THE MASTER BLASTER SACHIN

Superstar Tendulkar writes the perfect script

2008-12-15T08:01:00.000-08:00

He's 35-years-old and owns practically every batting record in the game, but you couldn't escape the feeling that this was probably Sachin Tendulkar's finest hour

December 15, 2008

Given all that's gone on over the past three weeks, this was so much more than just a match-winning century © Getty Images

As Graeme Swann prepared to bowl the second ball of his 29th over, more than 20,000 people in the stands abandoned their plastic chairs. They were on their feet, creating the sort of bedlam and noise I last witnessed at this very venue seven years ago, when Harbhajan Singh's squirt past point clinched the most famous of India's series victories. Swann bowled. The batsman came forward and patted the ball back with almost exaggerated flourish. The crowd was momentarily quieted but the primal scream started again as Swann went back to his mark.

Again, there was sharp turn, but the paddle-sweep that greeted the ball was emphatic. As it streaked to fine leg, the batsman ran down the pitch and punched the air in celebration, before being held aloft by his equally delighted partner. He's 35-years-old and owns practically every batting record in the game, but you couldn't escape the feeling that this was probably Sachin Tendulkar's finest hour.

To score the winning runs in a record-shattering chase was special enough, but when that last stroke also brought up your 41st century, it became ineffably so. Boyhood dreams are made of this, and it says a lot about Tendulkar that he has never lost that child-like passion for the game.

Even in a world where cricket was played in isolation, this would have been a breathtaking effort. Given all that's gone on over the past three weeks though, this was so much more than just a match-winning century. Kevin Pietersen said it best after the game. "Who can write Sachin Tendulkar's scripts any better?," he asked. "The man from Mumbai came in and scored a sensational hundred. He batted like a superstar."

Those that reckon this will heal the wounds of the past don't know Tendulkar well enough though. The scabs of Barbados 1997 and Chepauk 1999 will always be there, especially given he had done so much in both games to take India towards victory. As the years passed, theories and opinions came and went, with people pointing to the absence of a defining fourth-innings knock from the Tendulkar repertoire. Brian Lara had the peerless unbeaten 153 at the Kensington Oval. What did Tendulkar have to offer as response?

An awful lot really, but those intent on nitpicking will inevitably find a way. As the afternoon progressed though, the feeling intensified that we were witnessing something extraordinary. With Pietersen not inclined to crowd the batsmen with close-in fielders, Tendulkar was more than happy to pick off the runs with a nudge here, a deflection there and the odd paddle-sweep for variety.

The contrast with Virender Sehwag couldn't have been more acute. Sehwag's 83 contained 11 singles and two twos, whereas 61 of Tendulkar's runs came in singles (45) or twos. It was a consummate innings. He defended purposefully, especially against the always menacing Andrew Flintoff, but there was no getting bogged down either. Every time there was a lull, either he or Yuvraj Singh would pierce the field.



	Those that aren't Indian struggle to fathom exactly what Tendulkar means to so many millions, and it's doubtful whether even those that live here really comprehend just how much a part of the national consciousness he has become. He is such a unifying force, a personality capable of stirring the emotions in every nook and corner of a vast land

Though dehydration became a factor as the afternoon sun beat down, he continued to scamper between the wickets with the same urgency he showed as a teenager. It's that enthusiasm that's so infectious. Sitting in the stands for an hour this afternoon, there was no doubt what the only people that really matter - the fans - think of him. His every stroke was cheered as though it was a century, and the chants of "Sachin, Sachin" reverberating around were an illustration of an adulation-obsession that sport has never seen, not even when Diego Maradona was playing at La Bombanera.

Vijay is a doctor who was in Chennai on a short trip. On Sunday night, he found himself with a pass for the final day's play. With a late-afternoon train to catch, he wasn't sure whether to go or not. There was another reason for his hesitancy too. Like millions of other sports fans who have been scarred by defeat, Vijay was afraid that he might jinx his team and his favourite player. But after watching the first session on television, he decided to take his chances.

Over the next three-and-a-half hours, he didn't leave his seat, not even for food and water at tea time. He made his train with 10 minutes to spare. "I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if I had given it a miss," he messaged me later.

Those that aren't Indian struggle to fathom exactly what Tendulkar means to so many millions, and it's doubtful whether even those that live here really comprehend just how much a part of the national consciousness he has become. He is such a unifying force, a personality capable of stirring the emotions in every nook and corner of a vast land. And in these times of distress and anger, it was so very appropriate that it would be Tendulkar who put the smiles back on at least a few faces.

Tendulkar shines on see-saw first day

2008-11-06T07:23:00.000-08:00

India v Australia, 4th Test, Nagpur, 1st day

Tendulkar shines on see-saw first day

November 6, 2008

India 311 for 5 (Tendulkar 109, Sehwag 66, Laxman 64, Krejza 3-138) v Australia
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball-details
How they were out

Sachin Tendulkar brought up his 40th Test hundred to lead India's rally to 311 for 5 on the opening day © Getty Images

Almost everything Sachin Tendulkar did today - from opening his account with a brush off the pads for four, to punching gloves with VVS Laxman at lunch to strutting back after tea - pointed to a batsman full of intent. His efforts paid off, despite a run-out chance on 74 and drops on 85 and 98 off the persevering debutant Jason Krejza, as he scored his 40th Test hundred to lead India's recovery, after a pre-lunch flurry of wickets, to 311 for 5 on the opening day in Nagpur.

India lost debutant M Vijay, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag in 29 deliveries towards the end of the first session before the two in-form veterans shored up the innings. For nearly three and a half hours, Tendulkar and Laxman batted gracefully for 146 runs, their stand the highlight of India's day.

