tendulkar could not even shed tears in public. And, when he reached the century, he gave one of my most poignant moments in many years of watching cricket. It seemed like he was locked in a brief and private conversation with his baba, his dear baba. "This one is for you, baba," he seemed to say as he looked up heavenwards.

Indeed, no one cricketer has given so many people around the world such unadulterated joy as he has, taking them along on a remarkable journey. No one batsman has caused such jaw-dropping awe among rival bowlers as the little big man. No one causes the air to be filled with so much electricity that can bathe more than a whole stadium in glorious light as consistently at the little big man. Sachin Tendulkar.[/tscii:08f37f0085]

[ajithfederer]

http://www.cricketnirvana.com/interviews/international/2008/October/interviews-20081018-14.html

Another wak wak wacking goose (Javed Miandad) which I am not interested to post the contents. Members can have a good laugh :)

[P_R]

Is anybody supposed to talk on an issue after it has been taken to ICC?. Isnt that a violation or something.


I don't think so. He is free to comment

Actually I was also a bit surprised about Sachin's evidence in the hearing.

I was quite convinced - don't ask me, it is just my impression - that Harbhajan was guilty of racial abuse. (I am guessing his best argument would have been something on the lines of avanai niruththa sollu..). And I was feeling quite annoyed about India threatening to walk out of the series etc. Asian bullies ! Pakistan walking out of the Test in Oval.Asians have done major damage by bending the rules to legally accomodate chucking.

I was quite surprised about Sachin's evidence. I guess "being there when it happened" put him in a spot. And the situation had become just too big, thw whole world was watching. And there were bound to pressures like some misplaced sense of solidarity.
Atleast that is how I try to convince myself.


>> digr: Sad note about the Slater rumour.Gilchrist made his first double century in that SA tour. He got emotional when he reached 200<<

[MrIndia]

why Ghilly and why now :? :?

He is one of the few respected Australians and why does he have to do it... yaaroda sadhi :?

[crajkumar_be]

http://www.cricketnirvana.com/interviews/international/2008/October/interviews-20081018-14.html

:rotfl:


Members can have a good laugh :)
I sure did!

[crajkumar_be]

And I was feeling quite annoyed about India threatening to walk out of the series etc.
Well, after watching the events (not the mangi episode) in the Sydney test i thought it wasn't such a bad idea...

[thamizhvaanan]

And I was feeling quite annoyed about India threatening to walk out of the series etc.
Well, after watching the events (not the mangi episode) in the Sydney test i thought it wasn't such a bad idea...

:exactly: Look who is talking abt being a good sport while the whole world knows which team played the fair game.

And for him to talk of Sachin shaking hands is plain silly. These are the guys who were so happy about winning a fraud game that they forgot to shake hands with the "sore losers" :x

[thamizhvaanan]

Funny the game of cricket is no longer 11 players vs 11 players .. it includes an assortment of media guys, ex cricketers, supporters doing their best to make their team win :lol2:

[mgb]

[tscii:ae6dd7806d]
Gilchrist edhukku indha vendadha velai.

:)
It isnt surprising at all.

It was gilly who made such vociferous appeal against dravid when the ball went nowhere near the bat.

Gilly was in the best position to see the catch of dada taken by pup not cleanly and yet went on to appeal along with ponting and later on brushed it aside as Mark Benson’s oversight in not consulting with the third umpire.

We may be sore losers. But aussies turn sore even before losing.

Sachin doesnt require any endorsement from such sick creatures crawling on earth.[/tscii:ae6dd7806d]

[crajkumar_be]

Asian bullies ! Pakistan walking out of the Test in Oval.Asians have done major damage by bending the rules to legally accomodate chucking.

ellathukkum chucking-a izhutha eppadi? :twisted:


What about Senile Gavaskar's pet peeve - Double standards of referees, bias etc.. ?
[Of course Zak deserves a :hammer: for more than one reason... SG solradhulayum konjam nyayam irukku illiya?]

[ajithfederer]

http://forumhub.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?t=7966&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=810

On Mar 02, 2008 after the Final One day match. Gilly patting sachin
:roll:

[P_R]

Asian bullies ! Pakistan walking out of the Test in Oval.Asians have done major damage by bending the rules to legally accomodate chucking.

ellathukkum chucking-a izhutha eppadi? :twisted:

Hmm...IMO one of the permanent damages to the game.
adhukkAga sonnEn. And the race-card was used when Asian players where 'called' for chucking. That is why I thought it relevant here. In fact it is more than race. Money too. The stars pull the crowds so they can do 'anything'. Much like WG Grace putting back the bails and batting on after getting bowled, saying "the crowds came to see me bat, not to see you bowl me"

Of course I do see the other PoV too. Slater behaving terribly after taking the grounded catch of Dravid in Mumbai 2001 and didn't even get a slap on his wrists ! Many many such incidents. Nichchayam SG solradhula nYayam irukku.

[wrap07]

[tscii:28e5d4e825]
Gilchrist edhukku indha vendadha velai.

:)
It isnt surprising at all.

It was gilly who made such vociferous appeal against dravid when the ball went nowhere near the bat.

Gilly was in the best position to see the catch of dada taken by pup not cleanly and yet went on to appeal along with ponting and later on brushed it aside as Mark Benson’s oversight in not consulting with the third umpire.

We may be sore losers. But aussies turn sore even before losing.

Sachin doesnt require any endorsement from such sick creatures crawling on earth.[/tscii:28e5d4e825]

i was surprised to see gilly making comments like this as he was seen to be unaustralian and different from his folks.

neenga point panna incidenta parthaa, avaru "flock together" typethaan pola irukku. yes. Sachin doesnot require that.

[Sanguine Sridhar]

[tscii:c47300a7ff]There is nothing wrong IMO, bOngu aatam aadunavangala adhey root-la poi thaan pudikanum! They are not sacred, thappe kedayadhu! Who can forget Sachin’s ball tampering issue? :evil: [/tscii:c47300a7ff]

[crajkumar_be]

On being asked about Gilly's allegations, Sir's reply - "No comments" :clap:

Today there's an interview "Little Masters" (SG and Sir) at 8PM, CNN-IBN. Interviewer is unfortunately Rajdeep Sardesai

[littlemaster1982]

Gilchrist on the backfoot, blames media's silly point (http://www.ibnlive.com/news/gilchrist-on-the-backfoot-blames-medias-silly-point/76632-5.html)

New Delhi: Former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist on Friday took on the media for the reports that he had slammed international cricket's highest run-getter Sachin Tendulkar of not being gracious in defeat in his autobiography True Colours.

Gilchrist said his statement was taken out of context and then blown out of proportion. He said he has written four pages on the incident in the book but media chose to quote just two sentences.

He also reportedly called up Tendulkar to talk matters over.

The cricketer also said he will clarify his side of the story in an article to be published on Saturday.

In his description of the incident relating to Tendulkar, Gilchrist writes that the Master Blaster shirks from a handshake if he ends on the losing side.

Describing the dramatic final moments on the final day of the Sydney Test, which India lost narrowly, Gilchrist says: "We went into the Indian changing room and shook hands. Not all their players could be found, which points to another subtle cultural difference. In the Australian mentality, we play it hard and are then quick to shake hands and leave it all on the field. Some of our opponents don't do it that way. Sachin Tendulkar, for instance, can be hard to find for a changing room handshake after we have beaten India. Harbhajan can also be hard to find."

Gilchrist's views make it clear that he isn't a fan of Tendulkar, who has been a hugely admired figure in Australia ever since he first played in the country as a teenager in 1991-92.

Gilchrist not only accuses Tendulkar of being a bad sport, but also goes on to criticise his role in the 'monkeygate' scandal involving Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds earlier this year in Australia.

[Nerd]

Deccan Chargers dhaanE, discharge pannidalaam 8-)

[ajithfederer]

http://in.news.yahoo.com/48/20081024/934/tsp-gilchrist-calls-sachin-says-sorry.html

Gilchrist calls Sachin, says sorry

Fri, Oct 24 03:43 PM

In the latest development in the 'Tendulkar Gilchrist spat', Adam Gilchrist has called up Sachin Tendulkar to 'clarify' his comments. Gilchrist reportedly told Tendulkar that the comments were taken 'out of context' from his book and that he never wanted to insult the batsman.

While efforts are being made by both Indian and Australian players to keep emotions under control in the current Test series, former Australian stumper Adam Gilchrist questioning Sachin Tendulkar's honesty during the spiteful Sydney Test could open fresh wounds.

In his autobiography, an extract of which will appear in a magazine, Gilchrist has hinted that Tendulkar was a sore loser and questioned his honesty in the "Monkeygate" affair that threatened to go out of hand during India's tour Down Under.

Terming Tendulkar's testimony during Harbhajan Singh's appeal as a "joke", Gilchrist noted, "The Indians got him (Harbhajan) off the hook when they, of all people, should have been treating the matter of racial vilification with the utmost seriousness."

Gilchrist was particularly disappointed with Tendulkar's behaviour who, according to him, had initially told the hearing that he could not hear what was said, he was "certain he was telling the truth" because he was "a fair way away".

But during the appeal which followed, Tendulkar said that Harbhajan used a Hindi term that sounded like "monkey" to Australian ears.

The stumper was convinced that the Harbhajan was guilty and considered India's threat to abandon the tour was "a disgraceful act, holding the game to ransom unless they got their way", ' The Age ' reported.

He also wrote that there was vast difference in the manner the teams approached the game.

"In the Australian mentality, we play it hard and are then quick to shake hands and leave it all on the field. Some of our opponents don't do it that way. Sachin Tendulkar, for instance, can be hard to find for a changing room handshake after we have beaten India. Harbhajan can also be hard to find.

"I guess it's a case of different strokes for different folks."

[ajithfederer]

Discharge edhukku., short circuit-ae podhum !.

Deccan Chargers dhaanE, discharge pannidalaam 8-)

[ajithfederer]

[tscii:564263d483]http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iLH0quYELcTgvEIWlVO_szZrHbxA

Tendulkar says Gilchrist called to explain book

6 hours ago

NEW DELHI (AFP) — India's Sachin Tendulkar on Friday said Australian star Adam Gilchrist had phoned him to clarify his controversial comments about the batting great in a new book.

The World Cup-winning wicketkeeper-batsman, who retired from the game earlier this year, said in his autobiography that Tendulkar was "hard to find for a changing room handshake after we have beaten India".

Gilchrist also questioned Tendulkar's honesty throughout the acrimonious Harbhajan Singh-Andrew Symonds incident during the Test series between the two cricketing powers in Australia last summer.

Australia claimed Harbhajan called him a monkey during a match but an independent tribunal later cleared the India off-spinner of the racial charge.

As tensions mounted over the book and ahead of the next Test between Australia and India, Tendulkar said the former wicketkeeper and batsman had made contact to explain the comments.

"Gilchrist called me up and clarified this issue," he told Times Now newschannel in India's western Pune.

"He said his comments have been taken out of context," he said without elaborating further.

Gilchrist's comments in the book, which is set to be released next week, sparked angry reaction from Indian cricket officials earlier Friday.

Former national selector Dilip Vengsarkar branded them a gimmick to sell more copies. "It is very unfortunate that Gilchrist has made such comments," he told CNN-IBN newschannel.

"You get a lot of money to write a book in Australia and England. But you have to write something sensational to sell your book. It is a marketing strategy to sell his book," said the former Test batsman.

The Indian cricket board said Gilchrist's comments were off the mark.

"Gilchrist should have thought twice before making such comments about Tendulkar, who is a great batsman and widely respected all over the cricketing world," the board's media committee chairman Rajiv Shukla said.

"If there is any person who will lose respect after this incident it is Gilchrist himself."

Gilchrist's autobiography, extracts of which will be printed in this weekend's press, centres on the hostilities between the two teams in Australia last summer, which saw India threaten to boycott the tour.

The book is bound to ruffle a few feathers with the teams seeking supremacy in the ongoing four-Test series which the Australians currently trail 1-0.

The series has been peppered with verbal sparring, culminating in Indian paceman Zaheer Khan being fined 80 percent of his match fee for his reaction to Matthew Hayden's dismissal in the second Test in Mohali earlier this week.

Hayden said it was intense competition between the two sides that sparked the tension. "We always have some tension," he told reporters Thursday.

"That is exactly why we want to see our athletes playing the game. That tension is mounted over five days, mounted over a window of 13 days, in so far as what we have seen in these two Test matches.

"That is why I also, as a spectator, want to see that ability to gnash teeth. I want to see that competitive edge. Two hungry dogs, if you can use the metaphor, that circle each other in a ring."

The third Test begins here on October 29 followed by the fourth and final in Nagpur from November 6-10.
[/tscii:564263d483]

[ajithfederer]

[tscii:0a4d0e20cb]http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/india/content/story/375194.html

Adam Gilchrist on Sydney Test

Gilchrist's comments were taken out of context - Tendulkar

Cricinfo staff

October 24, 2008


Adam Gilchrist says excerpts from his book were quoted out of context © Getty Images


Adam Gilchrist has told Sachin Tendulkar that his comments in the media were taken out of context. Excerpts from Gilchrist's new book, published in the Sydney Morning Herald, questioned Tendulkar's sporting spirit and his role in the hearings into the alleged racist remark made by Harbhajan Singh. In True Colours, Gilchrist suggested Tendulkar had changed his statement.

"Gilchrist called me up and clarified this issue," Tendulkar told news channel Times Now. "He said his comments have been taken out of context."

To another channel, IBN-Lokmat, Tendulkar defended himself against Gilchrist's remark that he was "hard to find for a changing-room handshake after we have beaten India".

"Before, during and after the match I don't like to enter the opposition dressing-room as it is not my culture," Tendulkar said. "But I have nothing against other cultures. I have never walked off a ground without shaking the opposition players' hands."

Indian cricket officials have already criticised Gilchrist for questioning Tendulkar’s honesty. MV Sridhar, the Indian team manager on the tour, had added a twist to the saga by offering a different version to Gilchrist of what Tendulkar had said.

"During the hearing in front of Mike Procter, the match referee, during the Sydney Test, Tendulkar told him that he had heard some form of abuse,” Sridhar told Cricinfo. “But Procter didn't probe any further and left matters at that. But subsequently in front of Justice Hansen, when both parties were cross-examined by legal counsel, Tendulkar said that he had heard Harbhajan say teri maa ki but clarified that it was an abbreviated form of an abuse."

Sridhar was present at both hearings after the Test, first with Procter and then with Justice John Hansen. Sridhar questioned the timing of Gilchrist’s revelations and said he used the incident merely to get cheap publicity for his book. “It is absurd that he [Gilchrist] is speaking after almost a year after the incident,” he said. “It's just a cheap marketing gimmick to sell the book. Why did he try to go public now because he realised the importance of the moment like the India-Australia series which has gained Ashes-like proportions?"

He said he was surprised at how Symonds, who claimed he was racially abused by Harbhajan in Hindi, got away despite admitting that he was involved in a heated discussion with him. Symonds saw Harbhajan hitting Brett Lee on the backside so he stepped in and “had a bit of a crack at Harbhajan”, telling him exactly what he thought of his antics. Harbhajan was initially banned for three Tests but his punishment was overturned on appeal.

BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla said the board will not pursue any action against Gilchrist. “I think it is better to ignore Gilchrist’s comments,” Shukla said. “The only one to lose respect will be him, not Tendulkar.”

Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary at that time, felt Gilchrist only wanted to "sensationalise the incidents" to sell his book. "Everything was properly handled by the authorities with the appointment of proper men to conduct the hearing after a proper procedure was put in place. After the matter is over, to claim these things in the book is nothing but foolishness."

© Cricinfo[/tscii:0a4d0e20cb]

[ajithfederer]

http://cricketnext.in.com/news/little-masters-so-many-similarities-yet-so-different/35050-13.html


On being asked about Gilly's allegations, Sir's reply - "No comments" :clap:

Today there's an interview "Little Masters" (SG and Sir) at 8PM, CNN-IBN. Interviewer is unfortunately Rajdeep Sardesai

[Kalyasi]

Deccan Chargers dhaanE, discharge pannidalaam 8-)

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[littlemaster1982]

:ty: AF for that link. Missed the first half of the interview :(

[ajithfederer]

[tscii:7a3e62dcad]http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/australia/content/current/story/375276.html

Adam Gilchrist on Sydney Test

'Nowhere did I accuse Sachin of lying'

Cricinfo staff

October 25, 2008


Adam Gilchrist: "I am pleased to say that at the conclusion of our chat the same respect Sachin and I have always had for each other continues to exist" © AFP


Adam Gilchrist has insisted that he did not accuse Sachin Tendulkar of lying while presenting evidence in the racism hearing after the controversial Sydney Test. He also denied calling him a “bad sport” after observing that it was often hard to locate Tendulkar for an after-match handshake following Indian losses.

Gilchrist's comments, quoted from his soon-to-be released autobiography True Colours, caused a stir in India and both players confirmed they had spoken to each other and agreed that the remarks were taken out of context. The main issue surrounded the racism hearing of the Indian offspinner Harbhajan Singh.

Harbhajan was accused of racially abusing Andrew Symonds and was suspended for three Tests but later had his ban overturned on appeal. Tendulkar was batting with Harbhajan when the incident occurred and Gilchrist observed that the evidence Tendulkar gave during the match referee’s hearing was different from that he presented during the appeal.

“All I stated are the facts that everyone knows, that initially Sachin mentioned he wasn't sure what Harbhajan had said, then later confirmed his support when Harbhajan said he'd used a Hindi word in the heated exchange with Symonds,” Gilchrist wrote in his column for the Times of India. “Nowhere do I accuse Sachin of lying. So to have spoken directly with Sachin about these matters was a great relief for me."

However MV Sridhar, the Indian team manager for the tour who was present at both the hearings, first with Mike Procter and then with Justice John Hansen, contradicted Gilchrist's statements. Sridhar said Tendulkar had told Procter that he had heard some form of abuse but the match referee did not probe further. Later, Sridhar said, Tendulkar told Hansen he had heard Harbhajan say teri maa ki but clarified that it was an abbreviated form of an abuse.

“I am pleased to say that at the conclusion of our chat the same respect Sachin and I have always had for each other continues to exist. The headlines arose from the manner in which some journalists interpreted a couple of points I have made in an about-to-be released autobiography.”

Gilchrist said the Harbhajan hearing was too big an issue to ignore in his book. “My only real reference to it was to recall the way the events unfolded from the initial hearing, the night the match finished, through to the final judicial hearing a few weeks later.”

Gilchrist said the references to Tendulkar not shaking his hand in the changing rooms after Tests were merely to highlight the cultural differences between the two countries. He said he never intended to question Tendulkar’s sportsmanship.

“In the book, I mention that a cultural difference between our team and that of the Indians was the importance of shaking hands with the opposition after a loss," he said. "It's simply my thoughts and from my experiences it seemed that this routine wasn't as important to some oppositions as it was in Australia, where it is drilled into us from an early age.

”I made the comment that Sachin and Harbhajan were sometimes not around to shake hands. Whether that is right or wrong is not my point. It was more the cultural differences I was trying to highlight, which it's fair to say, have been integral in most disputes or flare-ups between these two proud nations in the past.”

Gilchrist said he had nothing against India and that he had always enjoyed touring the country. “I also feel that people who know me, or people who read the book in its entirety, will know only too well the sincere affection I have for India as a country and the very friendly, passionate people that live here.”

© Cricinfo[/tscii:7a3e62dcad]

[littlemaster1982]

[tscii:6497d26cae]The class of Tendulkar (http://www.sportstaronnet.com/stories/20081025501201300.htm)

I was reminded of the statement, “Even if the little kid loses half his ability with the passage of time, he will still go on to be a world beater”. It was made by the late Raman Lamba in the late 1980s, even before the little kid (Sachin Tendulkar) made his debut in international cricket.