Tendulkar looked at ease since replacing Dravid - out for a duck - driving straight and impregnable in defence. He was the early aggressor in the partnership with Laxman, unfurling a slog-sweep over midwicket and a lofted on-drive in one Krejza over to raise India's 150. While the faster men were driven through cover, flicked to midwicket quite fluently or on-driven with laser-like precision, the spinners were tackled with excellent footwork.

Laxman, not at his most silky and sublime, collected his runs slowly and mechanically. As in Delhi, where he stroked 259 unbeaten runs, he stood firm, as has become his trademark. Even when the ball stopped on him, Laxman relied on those supple wrists and worked Krejza over the infield. The only phase when he was troubled was during Brett Lee's second spell, when the bowler obtained a bit of reverse-swing.

The scoring rate dipped with each session, from five - after Sehwag had blazed away - to four and under, but the objective rarely wavered. The pair scurried hard singles and dispatched anything loose - of which there was plenty - and almost always picking their mark whenever they went aerial.

Smart Stats

Sachin Tendulkar's 109 was his 91st score of fifty or above, the highest for any batsman. He overtook Allan Border, who made 27 centuries and 63 fifties.
Tendulkar became the first batsman to reach 5000 runs in the first innings of Tests, and averages 72.65 for the same. His average in the fourth innings, however, is 33.60 in 55 matches.
Tendulkar's 40th Test century was also his tenth against Australia. Only Jack Hobbs, with 12 centuries in 41 Tests against Australia, has more.
VVS Laxman, during his innings of 64, went past 1000 runs in 2008. It's the most he's scored in a calendar year, the previous highest being 984 runs in 15 Tests in 2002.
Brett Lee averages 64.28 with the ball this series, which is his highest in the four Test series he has played against India. He averaged 59.50 in the series against India in 2003-04 in Australia.
Billy Bowden became the tenth umpire to stand in fifty Tests. Steve Bucknor heads the list with 124.
Jason Krezja, who took 3 for 138, is just 12 runs shy of becoming the spinner to concede the most runs in an innings on debut for Australia. Shane Warne's 1 for 150 against India in Sydney in 1992 is at the top of the list.

Tendulkar slowed down as tea approached, perhaps mindful of his mistakes in Mohali and Delhi. His teatime 62 comprised eight fours, seven of which were muscularly hit on the leg side. He still outpaced Laxman on resumption, adding another 47 in the final session. A fierce sweep from outside the off stump and over wide mid-on took Tendulkar into the eighties and he should have stayed there. Tendulkar waltzed down to Krejza, didn't get to the pitch of the ball, and Mitchell Johnson dropped a comfortable chance running back from mid-off. The next delivery, Laxman coolly went past fifty with a drive wide of sweeper-cover, but a loose shot against Krejza, making room to cut, was snapped up on the second attempt by Brad Haddin.

Proximity to his century seemed to have fired up Tendulkar, who dashed out, very untypically, against Krejza on 98 and looked on as Lee spilled a running catch at mid-off. Having spent 11 deliveries on 99, Tendulkar raised his bat in the warm Nagpur air after raising his hundred - and tenth against Australia - with a spanking cut. He hardly played a shot thereafter and fell lbw to Johnson for 109 with 15 minutes to go.

A 98-run partnership between India's new opening pair occupied much of the morning session before Australia fought back, led by Krejza's double-strike. Sehwag took care of the new-ball threat from Johnson, driving and scooping him through backward of point, slashing him over third man, and whipping him delectably across the line. A genuine outside edge off Johnson, which bounced low in front of Matthew Hayden at first slip, when Vijay was on 11, was the nearest Australia came to a chance early on.

Sehwag's panache was complemented by Vijay's solidity on perhaps the easiest track to make your debut as a batsman. Allowed to drive on the up mid-way through the first session, he also tucked the straighter deliveries for singles that kept the score ticking. Vijay was shaping well, and India had the ideal platform, when Shane Watson struck. Sehwag looked set for a hundred, hitting nine fours and a six in his 66, but couldn't capitalise on his good start, and dragged a turning delivery from Krejza back onto his stumps shortly after Dravid fell.

One down in the series, with a highly creditable draw in Delhi following a drubbing in Mohali, Australia were aiming to salvage their bruised pride. Evenly split in pace and spin, but mellowed by another under-performing display from Lee, Australia relied on Krejza to handle the bulk of the bowling. He came in under a degree of pressure and showed enough stomach for a fight after he was mauled in his first three overs. The Tendulkar drops would have hurt, but Laxman's wicket was reward for an encouraging debut.

Lee, steady of line, lacked in speed. Watson lacked variety, and though he mixed up his pace he remained innocuous after removing Vijay. Cameron White, employed only reluctantly, turned his legbreak painfully slowly and never threatened. Johnson obtained disconcerting lift but his tendency to pitch too full made it easy for the batsmen. Over the next four days, Australia will need to be far more productive in their attempt to avoid their first series loss since 2005.

Losing five was too many - Tendulkar

2008-11-06T07:22:00.000-08:00

India v Australia, 4th Test, Nagpur, 1st day

Losing five was too many - Tendulkar

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.

Tendulkar evokes memories of 1992

2008-10-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

India v Australia, 3rd Test, Delhi, 1st day

Tendulkar evokes memories of 1992

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 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, 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 unerring 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 , when he launched into Glenn McGrath after the previous evening's monastic denial, and the minor masterpiece in Mumbai , 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.

sachin A player of two parts

2008-10-17T07:26:00.000-07:00

A player of two parts

Why the man who now holds the record for the most runs in Tests is two batsmen in one

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.

Tendulkar scales the highest peak

2008-10-17T07:22:00.000-07:00

Test cricket's highest run-getter

Tendulkar scales the highest peak

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.