The chubby little kid then has gone a long way since making his debut at the age of 16. And on October 17 (incidentally, it is the birthday of another legend, Anil Kumble), he reached yet another milestone at Mohali. It was rather strange that people felt Sachin made them wait a shade longer before he got past the aggregate of Brian Lara.

Poor Sachin! One does not score 12,000 runs in Test cricket within a certain time frame. There has been no let-up for Tendulkar during his journey that has lasted 19 years and it is rather sad that sometimes people do not express their adulation for him in the right manner.

The little master is generally not prone to reacting to negative reports about him in the press but the hurt was evident when he mentioned that the stones hurled at him enabled him to reach several milestones in his career. Obviously, Tendulkar would not have forgotten the criticism of him and the Indian team following the debacle in the last World Cup. There was a public outcry for ousting the little master as well as the other senior cricketers from the team. It is remarkable that Tendulkar stayed away from the eye of the storm as the mood in general then was not conducive to giving any explanation whatsoever.

Tendulkar must certainly be relieved that the monkey is off his back. But even before he could savour the achievement, the press wanted him to predict the shelf life of his latest record! One wonders why the media is always so keen to be so far-sighted and analytical while there is no saying what the future has in store. By and large, the media have been good to Tendulkar over a good period of time, but unfortunately insensitivity has also sneaked in at times and that probably would hurt the great batsman more than anything else.

“When will Tendulkar rejoin the team?” was the question at a time when a bereaved Sachin had to return to India during the 1999 World Cup. Of course, the implication was that Tendulkar is the man for India, but the way it was conveyed was not very pleasant, especially at a time when the little master was going through a personal tragedy.

Enough has been written about his batting and his technique over the years but what has escaped one’s attention is his sustained dedication and the sacrifices he has made in order to achieve laurels for himself and the country. His dedication to the game borders on obsession so much that for the time being he cannot entertain the thought of life without the game he loves so dearly.

Tendulkar’s retort, “you are in the wrong press conference”, to a reporter when he was asked about his retirement indicates the passion he still has for the game. Passion is just about the only reason why he is continuing to play the game, for he has done all that is possibly there to be done on a cricket field.

Since Tendulkar is aware that there is nothing left for him to prove to anybody, he would be looking to enjoy the game for whatever duration that he represents the country. While Tendulkar would want to have a good time, the onus is on his followers to enjoy the entertainment that he will provide and not indulge in formulating his retirement plans. The little master has surpassed the record of his good friend Lara and though Ponting may be on his heels, we Indians must be proud of the great batsman and cherish his achievement.

It will be difficult not to talk about Tendulkar the person as sportsmen are not only expected to excel on the field but also to be role models. Tendulkar has been impeccable in his behaviour on and off the field. This in itself is a great achievement considering the media attention on him over the years. To be in the limelight from the age of 16 and have the world at your feet and yet not lose one’s bearings is a phenomenal achievement by itself.

While his aggregate may probably be surpassed by someone in the years to come, I seriously doubt if anyone can be as great a human being as Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

:notworthy: :notworthy:


[/tscii:6497d26cae]

[littlemaster1982]

Great Catch by Sachin (http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=SH2I6DdK21c). For those who haven't seen this before.

[P_R]

Great Catch by Sachin (http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=SH2I6DdK21c). For those who haven't seen this before.

Good cath.

I have been combing the net fruitlessly for the catch he took in Mumbai Test 2001 to get rid of Shane Warne. In the deep, he covered some distance, corrected for overrunning and took the catch nearly sitting down. Beautiful catch.

That and the catch of Inzamam (http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=LfeIYy0eLfA) in the 2004 tour of Pak is great too. It was near the boundary nearly stepping on the ropes. Hear Manjrekar say: "Well, if he has claimed the catch, then it should be out".

[littlemaster1982]

That and the catch of Inzamam (http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=LfeIYy0eLfA) in the 2004 tour of Pak is great too. It was near the boundary nearly stepping on the ropes. Hear Manjrekar say: "Well, if he has claimed the catch, then it should be out".

:notworthy: :notworthy:

[equanimus]

the catch of Inzamam (http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=LfeIYy0eLfA) in the 2004 tour of Pak
Stumbled upon another video (http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=i4W97QZ_IYE&NR=1) when watching this one. A good collection of some memorable moments of Sachin the bowler. (With the background score of Don. :))

[ajithfederer]

[tscii:4b8cb14de4]http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/24/stories/2008102456131900.htm

Sport Printer Friendly Page Send this Article to a Friend

When the ‘Little Masters’ got together

Sports Reporter

Gavaskar and Tendulkar in an engaging conversation

— FILE Photo: PTI

LIVING LEGENDS: Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar share with CNN-IBN viewers the fabrication of the ultimate cricketing dream.

CHENNAI: The coming together of Test cricket’s 12,000-run man and his original 10,000-run idol was bound to be an eye-opener of paramount significance. The two ‘little masters’— Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar — were led through an engaging conversation by Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief of CNN-IBN, on the requirements and routine that went into the fabrication of the ultimate cricketing dream.

The two national icons were face to face for an exclusive chit-chat session titled “Little Masters” that will be aired on CNN-IBN and IBN-7.
Secret of success

While Tendulkar revealed what it was like to survive and succeed under the constant pressure of expectation and how winning the 2011 World Cup would be the definitive triumph, Gavaskar made it explicitly clear that his favourite protégé was in ship shape to continue till the premier event two years from now.

Speaking on the large-scale, run-by-run hounding that his latest achievement was subjected to, Sachin said: “To be honest, it still hasn’t sunk in. I was just focusing on the ball and was fed up with the usual ‘you have to do it’ and ‘when will you do it’ queries. I just wanted to enjoy my cricket rather than go chase records. I knew that records would be broken automatically and I didn’t need to focus on that.”

The parallels between the two compact bat-wielders from Mumbai are strikingly similar, and when Gavaskar empathised with Tendulkar’s quagmire, it was solely on the basis of experience.

“When I got close to Sir Don’s 29-century mark, it was all people could talk about. You got off the aircraft and the aircraft maintenance guys would ask you about it, you ordered from room service and the delivery guy would say ‘we want your 29th century here’. We didn’t even have i-pods then to help us tune out,” he said.
Prolific batsmen

Both prolific batsmen harnessed equally effective but disparate styles to accumulate runs. Tendulkar has often confessed to having modelled his game after that of Gavaskar and Vivian Richards which, in effect, has meant that he had two paradoxically efficient philosophies of batting to draw from all through his career.

Gavaskar admitted that there were various paths that lead to the same pinnacle of achievement.

“Yes, there are different methods to get runs. It also depends on the kind of game that you have… you could be a frontfoot player, you could be a backfoot player, you could be good on the off-side, your grip might be suited to an on-side game. Take the Indian team, there are so many different styles. There’s Sachin, there’s VVS, there’s Sehwag… all with different methods of dealing with the same kind of delivery.”

Gavaskar also acknowledged that he was sometimes tempted to emulate Tendulkar’s hitting prowess and his ability to “destroy the bowling attack”.

“I enjoy watching Sachin and Sehwag bat because they do the kind of things that I wanted to do but was unable to do. Probably it was a mental block. But this is what happens to former cricketers with unfulfilled aspirations. There is a sense of fulfilment and enjoyment in what the next generation does,” he said.
Enduring relationship

The relationship that the two Mumbaikars share has also been a part of cricketing folklore. From the time an ‘awe-struck’ Gavaskar presented his leg guards to Tendulkar before his Ranji Trophy debut, the liaison has only strengthened over the years.

In fact, Gavaskar went as far as stating that he always knew that, injuries notwithstanding, the cherubic lad would, one day, “possess all the batting records in the world”.
Something special

“Please ask my wife what I felt when I first saw him bat. I had heard so much about him…I went and saw him from a corner because I didn’t want him to be conscious of the fact that I was standing behind the nets. After that, I went home and told my wife that I had seen something really special. She was surprised because I had never said as much about any cricketer before.”

Asked what his greatest achievement on the cricket field was, Gavaskar said: “It has to be the 1983 World Cup win. Nothing can beat that. Nobody gave us a chance and we played good cricket and we won the World Cup. I will not advise Sachin, but I will make a plea to him: please regain the World Cup for us in 2011.”

Tendulkar agreed that the World Cup was a glittering omission from his imposing resume.

“It has always been a dream because that (World Cup) is the ultimate thing you can get for your country. We came so close to it in 2003 but, I thought, we tried a little too hard in the final.”

Conjecture over the World Cup apart, Sachin let on how he would like to be remembered as “one who always played for the team and one who has had some impact on the next generation and set targets for them to achieve.”

‘Little Masters’ will be telecast on CNN-IBN and IBN-7 on Friday, October 24 at 8 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. respectively.[/tscii:4b8cb14de4]

[ajithfederer]

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1201269

Pietersen congratulates Tendulkar
PTI
Sunday, October 26, 2008 17:48 IST


LONDON: England captain Kevin Pietersen on Sunday congratulated Sachin Tendulkar on becoming the highest Test run scorer, saying he would love to make 10,000 Test runs.

"I congratulate Sachin Tendulkar on becoming the highest Test run scorer. I myself have targets. I would love to make 10,000 Test runs, though I'm about 6,000 short at present. My fear is that in future, people are not going to have the same priorities," Pietersen said.

Tendulkar became the highest run-scorer in the history of Test cricket when he surpassed West Indies' legend Brian Lara's record of 11,953 during India's second Test against Australia in Mohali.

Tendulkar has now scored 12,027 runs and has become the first to pass 12,000 runs in Tests.

Emphasising the need to strive to retain the supremacy of Test cricket, Pietersen said, "I'm going to speak to my fellow cricketers from other countries to try to gauge how people feel. But we're in a weird situation and there are big issues to confront."

[ajithfederer]

Reverse sweep or Reverse slap? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk8jY5d9zaA&feature=related)

[ajithfederer]

http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/0/7B782FF730613AF7652574EF0054530B?OpenDocument

New Delhi, Oct 27 (PTI) Sachin Tendulkar today ticked off Adam Gilchrist for questioning his sportsman spirit and honesty, saying a person who does not know him well enough made such "loose statements" which left him shocked.
"I was surprised. I didn't know how to react. (What he alleged) is something that I can't even think of in my wildest dreams. I love the game so much and those remarks came from someone who doesn't know me enough. I think he made loose statements," he said reacting to Gilchrist's comments in his upcoming autobiography that the Indian was hard to find for a handshake after India lost the Sydney Test.

Tendulkar said Gilchrist did call up to clear the air and he did not mince words in telling the former Aussie stumper that he had forgotten the spirit in which the Indians took the Sydney defeat.

"I am the kind of person who would leave things behind.

So many times he mentioned that you and Harbhajan (Singh) are not traceable to shake hands. I reminded him that I was the first person to shake hands after the Sydney defeat. It was a tough game that we lost and it was difficult for us.

"But none of us in the team would not shake hands. We have that sportsman spirit. We won't shy away from challenges," he told 'NDTV'.

Gilchrist had also taken a swipe at Tendulkar's honesty during the Harbhajan Singh race row trial, accusing him of giving different versions to the match referee and the ICC adjudicator but the Indian star said it was a closed chapter for him.

"That's his opinion but as far as I am concerned the chapter is closed," he said. PTI

[Sourav]

[tscii:e35232d299]‘Loose statements by Gilchrist’
Tendulkar Says He Minced No Word In Reminding Aussie That Indians Have Sporting Spirit

New Delhi: Sachin Tendulkar on Monday ticked off Adam Gilchrist for questioning his sportsman spirit and honesty, saying a person who does not know him well enough made such “loose statements” which left him shocked.
“I was surprised. I didn’t know how to react. (What he alleged) is something that I can’t even think of in my wildest dreams. I love the game so much and those remarks came from someone who doesn’t know me enough. I think he made loose statements,” he said reacting to Gilchrist’s comments in his upcoming autobiography that the Indian was hard to find for a handshake after India lost the Sydney Test.
Tendulkar said Gilchrist did call up to clear the air and he did not mince words in telling the former Aussie stumper that he had forgotten the spirit in which the Indians took the Sydney defeat.
“I am the kind of person who would leave things behind. So many times he mentioned that you and Harbhajan (Singh) are not traceable to shake hands. I reminded him that I was the first person to shake hands after the Sydney defeat. It was a tough game that we lost and it was difficult for us. But none of us in the team would not shake hands. We have that sportsman spirit. We won’t shy away from challenges,” he said a TV channel.
Gilchrist had also taken a swipe at Tendulkar’s honesty during the Harbhajan Singh race row trial, accusing him of giving different versions to the match referee and the ICC adjudicator but the Indian star said it was a closed chapter for him. “That’s his opinion but as far as I am concerned the chapter is closed,” he said.
Fear of Indian backlash prompted Gilly to call Sachin: Adam Gilchrist said he was prompt in clearing things with Sachin Tendulkar over the controversial comments about the Indian maestro in his autobiography as he feared a backlash in the sub-continent. Gilchrist reportedly had called Sachin a ‘liar’ and a ‘bad sport,’ that caused a furore in India, where Australia is playing four-Test series against the hosts.
The former Australia wicketkeeper-batsman later phoned Tendulkar to clarify the matter.
“I just wanted to talk to him and say what I’d written, because I just know how big a story that was becoming - particularly in such a passionate country as India where they love their cricket and their superstars -- and he was fantastic and fully understood,” Gilchrist was quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph.
“I just tried to explain to him the context in which my comments were written in the book. When you just grab little snippets out of the book, it can be taken out of context a little bit,” added Gilchrist.
In NewDelhi meanwhile, Australia captain Ricky Ponting today threw his weight behind his former deputy and said the retired stumper meant no malice in his observation of Sachin Tendulkar’s role in the ‘monekeygate scandal’.
Asked if he thought that improving relationship between cricketers of both countries was affected by Gilchrist’s unsavoury comment on Tendulkar, Ponting said, “I do not really think there was any malice intended from Adam in what he had to say in his book.
“I think it was reading between the lines, last couple of days, but he has actually contacted Sachin and cleared the air.”
Gilchrist meanwhile, backed an under-pressure Australia to level the series against India in the third Test, even though he feels India will have an upper-hand at the Delhi’s Ferozeshah Kotla where the pitch is tailor-made for the hosts.
“There’s a great challenge there, but I’ve got no doubt our guys will come out fighting," the former Australian wicket-keeper said.
“I am sure that the little bit of time-off they had enabled them to regroup and get their direction right, so I expect them to come out fighting hard,” he said.
“The wicket in Delhi is definitely tailormade for this Indian line-up. I think Anil Kumble’s record there is impeccable, so there’s a lot of evidence to support India there,” he added. Agencies

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOI&BaseHref=TOICH/2008/10/29&PageLabel=18&EntityId=Ar01801&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T

http://epaper.dinamalar.com/DM/MADHURAI/2008/10/29/Article//015/29_10_2008_015_003.jpg

Good reply.. 8-) [/tscii:e35232d299]

[Sourav]

[tscii:519a136e04]Sachin upset by lack of respect to the seniors

New Delhi, Oct 29: Sachin Tendulkar finally opened his mouth in the whole ‘junior-senior’ debate that has been dogging Indian cricket for some time.

Taking a firm stand on the whole issue, the Master batsman, who has recently broke Brain Lara’s record to become the highest scorer in Test cricket, said the seniors including him would decide the place and time of their retirement.

“The seniors including myself will decide the time and place of retirement”, said Sachin.

In an interview to a private news channel, Sachin also said, “The lack of respect towards the seniors does not happen anywhere”.

“It’s only in this country that not enough respect is shown to the seniors who made major contributions”, Sachin added.

Tendulkar thought there was not a single player in the team who believed that if he was not enjoying the game he would still stick around. "I don`t think there is a single individual like that in the team".

He also categorically said that he was surprised to learn Sourav Ganguly’s decision to quit cricket at this juncture of his career.

"I am sure it must have taken him a long time to reach there. And it`s a big decision. But if he feels that it is the way to go, then we all should respect," Tendulkar said.[/tscii:519a136e04]

[Sourav]

Little Master's majestic attack

BEFORE the Delhi Test began Sachin Tendulkar spent hours in the nets facing a shaved and taped tennis ball fired at him by the team coach. Concerned about his technique against swinging and rising deliveries, and aware that the pitch was likely to be faster than forecast, he wanted to prepare himself for all eventualities. To that end he ironed out the kinks that had crept into his game.

Twice he had lost his wicket to loose strokes and once to an outswinger. It was not good enough. He has always been a diligent player, has always attended to details. He knew, too, that his team had to take its chance to put away the Australians and meant to play his part in that.

Before the Delhi Test began Brett Lee spent hours hardening his body and improving his stamina. Aware that he had fallen behind in his preparations, he went running every evening, pounding the streets, clearing his mind. Dismayed by his inability to give the attack the leadership it needed, he went flat out in the nets striving for wickets. In Mohali, he had tried to bowl within himself, conserving energy, relying on skill, and it had not worked. Enough of that. He knew that his captain was helpless unless his senior players answered his call.

Unsurprisingly, Tendulkar and Lee were the chief protagonists in a rousing opening day featuring an organised, purposeful but still limited Australian side and a home outfit loathe to surrender its advantage. Cricket offers few sights better than a fast bowler striving with might and main to remove a great batsman. It is the most naked of cricketing contests.

Tendulkar was majestic. Called to the crease after Rahul Dravid had indulged in an indiscretion that imperils his position, Tendulkar swiftly settled into his work. Immediately it was obvious that his mind was alert and his feet were moving quickly into position.

As usual he broke his duck with a neat tuck to leg. Lots of players can improvise on the front foot, but none is as creative as the Indian when stepping back. Several times he retreated, examined the ball and, finding nothing untoward, directed it into a gap. Now and then he pressed for more, once leaning back to guide the ball over slips.

His work off the front foot was just as impressive. He placed the ball between mid-off and extra cover and opened the blade a second time to beat point.

Had the Australians wilted or set accommodating fields, India's favourite son would have taken control. Instead Ricky Ponting, a sharper and more commanding figure than in Mohali, set interesting, inviting fields, blocking Tendulkar's strokes with an unusually deep backward point and trying to cut off his supply past square leg as well. Nor was Ponting afraid to change tack. Having probed Tendulkar's back-foot game, the Australians switched to full and straight attack in search of a leg before wicket and afterwards sought to stretch his patience. Australia persisted and eventually the batsman erred and hope was restored.

Needing an early wicket as a child needs milk, Lee beat Virender Sehwag with a fast break-backer and celebrated with a broad smile. Continuing to blend full deliveries and flyers, he threatened to make further inroads but was kept out. But he had set the example and his fellow pacemen also worked hard in the common cause. Reward came as Tendulkar nibbled at Mitchell Johnson.

[ajithfederer]

Sourav

'mmmaala avatar :notworthy: :notworthy: :whistle:

[ajithfederer]

Sourav, please post the source link when posting articles :twisted: :twisted: :P

[ajithfederer]

[tscii:3bd01afd1d]http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/indvaus2008/content/current/story/375925.html

India v Australia, 3rd Test, Delhi, 1st day

Tendulkar evokes memories of 1992

Cricinfo staff

October 29, 2008


Sachin Tendulkar's pick-up over midwicket off Cameron White was a damning verdict on the paucity of Australia's slow-bowling resources in the post-Warne era © Getty Images


At times you could have fooled yourself into thinking that it was the irrepressible teenager of Perth 1992 vintage (http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63567.html) batting, and not the 35-year-old veteran who was supposed to be on his last legs. The strokeplay was majestic and the approach worlds removed from the hesitancy that coloured Sachin Tendulkar's innings at times over the past couple of years.