Contribution to the team runs for the top eight batsmen
Batsman	Runs	Team runs in those matches	Percentage
Brian Lara	11,912	62,994	18.91
Sunil Gavaskar	10,122	61,174	16.55
Rahul Dravid	10,145	65,486	15.49
Sachin Tendulkar	11,939	78,334	15.24
Jacques Kallis	9678	64,032	15.11
Ricky Ponting	10,099	69,858	14.46
Allan Border	11,174	80,128	13.94
Steve Waugh	10,927	90,758	12.04

The champion at No. 4

Tendulkar started his Test journey at No.6, but 22 innings into his career, in the second innings at Adelaide in 1991-92, he was pushed up to No. 4 for the first time as India chased a daunting target of 372. The move failed - Tendulkar made just 17 - but in his next innings, on a bouncy Perth track, he scored 114 sublime runs which virtually sealed his No. 4 slot. Since then he has batted almost exclusively at that position, scoring 9953 runs at four before the Mohali Test - the most by any batsman at that position, and almost 85% of his total runs. Tendulkar averages 55.91 at that position - among batsmen with at least 4000 runs, only three have a higher average at No.4. (Click here for Tendulkar's innings-by-innings list at No. 4.)

The presence of Dravid at No. 3 has bolstered the top order immensely, but the lack of a settled and successful opening pair has meant Tendulkar has often come out to bat early in the innings, when the bowlers are fresh and encouraged by two quick strikes. Out of the 199 times he has batted at No. 4, 78 times he has come out with the score less than 50, of which on 34 occasions the score was less than 20. The table below lists his performances according to the team situation at his entry. When he has come in very early, his numbers have suffered - the average dips to less than 40. However, these situations have also produced some of his really memorable innings: against Pakistan in Chennai in 1999, he made 136 as India fell agonisingly short of a fourth-innings target of 271 after their second wicket had fallen at 6; in the Boxing Day Test in 2000, he scored 116 glorious runs coming in at 11 for 2; at Edgbaston in 1996, he came in at 17 for 2 and scored 122 out of a team score of 219, in an innings in which the second-highest score was a mere 18.

However, there were also other instances when he fell cheaply - 18 times out of these 34 innings he was dismissed under 20.

He was far more successful when he came in with the score between 21 and 50, averaging 54.56. Among his 44 innings in such situations, his two most unforgettable ones were in Bloemfontein, when he came in at 43 for 2 and made a stunning 155, and at Trent Bridge in 1996, when he scored 177 after the team had been 33 for 2.

Most of his No. 4 runs, though, have come when the top three have given India a solid start: coming in at a score of 100 or more, he averages more than 76, with 17 centuries in 71 innings, including three of his four double-hundreds. Forty of those innings have been at home, where he averages 69.50. In similar situations overseas, his average is an incredible 87.39, with five unbeaten hundreds.

Tendulkar's stats at No.4 by when he has come in to bat
Team score at entry	Innings	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
Less than 20	34	1297	39.30	5/ 3
20 to 49	45	2346	54.43	6/ 13
50 to 99	50	1749	41.64	6/ 8
100 and more	71	4512	76.47	17/ 16

Breaking up those numbers host-country-wise reveals early wickets haven't bothered him as much in England as it has in New Zealand and South Africa. In South Africa, in fact, a solid start hasn't helped him much.

Tendulkar's stats at No.4, by host country and by when he has come in to bat
Host country	Team score at entry	Innings	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
Australia	Less than 60	9	390	43.33	1/ 3
Australia	60 or more	11	782	97.75	4/ 1
England	Less than 60	10	535	53.50	2/ 1
England	60 or more	6	506	84.33	1/ 4
New Zealand	Less than 60	6	210	35.00	0/ 2
South Africa	Less than 60	13	459	35.31	2/ 1
South Africa	60 or more	5	111	27.75	0/ 1
Sri Lanka	60 or more	11	600	66.67	3/ 2
West Indies	Less than 60	8	419	52.38	1/ 3
West Indies	60 or more	6	201	40.20	0/ 2
India	Less than 60	33	1374	43.12	4/ 6
India	60 or more	60	3143	61.63	11/ 12

Getting starts and converting them

Comparing the scoring patterns for the seven batsmen in the 10,000-club plus Jacques Kallis, who is only 239 runs away from that landmark, it turns out Ricky Ponting has the lowest failure rate and Steve Waugh the highest. More than 40% of Tendulkar's innings ended before it reached 20 - only Lara and Waugh have a higher low-score percentage. Tendulkar, however, makes up by converting more than 16% of his innings into centuries, a ratio bettered only Ponting. For Allan Border, the percentage is a poor 10.80.

Innings-wise break-up for each batsman
Batsman	Less than 20* (%)	20 to 49* (%)	50 to 99 (%)	100 or more (%)
Sachin Tendulkar	97 (41.28)	50 (21.28)	49 (20.85)	39 (16.59)
Brian Lara	95 (41.48)	52 (22.71)	48 (20.96)	34 (14.85)
Allan Border	97 (38.80)	63 (25.20)	63 (25.20)	27 (10.80)
Steve Waugh	104 (43.15)	55 (22.82)	50 (20.75)	32 (13.28)
Rahul Dravid	71 (35.50)	53 (26.50)	51 (25.50)	25 (12.50)
Sunil Gavaskar	81 (38.94)	48 (23.08)	45 (21.63)	34 (16.35)
Ricky Ponting	60 (32.09)	52 (27.81)	40 (21.39)	35 (18.72)
Jacques Kallis	74 (38.38)	44 (22.22)	48 (24.24)	30 (15.15)

*Excludes not-out innings

Series and year-wise stats

Another indicator of the consistency of these eight batsmen is their series-wise averages. Ponting heads that chart again, with only five series in which he averages less than 30. Lara is next in the list, while Tendulkar's ten poor series are more than offset by the 16 series in which his average soared to more than 70.