The situation when he walked in was hardly that in which to unleash a fusillade of shots. At 27 for 2, he might even have been reminded of the bad old days, when the batting rode on his shoulders, especially away from home at venues like the MCG and Edgbaston. These days though, the line-up around him is far more robust and the freedom he batted with today was that of a man determined to enjoy a final flourish in the game that he has illuminated for so long. Even when India were under siege in the first session, there was safety in the thought that Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Man of the Match in Mohali a week ago, was pencilled in at No.7.

Brett Lee had already been taken off by the time Tendulkar emerged to raucous cheers, but Mitchell Johnson was bowling just as quick in his place. One bouncer whizzed past his helmet at 151 km/hr but if that was meant to intimidate, it had little effect. A couple of balls later, he was on tiptoe and striking the ball through point, much as he had done at the WACA all those years ago.

Johnson tried to tempt him into the sort of airy drive that Rahul Dravid had perished to, but the bait was never nibbled. For 20 balls, Tendulkar was in watchful mode, intent on seeing off the challenge of Australia's premier fast bowlers. Only when Johnson started to err on the short side did he start to open up, first tucking one off the hips past square leg and then lashing one through the fielder at point.

Lee was the culprit on that occasion, and Ricky Ponting turned to him a quarter of an hour before lunch. It was a crucial passage of play. Had Australia picked up a wicket then with the run-rate still well below three, the game might have turned. Instead, Lee was greeted with the most sumptuous of cover-drives. Lee continued to bowl quick and full, but Tendulkar either guided the ball into the off side, or played it straight back. There was no hint that the eyesight or reflexes have faded, no sign of a batsman on the wane.

The contest within a contest continued right after lunch, with Lee charging in as he had to dismiss Virender Sehwag earlier in the morning. Earlier this year, in the CB Series in Australia, Tendulkar had decided to use Lee's pace to bunt the ball over the slip cordon. It was a stroke he unfurled to telling effect in Bloemfontein in 2001 (http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63951.html), but this was Lee, the quickest bowler in the world, in the quintessential Test match battle of our times, Australia against India.

Such labels clearly meant nothing to him because the third ball after lunch nearly went over third man for six. Once again, he had rocked back, arched his spine like a gymnast and twirled the wrists to devastating effect. The score was still modest, 71 for 2, but a massive statement had been made. The unerringly accurate Stuart Clark was then thumped behind point for four more, before Lee responded the way fast bowlers do. The straight, quick bouncer would have parted Tendulkar's hair if he hadn't been wearing a helmet, but all he did was drop the wrists and sway out of harm's way.


Sachin Tendulkar's innings ended with a false shot but not before the momentum had shifted inexorably in India's favour © Getty Images


His riposte was far more damaging, a whiplash square of the wicket that got to the ball boys before anyone in the off side cordon had even moved a couple of feet. When Lee subsequently searched for the yorker, Tendulkar drove in classical fashion to the man at midwicket. More than Lee's raw pace, it was Clark's accuracy that troubled him most, with one superb leg-cutter almost kissing the outside edge on its way to Brad Haddin.

There were still moments to drive the bowler to distraction though. There was little wrong with the delivery that Clark bowled to him when he was on 46, but Tendulkar merely waited on it as though it were a loopy leg break and then cut it fine for four. Soon after, the field changed to 7-2, but rather than be tempted into the shot across the line, Tendulkar chose the path of discretion.

Cameron White was initially viewed with similar suspicion, but once a gorgeous on-drive off Clark had loosened the shackles, Ponting's first punt at spin was made to look foolish. When White tossed one up fairly wide, he pounced to drive it past extra-cover, and the pick-up over midwicket that followed was a damning verdict on the paucity of the slow-bowling resources in Australian cricket's post-Warne era.

After Johnson and Watson tied him down for a while, it all ended with a false stroke, but by then the momentum had shifted inexorably in India's favour, with Gautam Gambhir trading circumspection for aggression. Tendulkar has scored nine hundreds against Australia, and as a result half-centuries don't really linger too long in the memory. This little gem though should have a special place in the collection, right up alongside the one in Adelaide (http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63865.html) , when he launched into Glenn McGrath after the previous evening's monastic denial, and the minor masterpiece in Mumbai (http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64102.html) , when he and Laxman batted sublimely on a minefield to transform a match that had been within Australia's grasp. Even for the masters, centuries aren't everything. [/tscii:3bd01afd1d]

[Sourav]

Sourav

'mmmaala avatar :notworthy: :notworthy: :whistle: :D


Sourav, please post the source link when posting articles :twisted: :twisted: :P
Ok Sir...:) But, sourav-a namba maateengala... :huh:

[ajithfederer]

Nambikkagaa illeeengg sir..(Read like GM) :lol:

The link can be used for future references whenever these threads are archived :)



Sourav, please post the source link when posting articles :twisted: :twisted: :P
Ok Sir...:) But, sourav-a namba maateengala... :huh:

[littlemaster1982]

Sourav

'mmmaala avatar :notworthy: :notworthy: :whistle:

Vazhimozhigiren. Enna oru thenaavattu :notworthy:

[ajithfederer]

Lord Of The Runs- Sachin Special- NDTV Fri 9 30 pm
A must watch for all of Sachin fans... An exclusive NDTV program on Sachin on Fri 9 30 pm.... Dont miss...

[littlemaster1982]

Lord Of The Runs- Sachin Special- NDTV Fri 9 30 pm
A must watch for all of Sachin fans... An exclusive NDTV program on Sachin on Fri 9 30 pm.... Dont miss...

Paazhapona office :curse: Youtube-ladhan paakkanum :|

[ajithfederer]

:lol:

Different timings quoted in orkut. So please check local listings, LM :)


Lord Of The Runs- Sachin Special- NDTV Fri 9 30 pm
A must watch for all of Sachin fans... An exclusive NDTV program on Sachin on Fri 9 30 pm.... Dont miss...

Paazhapona office :curse: Youtube-ladhan paakkanum :|

[ajithfederer]

On a related side note: Sachin orkut community blazes past 400k members - :thumbsup:

[ajithfederer]

http://cricketsbestvideos.blogspot.com/

Vintage shots:

The back foot punch through covers one off brett lee -

The latest of the late cuts for his 50

The shot over slip cordon off a lee bouncer (There was a name invented for such a shot). Lee stop bowling bouncers :lol:

A gorgeous cover drive off brett lee watching the ball until the last moment.

And another kind off a punch/drive off lee again

Sublime shots :thumbsup: But out again off a sappa shot trying to run the ball to 3rd man just before tea :oops:

[littlemaster1982]

On a related side note: Sachin orkut community blazes past 400k members - :thumbsup:

:redjump: :bluejump: Another milestone 8-)

[littlemaster1982]

The upper-cut from hell (http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/indvaus2008/content/current/story/375900.html)

Lee, who has had an ordinary series so far, built up consistent pace today. In the first over after lunch, he dug one in short. Sachin Tendulkar, well entrenched by then, waited for it to rise, arched his back a bit to make room, and guided it over slip. The shot was delicate and breathtaking at the same time. Lee's pace almost carried it for a six.

[ajithfederer]

Another Record to Gods name
Guys i just realised that SRT has equalled Allan Borders record of scoring 50 or 50+ runs in an innings

Both are placed at 90 after todays innings (51 fifties + 39 hundreds) !!!!!!!

courtesy : orkut

[ajithfederer]

http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/0/BF53CECC9517F379652574F1003BDEC8?OpenDocument

New Delhi, Oct 29 (PTI) The Delhi and District Cricket Association today felicitated Sachin Tendulkar for becoming the highest run-getter in Tests.
In a simple function held before the start of the third Test between India and Australia at the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium, DDCA President Arun Jaitley presented the star batsman a pair of shoes and congratulated him on crossing 12000 runs in the longer version of the game.

Indian opener and Delhi captain Virender Sehwag was also present at the function.

The 35-year-old Tendulkar surpassed former West Indies captain Brian Lara's record of 11,953 runs during the second Test against Australia which India won by 320 runs in Mohali. PTI

[crajkumar_be]

Totally unprofessional.. didn't expect this from you..
"not feeling well" ? :huh:


Lord Of The Runs- Sachin Special- NDTV Fri 9 30 pm
A must watch for all of Sachin fans... An exclusive NDTV program on Sachin on Fri 9 30 pm.... Dont miss...

Paazhapona office :curse: Youtube-ladhan paakkanum :|

[ajithfederer]

:rotfl: :rotfl:

[littlemaster1982]

:lol: Niraiya leave edutthachu :oops:


Totally unprofessional.. didn't expect this from you..
"not feeling well" ? :huh:


Lord Of The Runs- Sachin Special- NDTV Fri 9 30 pm
A must watch for all of Sachin fans... An exclusive NDTV program on Sachin on Fri 9 30 pm.... Dont miss...

Paazhapona office :curse: Youtube-ladhan paakkanum :|

[Nerd]

http://cricketsbestvideos.blogspot.com/

Vintage shots:

The back foot punch through covers one off brett lee -

The latest of the late cuts for his 50

The shot over slip cordon off a lee bouncer (There was a name invented for such a shot). Lee stop bowling bouncers :lol:

A gorgeous cover drive off brett lee watching the ball until the last moment.

And another kind off a punch/drive off lee again

Sublime shots :thumbsup: But out again off a sappa shot trying to run the ball to 3rd man just before tea :oops:
'Kali, enna oru innings :bow: :bow: :bow: chinna pasangallAm pAthu kathukkanum. Vintage sachin as cricinfo put it. Mark Nicholas also acknowledged it in the commentary. Its a freakin shame that he got out on 68 :hammer:

inimEl ivinga eppa out aayi, australia out aayi thalaivar aaduRadhu.. A century is LONG due :cry:

[ajithfederer]

http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/0/4AEF6B6F5FA0CE4F652574F2003E70D6?OpenDocument

Tendulkar one of most well-behaved cricketers: Ranatunga



T V Sriram
Colombo, Oct 30 (PTI) Adam Gilchrist might have called Sachin Tendulkar a "bad sport" but for former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga the Indian batting maestro is one of the best well behaved cricketers he had played with.

"He (Tendulkar) was one of the nicest guys I played cricket with ... The thing I admired of him was the commitment for the game. I am very glad that he has left behind (the issue)," Ranatunga told PTI.

"I have not seen anyone who is so committed to cricket. Actually I learnt a lot from him. I was not committed enough for my batting. The result shows. I think he (Tendulkar) is a role model for any young cricketer," Ranatunga said.

Ranatunga, now the Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), said Tendulkar deserved to become Test cricket's highest run-getter surpassing West Indian great Brian Lara.

"I think he (Tendulkar) deserves to do that because of the commitment. He is one of the greatest cricketers I have played cricket with." Ranatunga feels that Tendulkar can easily play a couple of years of cricket and he should be given the luxury to decide when to hang his boots.

"I still feel he can easily play a couple of years. I think the important thing is he has to take care of his injuries. When you are getting older you are getting into all these issues.

"But he is still fit enough to play cricket. Even Sourav Ganguly, he is still getting runs. I think there will be a big vacuum when the 'fab four' goes," Ranatunga said.

"Only Sachin should decide (on his retirement). If he feels that he is not enjoying the game he should announce his retirement," he added. PTI

[ajithfederer]

http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283032.html




Test matches

Most fifties in career

Player Span Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 50+ 0
SR Tendulkar (India) 1989-2008 153* 249 26 12105 248* 54.28 39 51 90 14
AR Border (Aus) 1978-1994 156 265 44 11174 205 50.56 27 63 90 11



BC Lara (ICC/WI) 1990-2006 131 232 6 11953 400* 52.88 34 48 82 17
SR Waugh (Aus) 1985-2004 168 260 46 10927 200 51.06 32 50 82 22
SM Gavaskar (India) 1971-1987 125 214 16 10122 236* 51.12 34 45 79 12

Another Record to Gods name
Guys i just realised that SRT has equalled Allan Borders record of scoring 50 or 50+ runs in an innings

Both are placed at 90 after todays innings (51 fifties + 39 hundreds) !!!!!!!

courtesy : orkut

[ajithfederer]

http://www.sachinism.com/viewArticle.php?articleid=202

By far the best i have seen or played against-ALLAN DONALD

Sachin Tendulkar has often reminded me of a veteran army colonel who has many medals on his chest to show how he has conquered bowlers all over the world. Which is why I find it amusing when critics suggest that he plays well only at home. Do they realise that they are talking about a guy who has scored centuries in almost all the Test-playing countries?

I must admit that I was not entirely convinced that Tendulkar had something special about him when I first heard about him. It was prior to South Africa's return to world cricket that the "Tendulkar buzz" was heard around the county circuit. He played a season for Yorkshire, but did not really get going. However, he did score one century in a Sunday League, the rerun of which I saw on television. There was a lot of Sunil Gavaskar in his style, and he also had the balance that nobody else possessed. But these were glimpses of potential and I did not think he would be consistently good for a long period of time.

How wrong I was. Tendulkar got better and better with each passing year and today he is the most frightening batsman as far as bowlers across the world are concerned. Everybody is king at home, and scoring heavily in your backyard has never really impressed me. However, Tendulkar has 16 centuries outside India, which is more than half of all his centuries. Many quality batsmen end up with that many centuries in their entire career, so that number is a clear indication that we are talking about a freak player - someone who is as good and as consistent abroad as he is at home.
As a bowler you have to have your gameplan ready before bowling to Tendulkar. Sachin looks to leave a lot of balls in the beginning, and as a bowler your best chance against him is in the first 20 minutes. During our team meetings, we often speak about the importance of the first 12 balls to Tendulkar. If you get him then you can thank your stars, otherwise it could mean that tough times lie ahead.

Consistency is the factor that makes Tendulkar special. He is often spoken about in the same breath as Brian Lara, but as far as I am concerned, the comparison does not even begin. Lara is not half as consistent as Tendulkar and lacks the discipline of the latter. The left-hander plays in a more loose manner and is not that controlled or patient during the first 20 minutes of his innings. Lara was unbelievable in 1994, but he has never been able to recreate that magic consistently after that

Which is why I rate my dismissal of Tendulkar at Durban in 1996 as the best ball I've ever bowled in Test cricket. I remember that over very clearly. Tendulkar had just hit me for two boundaries, but I decided to stick to my outside-the-off-stump line. The ball just nipped back sharply and claimed his off-stump. It was a perfect ball and, more importantly, exposed a tiny chink in the army colonel's armour. Since then we have worked on bowling that ball against Tendulkar and have had some degree of success with it.
At 29, Tendulkar is at the middle of his career and from hereon he can score another 15 to 20 centuries, taking him close to the 50-century mark. He will continue to terrorise bowlers for another six to eight years, and, hopefully, he will be able to keep the motivation going.

Great players often decide to retire out of the blue. This is particularly common among those who are family men because they find it increasingly difficult to spend time away from their near and dear ones. I've heard that Tendulkar is deeply attached to his children and might face such a crisis. However, like many admirers all over the world, I certainly hope that he succeeds in keeping his focus on the game for many more years. I think he owes it to the game and to his admirers.
ALLAN DONALD
'the white lightning'
confesses that sachin is the best

[ajithfederer]

http://in.news.yahoo.com/48/20081017/934/tsp-pakistani-cricketers-hail-tendulkar.html

Pakistani cricketers hail Tendulkar's record breaking feat

Fri, Oct 17 09:24 PM

Renowned Pakistani cricketers today lavished praise and accolades on Sachin Tendulkar after he eclipsed Brain Lara's record to become the highest run-getter in the history of Test cricket.

Pakistani greats -- Hanif Mohammad, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Aamer Sohail, Rashid Latif, Saleem Malik, Mohammad Asif, Aaqib Javed -- and current leg spinner, Danish Kaneria all agreed that Tendulkar deserved the feat and said only he should decide when it is time for him to call it a day.

"I am very happy to see Sachin achieve this record. I have been waiting for it because it is a pleasure watching him bat. He has brought a lot of joy to, not only Indians, but cricket fans the world over," Hanif said.

Hanif, who himself was known as the "little master" for his concentration and ability to make big scores, said Tendulkar still had cricket left in him and can continue playing for a year or two.

"He is still hungry for runs and he is batting superbly even now. I think only he can decide when he must retire but for now he has done the subcontinent proud," he said.

He rated Tendulkar and West Indian great Lara as close to Don Bradman in terms of their achievements.

Miandad, who remains Pakistan's highest test run-getter with 8832 runs, said he had always admired Tendulkar as a batsman and his ability to stay focused on his game in such a long career.

"I am not surprised he got to the record today. Records are meant to be broken but this one is special because it shows the enduring qualities of Sachin's batting," Miandad said.

"He stands apart because he is a true professional and can take pressure," he added.

Miandad played in the Test against India at Karachi in November, 1989 in which Tendulkar made his debut and said even then he had realised Tendulkar was destined for greater things as he was very composed while facing a fierce bowling attack.

"He was a teenager but he was very composed and calm and although he didn't score many runs we all felt he was a different class from others." Abbas said people who compared Tendulkar and Lara and commented that the former was not a match winner were mistaken.

"Tendulkar is a superb player of any bowling and under any conditions. The way he has kept on scoring runs all these years proves his staying power and world class quality. He truly deserved this record and honour," said Abbas, known as the "Asian Bradman" for his run making qualities.

Former captain and wicketkeeper, Latif said he had learnt a lot watching Tendulkar bat from behind the stumps.

"There is no doubt about his greatness as a batsman and he is also a very good human being. I learnt seeing him bat and guide the other batsmen with whom he batted." Latif, however, felt that Tendulkar had reached 12,000 runs two years late.

"He has been under pressure for a while now and he has come out firing everytime. I think he can continue playing for another two years. He should decide when is the best time to go because it would be sad if he was also forced to leave like some other former greats in acrimonious circumstances," he said.

Sohail said Tendulkar is still the top batsman in the Indian team in terms of sheer performance.

"I think this record today shows he is still up there on dent of his performances. He has been and has remained a pure run machine," Sohail said.

Malik said he was just proud that Tendulkar had brought the Test record to Asia and the subcontinent.

"I have always enjoyed watching him bat when in full flow. I wish him the best for the future." Javed, who figures in many a battles against Tendulkar, said the master blaster deserved the record.

"He is the best batsman I have bowled too and I am really happy he has broken the record." Kaneria said he had played a number of Tests against India in the last four years and bowling to Tendulkar was always a challenge.

"I enjoyed his wicket the most because of his sheer greatness as a batsman. It is no surprise he is now a record holder. He is really one of the top batsmen around even now," he said.

Asif was of the view that India's last tour to Australia has seen the rebirth of Tendulkar.

"The way he played there he showed it was all rubbish that he had become fallible to the short pitched ball. I think no batsmen has scored so consistently in every second match like he has done. It was a great experience bowling to him," he said.

[ajithfederer]

http://cricketnext.in.com/blogs/vveerakumar/666/52755/from-boy-wonder-to-champion-batsman.html

From boy wonder to champion batsman
Posted Friday , October 17, 2008

It's been a long and hard journey, which has lasted nearly two decades, from a modest middle class boy to becoming a champion batsman, Sachin Tendulkar, has made the cricket-crazy country of ours go wild with joy by becoming the highest run-getter in Test cricket.

The Mumbai lad, whose only interest as a kid was to play cricket round the year, looked relieved and relaxed during the ceremony to honour him after the first day's play in Mohali, as he must have been sick of being reminded day in and day out by everybody who came in contact with him.

With over a million hearts rooting for him to get the record and another ten million tongues wagging, it was time to act, and act he did in style despite the pressures building up within, especially for those last ten innings when he came in sight of the world record. For him every time he came out to bat for those 246 innings so far must have been pure magic with the knowledge and satisfaction of conquering the world and entertaining the millions of his fans world over.