Series-wise performances for each batsman (excludes one-off Tests)
Batsman	No. of series	Series average <=30	Series average >=70
Sachin Tendulkar	49	10	16
Brian Lara	35	6	11
Allan Border	39	7	8
Steve Waugh	47	11	11
Rahul Dravid	43	10	13
Sunil Gavaskar	31	9	6
Ricky Ponting	36	5	16
Jacques Kallis	42	7	11

Tendulkar has been around for 20 years now, but only in three of those did his average for the year dip to less than 30 - in 1995, 2003 and 2006. The numbers are even more impressive for Border and Dravid, who haven't allowed their average to dip below 30 at all.

Year-wise performances for each batsman (excludes years in which batmen played less than three Tests)
Batsman	No. of years	Year average <=30	Year average >=70
Sachin Tendulkar	19	3	4
Brian Lara	15	2	2
Allan Border	16	0	1
Steve Waugh	17	2	4
Rahul Dravid	13	0	2
Sunil Gavaskar	15	2	2
Ricky Ponting	13	2	3
Jacques Kallis	12	2	4

Stretches without hundreds

A measure of consistency over a long career is also the number of innings the batsmen have gone without centuries: for Tendulkar the longest such stretch is only 17 innings, the best among the eight batsmen. Gavaskar and Kallis are just one innings further behind, but Border went a whopping 61 innings without a three-figure score in 36 matches between 1988 and 1992. Tendulkar is also one of only three batsmen with less than five instances of ten-plus innings without a hundred.

Stretches without centuries
Batsman	Innings	100s	Longest stretch without 100 (inngs)	No. of 10-plus inngs stretches without 100
Sachin Tendulkar	246	39	17	4
Brian Lara	232	34	27	6
Allan Border	265	27	61	6
Steve Waugh	260	32	41	6
Rahul Dravid	214	25	22	8
Sunil Gavaskar	214	34	18	3
Ricky Ponting	199	35	20	4
Jacques Kallis	207	30	18	5

A blessing and a curse

2008-10-17T07:20:00.000-07:00

Perhaps now, with all the records behind him, Sachin Tendulkar can enjoy a second childhood and bat with something of the insouciance that made Brian Lara so captivating to watch

October 17, 2008

What might Sachin Tendulkar have done outside of a culture so obsessed with the individual? © AFP

For Brian Charles Lara, the moment to capture in sepia came against one of the game's all-time greats. When Glenn McGrath drifted on to the pads on a belter of a pitch at the Adelaide Oval, Lara worked him down to fine leg for the single that took him past Allan Border on the all-time run-scorers' list. The record was the perfect way to end an Australian adventure that began with a sublime 277 at the SCG 12 years earlier.

Anonymous in the first two Tests of the series, Lara came alive on a pristine batting surface at one of the most beautiful grounds in the world. By the time he put AB in the shade, he had already gone past 200. The 226 that he finished with would have been a fitting farewell note to Australia if not for the fact that his second-innings failure and the seven-wicket defeat encapsulated the frailties that had seen the West Indies' star wane even as Lara continued to shine.

There was no legend confronting Sachin Tendulkar at the PCA Stadium the first ball after tea. The clock had just ticked past 2:30 when Peter Siddle set off on his long run to the bowling crease. A bustling workhorse rather than a pace thoroughbred, Siddle had done little wrong the first two sessions, but when the first ball of the third was pitched a touch too wide of off stump, Tendulkar opened the face and steered it down to third man as he'd done so many times before. Three runs scampered and history made, a generation after a similar stroke, albeit off an offspinner, took Sunil Gavaskar into hitherto uninhabited 10,000-run land.

The autumns of the two batting patriarchs of our age couldn't have been more different though. The last five years of Lara's career saw a batsman at ease with the world, freed of the burden that he had lugged around for a decade. The haplessness of those around him was probably a factor. Stadiums that were once island fortresses were easily breached by visiting sides, and away from home, West Indies had a record every bit as depressing as that of Bangladesh. With the team winning next to nothing and seldom coming close, Lara went out and expressed himself. In those 34 Tests, he averaged 57.50, well over his career figure, while scoring a staggering 13 centuries.

There was always something of the Caribbean joie de vivre in Lara's batting, an air of the carnival that brings his native Trinidad to a standstill. Even his Australian swansong was indicative of that, with the 226 runs amassed from just 298 balls in truly buccaneering fashion. The team may have been mediocre beyond belief, but Lara refused to be shackled by their limitations.

Tendulkar's journey took him in a very different direction. An often-solitary beacon capable of ravishing strokeplay when in his pomp, he has seldom enthralled over the past half decade. Injuries undoubtedly played a part, as did the fact that he was no longer the fulcrum of India's batting push. Virender Sehwag scored quicker, Rahul Dravid looked more resolute and VVS Laxman more elegant. And as India finally became a half-decent side away from home, the focus shifted to individual milestones. He has ticked them off one by one - 10,000 runs against Pakistan at the Eden Gardens in 2005, the 35th century that took him past Gavaskar (against Sri Lanka in Delhi in 2005) and now this.



	Long before he even turned 30 though, Tendulkar had ceased to be just a cricketer. For a developing nation, aspiration is the name of the game but even then the expectations of him were so outré as to be ridiculous

Along the way, the audacious strokeplayer of old emerged from hibernation now and then, notably at Sydney and Adelaide last January, when you could glimpse the teenager who caught Sir Donald Bradman's eye with centuries at the SCG and the WACA. For the most part though, he became an efficient accumulator, albeit with troughs that were so uncommon during the halcyon years.

Long before he even turned 30 though, Tendulkar had ceased to be just a cricketer. For a developing nation, aspiration is the name of the game but even then the expectations of him were so outré as to be ridiculous. His life became reality TV, and all that was needed was the Police to reassemble and sing Every Breath You Take for the soundtrack. Newspapers would publish illustrations from Grey's Anatomy, while TV anchors would steel themselves to say "superior labral antero posterior tear".