It was in 1989-90 series in Pakistan that as a curly haired 16-year-old boy wonder Sachin took on the might of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis and came out with flying colours. The little man (then a boy)built the platform for a great career with sweat and blood (literally). Who can forget the blood soaked face of the little boy after being hit on the face by Waqar bouncer in the very first over he faced.

But that hit on the face perhaps acted as a catalyst and the poor bowlers world around were to suffer later on. The little lad, more determined than ever to prove a point, took on the might of Pakistan cricket almost singlehandedly and proved to the world that he was here to stay.

He not only made it a habit to rub the best bowlers in the business in the wrong side but also enjoyed watching them react. The more frustrated they became the more joy he would give the spectators by punishing them mercilessly. He was the matador while the bowlers were like the bulls to slaughter.

As the rigors of different format of the game took its toll on his body, particularly his elbow and back, the carefree and attacking young batsman, that he was, gave way to a cautious and matured but rarely a defensive one but the magic and innovative shots he churned out mesmerized even the biggest critics of his, including some of the senior and retired Aussie cricketers.

Probably the only blemish in his entire career was to discard the Indian captaincy, some thought, but again here the sixth sense or shall we say the seventh sense in this case proved the master-blaster was right because he started playing more freely without the burden of captaincy and put great spinners like Shane Warne and Mutthiah Muralitharan to sword.

An innocent looking boy suddenly seemed to acquire gladiatorial proportion in the eyes of his bowlers but a messiah to his die-hard fans, who would travel miles just to watch their idol bat out the opposition.

It has been a long and hard journey for the boy wonder but there was no denying that we were witnessing the future champion batsman in the making and true to our belief, he proved it by first becoming the highest run-getter in One-Day cricket and then on a bright and sunny day set the stands at Mohali on fire by becoming the highest scorer in Test cricket as well.

Indeed, it has been a wonderful experience for people who have watched him play in both versions of the game and it will take some beating for the likes of Pontings, Haydens or Smiths to surpass this champion of champions in the near future.

Every Indian, I am sure would have jumped with joy as the little master Sachin Tendulkar surpassed Lara's Test aggregate of 11,953 runs and many more might be planning a grand party to celebrate this feat and why not.

Its party time folks! Let's celebrate this feat of Sachin as it is not everyday that an Indian becomes the highest run-getter in the world.

[ajithfederer]

[tscii:96ad416ce3]http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2002/sep/03sachin.htm



He is adored by millions, yet he is a man utterly, completely, alone.

Year in and year out, he outscores everyone in the international arena -- and is deemed a failure.

There is no known means of calculating the pressure -- in pounds per square inch -- he has constantly performed under, ever since he came on the international scene as a chubby faced 16-year-old. So what makes him tick? What is this metal he is made of, that can take stress levels spaceships could crack under, and still survive and excel?

In a bid to find out, I went over to the MIG sports club in Mumbai one Friday afternoon last year -- and watched, while he lifted and pushed and pulled and tugged at weights with the same intensity he brings to his batting.

I then spent an hour talking to him. He took every question head on, answered without hesitation.

And through it all, he was still -- as still as when he addresses the ball. Occasionally, there would be the slightest of nods. Even more rarely, the barest hint of a smile.

And so he talked, till the tape in my recorder ran out. And then he asked me, have you got all you were looking for?

How does one answer that? How does one tell a Tendulkar that I could ask questions, and listen to his answers, for hours without even scratching the surface?

He shook my hand, he trotted off to his gleaming red sports car, he put his gym gear and music into the boot, and he slid away from the parking lot.

Alone, in a world of his own making.

Excerpts, from a conversation with Faisal Shariff:

How different is the Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar of today from the SRT who walked out 14 years ago at the National stadium in Karachi?

I think I am more or less the same, but a few changes have taken place. One is the experience I have gained – I have learnt to analyze the game a little more. Every player is a learner in this game and learning never stops at any age. That is the beauty of this game, and that is happening with me as well. I have learnt a lot of things, but it is never enough.

What do you remember most clearly of that first outing as a Test player in Karachi?

I remember taking my stance with the people jeering at us. I cannot forget that -- I was tense and nervous. I didn’t know what was happening around me.

How much have you changed as a batsman down the years?

I’d like to put it this way – the destination is still the same but one tends to use different avenues to reach there. Then I wanted to score big, now I want to do the same. But now I have got more options to solve the problems, and that happens with experience.

You score 1000 runs in a calendar year, and are told that you are out of form. How do you live with that?

It is very difficult to live up to people’s expectations, which are very high. I believe that if I can live up to my own expectations -- and I believe that I set reasonably high standards for myself -- then I am doing a decent job.

But does it upset you to be told that you have failed?

Yes it does. But I don’t blame them -- it’s their opinion, I can’t go around changing people’s views. I set my own goals and if I can reach my targets, then it is not a bad thing.

You live in a narrow world, bounded by 70 yards in the field and the four walls of your home or hotel room. You are a prisoner of your own fame. How do you live with that?

It’s not easy, but sometimes it is very interesting. It works well when you want to be away from people, to be by yourself or with your family and close friends. But there are times when I feel like going out and mixing, and that is not easy; there are times when my family wants to go out but we can’t, because there are boundaries for me. I don’t want to blame anyone for it. People wish you well and pray for you – and then when they see you in real life they get excited and want to come up and say hello. It is nice, but it does not allow us to live our personal lives freely.

When you walk through hotel lobbies and stadia, you have your earphones plugged in and your eyes are fixed on the ground. Is that escapism?

I accept that I do it. It may sound funny, but I’m still very shy. I can’t face people sometimes. Very rarely can I look back at someone and smile. That’s probably something that I’m still learning to do.

What do you listen to?

Everything. I love Pink Floyd and Dire Straits. I also like Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle. I also like the new singers. That keeps me going. I love (the Dire Straits album) ‘Sultans of Swing’.

Is there a personal vendetta involved when you bat against certain bowlers? You have taken on Henry Olonga, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Michael Kasprowicz and Fanie De Villiers. Is that rivalry for real?

I wouldn’t say it is an intentional thing. But yes, it does play on my mind. If ‘X’ bowler gets a batsman, he will then want to level the scores. People pick up on that and say, this is where he leveled scores. Sometimes you want to take charge, get on top of the bowler and show him that you can bat. Sometimes it just happens.

Lately, you seem to be more willing to give lip to bowlers who give you a mouthful. What’s with this new avatar?

I have always been aggressive. Sometimes it happens on the spur of the moment, and it only happens because I want to win. I never cross limits and I never start it myself -- it’s only if it starts at the other end that I give it back. And it is never personal.

Statistics show that as a captain, you failed...

I wouldn’t say I failed, because I’ve always had tough tours, tough opponents. I led against South Africa, West Indies and Australia in their respective countries. I wouldn’t say the team loses because of the captain or wins for the captain. It is always a collective effort. If the team wins, it is not the captain’s victory, it is a victory of the team.

As a batsman, whenever a bowler has looked to get on top of it, you have taken the challenge. For instance against Fanie De Villiers in 1996, when he kept getting you out. Have you felt similarly the need to prove yourself as a captain?

First, I want to clear this -- I got out to Fanie only twice. That happens to everyone, it doesn’t mean that if you get out a couple of times you stop playing that shot for the rest of your life. I don’t think that is the right way to look at it.

The same goes for captaincy – it is not an individual thing. I am in total control when I am batting or bowling. But in captaincy, you have to look after the other ten players. You can tell them what to do but you can’t do it for them. So these are two different issues. You can’t compare them. As a batsman I can plan things and make them happen just the way I want them – I can’t always do that as captain.

As captain, you believed that all 14 players should be ready to play the next day, whereas others believe that those who are not playing should be told the previous day...

If you pick a side of fourteen, then all fourteen should be ready to play. There are times when you look at the wicket on the morning of the game and then decide the right combination – it is not like you have to announce the combination the previous evening itself. If you have come to play, then you should be ready to play – how does it matter if you prepare yourself on the eve of the game and the next day the captain tells you that you’re not playing? You are here to play cricket, you have to be prepared for all these things.

Sachin, you will probably never understand what insecurity means – your name is the first that is penciled in, so how can you understand what the fringe player in your squad feels like?

Of course I understand what it is to be insecure about one’s place. I have also started out as any other player. I was dropped on a couple of occasions in New Zealand. One should never think ‘what if I don’t play?’ That is a negative attitude, and that should not happen. If you have been picked to play in the fourteen then you should be ready to play anytime. Someday your turn will come.

What is your vision for Indian domestic cricket?

The first thing that I would like to change is the wickets. We should play on good tracks, where there is enough help for the seamers early on, then the batsmen take over, then the last two days, spinners get a chance too. If we play on tracks like that, it will help us when we travel abroad.

What are your views on the contract system?

The contract system is just another form of security for the player. If something happens to a player when playing for his country, then there should be someone to look after that player. A contract system will help the player know that if something does go wrong, he will still be able to look after his family. I am sure that even you are here interviewing me so you can look after your family. Everybody has an ambition -- but if you go deep inside you eventually want to look after your family.

Did you get the support you wanted when you led?

There are times when you desperately want something to happen, but it doesn’t. So I won’t say that I got it completely, but sometimes one tends to expect little more than what you get. The players tried, but somehow the luck was not enough maybe? We needed 120 runs to win a Test match in Barbados and we lost; we had more than half a day to get three wickets in Johannesburg and it rained; we had a day and a half to get the Windies out in Trinidad and we couldn’t… Sometimes it was luck, sometimes I felt it was not the right kind of effort in the right direction.

Were you always given the team that you wanted?

No, I wouldn’t say that. I didn’t get the players that I wanted. And that was pretty obvious because the team is selected by the selectors and never by the captain.

But the captain always has his say...

The captain can given an opinion. The selection committee was more co-operative during my second stint as captain.

How come Sourav fought and got Harbhajan Singh into the team despite the selectors’ reluctance to pick him?

It wasn’t only Sourav and John Wright who fought for him. It was all of us. All the senior players fought for his inclusion. We pushed for him because we knew that Harbhajan was a very good bowler and that he should be given the right opportunity at the right time. And if somebody doesn’t perform in a game or two, then he shouldn’t be dropped he should be given a reasonable opportunity.

Would you ever want to lead India again?

I haven’t thought of that yet. I just want to enjoy my game. I am open to it but not right now. The door is not shut though.

How does it feel not being captain? Standing at deep in the field at third man or fine leg?

It’s okay. I am enjoying the game. It is a view that I haven’t experienced in a long time. You can read the game better from there too and an odd suggestion or two can always be given to the captain. I might tell him this is how I feel the batsman might play or this is how we can stop the flow of runs. Maybe talk about getting a particular bowler on and changing the field. I do make my suggestions -- then it is up to the skipper to take my advice or not.

You love to bowl...

I always felt that I should have been a fast bowler. I was always attracted to fast bowling. Basically I have always liked players who have been attacking. I love aggressive bowlers and attacking batsmen. My physique does not allow me to become a fast bowler, that’s why somewhere down the line I made a lot of compromises. And this is what I have to live with -- bowling gentle seam-up, sometimes leg spin. I bowl in the nets all the time. There is no pressure on me as a bowler and that is why I can do what I want to do.

What does money mean to you?

Money is important in life – anyone who says it is not is not speaking the truth. I think money is important but it shouldn’t reach the extent where it dictates to you. Take care of the runs and the money will follow you, because whatever is happening is because of cricket. For the last 11 years I have only worried about how to score runs, not about how to make money. And my family has played a big role in that -- they have supported me and shown me the right path; especially my elder brother Ajit and another brother Nitin, who is the eldest amongst us.

Has fame ever gone to your head?

No, and that is another area my family has played a big role in. My brother always tells me, whatever I have achieved, I could have done better. So I always feel incomplete, like whatever I have done is not enough.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

I will still be in Bombay with my family. I like to live in the present. Whatever has happened has happened; I don’t want to think about it, or about what will happen. I want to score as many runs as possible and win as many matches.

Who do you compete with?

I am not competing with anyone in particular, only with the opposition – I always want to score one run more than the opposition, take one wicket more. I have never ever competed with an individual.

What is the one lesson that cricket has taught you?

Don’t take anything for granted. I think that is the biggest thing in life. Never to take anything for granted. If you do, then you will be on the right path. [/tscii:96ad416ce3]

[ajithfederer]

[tscii:9ffb280f50]http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/373350.html

Opinion | Guest Column >>

A player of two parts

Why the man who now holds the record for the most runs in Tests is two batsmen in one

Suresh Menon

October 17, 2008



Circa 1990: three or four shots for every ball © Getty Images

In November 1989, a London-based writer came to the Indian team's nets in Karachi to seek out a player he was told had the "best on-drive in the game". That player, Sachin Tendulkar, was 16 and yet to play a Test, but he already had his future mapped out - by others as much as by himself. Anything less than the most centuries and the highest aggregate in international cricket would count as failure.

Nearly two decades later, when the inevitable has come to pass, fans may be merely satisfied rather than overcome, and even quite blasé about it. If it was ordained, where is the surprise? Such is the tyranny of inevitability. It throws a veil over the hard work, the physical toll, the mental strain that have gone into the making of a record-breaker. Of the 19 batsmen who have scored more than 8000 runs, only five have held the highest aggregate record, only three have played 150 Tests, but only one, Tendulkar, has been two different batsmen.

Tendulkar made his debut in Pakistan. Of his team-mates then, one has become an insufferable television commentator, and two others have become good ones; one was convicted of murder and sent to jail, another banned for life for match-fixing. One eliminated the line between whistle-blower and perpetrator, one ran a banned series of matches, another was chairman of selectors. One has dropped out of the public eye and another has turned television actor. But Tendulkar bats on. Longevity is intrinsic to greatness.

At 19, the Mumbai boy was already the world's best batsman. Interestingly, Tendulkar seemed to agree with this assessment in a quiet, matter-of-fact way. This lack of arrogance possibly caused him to be less destructive in Test cricket than he might have been, but it was a crucial element in his becoming a national icon. Indians don't like their sporting heroes to be conceited; they give their hearts to modest players who underplay their emotions while performing consistently.

Of the two Tendulkars who played for India, the first had three or four shots for every ball; the second seemed conscious of three or four ways it could have got him out. Yet, amazingly, the spirit of the boy is ever present in the batsman, whether 16 or 35. A decade after making his debut, he was still teaching Shoaib Akhtar at the World Cup the difference between a good batsman and a great one. When pushed to the wall, Tendulkar continues to exhibit a rare creativity. It is not enough to somehow escape, it is necessary to escape while teaching the bowler a lesson he will never forget.

In sport as in art, late works usually crown a lifetime of effort. Looked at from either end of their careers, sportsmen present a harmonious picture. Occasionally, the "late style" (to borrow a phrase made popular by Edward Said) is about intransigence and unresolved contradictions. It doesn't fit into the whole.

Of the batsmen who have made over 9000 Test runs, six found their idiom at the start of their careers and kept with it (including, so far, the four still active). The later Brian Lara was not much different from the early Lara, the Allan Border who made his first run was the same as the one who made the 11,000th. The two exceptions are the Indians, Sunil Gavaskar and Tendulkar.



Like great batsmen of any era, Tendulkar often seemed to be playing on a different planet altogether, keen to sculpt an innings that both merged with the team effort and stood out for its uniqueness



It is not uncommon for batsmen who began their careers as leading stroke-makers to finish as part of the supporting cast. Age converts the carefree into the careworn. Rohan Kanhai is a good example of a batsman who began by inventing strokes against the best bowling and ended by playing "experienced" innings in the shadow of the next generation.

Experience often means that players are more aware of things in their own game that do not work, and are chary of taking chances. Why attempt a risky boundary when there is a safe single to be had? Firebrand speakers become merely adequate, daredevil adventurers become boring teachers, those renowned for thinking out of the box show how comfortable they are sitting in it. It is the same with sportsmen.

"Late style is what happens," wrote Edward Said in his study of musicians and writers, "if art does not abdicate its rights in favour of reality." Great players go against the grain as well as place themselves at the head of a trend.

Gavaskar who began his career as a generic name for batting technique, discovered late the joys of hooking fast bowlers; a ferocious attack on Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding featured in his 29th Test century. It took him just 94 deliveries, and was one of the fastest in the game's history. This from a batsman who once took 60 overs to make 36 not out in a World Cup match.

Tendulkar's journey, though in the reverse direction, is no less dramatic. If Gavaskar found his responses within the tenets of orthodoxy, Tendulkar, no less orthodox for being a more attacking player, extended the reach of such orthodoxy. Five years ago he began to play a shot to the left of third man, which began with him withdrawing from the line of the ball delivered by a fast bowler and glancing it fine - but on the off side. It called for remarkable control and steely wrists. It wasn't as ugly as the reverse sweep, but lacked the grace of the "straight-bat pull", where he (and later, Virender Sehwag) whipped the ball, tennis-style cross court. Both strokes were created for the one-day game, but are no less effective when played wearing whites.

It may have been the Chennai defeat against Pakistan a decade ago that first sowed the seeds of the new Tendulkar. He was distraught at getting out so close to a win. He saw the need to be around; occupancy of the crease was not just a personal quirk but a team requirement. Tendulkar, the champagne cricketer with a dancer's footwork, curbed himself. He didn't actually become a clock-watching clerk, but he understood the need.



Sydney 2004, when he scored most of his runs on the on side in a devastating display of self-denial © Getty Images

The series of injuries that followed - toes, back, elbow - meant that effervescence was replaced by effectiveness, the straight and narrow was preferred to the fantastic. Like great batsmen of any era, Tendulkar often seemed to be playing on a different planet altogether, keen to sculpt an innings that both merged with the team effort and stood out for its uniqueness. His Sydney double-century in 2004, when he scored no boundary between the bowler and point, came after self-examination revealed that he had been playing away from his body too often. It was almost as if the off side did not exist; on display was discipline as well as proof that he could get the bowlers to bowl where he wanted them to.

The boy who hit Abdul Qadir for three sixes in Peshawar had moved aside for the man who let the ball go outside the off stump with the realisation that not playing was an integral part of playing. In 110 matches before that Sydney Test, Tendulkar was involved in 31 wins; in the 39 Tests following it, he played his part in 16. The win percentage had gone up from 28 to 41 (obviously, there were other circumstances too). Tendulkar, an intelligent man, could not have been unaware of this. When individual effort does not contribute significantly to team victories, there is unhappiness all around. By 30, with nothing left to prove as a batsman, he set about correcting this nagging anomaly, this disconnect between his performance and the team's. If that meant he would have to cut out the flamboyance, then so be it. If fans complained that he was playing within himself, he could point to India's wins.

But Tendulkar is more than the sum of his figures. His mere presence is a morale booster, both for his ten colleagues in the team, and the billion supporters outside it. As remarkable as his record is his self-possession. His head hasn't changed size, his boots haven't grown smaller. He alone knows what it means to be Tendulkar, with its frustrations, its sacrifices, and the need to be Tendulkar at all times. He is a one-man university that teaches sportsmen how to handle money, fame and pressure.

Indians refuse to give Tendulkar the luxury of failure. The mirror he holds up to us is a distorted one, making us seem, like him, invincible, rich and accomplished. When he fails, therefore, it is as if we fail. That is the biggest compliment fans can pay their hero. But it is a heavy burden, even if Tendulkar seems to carry it lightly.

A rough calculation shows that he averages over 200 days in a year travelling for cricket, playing it at the highest level, or practising for it. Two-thirds of a year devoted to cricket, and not one bad day at work? Even Mozart was allowed an occasional off day. The future will treat Tendulkar much better than we have, although we were given the privilege of watching the boy grow into a man and live up to potential. Even that is a remarkable feat. Not every promising player accomplishes as much as he promises. Tendulkar has. Let us celebrate that. His record will be broken. But his impact will last.