Lara's failures, and there were a few given his cavalier style, evoked some disappointment, but never the sort of viciousness that accompanied a Tendulkar setback. It makes you wonder how many more runs he might have made had he lived in a country that didn't specialise in headlines like Endulkar, and where every other TV debate chaired by some stiff didn't ask the profound question: Is he past his best?

What might he have done outside of a culture so obsessed with the individual? Even the landmarks appeared to become troublesome chores rather than milestones to be bypassed as a matter of course. And even as he remained an intensely private person, an entire parallel universe was constructed around him, full of inane trivia such as a fondness for milk laced with turmeric at breakfast.

The career graph dipped, as it inevitably does even with the all-time greats, but he was still good enough to score 494 runs in Australia last winter. And until Siddle summoned up a fine delivery with the second new ball, he was on course for a tenth century against the team that have set the standards for most of his 19 years at the top.

Perhaps now, with all the records behind him, he can enjoy a second childhood and bat with something of the insouciance that made Lara so captivating to watch. Such comparisons are unfair though. If Lara's career was It's a Wonderful Life, Tendulkar's has been a Kieslowski, shot painstakingly and sometimes weighed down by the cares of the world. We're fortunate to have watched them both.

Tendulkar breaks Lara's record

2008-10-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

India v Australia, 2nd Test, Mohali, 1st day

October 17, 2008

Sachin Tendulkar went past Brian Lara's tally of 11,953 Test runs © AFP

At 2.31pm on a hot Mohali Friday, Sachin Tendulkar steered Peter Siddle towards the third-man boundary for three runs to break Brian Lara's record for most Test runs. The record stood for nearly two years after Lara played his final Test and it was inevitable that Tendulkar would eventually break it. As the day progressed Tendulkar scored his 50th half-century and became the first player to cross the 12,000-run mark.

The disappointingly small crowd, built largely of school kids, immediately got on its feet to salute the feat, and fireworks, which continued for three minutes, went off at the PCA Stadium. Tendulkar raised his bat in the air, took his helmet off, and looked up at the sky, as is his routine when he gets to a hundred. The Australian fielders rushed immediately towards him to congratulate him. Ricky Ponting, the man most likely to challenge his status of being the top run-getter, was the first man to shake his hand.

This also brought an end to the soap-opera-type frenzied anticipation for the record. Tendulkar was expected to overtake Lara in Sri Lanka recently, but he endured a poor series with the bat, scoring just 95 runs in three Tests. Then in the series-opener in Bangalore, during a fine match-saving effort in the second innings, it seemed he would get to the record, but he gifted his wicket when 15 short.

Even today the anxiety around was palpable. During the time he got to 15, India lost two wickets in moving from 146 to 179 in 10.2 overs. While he scored at a fair rate, he didn't get nearly as much strike during the period as he would have wanted. While he played 23 balls, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly faced 19 each. It was fitting, in a way, that he achieved the record against Australia, a team he has tormented several times in the past.

Coincidentally, Lara too achieved the world record against Australia, when he went past Allan Border's tally of 11,174 runs during the Adelaide Test in 2005. They remain the only three players to cross the 11,000-run mark in Tests. Though it is uncertain how long Tendulkar will prolong his Test career - which has lasted 19 years - the two players who stand the best chance of beating his eventual tally are Rahul Dravid (10,302) and Ponting (10,239).

Sachin to appear in film on Lord Ganesha

2008-09-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

Mumbai: Ending the speculation on his entry into Bollywood, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar on Saturday said he will appear in a documentary film on Lord Ganesha and not in a Bollywood feature film as widely reported earlier.

"I will not feature in a Bollywood film but like others will share my views on Lord Ganesha in a documentary. There were misunderstandings about my role in the film, but now they are cleared," Tendulkar said.

Media reports had claimed that Tendulkar would feature in a Bollywood film based on Lord Ganesha titled "Vighnaharta Shri Siddhivinayak".

"One really feels peaceful while visiting a temple and I would share my views on Siddhivinayak," said the champion batsman, who is an ardent devotee of the elephant god and visits the famous Siddhivinayak temple in Prabhadevi whenever he gets an opportunity.

"It was not necessary that one visits or remembers 'Ganapati Bappa' only during the 10-day Ganesh festival as the Lord resides in every heart.

"When we are on field we also pray, but the atmosphere during the festival is different," he added.

Tendulkar to play in Irani Trophy tie against Delhi

2008-09-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

Mumbai: Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar will play in the five-day Irani Trophy match against Ranji Trophy champions Delhi at Baroda from September 24 to 28.

The master blaster, who did not play in the just concluded One-Day series in Sri Lanka due to the elbow injury during the third Test in the Emerald Isle, confirmed about his participation during a media conference here on Saturday.

"I have recovered totally and am feeling fine. I will play in the Irani Trophy match against the Ranji Trophy champions Delhi," Tendulkar said.

He returned home and was replaced in the ODI squad by S Badrinath.

The champion batsman could muster only 95 runs at a very dismal average of 15.83 per innings with 31 in the second innings of the second Test at Galle, won by India, as his highest score in the three-match Test rubber.

Before the series, the ace batsman, who appeared in his 150th Test in Colombo, was only 172 runs adrift of overtaking West Indian great Brian Lara as the highest run getter in Tests, but fell way short of that target.

Irani Trophy will be the criteria to select the Indian team for the four-match Test series against Australia starting on October nine.

Meanwhile, Aviva Life Insurance announced the finale of its marketing initiative 'Tension chodo cricket khelo' (TCCK) with a fun-filled cricket match between 15 lucky parent-kid teams and ace batsman Sachin and his son, at the Bombay Exhibition Center in Goregaon.

TCCK, a unique mass activation campaign was conceptualized by Aviva based on the insight that parents are so busy securing their children's future that they miss out on enjoying their childhood. The campaign, which commenced in July, received more than 100,000 responses from over 40 cities across India.

Speaking on the occasion Tendulkar said, "It's a great idea conceptualized by Aviva and something every parent will identify with. I am looking forward to enjoying the cricket match with my son Arjun and the other parent-child teams present here from different parts of the country."

Aviva received more than 100,000 entries which were short listed down to 15 through a process module validated by KPMG.

Bert Paterson, MD & CEO, Aviva India said, "It gives us immense pleasure to welcome Sachin Tendulkar to take part in a fun game with the 15 lucky parent-kid winner duos today. The 'Tension Chhodo Cricket Khelo' brand activation campaign with Sachin Tendulkar is the first of its kind in the insurance industry.

"It has helped prospective customers experience Aviva's brand promise, built awareness and preference for the Aviva brand and, more importantly, created interest in the need for financial planning for a child's future via child plans."

Tendulkar set to return against Chennai

2008-05-12T11:44:00.000-07:00

Indian Premier League

Tendulkar set to return against Chennai

May 12, 2008

He's back: Sachin Tendulkar returns to the Mumbai side after missing the first seven games because of injury © Getty Images

Sachin Tendulkar has confirmed he is fit and will lead the Mumbai Indians in their next game on Wednesday against the Chennai Super Kings. The news is a shot in the arm for Mumbai who played the first half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the absence of Tendulkar, forced to sit out due to groin injury.

But Tendulkar announced today that the rehabilitation process had been successful and there was no "discomfort" and that he would open Mumbai's innings along with Sanath Jayasuriya.

"I will be playing on May 14. It's looking very good and I'm feeling very positive," Tendulkar said after a two-hour long batting session at the Wankhede Stadium. He said it was really "tough" for him to sit out but acknowledged the support of the fitness staff who had "really worked hard, especially the physio and the masseur".

Tendulkar first picked up the injury during the CB Series in Australia and it got worse after the first Test against South Africa in Chennai, forcing him to miss the next final two matches of the series. He was unable to recover for the start of the IPL, missing Mumbai's first seven games.

Though Mumbai lost their first four games, Tendulkar was careful not to return before he was completely fit. "It was disappointing to miss the two Tests against South African and then seven IPL games. But during the first half of the rehabilitation I had to completely rest and followed it by strengthening of the muscles and working out a bit. With the help of the fitness staff all the things went fine and I'm feeling strong now and there is no discomfort."

In his absence Harbhajan Singh led Mumbai for the first three games and after he was banned for an on-field row with Sreesanth, Shaun Pollock came in as the stand-in captain. Asked if it would be difficult for the side to have another new captain especially when Pollock was proving to be successful, Tendulkar said the players had supported each other through it all and they understood each other well.

"I will be the captain. Shaun was a makeshift captain and he did a terrific job and the other senior players have also contributed well. It's not about who the captain is but it's about helping each other and that's what Mumbai Indians have been doing and will continue to do."

Despite his minimal exposure to the Twenty20 format - he has played only five games so far - Tendulkar was looking ahead to the challenge ahead. "I always try hard and I've always given my best." Mumbai are currently placed sixth in the points table, just above the Deccan Chargers and the Bangalore Royal Challengers.

Batting legend Tendulkar turns 35

2008-04-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

Batting legend Tendulkar turns 35

Sachin Tendulkar made his international debut in 1989

NEW DELHI (AFP) — The longest-serving current international cricketer Sachin Tendulkar turned 35 on Thursday, feeling as excited and enthusiastic about the game as he did on debut 19 years ago.

The record-breaking batsman, considered an icon in his native India and around the world, dismissed any suggestions of calling it a day despite being dogged by injuries in recent years.

"I am enjoying my cricket at the moment and don't want to think too much about the future," Tendulkar, recovering from a groin injury, said in a recent television interview.

"I have been playing almost non-stop for 20 years and want to focus only on the present. I prefer to take it series by series."

Tendulkar, who made his international debut in 1989 in Pakistan, needs just 172 more runs to overtake retired West Indian Brian Lara as Test cricket's leading run-scorer.

The star batsman, with 11,782 runs from 147 Tests, will get the chance to surpass Lara when India tour Sri Lanka in July for a three-Test series.

Tendulkar is already the world's top one-day batsman with 16,361 runs and holds the world records of 39 Test and 42 one-day centuries.

Rich tributes poured in from contemporaries like Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting, and India's one-day and Twenty20 captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as Tendulkar celebrated the day with his Mumbai team-mates and family.

"We may have to wait for many, many years to have another player like him," said Warne, the retired Australian leg-spin genius whose on-field duels with Tendulkar were legendary.

"I feel Lara and Sachin are the best batsmen of recent times, but I rate Sachin the best, not only because of his amazing cricketing ability, but also because of the exemplary manner in which he conducts himself on and off the field.

"He is a wonderful guy. Naturally and exceptionally talented, affectionate and always smiling. I feel Sachin is truly great because he is disciplined, co-operative, naturally talented and a dedicated player.

"He should be allowed to continue till he wants to."

Dhoni said Tendulkar was "the special guy made by God to play cricket at its best."

"The challenges Sachin has faced over the past 19 years have been huge," said Dhoni. "It is not only about on-field performance, but also about being able to compete with the fittest individuals in the team.

"I think to be consistent throughout is phenomenal. He is a very special guy who has been made by God to play cricket at its best."

India may have found talented young batsmen in Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh, but still rely on veteran Tendulkar to deliver in crisis.

Tendulkar was the only senior batsman to retain a place in the recent one-day series in Australia, scoring an unbeaten 117 and 91 to help his team clinch the best-of-three-finals against the hosts.

He may have curbed a few strokes of late, but remains one of the most innovative batsmen of his era. Such is his charisma that he hogs the limelight as much with his failures as with his successes.

Australia skipper Ponting recently said his bowlers had to put in an extra effort to get rid of Tendulkar because the Indian had always looked solid.