Suresh Menon is a writer based in Bangalore

© Cricinfo[/tscii:9ffb280f50]

[ajithfederer]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/cricket/little-master-big-feat/2008/10/16/1223750232469.html

Peter Roebuck
October 17, 2008
Page 1 of 2 | Single page

A HUSH goes around the ground whenever the second Indian wicket falls in a home Test match. It is not a mark of disrespect towards the departing batsman but a sign of the excitement felt about the imminent emergence of his replacement.

As Sachin Tendulkar steps onto the field, a roar erupts that could shake trees, and does not abate till he has taken guard. Another deathly quiet falls over the ground when Tendulkar is removed cheaply. Shock came over the faces of spectators when he lost his wicket in Bangalore. India rides a tide of emotion every time its chosen one enters the arena. A power has been put in Tendulkar's hands that could easily be misused.

But it has not been all idolatry. Tendulkar's mistake in the second innings provoked fury among locals convinced he has failed too often at critical moments. Never mind that he had almost saved the match. Critics point towards a flaw in his temperament, an inability to rise to the occasion. They yearn for a Viv Richards to strut his stuff in the glorious hour, or a Brian Lara to take a match by the scruff of its neck. One ancient scribe speaks of "the myth of Tendulkar". Perhaps he has lacked the strength to impose himself at telling times. But a man must be taken as a whole.

Ever since he first appeared as a precocious tousle-haired teenager, Tendulkar has known nothing except exorbitant expectations. It is no small thing to become public property at 16. Nor has there been any hiding place. Not for sportsman the luxury of private studios. Every time he leaves his home it is an appearance; he loves swanky cars but can drive only in the dead of night. It is against this background that his career must be judged. It is not an achievement. It is a miracle.

Remarkably, Tendulkar has managed to retain his health and reputation through it all. His body might be complaining but his spirit endures and he seems immune to stress and sickness. During the course of his tumultuous career, Don Bradman suffered several serious setbacks. Tendulkar has even retained a semblance of normality in his life, a wife, children who tease him and egg him on, friends, a restaurant, the same smile. Although their records are almost as impressive, Rahul Dravid or Virender Sehwag do not attract as much attention.

Throughout, there has been something in Tendulkar that sets him apart. No matter how much he has immersed himself in the comfort of the team, he has been treated as a special case. Partly it is the purity of his style. From the outset, as another child practising as dawn broke over Shivaji Park, he could bat in the classical way. Coaches and contemporaries insist that he was not taught the game; it came from within, like an underground spring.

From the outset, it has merely been a matter of correcting the bad habits that creep in the moment the brain sleeps. His strokes are played with a bat somehow broader and straighter than any other, and his feet seem to move effortlessly into position. It is enough to watch him defend. Yet he does not disdain flourish, rejoices in the sudden crack past point or the nonchalant flick off his pads, strokes that thrill the crowd.

But it goes beyond facts and figures, style, sportsmanship and masterly innings, or else others could join him in his isolated acclaim. Tendulkar has been the hero his country needed. Indians spend billions of dollars every year trying to lighten their skins. Advertisements for the appropriate creams are shown between overs. India knows that its film stars have not crossed cultural lines. Booker Prize winners cannot inspire a nation half as well as the sight of a demonstrably brown boy repeatedly cracking feared bowling around. It was his combination of aggression and productivity that defined him. And he has been untarnished by scandal. Read the papers in India. They are all about corruption and communal agitation and political disputes. Impoverished India yearns for a champion. Its gods are exotic, its films are escapist and its batsman is a conqueror. Affluent India is another matter, and might one day put cricket in its place.

Tendulkar has uplifted lives. He has not railed against colonialism but has instead inspired his countrymen by deed alone. Supporters cherish his introductory masterpieces, daring and almost cheeky, his hundreds scored in adversity, notably in Birmingham and Melbourne, and his later more restrained efforts. It is idiotic to expect a man to be the same at 35 as at 16. Maturity has a beauty of its own, and is not to be avoided.

They remember his superb strokes, resounding straight drives, hooks and the back-foot punches past point that tell him everything is in its proper place, and his duels with Wasim Akram, Shane Warne and Brett Lee.

Now comes the greatest reassurance of them all. Sometime during the Test match starting in the Punjab today, Tendulkar will surely collect the 15 runs need to become Test cricket's highest scorer. Ordinarily, the number of runs a player scores is not regarded as definitive. Apart from skill, the amassing of vast career tallies requires an ability to avoid injury, war and whim. But runs are hard earned in Test cricket, besides which longevity can be as much a bane as a boon. All the more reason to respect this record for it tells a tale of many things, the boy who grew up before our eyes, the batsman who survived everything the bowlers or life could send his way.

All things considered Tendulkar stands above his contemporaries. For all his fortitude, Steve Waugh was in a lower league, and never imagined otherwise. Lara was dazzling but also destructive. At his best, the Trinidadian was supreme but he toyed with his talent. Vanity and selfishness lingered too long in his character. Viv Richards was explosive but also erratic. Brilliant in his 20s, he did not age as well as the Indian. The West Indies barely survived his anger. It is too early to place Kevin Pietersen.

Tendulkar may be in decline but he has been a champion for 20 years. He has had more on his shoulders than any contemporary and has remained intact. Oh yes, and he has scored a few runs along the way, and given immense pleasure to millions of people, Indian and otherwise.

Page 2 of 2

A HUSH goes around the ground whenever the second Indian wicket falls in a home Test match. It is not a mark of disrespect towards the departing batsman but a sign of the excitement felt about the imminent emergence of his replacement.

As Sachin Tendulkar steps onto the field, a roar erupts that could shake trees, and does not abate till he has taken guard. Another deathly quiet falls over the ground when Tendulkar is removed cheaply. Shock came over the faces of spectators when he lost his wicket in Bangalore. India rides a tide of emotion every time its chosen one enters the arena. A power has been put in Tendulkar's hands that could easily be misused.

But it has not been all idolatry. Tendulkar's mistake in the second innings provoked fury among locals convinced he has failed too often at critical moments. Never mind that he had almost saved the match. Critics point towards a flaw in his temperament, an inability to rise to the occasion. They yearn for a Viv Richards to strut his stuff in the glorious hour, or a Brian Lara to take a match by the scruff of its neck. One ancient scribe speaks of "the myth of Tendulkar". Perhaps he has lacked the strength to impose himself at telling times. But a man must be taken as a whole.

Ever since he first appeared as a precocious tousle-haired teenager, Tendulkar has known nothing except exorbitant expectations. It is no small thing to become public property at 16. Nor has there been any hiding place. Not for sportsman the luxury of private studios. Every time he leaves his home it is an appearance; he loves swanky cars but can drive only in the dead of night. It is against this background that his career must be judged. It is not an achievement. It is a miracle.

Remarkably, Tendulkar has managed to retain his health and reputation through it all. His body might be complaining but his spirit endures and he seems immune to stress and sickness. During the course of his tumultuous career, Don Bradman suffered several serious setbacks. Tendulkar has even retained a semblance of normality in his life, a wife, children who tease him and egg him on, friends, a restaurant, the same smile. Although their records are almost as impressive, Rahul Dravid or Virender Sehwag do not attract as much attention.

Throughout, there has been something in Tendulkar that sets him apart. No matter how much he has immersed himself in the comfort of the team, he has been treated as a special case. Partly it is the purity of his style. From the outset, as another child practising as dawn broke over Shivaji Park, he could bat in the classical way. Coaches and contemporaries insist that he was not taught the game; it came from within, like an underground spring.

From the outset, it has merely been a matter of correcting the bad habits that creep in the moment the brain sleeps. His strokes are played with a bat somehow broader and straighter than any other, and his feet seem to move effortlessly into position. It is enough to watch him defend. Yet he does not disdain flourish, rejoices in the sudden crack past point or the nonchalant flick off his pads, strokes that thrill the crowd.

But it goes beyond facts and figures, style, sportsmanship and masterly innings, or else others could join him in his isolated acclaim. Tendulkar has been the hero his country needed. Indians spend billions of dollars every year trying to lighten their skins. Advertisements for the appropriate creams are shown between overs. India knows that its film stars have not crossed cultural lines. Booker Prize winners cannot inspire a nation half as well as the sight of a demonstrably brown boy repeatedly cracking feared bowling around. It was his combination of aggression and productivity that defined him. And he has been untarnished by scandal. Read the papers in India. They are all about corruption and communal agitation and political disputes. Impoverished India yearns for a champion. Its gods are exotic, its films are escapist and its batsman is a conqueror. Affluent India is another matter, and might one day put cricket in its place.

Tendulkar has uplifted lives. He has not railed against colonialism but has instead inspired his countrymen by deed alone. Supporters cherish his introductory masterpieces, daring and almost cheeky, his hundreds scored in adversity, notably in Birmingham and Melbourne, and his later more restrained efforts. It is idiotic to expect a man to be the same at 35 as at 16. Maturity has a beauty of its own, and is not to be avoided.

They remember his superb strokes, resounding straight drives, hooks and the back-foot punches past point that tell him everything is in its proper place, and his duels with Wasim Akram, Shane Warne and Brett Lee.

Now comes the greatest reassurance of them all. Sometime during the Test match starting in the Punjab today, Tendulkar will surely collect the 15 runs need to become Test cricket's highest scorer. Ordinarily, the number of runs a player scores is not regarded as definitive. Apart from skill, the amassing of vast career tallies requires an ability to avoid injury, war and whim. But runs are hard earned in Test cricket, besides which longevity can be as much a bane as a boon. All the more reason to respect this record for it tells a tale of many things, the boy who grew up before our eyes, the batsman who survived everything the bowlers or life could send his way.

All things considered Tendulkar stands above his contemporaries. For all his fortitude, Steve Waugh was in a lower league, and never imagined otherwise. Lara was dazzling but also destructive. At his best, the Trinidadian was supreme but he toyed with his talent. Vanity and selfishness lingered too long in his character. Viv Richards was explosive but also erratic. Brilliant in his 20s, he did not age as well as the Indian. The West Indies barely survived his anger. It is too early to place Kevin Pietersen.

Tendulkar may be in decline but he has been a champion for 20 years. He has had more on his shoulders than any contemporary and has remained intact. Oh yes, and he has scored a few runs along the way, and given immense pleasure to millions of people, Indian and otherwise.
[/code]

[crajkumar_be]

I don't understand these **?$heads always whining about Sir "being on the decline" blah blah blah.. dei vennaingala, scores-a paarunga da.. shots a paarungada :hammer:

[Vivasaayi]

peter roebuck :mad:

goyyalaaaa..."indha vanja pugazhiyellam vera yartayavadhu vechuko"

[Sourav]

Sehwag bowling podum bothu sachin kooptu yetho sonnaru...
The very next ball sehwag bowled Hussey! :o :D :clap: :notworthy:
Sehwag sachin kitta oodi vanthu hug pannitaru! :P

[crajkumar_be]

[tscii:2b7d10f39e]
Everything. I love Pink Floyd and Dire Straits. I also like Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle. I also like the new singers. That keeps me going. I love (the Dire Straits album) ‘Sultans of Swing’.
:yes:[/tscii:2b7d10f39e]

[crajkumar_be]

Sehwag bowling podum bothu sachin kooptu yetho sonnaru...
The very next ball sehwag bowled Hussey! :o :D :clap: :notworthy:
Sehwag sachin kitta oodi vanthu hug pannitaru! :P
:notworthy:

[ajithfederer]

Sir's bowling talents are not used at all :cry:

Sehwag bowling podum bothu sachin kooptu yetho sonnaru...
The very next ball sehwag bowled Hussey! :o :D :clap: :notworthy:
Sehwag sachin kitta oodi vanthu hug pannitaru! :P

[joe]

http://www.tabla.com.sg/epaper/fvxp/fvxlaunch.php?param=&page=

Go to second page 8-)

[Sourav]

Sehwag bowling podum bothu sachin kooptu yetho sonnaru...
The very next ball sehwag bowled Hussey! :o :D :clap: :notworthy:
Sehwag sachin kitta oodi vanthu hug pannitaru! :P
:notworthy:
http://epaper.dinamalar.com/DM/MADHURAI/2008/11/01/photographs/001/01_11_2008_001_003_001.jpg

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOI&BaseHref=TOIM/2008/11/01&PageLabel=24&EntityId=Pc02411&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T

[Sourav]

[tscii:db0e6d68f0]Long Playing Record

In an age of hype, more perhaps has been asked of Sachin Tendulkar than other greats of the game. SURESH MENON examines whether the life on the field has kept in step with the myth

IT IS POSSIBLE that Sachin Tendulkar can walk on water. That wouldn’t surprise a billion Indians, who also probably believe he can catch bullets in his teeth and has X-ray vision. When he was hauled up for ball tampering in South Africa (a technical, rather than a deliberate crime), the whole nation jumped to his defence, and it nearly split the cricketing world. Now Adam Gilchrist has dared to speak the unspeakable — suggesting that Sachin might be human after all, and subject to the pulls and pressures of humankind.

Of course, by the time you read this, order is likely to have been restored. Gilchrist will say Sachin is a great player and a personal friend, and everything he wrote about the player changing his version of what happened during the Symonds-Harbhajan fracas was taken out of context. He will blame it on the media for blowing up the story. And laugh all the way to the bank as his book sells.

What sort of a man is this who can do no wrong? I once read about the footballer Pele being hauled up by a referee — later, the referee was reprimanded for this act. Perhaps, some day an umpire might be officially chastised for giving Tendulkar out leg before. Future biographers might go out of their way to look for stories that show up Tendulkar in poor light, to balance the near-saintly qualities that are in the public domain. They might struggle. The stories they find might merely show that Tendulkar was human after all — and that’s not a bad thing to be.

Indians like their heroes to be modest, non-controversial, high performers. Heroes have to continue to be heroes even when no one is looking, and had our national obsession with Tendulkar been based solely on his game, it wouldn’t have mattered.

But we want our heroes to be pure as the driven snow, and that is why any suggestion of impropriety is taken as a personal insult — and, by extension, a national insult. Our heroes tend to be conscious of this, and live the life of heroes. Tendulkar, it must be said, has had to make less effort than most, because he is by nature hero material. Sunil Gavaskar put it best when he said that Tendulkar’s most striking feature was his balance, “both on and off the field.”

BALANCE WAS the key to the batting of the two men whose record Tendulkar’s will be compared to, Don Bradman and Gavaskar.

If Bradman himself hadn’t said so, it is unlikely that Tendulkar would be clubbed with him. When the Don pointed out the similarity between the two to his wife, Tendulkar was only 23; it might have destroyed a lesser man. But it is a tribute to the Indian’s skill and temperament that he continues to give bowlers everywhere nightmares (literally in his case, as Shane Warne has confessed), and now emerges 12 years later as the greatest run scorer in the game. But is he the greatest batsman of all time?
Cover Story

The glib answer first. Yes. Because it is in the nature of sport to produce bigger and better champions. In sports, where progress can be measured, this is seen in the faster timings, longer jumps and greater heights recorded by modern athletes. In 1988, Ben Johnson needed to pump himself with stanozolol to run the 100 metres in 9.79 seconds. In Beijing this year, Usain Bolt ran it in a comfortable 9.69 seconds, actually easing up towards the end.

Better training methods, more access to information, more focused nutrition, controlled lifestyles, scientific methods of analysis — sportsmen are bound to improve over a period, and therefore, by definition, the champions of today are bound to be greater than the champions of yesterday.

What about team sports? The paleontologist and baseball nut Stephen Jay Gould in an essay, Why no one hits 400 anymore, explains why that magic figure has not been attained since 1941. He put it down to declining variation, and far from endorsing the myth that the champions of the past were greater and that standards have fallen, he showed how it proves the opposite — that the standard of the sport has improved.

Declining variation is simply the dif-ference between the average and the stellar performance. As more players get better overall, the difference between the figures of the top player and the rest falls. Or, as Gould puts it, systems equilibrate as they improve, a point demonstrated by analysing decades of baseball scores.

The former England cricketer and writer, Ed Smith, has carried the Gould argument over into cricket, arguing that “The sophistication of the modern game works against freakish solo domination.”
Cover Story

Statisticians adopted Gould’s baseball methods to analyse all Test batsmen between 1877 and 1977, and concluded, in the words of Smith, “that for a current player to be relatively as good as Bradman — factoring in the bunching together of today’s great players — he would need to average around 77.” The batsman with the best average after Bradman is Australia’s Mike Hussey, who, in 27 Tests, averages 67.28. No one is even suggesting that Hussey is a ‘great’ batsman, so clearly, we must look elsewhere for a definition of greatness. Figures alone aren’t enough. We must look at other elements.

Longevity is one (Bradman played from 1928 to 1948 with a break for the war years), impact on team results is another, impact on the opposition, quality of bowling attack faced — these are quantifiable. What about the weight of expectations, the pressure from a billion and more fans, the influence on the game itself, the power to change the way people think? A nation rode on Bradman’s shoulders every time he went out to bat, but it was a small nation in terms of numbers, barely comparable to the nation on Tendulkar’s back.

Bradman’s stature has grown for every year that he hasn’t played, and doubtless Tendulkar’s will, too, after he is finished with the game. That is the romance of the sport. A decade ago, I had written that Tendulkar was like the Taj Mahal — there was nothing new to be said about either. By then he was already the best batsman in the world.

When someone asked the then world record holder, Fred Trueman, about the man likely to break his record of 307 Test wickets, he replied that whoever it was would be ‘bloody tired’. By that reckoning, Tendulkar ought to be the most tired player in the world — yet, he brings to his game the same enthusiasm that was evident when he went to bed as a 15-year-old wearing his full gear.

INCRICKET, as in art or literature, there cannot be a single ‘greatest’ (the exception we shall come to later). Ernest Hemingway was fond of calling himself the heavyweight champion writer of the world, and our own Francis Newton Souza commented when the artist Francis Bacon died that he was now ‘the greatest in the world’. But was Picasso a greater artist than Michelangelo? Those who swear by Picasso think so, while those who swear by Michelangelo think not. Perhaps, there exists some Valhalla where such questions are finally laid to rest.

Despite knowing there cannot be a clear answer, we wish to know who is the greatest. Such a question is the bedrock of all sporting discussions. Woods or Nicklaus? Pele or Maradona? Spitz or Phelps? Such debates have fuelled more arguments, sold more newspapers, and emptied more kegs of beer in bars around the world than arguments about politics or religion. Not even Bradman, with his average of 99.94 and 29 centuries in just 52 Tests, enjoyed unanimous acceptance as the greatest. In Australia, there were those who thought Victor Trumper was the greater player, although he finished with an average of 39.04.

In any case, if Bradman was the greatest, what about Gary Sobers, who could bat more aggressively, bowl both fast and left arm spin with equal felicity, and field better than anyone else, either close-in or in the deep? Or WG Grace, who virtually invented modern batsmanship?

Bradman and Tendulkar have much in common, the most significant being that they were the repository of all knowledge of the batsmanship of their time. Tendulkar is — like Bradman was — a one-stop shop, where state-of-the-art batsmanship is on display. You could go to Sourav Ganguly for the cover drive, VVS Laxman for the on-drive, Rahul Dravid for the square cut, Kevin Pietersen for the lofted drive and so on. Or you could get them all under one roof, as it were, with Tendulkar.
Cover Story

Where the careers of Bradman and Tendulkar begin to diverge is in the range and variety of international cricket the Indian has played. There were no One-Day Internationals in Bradman’s time. Bradman toured only England; he only played Tests at 10 venues — five in Australia and five in England. In contrast, Tendulkar has played Tests in 10 countries, One-Dayers in 17. He has played at 94 venues. Bradman batted on uncovered wickets, Tendulkar had to counter reverse swing. A whole new strategy — bodyline — had to be worked out just to counter Bradman’s genius. It consisted of bowling fast, virtually unplayable deliveries at the batsman’s body, with a phalanx of fielders on the leg side. If you played the ball, you were caught; if you didn’t, you risked serious injury. Bradman had his worst-ever series, averaging just 56.57, and bodyline was outlawed for good.

IF THE comparison has to be meaningful, then Tendulkar ought to be compared with someone closer to his times, with similar public expectations and pressures. Rahul Dravid’s average is almost identical to Tendulkar’s, but thanks to Tendulkar himself, he has not had to carry the hopes of a country in the same manner, although for a period early in this century, he was actually the better batsman. And thus we get into the Tendulkar versus Gavaskar debate — pointless, like all such debates, but perhaps it will help us with the question of the greatest.

When Sunil Gavaskar was a young world-beater scoring centuries against the finest bowlers, he was compared to Vijay Merchant, who played 10 Test matches, and averaged 48 but was considered the most complete batsman of his time. Merchant’s stature was sustained by endorsements from Bradman and his own first class record, where his average was second only to Bradman’s. That he was India’s greatest batsman became a ‘fact’ that gained by reputation and repetition.

When Gavaskar began to break records, old timers believed it was blasphemy to place him above Merchant, although he batted against better opposition (all Merchant’s Tests were played against England) and in the greater pressure cauldron that was modern cricket. Both were openers who worshipped at the altar of classical batsmanship. A middle ground had to be found, so Merchant was deemed the greatest batsman in pre-Independent India (although he played his final Test in 1951), and Gavaskar the best since Independence. Honour satisfied, it was a happy compromise.

A similar compromise will be arrived at when the Gavaskar-Tendulkar comparison is made. Both made their 34th centuries in their 119th Test. So, who is the better batsman? The answer will say more about the person answering than the two players. It will tell us his age, since the youngsters are bound to plump for Tendulkar; it will tell us about temperament, since Gavaskar is the more defensive player. It will tell us about compromise, since those on the fence will mouth one or all of the following clichés — ‘You cannot compare an opening batsman with a middle order batsman’, ‘You cannot compare batsmen of two eras’, ‘Comparisons are odious’, or, ‘Apples and oranges’.

That is why when someone sticks his neck out and backs one or the other, it becomes news. Pakistan’s Wasim Akram, perhaps the greatest left arm fast bowler to have played the game, has said that “Sunil (Gavaskar) was the more difficult batsman to bowl to.” New Zealander Chris Cairns had said, “Sachin, who has more runs than Sunny in the two forms of the game, has the edge as he has scored his runs at a faster clip consistently.” Akram was a raw youth when he first confronted Gavaskar; by the time he bowled to Tendulkar after a 10-year gap, he was the complete bowler and more confident of his prowess. Cairns never bowled to Gavaskar. Viv Richards thought that Tendulkar was 99.5 percent perfect, adding, “I would pay to see him play.”

The essential difference between Gavaskar and Tendulkar was in their approach. Gavaskar (who could be a carefree attacking batsman as he showed us when he took on Malcolm Marshall and company in a home series) was forced to play a defensive role in the interests of the team. He meant more to the Indian team of the 1970s and 1980s than Tendulkar does to the Indian team today. There are two reasons for this. Gavaskar didn’t have the luxury of a batting line-up that Tendulkar enjoys. Except for Gundappa Vishwanath and Dilip Vengsarkar at either end of his career, there was no one who scored big, scored consistently, and helped to reduce the burden on the opener. Tendulkar has Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag, and that, by his own admission, is a relief.

The second reason for Gavaskar’s defensiveness was psychological, and testimony to the country’s limited ambitions on the cricket field. For so long had India been the underdogs and whipping boys of international cricket that often, not losing was a victory in itself. And Gavaskar was the master at ensuring not losing. His naturally-defensive temperament (he was one of the most defensive captains the game has seen, guaranteeing at least a draw in every match before attempting to win it) meshed well with our national consciousness then. As a nation, we were just beginning to emerge into self-sufficiency, and despite the confidence that Ajit Wadekar’s victories in the West Indies and England in 1971 brought about, our cricket team only gradually reflected national confidence. It wasn’t until the World Cup win in 1983 that our cricket shook off the defensive approach and began to think positively.

AS TENDULKAR’S cricket matured, so did our sense of nationhood. Economic liberalisation seemed to have brought about a psychological liberation in our cricket team too. Tendulkar’s aggressive batsmanship fed into this New India with its greater self-confidence. Losing the odd match in pursuit of a win was no longer a national crime (Tiger Pataudi’s creed too, but his team was too timid to follow his lead), and that suited Tendulkar’s batting as well.

Both Gavaskar and Tendulkar are, thus, creatures of their times; if we have to understand them better, we must acknowledge this. It is only from this perspective that we can ask that question again: Who is the better batsman?

It was easier for Tendulkar to bat like Gavaskar, than for Gavaskar to bat like Tendulkar. One of the finest strokes I saw Gavaskar play was when he stood up to Imran Khan and played the ball dead at his feet. This is not merely correct or technically perfect batsmanhsip. It had as much poetry as Tendulkar’s youthful destruction of Abdul Qadir on a blustery day in Peshawar — he went through with the shot on one occasion knowing he was beaten, by relying on his natural timing and strong wrists to carry the ball over the boundary. Perhaps there is a hint here. Perhaps Gavaskar was impregnable against top class pace, while Tendulkar could murder spin. In any case, Gavaskar would not have allowed a weakness against the incoming delivery to be as ruthlessly and regularly exposed as Tendulkar has done in recent years.

The easy answer, therefore, would be: Gavaskar to bat for your life and draw a match; Tendulkar to open up possibilities of a win. Or, the head says Gavaskar; the heart Tendulkar. But we must remember that Gavaskar gave bowlers fewer chances. Also, he played the better bowling, going in against some of the fastest bowlers to have played the game — from Andy Roberts and the West Indian pace battery to Imran Khan at his peak.

But the curious fact is that a Gavaskar was replaceable. India stuttered a bit at the top of the order after his retirement, but soon settled down. The Gavaskar legacy was carried forward by the likes of Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sanjay Manjrekar and Rahul Dravid.

GREAT PLAYERS leave behind legacies, but geniuses merely leave a hole that is covered up — they cannot have successors. A Bradman came, was seen, and conquered, but didn’t give rise to a school of Bradmans. Likewise with Gary Sobers. It will be the same with Tendulkar. He will be missed like any giant will be; but it will just mean that we will have to readjust our sights. From drooling over a genius in the middle-order, we will have to settle for the merely great.

A genius can also be discouraging. Watching a Tendulkar bat might cause a lesser player to give up the game, saying: “What’s the use? I can never play like that.” It is the Gavaskars and the Dravids who inspire younger batsmen to emulate them.

So, despite the question we started off with, the purpose of this piece is not so much to answer that question as to provide pointers to a possible answer. The solution depends on what you are looking for. It depends, too, on when it is asked. Richards’s criterion — “I will pay to see him play” — might make more sense in today’s financially shaky world. Like writers and artists and politicians, sportsmen too, go through periods of revisionism, when one or the other aspect of their endeavours gains priority over another. In Gavaskar’s time, there was a regular debate over whether he or Vishwanath — despite his inferior average — was the better batsman. Vishwanath was the more stylish, played more attractively, had more strokes to the ball, and India never lost a Test when he made a century. Yet today, no one speaks of him in the same breath as Gavaskar. In the long run, the figures matter as a basis for comparison.

When Tendulkar was starting out, his first Ranji captain, Dilip Vengsarkar, said he was a combination of Gavaskar and Vishwanath. For years, when Tendulkar batted, he made everything around him look that bit less imposing; all activity around him that bit more banal. Yet, whoever replaces him is unlikely to feel the pressure of the opener who replaced Gavaskar, because he will be under no compulsion to bat like Tendulkar. It is accepted that such a thing is impossible.

We spoke of an exception to the rule regarding the greatest, and that is in One-Day cricket. Here, possibly because figures are more important, there is no doubt that Tendulkar is the greatest batsman in the game’s history. He has played 417 matches, scored 16,361 runs, hit 42 centuries, and India have won more than they have lost when he has played (206 wins against 186 losses). He had to wait till his 79th match for his first century; earlier, when an injury to Navjot Sidhu forced him to open for the first time in Auckland, he made 82 off 49 balls with just 22 scoring strokes.

THE COMPARISONS with Bradman and Gavaskar fall apart the moment Tendulkar’s One-Day record is brought into the equation. Gavaskar hated One-Day cricket and didn’t care who knew it. Bradman never had the chance. We can, therefore, say that Tendulkar is the greatest all-round batsman in the history of the game.

There is a purity to his technique, an elimination of inessentials, and a desire to dominate that places him above all his contemporaries, including Brian Lara. His defence is textbook, while his flair for attack is both creative and controlled. Despite the injuries to various body parts, he has carried on manfully, bringing joy to millions.

He no longer attempts the kind of shots that put Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar in his place in the 2003 World Cup. Or Warne asking for his autograph five years earlier. To have reached the peak while coming to terms with age and slowed reflexes speaks of a rare acceptance. At 35, Tendulkar is roughly at the age when Alexander the Great declared he had no more worlds to conquer.

But Tendulkar will not say such a thing. Not because he is modest, which he is, but because he knows that he cannot pass into history as the greatest One- Day batsman without a World Cup to show for it. The 2011 World Cup is in the subcontinent. Tendulkar will be 38 (the same age as Gavaskar when he retired). If he paces himself, he could well make his sixth World Cup the most memorable one for himself and his countrymen. But three years is a long time in sport, and by then Tendulkar would have been playing almost continuously for 23 years.

He has already rendered irrelevant the question we began with, like sportsmen who have risen above their sport and spilt over into our collective consciousness, where technique, temperament, records and statistics no longer matter.

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main40.asp?filename=Ne081108cover_story.asp[/tscii:db0e6d68f0]

[sivank]

Very good article sourav. Thanks.

[ajithfederer]

A STORY A DAY - All About Sachin You Know!!!

Guys

This part is dedicated to the stories regarding Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. I would update this section alone once in a week about some stories off the field,on the field or anything related to sachin tendulkar. The posts here are of course as you guessed it are taken from orkut and would be shared for the pleasure ofour hubbers.

Incident 1: A STORY A DAY - All About Sachin You Know!!!

Dedication Of Sachin
A Good read indeed.

===============
It was amazing to see Sachin Tendulkar's committment on Dec 25th 2003 in Melbourne at the MCG. It was the eve of the boxing day test vs Australia. The entire Indian team was playing volleyball in the ground. Sachin was in the nets practicing with his MRF against people like Irfan, Murali Kartik, kumble etc. After about 2 hours the bowlers got tired and shane warne came to the nets. At that time Warne was a commenter in the series. He was serving his drugs ban at the time. Warne came and bowled a few at him and he had organised a few Australian State level bowlers at Tenduklars request. There were all different types of them - leg breakers, offies, fast men, medium pacers etc. he batted for about 3 hours against them. and then took one stump and batted with it until he broke it. I have never heard or seen anything like this before. he was timing the ball so well and hitting it so hard that everyone was watching with awe and total disbelief. And in the mean time the likes of ganguly, dravid, agarkar were playing volley, taking a break and wasting time. Tendulkar showed once again his infinite capacity to practice and practice and everyone including Warne was convinced that a double hundred was round the corner. His entire day was about 10 hours of batting, batting and only batting. Ofcourse everyone knows that next day Brett Lee got him for a golden duck caught by Gilchrist. Warne wasnt too wrong though! about 10 days later he made 242* at Sydney. Ive read most of the posts about who is Tendulkar's greatest fan...I think his relentless committment towards his country is his greatest fan. It never abandons him in time of need. Tendulkars 75 international hundreds are testimony enough for anyone to believe this :)
===============

http://www.orkut.com/Main#CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=23803&tid=2503578458812898059&na=1&nst=1

[Sanguine Sridhar]

Sir's bowling talents are not used at all :cry:

Sehwag bowling podum bothu sachin kooptu yetho sonnaru...
The very next ball sehwag bowled Hussey! :o :D :clap: :notworthy:
Sehwag sachin kitta oodi vanthu hug pannitaru! :P

R.Shasthri said that Sachin has stopped bowling after his injury :?

[littlemaster1982]

A STORY A DAY - All About Sachin You Know!!!

Guys

This part is dedicated to the stories regarding Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. I would update this section alone once in a week about some stories off the field,on the field or anything related to sachin tendulkar. The posts here are of course as you guessed it are taken from orkut and would be shared for the pleasure ofour hubbers.


That's an awesome thread :notworthy: Great initiative AF :2thumbsup:

I'll also update often :)

[ajithfederer]

I'm sorry I didnt know of such a news!


Sir's bowling talents are not used at all :cry:

Sehwag bowling podum bothu sachin kooptu yetho sonnaru...
The very next ball sehwag bowled Hussey! :o :D :clap: :notworthy:
Sehwag sachin kitta oodi vanthu hug pannitaru! :P

R.Shasthri said that Sachin has stopped bowling after his injury :?

[Sanguine Sridhar]

Well, he said it in the commentary, while discussing about Kumble's bowling options.

[ajithfederer]

http://in.sports.yahoo.com/081102/20/6yybx.html

Sunday November 2, 07:52 PM
Kumble will be an inspiration for generations to come: Sachin


New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI) Sachin Tendulkar today described Anil Kumble as a great player and will be an inspiration for generations to come.

"It's truly an honour and privilege to have played in the same era. He will remain an inspiration for the next generations. To become another Anil Kumble one will have to work really, really hard," he said.

Tendulkar recalled a match in Antigua when Kumble came into the match with his jaw in bandage and got Brian Lara out.

"This is one match I can't forget," he said to emphasise that Kumble had a "big heart". "He is one sportsperson who has a big heart".

"I have not come across a greater cricketer, who is good so dedicated to his work," he added.

Rahul Dravid, Kumble's predecessor as Indian captain and his statemate from Karnataka, described the leg-spinner as the country's greatest cricketer.

"He is an extraordinary man with extraordinary career. It's been a privilege to play with him," he said.

"It was emotional for all of us but it's a great time to celebrate the farewell of one of India's greatest cricketers," he added.

[HonestRaj]

Is there any statistics about Sachin toal no. times he got out in between 40-49 (in Tests)

// yesterday got out for 47 :(

[HonestRaj]

I'm sorry I didnt know of such a news!


Sir's bowling talents are not used at all :cry:

Sehwag bowling podum bothu sachin kooptu yetho sonnaru...
The very next ball sehwag bowled Hussey! :o :D :clap: :notworthy:
Sehwag sachin kitta oodi vanthu hug pannitaru! :P

R.Shasthri said that Sachin has stopped bowling after his injury :?

There was a time when Sachin is used to take couple of wkts when ever given chance (in ODIS) & Azhar is the one who used him consistently.

But, Sourav, as he started becoming a winning captain.. he ignored, Sachin, the Bowler & I cud c sachin standing lonely near the boundry, but mostly slips wud be occupied by some others :(

[directhit]

Sir's bowling talents are not used at all :cry:

Sehwag bowling podum bothu sachin kooptu yetho sonnaru...
The very next ball sehwag bowled Hussey! :o :D :clap: :notworthy:
Sehwag sachin kitta oodi vanthu hug pannitaru! :P

R.Shasthri said that Sachin has stopped bowling after his injury :? but he bowled an over on the 3rd day :? even sourav seems to be not bowling off late - so far in this series NIL

[ajithfederer]

Karthik, There are 16 such instances. Cricinfo :notworthy: :notworthy:
List of scores from 40 - 49 in Tests (http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/player/35320.html?class=1;filter=advanced;orderby=start;r unsmax2=49;runsmin2=40;runsval2=runs;template=resu lts;type=batting;view=match)

Is there any statistics about Sachin toal no. times he got out in between 40-49 (in Tests)

// yesterday got out for 47 :(

[HonestRaj]

:ty: feddy.... 16 is a very huge number :(

[ajithfederer]

Karthik, Check this for number 17, :lol:

List of scores between 90 - 99 / ODI's (http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/player/35320.html?class=2;filter=advanced;orderby=start;r unsmax1=99;runsmin1=90;runsval1=runs;template=resu lts;type=batting;view=match)

[HonestRaj]

:sigh2:

Only Sachin possible :P

If those cud have been converted to 100.. it wud be nearly 60 centuries in ODI's.

Oru payalum nerunga mudiyadhu.. not even in their wildest of dreams.

Hmmm.. ellam avan seyal !!!!!

[ajithfederer]

http://cricket.expressindia.com/news/I-was-wrong-in-claiming-Dravid--s-dismissal--Gilchrist/380834/

[tscii:40f849c747]
Gilchrist edhukku indha vendadha velai.

:)
It isnt surprising at all.

It was gilly who made such vociferous appeal against dravid when the ball went nowhere near the bat.

Gilly was in the best position to see the catch of dada taken by pup not cleanly and yet went on to appeal along with ponting and later on brushed it aside as Mark Benson’s oversight in not consulting with the third umpire.

We may be sore losers. But aussies turn sore even before losing.

Sachin doesnt require any endorsement from such sick creatures crawling on earth.[/tscii:40f849c747]

[ajithfederer]

Yes please :)


A STORY A DAY - All About Sachin You Know!!!

Guys

This part is dedicated to the stories regarding Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. I would update this section alone once in a week about some stories off the field,on the field or anything related to sachin tendulkar. The posts here are of course as you guessed it are taken from orkut and would be shared for the pleasure ofour hubbers.


That's an awesome thread :notworthy: Great initiative AF :2thumbsup:

I'll also update often :)

[Sourav]

[tscii:a980404f9a]:?
http://epaper.dinamalar.com/DM/DINAMALAR/2008/11/04/Article//001/04_11_2008_001_005.jpg

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOI&BaseHref=TOIM/2008/11/04&PageLabel=7&EntityId=Ar00701&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T


NOTHING TO WORRY
Threat to Sachin was just an intel faux pas
Soumittra S Bose | TNN

Nagpur: It is one incident that would raise a fresh question mark over the ‘intelligence inputs’ that various agencies routinely receive. On Sunday, the Nagpur police tightened the security arrangements being made for the Indian and Australian teams arriving in the city on Monday for the fourth Test.
This was done in view of specific intelligence input that terrorist outfit JeM might try to target Sachin Tendulkar. This was carried by a section of the media and understandably raised concerns everywhere. However, by Monday, city police chief Praveen Dixit had a lot of explaining to do.
Apparently, the city police’s special branch which looks after the intelligence gathering and interpretation had goofed up by dusting up an old 2006 memo and circulating it as new. Dixit told the media there was no threat to any player or team. “The security arrangement has been drawn up keeping the general threat perception in view which existed from the first day of the series and not just the test match in the city,” he said.
It turned out that the SB had managed to dig out a ‘threat’ of 2006 when central intelligence and interrogation details of some suspects in 7/11 bomb blast in Mumbai had indicated that there was a threat on Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Mukesh Ambani. Tendulkar’s security was stepped up following the report.
Intelligence department had learnt in 2004 that outfits like JeM wanted to kidnap Tendulkar and former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly and use them to free two jailed militants. This JeM threat was included by SB while alerting the city police for security arrangements to be made for the Test match beginning on Friday. The message was copied from the old 2006 document. It urged all police stations to remain on high alert about a possible terror attack. Interestingly, the message this time does not mention Ganguly though he is very much a part of the team and was subject of earlier threat. Dixit clarified the situation in a press conference at Police Gymkhana on Monday.
Special Branch, which is responsible for alerting police stations and set up the guidelines for security arrangement prior to any big event, is known to have followed its age-old tradition of simply copying the old pattern while issuing messages.
An assistant police inspector in SB is learnt to have put up the two-year-old input without updating for signature by DCP of zone-I Suresh Mekala, who holds additional charge of special branch. The fact remains that though it contained something as dramatic as that, it was signed unquestioningly by the senior officer too. City police spokesperson ACP Madhuri Godse parried media queries about it saying the matter was of administrative nature and media should have nothing to do with it.