"He is in the same league as Lara, but I've always felt Sachin has a tighter technique. Because he's so solid, our bowlers have had to work hard to get him out," said Ponting.

"At different times, we've worked out different plans, but Sachin comes up with something to combat them ... the sign of a truly class player."

Tendulkar celebrates birthday with teammates

2008-04-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

Tendulkar celebrates 35th birthday with teammates

Chennai (PTI): A quiet but warm celebration marked Sachin Tendulkar's 35th birthday as the master batsman cut the cake surrounded by his cheerful Mumbai Indians team-mates at a city hotel here on Thursday.

As Tendulkar cut the rectangular-shaped cake which had the logo of Mumbai Indians, he was joined by two other Mumbai Indians players, Luke Ronchi and Vikrant Yeligati, who had a delayed celebration after their birthday clashed with the team's match against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday.

New Zealander Ronchi turned 27, while Yeligati celebrated his 23rd birthday.

Tendulkar admitted missing his family on the occasion and said, "I wish I could celebrate my birthday with my wife and children, but that is not so. They are joining me at Mohali tomorrow."

Asked what was the best gift he got today, Tendulkar said, "The wishes of my fans and teammates is the best gift I have received today. I hope I will perform better this year."

After cutting the cake, Tendulkar gave the first piece to Ronchi and then offered a piece to cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle, who is also part of the Mumbai Indians think-tank.

On Tendulkar's insistence, the cake was distributed to every person present at the party, including the media members.

Sachin retains second spot in ODI ranking

2008-04-20T11:41:00.001-07:00

Dubai: Sachin Tendulkar retained his second spot among batsmen while India were closed in by Pakistan for the fourth place in the championship table of the latest ICC rankings list Sunday.

Tendulkar has 777 rating points behind leader Graeme Smith of South Africa who is on 792 points while Australian skipper Ricky Ponting is at third with 770.

Pakistani Mohd. Yousuf is at fourth with 763 points while West Indies' Shivnarine Chanderpaul jumped five places to return to top five after his memorable performances against Sri Lanka at home.

India ODI skipper M S Dhoni is at 10th with 728 rating points.

Meanwhile, after their 5-0 whitewash against Bangladesh, Pakistan narrowed the gap with fourth-placed India to three ratings points.

South Africa (127), Australia (127) and New Zealand (113) are ahead of India (113).

The most significant change of the rankings was Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan slipping out of the top 10 bowlers in the Reliance Mobile ICC Rankings for the first time in over a decade.

Muralitharan, who was last out of the top 10 ODI bowlers in July 1997, skipped the ODI series which the West Indies won 2-0 and has now slipped to 11th below Pakistan's Shahid Afridi who climbed 11 places to enter the top 10 for the first time in his career after a successful series against Bangladesh in which he bagged 12 wickets.

No Indian is in the top 10 of the bowlers' list headed by New Zealand's Daniel Vettori, while Harbhajan is at 18th spot.

ODI action will resume in June when England takes on New Zealand in a five-match series from June 15.

Tendulkar very keen to play first IPL tie

2008-04-19T07:49:00.001-07:00

Mumbai: Batting maestro and skipper of Mumbai Indians Sachin Tendulkar, who is down with a groin injury, is very keen to play the first match of the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament against Bangalore Royal Challengers at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

"Everyone connected with cricket knows how passionate Sachin is about the game. After watching the Team Kolkata and Team Bangalore match yesterday, he is bent upon playing tomorrow’s match even if he is 90 per cent fit. He is scheduled to have a fitness test later today with our team physio and we will take a final decision on him just before the match," Mumbai coach Lalchand Rajput said on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Rajput also confirmed that apart from Tendulkar there were no injury scares in the Mumbai camp.

"Former Indian seamer Ashish Nehra is declared fully fit. In fact Ashish played in all the practice matches so far and we have no other injury scares and all the players are looking forward to the first match," Rajput, who successfully managed the Indian team to its Twenty20 World Cup victory last year, said.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai team has added more former Indian cricketers to their support staff.

"We have summoned former Indian paceman Subroto Bannerjee, who is a level III coach and still plays grade cricket in Australia, to be our bowling coach while we have appointed Rahul Sanghvi as the team manager," the former Indian opening batsman said.

"(Former India stumper) Sameer Dighe, who is still fit as a fiddle, is our new fielding coach while Atul Bedade is our travel and logistics manager," he added.

Mumbai confident on Sachin

2008-04-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Sachin Tendulkar has been ruled out of the third Test with South Africa, but Mumbai Indians are hopeful he will be fit for the start of the Indian Premier League.

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A groin injury has forced the Little Master out of the home series with South Africa and there had been fears he would not be fit for the start of the IPL on April 18.

However, he has been placed on a tailored rehabilitation programme and Mumbai expect him to be fit.

"Sachin is a player who does not like to miss any games. I am sure the physio will take care of him and he will be all right in time for the IPL," Mumbai Indians coach Lalchand Rajput said on Monday.

Tendulkar is closing in on Brian Lara’s record of 11953 career runs in Test cricket and it would appear he has aims to complete before heading into retirement.

The 34-year-old is disappointed to have so far failed to win the World Cup and has hinted he would look to play on to 2011.

''I am enjoying my cricket at the moment, but don't want to think too much into the future,'' Tendulkar told IBN Lokmat.

''Winning the World Cup is certainly still an unfulfilled dream and I would love to play in it.

''But 2011 is still some way away, and I don't want to look that far and commit myself to anything."

Tendulkar to participate in Olympic torch relay

2008-04-07T08:58:00.001-07:00

New Delhi (PTI): The Indian leg of the Olympic torch relay received a shot in the arm on Monday with champion cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, volunteering to join the April 17 run in the capital.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Suresh Kalmadi confirmed Tendulkar's participation in the relay, which has witnessed protest by pro-Tibetan supporters worldwide.