[/tscii:a980404f9a]

[littlemaster1982]

A Story a Day - All about Sachin

No.2

The year was 1989, the little master had recently made his debut in Pakistan. Sachin not even old enough to get a driving licence Sachin Tendulkar was facing the best bowlers in the business. As the Pakistani crowds jeered and mocked Sachin holding out the placards saying ""Dudh Pita Bhachcha ..ghar jaake dhoodh pee", (hey kid, go home and drink milk), Sachin sent the then young leg spinner Mustaq Ahmed hiding for cover (he had hit two sixes in one over. The frustaded mentor of Mustaq Ahmed the legendary Abdul Qadir challenges Sachin saying "Bachchon ko kyon mar rahe ho? Hamein bhi maar dikhao` (`Why are you hitting kids? Try and hit me.`).

Sachin was silent, since then we all have come to know that he lets his bat do the talking. Abdul Quadir had made a simple request and Sachin obliged, and how. Sachin hit 4 sixes in the over, making the spinner look like a kid in the contest. The over read 6, 0, 4, 6 6 6, David had felled Goliath ... and a legend was born.

P.S: The match was not official. The official one-dayer had been abandoned because of bad light and a 20-over exhibition match organised instead.

From Orkut Sachin Community (http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=23803&tid=2503578458812898059&na=3&nst=21&nid=23803-2503578458812898059-2503613838631458671)

[ajithfederer]

Celebrating the 1st Anniversary of our Master's Glorious website (http://sachinism.com/)

:clap: :clap: :clap:

Hope this site gains Global reach in the near future :thumbsup:

Thanks LM, for Story No : 2 :)

[ajithfederer]

Sachin Tendulkar - Lord of the Runs 1-1 (http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=7SU8qo3_nAI)


Sachin Tendulkar - Lord of the Runs 1-2 (http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=8UHHqnctZEM&feature=related)



Lord Of The Runs- Sachin Special- NDTV Fri 9 30 pm
A must watch for all of Sachin fans... An exclusive NDTV program on Sachin on Fri 9 30 pm.... Dont miss...

Paazhapona office :curse: Youtube-ladhan paakkanum :|

[ajithfederer]

UNICEF: Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulka on handwashing (http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=uPIa81oSq9k)

[littlemaster1982]

:ty: :ty: :ty: :ty: :ty: :ty: :ty: :ty:


Sachin Tendulkar - Lord of the Runs 1-1 (http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=7SU8qo3_nAI)


Sachin Tendulkar - Lord of the Runs 1-2 (http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=8UHHqnctZEM&feature=related)



Lord Of The Runs- Sachin Special- NDTV Fri 9 30 pm
A must watch for all of Sachin fans... An exclusive NDTV program on Sachin on Fri 9 30 pm.... Dont miss...

Paazhapona office :curse: Youtube-ladhan paakkanum :|

[ajithfederer]

[tscii:df8391761a]http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=145209

Sachin: The iron man of India
Sachin in his 20-year career, faced both his admirers and critics with equal respect, but do we give him the respect he deserves? A man of his class, lets his bat do the talking. He surpassed Lara to cross the 12000 run mark in test cricket.

ON MARCH 19, 2006, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, India’s favourite son was booed on his way back to the dressing room by the crowd at the Wankhede. His sin was that after 17 years in the game and 132 test matches, he was out on the 21st ball, scoring just one run. The media had turned hostile. Everyone wanted him to declare his innings as a player. All his perseverance and dedication of years was buried six feet under, when his home crowd disrespected him. Some wrote his failure in the last eleven test knocks as pathetic or tragic. His flawless stroke play was over-burdened by talks of his dismissals.

On October 18, 2008, exactly two years and six months later, Sachin re-wrote history. A man of his class, remains quite and lets his bat do the talking. He surpassed Brian Lara and became the first player to cross the 12000 run mark in test cricket. Now, every Indian has praises and accolades fom him. The stadium at Mohali was buzzing with the chants of ‘Sachin’. Speculations of his retirement have vanished and now everyone in a jiffy wants him to play the next world cup. Media is going frenzy about Sachin and his stroke play. As Sachin reached the predictable 12000 mark, he looked at the heavens and bowed down to the almighty. He remains as humble as he was when he hit his first century. After 16000 one day runs and 12000 test runs, the little maestro continues to strive for newer heights and toils to be perfect in his already flawless stroke play. With every record broken and history rewritten again and again, the short man from Mumbai stands tall and taller.

I’m one of those fans who watch a match for Sachin. I used switch off the television set when Sachin got out and even today, I continue to watch a match till Sachin bats. I keep my fingers crossed and continue sending prayers for his success. On his every stroke, I utter a few tips, as if it would help him in his shots. Over the lost two decades, Sachin has been the captain of the Indian ship and most teams felt that if they get Sachin’s wicket, half the battle is won.

The little master has gone about doing his job day in and day out without being into controversies.

But such is the irony of the Indian public that they do not respect the sheer class of the player he is. The view of the media and the public keeps changing with the changing times and the talent remains unrecognised to some extent. The little man, from being Sachin has gone to be the ’God of the Game’ and we still fail to salute his greatness. When will the media and the public give him the respect he deserves? We need to understand that he has selflessly served the country and disrespecting him is like disrespecting the nation.

Sachin is a global ambassador of this country and he is above the normal human touch. In the true sense, he is god’s gift to India. We need to keep faith in him and be happy for what he has achieved. Our expectations should be controlled and all decisions should be left to him. Whether it is playing the next world cup or retiring next year is completely his choice.

Sachin has had his ups and downs and he surely will retire but we need to let him take the call, for the manner in which he likes to bow down.[/tscii:df8391761a]

[Sourav]

Tendulkar, Sehwag may return to ODI squad :redjump:

SNS & Agencies
NAGPUR, Nov. 4: Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag (In Photo), who missed the previous One Day Internationals series in Sri Lanka, are set to return to the Indian limited overs squad when the national selectors meet here tomorrow to name the team for the seven-match series against England starting on 14 November at Rajkot.
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=5&theme=&usrsess=1&id=229587

[Sourav]

[tscii:11f1b87dd1]Born champions
They say champions are born, not made. Just like Lewis Hamilton. A look at some prodigies who have lived up to their promise, like the British F1 driver.

Sachin Tendulkar
At 35, Sachin Tendulkar has almost every batting record to his name. His greatness was predicted even when he was playing for his school team. He was thrown to the wolves, as a 16-year-old making his international debut against a ferocious Pakistan bowling attack. That was back in 1989, where he also scored his first Test half-century. 19 years hence, India’s greatest batsman, second only to Don Bradman has made all prophesies come true and gone further than any man before.
http://www.dnaindia.com/slideshow.asp?newsid=1203407&sldid=1[/tscii:11f1b87dd1]

[Sourav]

[tscii:7d7629b3d5]Shoaib Akhtar gives bat in gift to Petangular Cup’s best batsman
Updated at: 1650 PST, Tuesday, November 04, 2008
LAHORE: Pakistan cricket team’s fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar gave away Sachin Tendulkar’s bat in gift to Umer Amin, the best batsman of Federal Area in the Pentangular Cup.

Umer Amin has played an important role in the victory of his team Federal Area with his unbeaten innings of 76 runs.

He has so far scored about 250 runs in the Pentangular Tournament.

The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ Shoaib Akhtar, to encourage the young batsman, gave him the bat which he had received in gift from Indian star batsman Sachin Tendulkar and expressed his kind wishes for him.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=59238[/tscii:7d7629b3d5]

[ajithfederer]

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/indveng/content/story/376931.html

England in India 2008-09

Tendulkar set to return for England ODIs

Nagraj Gollapudi

November 4, 2008


Sachin Tendulkar is likely to make the squad for the first three ODIs against England and will partner Gautam Gambhir at the top of the batting order © AFP


Having missed out on the last ODI series in Sri Lanka with an elbow injury, Sachin Tendulkar is likely to return for the seven-ODI series against England starting November 14 in Rajkot. His availability will be one of the key issues of discussion when the selectors meet in Nagpur on Wednesday to announce the squad for the first three one-dayers.

Tendulkar had last featured in an ODI during the CB Series in Australia. A groin injury picked up during the tournament kept him away from the Kitply Cup held in Dhaka and the Asia Cup in Pakistan that followed.

"We haven't heard anything from him yet so we expect him to play," one of the selectors told Cricinfo. This will also be the first time the selectors, headed by Kris Srikkanth, will be appointing an ODI squad; they had picked the Test squad to face Australia.

From the squad that featured in Sri Lanka, Irfan Pathan is likely to be dropped given his lean form this season. As an allrounder, he doesn't have a strong case, scoring 105 at 17 in his last seven innings and picking up 10 wickets at almost 47 in the nine games he has played since the Kitply Cup. Though he was the third-highest wicket-taker in the Challenger Trophy, the selectors will be hard-pressed to pick him unless captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni supports his case.

S Badrinath, who was Tendulkar's replacement in Sri Lanka, is expected to retain his place in the squad. While Tendulkar is likely to partner Gautam Gambhir at the top, the others to follow include Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Dhoni and Virender Sehwag (not necessarily in that order) which leaves a place for another batsman.

Virat Kohli, who played in Sri Lanka, is expected to fill that slot, over Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan. Kohli proved his mettle when he adapted well as an opener in Sri Lanka and has impressed both Dhoni and the new selection committee.

Though Uthappa has been in solid form since the start of this season he might have to show a bit more patience. He was dropped after scoring 37 in three games during the Asia Cup but topped the run charts in the Challenger Trophy and followed that with a century on his first day as Karnataka captain in the Ranji Trophy against Railways.

In the bowling department, the selectors may rest either Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma considering the packed international calendar. Ishant was rested from the ODIs in Sri Lanka after he picked up an injury during the third Test. Munaf Patel will be the third seamer and Praveen Kumar's ability to swing on the Indian pitches might help him retain his position in the squad. RP Singh, who played in Sri Lanka, is likely to be left out after his disappointing figures in the last three series - 11 wickets at 30 .

Amit Mishra is favoured over Pragyan Ojha to be Harbhajan Singh's support act. The selectors' confidence might come from Mishra's decent outing during the IPL for Delhi Daredevils and, of course, his form in the current Test series.

India ODI squad (probable): Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, S Badrinath, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, Amit Mishra/Pragyan Ojha.

Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

© Cricinfo[/tscii:a90ef21fbb]

[ajithfederer]

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/05/sports/CRI-India-Squad.php

Tendulkar rested for first three ODIs vs England
The Associated Press

NAGPUR, India: Sachin Tendulkar will be rested from the opening three matches of the seven-game one-day cricket series against England starting next week after India named a 15-man squad Wednesday.

Tendulkar has not played in the one-day international side since the tri-series victory over Australia in March, but the selectors granted his wish for a break.

"Considering the hectic schedule ahead and the amount of cricket he has already played this season, Sachin Tendulkar requested that he be rested for the first three ODIs," Indian board secretary N. Srinivasan said in a statement. "The selectors accepted his request."

A groin injury ruled Tendulkar out of series in Bangladesh and Pakistan earlier in the year and he suffered a left-elbow problem during the test campaign against Sri Lanka in August, preventing him from taking part in the one-day matches.

Tendulkar has scored a world-record 16,361 runs in 417 one-day internationals, with 42 centuries. Opener Virender Sehwag, who twisted his left ankle during the Sri Lanka tour, was also included in the squad that will be led by wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Murali Vijay, the Tamil Nadu batsman who has been called into the fourth-test squad, was also included along with Gautam Gambhir, who he replaces in Nagpur. Gambhir is suspended for the match for elbowing Australian Shane Watson in the third test in New Delhi.

India, currently ranked No.3, beat Sri Lanka 3-2 on its tour there in August after being runners-up to the same team in the Asia Cup held in Karachi in July.

England will arrive in Mumbai on Thursday and will play practice matches against a team from Mumbai on November 9 and 11. The first one-day international starts in Rajkot on November 14, while the two-test series begins in Ahmedabad on December 11.

Fifth-ranked England beat South Africa 4-0 at home in the one-day international series in September, but its players suffered a setback to morale with a thumping defeat in a Twenty20 exhibition against the Stanford Superstars in Antigua on Saturday.

The team of West Indian players collected US$1m each for the victory while England went home empty handed.

___

India one-day squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Rudra Pratap Singh, Virat Kohli, Murali Vijay. England one-day squad: Kevin Pietersen (capt), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison, Samit Patel, Matt Prior, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright.

[ajithfederer]

Sachin Tendulkar's Test batting records - Away from home (http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/player/35320.html?class=1;filter=advanced;home_or_away=2; opposition=1;opposition=2;opposition=25;opposition =3;opposition=4;opposition=5;opposition=7;oppositi on=8;opposition=9;orderby=start;template=results;t ype=batting;view=match)

[ajithfederer]

SRT/ Scores of 50 - 99 / Away from India / Test Batting (http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/player/35320.html?class=1;filter=advanced;home_or_away=2; opposition=1;opposition=2;opposition=25;opposition =3;opposition=4;opposition=5;opposition=7;oppositi on=8;opposition=9;orderby=start;runsmax1=99;runsmi n1=50;runsval1=runs;template=results;type=batting; view=match)

[ajithfederer]

http://www.orkut.com/Main#CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=23803&tid=5264991724337509029

sachin , australia , last test , amazing record
sachin has a amazing record vs aussies in last test match of a test series ( of more than 1 test )

1992 - india was beaten and thrashed , parth track was very fast those days ..all indian batsman were clueless but a 18 year old stod up with some mangificiant back-foot punches and on drives ..makes 114 off 160 balls ....india looses with a big margin but a world beater is born


1998 - india has already won the series but sachin gives taylor and warne more nightmares with 177 off 207 balls ....after the test warne , govin rabertson meet prasna ..first question they ask pras is " how to bowl to sachin " ?


1999-2000 sachin makes a wtachfull start but wickets start falling very quickly ...sachin decides to counter-attacks and hit 3 4's in one mcgrath over before getting a rough decision on 45


2001 - one of the geatest series of all time ...series level 1-1 before going into chennai where sachin against hits a 100 .....126 off 229 balls ..gets to 100 with 6 (4thj time , a wowld record )..one of sachin's underratted 100 ...vs full strength aussies attack ( mcgrath , warne , dizzy )

2003 - makes a watchfull 241 to make sure that tugga never ever forgets him ....doesn't plays a single cover drive ....another underrated knock ..had umipiring been correct in second innings of aussies ..this knock would have been termed as the one which beated aussies in their den first time in 11 year..unfortunately too much remember fir risk minimalisation

2004 - series gone but india had pride to play for ..on a bowler pradise after being too booged down in first innings decides to counter -atack ..55 off 80 balls

2007-2008 makes 153 to make sure india doesn't looses this test ...off just 200 balls

[ajithfederer]

http://www.orkut.com/Main#CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=23803&tid=5264983082863309477

How many of u heard this when mark nicholas made this coment on sachin during 3rd test on last day


"almost half an hour ago there were not plenty of people in stadium but as the news has spread around that sachin is set , plenty have come to worship tendulkar "

:D

[ajithfederer]

Hope this one triggers a useful discussion.

Many critics / pundits (so called ) often bash SRT saying that whenever a Tendulkar hits a 100 the team loses in both forms of the game. So I tried to compile the stats on sachins 100's either away or at home and thier loss/win results.

Sachin/ODI 100's on a winning cause (http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/player/35320.html?class=2;filter=advanced;opposition=1;op position=12;opposition=15;opposition=2;opposition= 25;opposition=26;opposition=27;opposition=28;oppos ition=29;opposition=3;opposition=4;opposition=5;op position=7;opposition=8;opposition=9;orderby=start ;result=1;runsmax1=250;runsmin1=100;runsval1=runs; template=results;type=batting;view=match) 30/42 hundreds on a winning cause - Translated to a 71% Indian ODI win result.

Sachin/ODI 100's on a losing cause (http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/player/35320.html?class=2;filter=advanced;opposition=1;op position=12;opposition=15;opposition=2;opposition= 25;opposition=26;opposition=27;opposition=28;oppos ition=29;opposition=3;opposition=4;opposition=5;op position=7;opposition=8;opposition=9;orderby=start ;result=2;runsmax1=250;runsmin1=100;runsval1=runs; template=results;type=batting;view=match) 12/42 Hundreds on a losing cause - Translated to a 29% Indian ODI loss result.

Sachin /Test scores of 100 or more/ Team result of win / draw (http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/player/35320.html?class=1;filter=advanced;opposition=1;op position=2;opposition=25;opposition=3;opposition=4 ;opposition=5;opposition=7;opposition=8;opposition =9;orderby=start;result=1;result=4;runsmin2=100;ru nsval2=runs;template=results;type=batting;view=mat ch) - 30/39 Hundreds - Translates to a 76% of Indian Test win / draw results

Sachin /Test scores of 100 or more/ Team result of loss (http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/player/35320.html?class=1;filter=advanced;opposition=1;op position=2;opposition=25;opposition=3;opposition=4 ;opposition=5;opposition=7;opposition=8;opposition =9;orderby=start;result=2;runsmin2=100;runsval2=ru ns;template=results;type=batting;view=match) - 9/39 HUNDREDS - Translates to a 24% of Indian Test loss result.

They say he is not a match winner. Cricket is a team sport and one Individual alone can't win a match. It is fair enough to see how the other batsmen performed in those losing matches and how the bowlers performed. One man taking the entire curse for a team's defeat is an attrocity of heavenly proportions. The stats are here for your conclusion.

Hubbers thoughts needed :)

[ajithfederer]

Couple the above post with this piece http://hawkeyeview.blogspot.com/2007/11/tendulkar-statistical-look.html

Tendulkar: A Statistical Look.
I made an interesting observation. Most cricket viewers I speak to have no idea regarding Tendulkar's ODI stats and its relationship with India's ODI stats. So:

ODI:

* India has not lost 271/504 games after Tendulkar's debut [51%].
* Tendulkar has not lost 222/404 games he has played in those 504 games [54%].
* Indian Batting Average in the 504 games after Tendulkar's Debut is 32.0
* Tendulkar's overall batting average in 404 of the 504 games is 44.27 [1.45 times that of India]
* Indian Batting Average when it does not lose matches (those 271 games) after Tendulkar's Debut is 44.8
* Tendulkar's batting average when India has not lost games is 55.81 [1.24 times Indian average]
* India Loses 75% of the games in which Tendulkar fails to reach 30.
* India has not lost 30/41 games where Tendulkar scored a century [73%].
* India has not lost 51/86 games where Tendulkar scored a half-century [60%].
* Rest of India batting order failed to capitalize on Fifty+ starts provided by Tendulkar 46 times.
* 37% of the time Tendulkar provides fifty+ starts Rest of India does not cash in. This contributes to 20% the time India has lost with Tendulkar in the team [46/182].
* India's batting average when it loses is 31.1
* Tendulkar's batting average when India loses is 32.92. [1.05 times ~ same as India average]

P.S: The author is aware of the cliches and proverbs related to statistics.
P.S2: The author believes that if the statistics do not capture the entire truth then the fault lies with the filters/analysis/views applied on those statistics and not the statistic itself.
P.S3: The author does not have sufficient statistical tools to run correlation analysis with oether batsmen/bowlers.

[Nerd]

Feddy :clap: But there's nothing to discuss.. Leos and nakeerans are blissfully oblivious to facts on sachin. Their agenda is to read few magazines, note some points, come here and belch (with no background research). We have already wasted so much time on them.

[ajithfederer]

Nerd, Thanks

This thread is to exactly serve the purpose of bashing such false facts and rumour mongers. There was another self proclaimed genius roaming here, Wonder where is he now?. But yeah sachin is still there and most importantly performing and scoring runs!.

Feddy :clap: But there's nothing to discuss.. Leos and nakeerans are blissfully oblivious to facts on sachin. Their agenda is to read few magazines, note some points, come here and belch (with no background research). We have already wasted so much time on them.

[littlemaster1982]

AF :notworthy: :notworthy:

[thamizhvaanan]

AF :clap: :clap:

The other thing to note is that other player's knock ended up becoming matchwinning, because other players in the team also contribute.

For eg, Bajji to Lax efforts in Kolkatta, Sachin/Saurav to Dravids knock in Headingley.

Whereas on those occasions when Sachin scores and India loses, its the case of rest of the team failing collectively. Yet the criticsm falls on the only member of the team who has played well.... Idhu enda ooru nyayam :banghead: Nowhere in the world, such attrocity be packaged as opinions and discharged in public :x


India Loses 75% of the games in which Tendulkar fails to reach 30.
:shock: Where did the other match winners go on those occasions :lol2:

[littlemaster1982]

http://www.orkut.com/Main#CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=23803&tid=5264991724337509029

sachin , australia , last test , amazing record
sachin has a amazing record vs aussies in last test match of a test series ( of more than 1 test )

1992 - india was beaten and thrashed , parth track was very fast those days ..all indian batsman were clueless but a 18 year old stod up with some mangificiant back-foot punches and on drives ..makes 114 off 160 balls ....india looses with a big margin but a world beater is born


1998 - india has already won the series but sachin gives taylor and warne more nightmares with 177 off 207 balls ....after the test warne , govin rabertson meet prasna ..first question they ask pras is " how to bowl to sachin " ?


1999-2000 sachin makes a wtachfull start but wickets start falling very quickly ...sachin decides to counter-attacks and hit 3 4's in one mcgrath over before getting a rough decision on 45


2001 - one of the geatest series of all time ...series level 1-1 before going into chennai where sachin against hits a 100 .....126 off 229 balls ..gets to 100 with 6 (4thj time , a wowld record )..one of sachin's underratted 100 ...vs full strength aussies attack ( mcgrath , warne , dizzy )

2003 - makes a watchfull 241 to make sure that tugga never ever forgets him ....doesn't plays a single cover drive ....another underrated knock ..had umipiring been correct in second innings of aussies ..this knock would have been termed as the one which beated aussies in their den first time in 11 year..unfortunately too much remember fir risk minimalisation

2004 - series gone but india had pride to play for ..on a bowler pradise after being too booged down in first innings decides to counter -atack ..55 off 80 balls

2007-2008 makes 153 to make sure india doesn't looses this test ...off just 200 balls

Yaaruba idhai post pannadhu??? Avar veettukku 1 moottai sakkarai anuppunga :P

[HonestRaj]

:D :) 8-) :clap: :notworthy: :thumbsup: :smile2: :bluejump: :redjump: :boo: :smokesmirk: :swinghead: :smokesmile: :slurp: :2thumbsup: :yes: :victory: :cool2:

Sachin 100 # 40

:D :) 8-) :clap: :notworthy: :thumbsup: :smile2: :bluejump: :redjump: :boo: :smokesmirk: :swinghead: :smokesmile: :slurp: :2thumbsup: :yes: :victory: :cool2:

[HonestRaj]

virajan :ty: copy paste pannitaen :D

[wrap07]

Sachin 40th Hundred :clap:
40 + 42 in ODI- on the way to reaching the magical 100 :clap:

[viraajan]

virajan :ty: copy paste pannitaen :D

Welcome :boo:

Thalaivarku en iniya vaazhthugal.... :bow:

[viraajan]

Dheivame,,, appadiye oru 150 adinga... mudinja.... kattayam illa :D

[mgb]

Congrats Sachin on your 40th :thumbsup:

[Sourav]

:D :) 8-) :clap: :notworthy: :thumbsup: :smile2: :bluejump: :redjump: :boo: :smokesmirk: :swinghead: :smokesmile: :slurp: :2thumbsup: :yes: :victory: :cool2:

Sachin 100 # 40

:D :) 8-) :clap: :notworthy: :thumbsup: :smile2: :bluejump: :redjump: :boo: :smokesmirk: :swinghead: :smokesmile: :slurp: :2thumbsup: :yes: :victory: :cool2:

[HonestRaj]

Dheivame,,, appadiye oru 150 adinga... mudinja.... kattayam illa :D

innoru 10 over irukku.. out aagama vedu poyi sera sollunga.. nalaikku vandhu michatha adichukkalam.. may be 100 for sourav & ____ for Sachin (don't want to mention.. anything is OK :D)

[viraajan]

Dheivame,,, appadiye oru 150 adinga... mudinja.... kattayam illa :D

innoru 10 over irukku.. out aagama vedu poyi sera sollunga.. nalaikku vandhu michatha adichukkalam.. may be 100 for sourav & ____ for Sachin (don't want to mention.. anything is OK :D)

200? :redjump:

Betw, 194* la declare panninadha, ennala innum marakka myudiyala :hammer:
Else 5 200s :shock:

[HonestRaj]

194* Adhukku karanam.. :evil: sari marappoam mannippoam..

yov.. sourav.. nee edit panradhukku munndiye nan parthuttaen.. :lol:

[Sourav]

HR,Vidhya...
Neenga 2 perum yaar kitta pesureenga...
Yetho sachin kitta ear-phone kodutha maathiri 2 perum maathi maathi pesikureengale.... :lol:

[Sourav]

yov.. sourav.. nee edit panradhukku munndiye nan parthuttaen.. :lol: Yetho neenga mattum original-a post maathiri.. :evil:
Nama 2 perukkumae sponsor vidhya thane... :notworthy:

[viraajan]

nan yaar kittaiyum pesala... ennoda thought-a post panninen...

HR, adhe adhe... adhanala than nan name specify panni, hammer pannala :lol:

[viraajan]

yov.. sourav.. nee edit panradhukku munndiye nan parthuttaen.. :lol: Yetho neenga mattum original-a post maathiri.. :evil:
Nama 2 perukkumae sponsor vidhya thane... :notworthy:

mikka nandri... idhukkaga enakku hub-award ellam sibaarisu panna vendam :lol: :yessir:

[Sourav]

yov.. sourav.. nee edit panradhukku munndiye nan parthuttaen.. :lol: Yetho neenga mattum original-a post maathiri.. :evil:
Nama 2 perukkumae sponsor vidhya thane... :notworthy:

mikka nandri... idhukkaga enakku hub-award ellam sibaarisu panna vendam :lol: :yessir: Award-a? ellorum aus-ind thread-la tharma adi kodukka wait panniturukkanga...poyi vaangikkonga...
150-200-nu onnum illama pannittenga.... :hammer:

[viraajan]

yov.. sourav.. nee edit panradhukku munndiye nan parthuttaen.. :lol: Yetho neenga mattum original-a post maathiri.. :evil:
Nama 2 perukkumae sponsor vidhya thane... :notworthy:

mikka nandri... idhukkaga enakku hub-award ellam sibaarisu panna vendam :lol: :yessir: Award-a? ellorum aus-ind thread-la tharma adi kodukka wait panniturukkanga...poyi vaangikkonga...
150-200-nu onnum illama pannittenga.... :hammer:

:rotfl:

[viraajan]

:clap:

Beautiful innings Sachin :clap:

[Nerd]

:clap: :clap: :clap:

Time has come, for a few people to hide their sorry faces..

[ajithfederer]

Well Pllayed sachin. :clap: :clap: :clap:

Would have been much happy if he was not out. Ganguly and Dhoni should lead the charge. Hope atleast one of them make a century.

[ajithfederer]

Orkut member Madhusudhan. He is a terrific fan of sachin who always named his profile as Hundred 100's is a reality or something similar to that lines :D.


http://www.orkut.com/Main#CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=23803&tid=5264991724337509029

sachin , australia , last test , amazing record
sachin has a amazing record vs aussies in last test match of a test series ( of more than 1 test )

1992 - india was beaten and thrashed , parth track was very fast those days ..all indian batsman were clueless but a 18 year old stod up with some mangificiant back-foot punches and on drives ..makes 114 off 160 balls ....india looses with a big margin but a world beater is born


1998 - india has already won the series but sachin gives taylor and warne more nightmares with 177 off 207 balls ....after the test warne , govin rabertson meet prasna ..first question they ask pras is " how to bowl to sachin " ?


1999-2000 sachin makes a wtachfull start but wickets start falling very quickly ...sachin decides to counter-attacks and hit 3 4's in one mcgrath over before getting a rough decision on 45


2001 - one of the geatest series of all time ...series level 1-1 before going into chennai where sachin against hits a 100 .....126 off 229 balls ..gets to 100 with 6 (4thj time , a wowld record )..one of sachin's underratted 100 ...vs full strength aussies attack ( mcgrath , warne , dizzy )

2003 - makes a watchfull 241 to make sure that tugga never ever forgets him ....doesn't plays a single cover drive ....another underrated knock ..had umipiring been correct in second innings of aussies ..this knock would have been termed as the one which beated aussies in their den first time in 11 year..unfortunately too much remember fir risk minimalisation

2004 - series gone but india had pride to play for ..on a bowler pradise after being too booged down in first innings decides to counter -atack ..55 off 80 balls

2007-2008 makes 153 to make sure india doesn't looses this test ...off just 200 balls

Yaaruba idhai post pannadhu??? Avar veettukku 1 moottai sakkarai anuppunga :P

[ajithfederer]

For the record its the 10th Ton by the Master against the Aussies. The affair continues. :thumbsup:

[ajithfederer]

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/06/sports/CRI-India-Tendulkar.php

Sachin Tendulkar hits 40th test ton for India
The Associated Press
Published: November 6, 2008

NAGPUR, India: Sachin Tendulkar broke through a frustrating 10-month period without a century Thursday to set up India's 311-5 on the first day of the fourth and final test against Australia.

Tendulkar had not reached three figures since the final match against Australia in Adelaide in January before bringing up his 40th test century — and 10th against the Australians — with 109 from 188 deliveries.

"After Adelaide, I have played around six or seven matches," Tendulkar said. "I know I am batting well, but I was not getting to the three-figure landmark. But I don't think that is everything.

"Each ton is a different one and has its own importance. Today was a little different, I tried to get it in a different style."

Tendulkar struggled in the series against Sri Lanka earlier this year but has been one of India's key batsmen against Australia, scoring 384 runs at 64.00.


"As you have seen in this test series, I have gone in at crucial moments almost four or five times and I have been able to play," he said. "That is very satisfying when you deliver when the team needs you the most, and that is what I have been able to do in this series."

Tendulkar came out to bat with India 99-2, and the situation worsened when Virender Sehwag departed 17 runs later for 66.

The world's leading run-scorer didn't look troubled until he neared his century and was dropped twice — on 85 and 96 — at mid-off by Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee from the bowling of rookie offspinner Jason Krejza.

"I can say that he was a bit unlucky," Tendulkar said of Krejza, who took 3-138 off 28 overs.

Tendulkar, who is now four hundreds ahead of Australia captain Ricky Ponting in second place, said he isn't driven by records.

"I am not playing for these targets," Tendulkar said. "I am just playing for the team and, while contributing towards the team's cause, if it happens it is a great satisfaction."

Tendulkar described the pitch at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium as a "perfect track" that would suit the spinners over the rest of the match. Australia is likely to have to bat last after India, which leads the series 1-0, won the toss.

"Batting first is definitely an advantage," Tendulkar said. "But it is important to bat well when you get that chance and build up a big score. The momentum that builds up during the game happens when you bat first."[/tscii:6808529ed5]

[ajithfederer]

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/indvaus2008/content/current/story/377195.html

India v Australia, 4th Test, Nagpur, 1st day

Losing five was too many - Tendulkar

Cricinfo staff

November 6, 2008


Sachin Tendulkar: "It was important that I got going because we had lost a couple of wickets and even Sehwag got out after that" © Getty Images


Sachin Tendulkar has said India were in a decent, but not brilliant, position after ending the first day of the final Test in Nagpur on 311 for 5. Tendulkar, who stabilised the Indian innings with his 40th Test hundred, felt losing five wickets was too many and "three would have been okay".

The situation when he began his innings was reminiscent of India's first innings in Mohali where a terrific start had been eroded by quick wickets. Today India went from 98 for 0 to 116 for 3 and were in danger of allowing Australia to bounce back after Virender Sehwag's half-century forced them on the defensive.

"It was important that I got going because we had lost a couple of wickets and even Sehwag got out after that," Tendulkar said. "I think it was just about keeping the head cool initially because when I walked in it was a critical stage. We had to make sure that we [VVS Laxman and I] had a good partnership and took the game away from Australia because the momentum was with them [Australia] initially."

Tendulkar and Laxman's efforts succeeded and they regained the advantage by adding 146 for the fourth wicket. Tendulkar went after the debutant offspinner Jason Krejza, slogging him over midwicket and lifting over mid-on. He fed off the deliveries that Mitchell Johnson bowled on his pads, flicking with impeccable timing towards the square-leg boundary. The shot of the day, however, was a trademark on-drive against Lee which bisected the gap between the bowler and mid-on.

Tendulkar, however, was fortunate to get a century. On 74 he survived a run-out chance; on 85 he mis-hit Krejza to mid-off where Johnson dropped the catch; on 96 he lofted Krejza once again to long-off where Brett Lee couldn't hang on. Tendulkar played out 11 dot balls on 99 before reaching his hundred by cutting Krejza to the point boundary.

"I can say he [Krejza] was a bit unlucky," Tendulkar said. "He had a first wonderful day. Today I can also thank God [for reaching the hundred] . I am delighted at getting the century."

The 40th century eluded Tendulkar twice in this series. He was out for 88 in Mohali and 68 in Delhi and on both occasions he was batting with fluency before falling against the run of play. Tendulkar, however, said although he missed out on hundreds, he had made vital contributions, such as the patient 49 in Bangalore which helped India save the Test.

"I know I am batting well, but I was not getting to the three-figure landmark. But I don't think that is everything. I have gone in at crucial [stages] at almost four or five times and I have been able to play. That is very satisfying, when you deliver when the team needs the most."

Tendulkar was dismissed in the last half-hour of the day, playing across the line to Johnson, who was bowling with the second new ball. That lapse, and the catches that were offered before his century, seemed to indicate a drop in concentration, but Tendulkar did not agree.

"I don't think I lost my concentration," he said. "Yes there was a patch in between but later on I felt I had sort of again changed the momentum and I just wanted to be there till the end today."

Tendulkar said that the pitch was a "perfect track" but what was noticeable, even in the first hour of play, was how quickly the bowlers' follow-throughs left their mark on the surface. Krejza got a few deliveries to spin and turn on day one and Tendulkar said it will definitely help the spinners more.

"The wicket is playing good. It is on the harder side and it is quite good. The spinners are getting bounce so I think in a day or two it will be difficult to play the spinners." When play ended on the first day, Harbhajan Singh made his way out to the middle, possibly to inspect the surface on which he hopes to fulfil the responsibility passed on to him by Anil Kumble.

© Cricinfo[/tscii:40f0314e77]

[ajithfederer]

Pic of the day (http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/content/image/377172.html)

Prabhu ram or sridar, Could you please enable this pic. Thanks !.

[ajithfederer]

http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Sachin_should_play_for_3_more_years/articleshow/3682788.cms

Tendulkar need to continue for another 3 years: Wadekar

PANCHKULA (Haryana): Former captain Ajit Wadekar hailed Sachin Tendulkar
as a "run machine" and said India need him for at least another three
years, especially in the absence of senior players like Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly.

Heaping praise on Tendulkar, who got his 40th Test century against Australia in Nagpur, Wadekar said, "I cannot describe in words this latest milestone of the batting genius. I would say Sachin is simply a run machine. I think team will need him to be around for the next three years at least, especially when some senior players are taking retirement.

"I think he is the greatest batsman and it is so easy for him (to achieve this milestone)," he said on the sidelines of an ICL Twenty20 match.

Tendulkar recently surpassed West Indian batting legend Brian Lara's record to become the highest run-getter in Test cricket and also crossed the 12,000 run mark in the second Test against Australia in Mohali.

Asked how India would find it in the absence of senior players like Kumble and Ganguly, Wadekar said, "Their replacement will be difficult to find. In near future, we will also see Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman's exit and the team will feel their void."

On MS Dhoni taking over as Test captain from Kumble, Wadekar said, "As they say, luck favours the brave. Dhoni is a brave and a lucky man. He has got good leadership qualities and is a very good player who carries the entire team along,"

[ajithfederer]

http://www.espnstar.com/cricket/international-cricket/news/detail/item147301/Tendulkar-praises-/

Tendulkar praises 'focused' India

Sachin Tendulkar hailed India's focus to keep their emotions in check, finishing the fourth Test with a slight advantage over Australia.
In the build-up to the game, the final contest of a series which the home side lead 1-0, Australia captain Ricky Ponting claimed India would be distracted by Sourav Ganguly's imminent retirement, VVS Laxman playing in his 100th Test and the controversial ban on Gautam Gambhir.

But there seemed no loss in concentration as India, led by Tendulkar's brilliant 109, moved on to 311 for five at stumps.

Laxman and Ganguly also starred, the former chipping in with 64 and the latter, in his final Test, closing on 27 not out.

"Emotions were in control," Tendulkar said. "Even Sourav wasn't thinking of all those things when he walked out.

"It was probably on his mind before he came out to bat but once you cross the rope, your thought process changes and you concentrate on the game and nothing else.

"He was focused today and so were the rest of us.

"I don't think I lost my concentration except for a brief while but once I got past that stage I wanted to stay till the end."

Tendulkar's last century also came against Australia - in Adelaide in January - but he insisted reaching three figures for the 40th time in Test matches did not present a mental obstacle.

"I've reached those critical stages several times after Adelaide and even in this series I was two or three times close to the three-figure mark," he said.

"But I don't think that is everything.

"What is important is that I have been able to bat well although I have walked in to bat at crucial stages in an innings.

"It has happened three or four times in this series already.

"To be able to contribute to the team's cause is far more satisfying than achieving milestones and that is what I have been able to do in this series."

Tendulkar, who was dropped on 85 and 98 and had another escape after surviving a run-out chance just after reaching his half-century, was pleased to have taken the momentum away from Australia, who were starting to threaten through debutant off-spinner Jason Krejza.

"Each century is a different one and it has its own importance," added Tendulkar.

"Today I tried to get it in a little different style. I thought it was just about keeping cool and calm initially.

"I walked in at a critical stage and we had to make sure there was a good partnership.

"The momentum was with Australia at that stage and we had to make sure we took it away from them.

"You have to play the ball on its merits and each surface is different so you have to play accordingly."

Krejza finished day one with figures of three for 138 and Tendulkar admitted there was no plan to target the most inexperienced member of the visitors' line-up.

"No, we did not have a specific plan for him," Tendulkar said. "I was just trying out shots."

Although the home side have played themselves into a strong position, Tendulkar insisted there was still plenty of work to be done to assure them of the draw they require to win the series.

"I think it's a good total, but there are four more days to go and we would want to be on our toes.

"The wicket is playing well, it's a perfect track.

"There is a little help for the spinners and it has a bit of bounce, but I think it's a good track."