"It's a matter of great pride that the torch would pass through India. There is a big rush among the sportspersons to be part of it. Sachin Tendulkar called up this morning and asked if we would like him to carry the torch," Kalmadi said.

Incidentally, Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia has pulled out of the run with the flame, expressing his solidarity with the pro-Tibetan activists.

Kalmadi, meanwhile, assured that with adequate security in place, the relay would go without any hiccup.

"Milkha Singh, Pullela Gopichand, Anju Bobby George -- they all would take part in the relay and I appreciate their enthusiasm. In fact, there is a big demand to include them and we would accommodate as many as possible.

"The torch relay is a matter of pride and we would ensure that no untoward incident takes place. Everything has been planned and there would be adequate security measures," he said.

Asked if fool-proof security would make it difficult for the common people to get a glimpse of the torch, the IOA chief dispelled such fear and said, "We are making adequate provision so that the common public and school students can watch it."

सपना, जो अब तक न हुआ अपना' सचिन तेंदुलकर

2008-04-07T08:33:00.000-07:00

सपना, जो अब तक न हुआ अपना'


	लारा को अपने समय का बेहतरीन खिलाड़ी मानते हैं सचिन

मास्टर ब्लास्टर सचिन तेंदुलकर ने कहा है कि विश्व कप जीतने का सपना अभी भी एक अधूरा सपना है और वे 2011 के विश्व कप में खेलना चाहते हैं.

एक निजी टीवी चैनल के साथ बातचीत में सचिन ने कहा, "विश्व कप जीतना अभी भी मेरे लिए ऐसा सपना है जो अधूरा है और मैं अगले विश्व कप में खेलना चाहता हूँ."

सचिन ने कहा कि वे अपने संन्यास की कोई समयसीमा नहीं तय करना चाहते. उन्होंने कहा कि वे अभी क्रिकेट का आनंद ले रहे हैं. उन्होंने कहा, "मैं क़रीब 20 साल से क्रिकेट खेल रहा हूँ और अपना ध्यान इसी पर केंद्रित रखना चाहता हूँ."

सचिन तेंदुलकर 147 टेस्ट और 417 वनडे मैच खेल चुके हैं. टेस्ट मैच में उनके नाम 11782 रन हैं और वनडे में उन्होंने 16361 रन बनाए हैं. टेस्ट मैच में उन्होंने 39 और वनडे मैच 42 शतक लगाए हैं.

मांसपेशियों में खिंचाव के कारण दक्षिण अफ़्रीका के ख़िलाफ़ मौजूदा सिरीज़ के पहले टेस्ट मैच में ही खेल पाए थे. सचिन इस समय आराम कर रहे हैं.

आलोचना

इंटरव्यू के दौरान सचिन ने इस बात के लिए मीडिया की आलोचना की कि उसने टीम में मतभेद की ख़बरों को हवा दी.

सीनियर और जूनियर खिलाड़ियों के बीच मतभेद की ख़बर बिल्कुल ग़लत है. हम सभी देश के लिए खेलने का महत्व समझते हैं. बिना किसी पुख़्ता जानकारी के मीडिया अपनी विश्वसनीयता को नुक़सान पहुँचा रहा है

सचिन तेंदुलकर

उन्होंने कहा, "सीनियर और जूनियर खिलाड़ियों के बीच मतभेद की ख़बर बिल्कुल ग़लत है. हम सभी देश के लिए खेलने का महत्व समझते हैं. बिना किसी पुख़्ता जानकारी के मीडिया अपनी विश्वसनीयता को नुक़सान पहुँचा रहा है."

खिलाड़ियों की बोली और इसका क्रिकेट पर असर के बारे में सचिन ने कहा कि वे नहीं मानते कि इससे खेल पर कोई असर पड़ेगा. सचिन ने कहा कि वे ऐसा नहीं समझते.

उन्होंने कहा, "मैं पैसे के बारे में सोचकर क्रिकेट खेलना नहीं शुरू किया. मैंने कई रातें बिना सोए ही गुज़ारी हैं, क्योंकि मैं ये सोचता रहता था कि अगले दिन मैं कैसे खेलूँगा. खेल के उत्साह को पैसे से नहीं मापा जा सकता है."

भज्जी विवाद

ऑस्ट्रेलिया दौरे पर हुए हरभजन विवाद के बारे में सचिन ने हरभजन को क्लीन चिट दी और कहा हरभजन ने ऐसा कुछ भी नहीं कहा था, जो उन पर आरोप लगाए गए थे.


	सिडनी विवाद में सचिन ने भज्जी का साथ दिया

सिडनी टेस्ट के दौरान हरभजन पर आरोप लगा था कि उन्होंने एंड्रयू साइमंड्स के ख़िलाफ़ नस्लभेदी टिप्पणी की है. सचिन ने कहा, "मैंने हरभजन का बचाव इसलिए किया क्योंकि मैं जानता था कि हरभजन ने ऐसा कुछ नहीं कहा. मैंने ये सोचा कि हम सभी उनका साथ इस समय नहीं देंगे तो कब देंगे."

मैदान पर अभद्र भाषा के इस्तेमाल के बारे में उन्होंने कहा कि हर चीज़ की एक सीमा है और खिलाड़ियों को इसे पार नहीं करना चाहिए.

सचिन ने कहा कि ब्रायन लारा उन सब खिलाड़ियों में बेहतरीन थे, जिनके साथ या जिनके ख़िलाफ़ वे खेले हैं. सचिन ने कहा कि दक्षिण अफ़्रीका और वेस्टइंडीज़ के ख़िलाफ़ रिकी पोंटिंग का भी प्रदर्शन बेहतरीन रहा है लेकिन भारत के ख़िलाफ़ नहीं जबकि ब्रायन लारा सर्वकालीन महान खिलाड़ी हैं.

Sachin will be fit for IPL: Rajput

2008-04-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

Sachin Tendulkar will miss India's third and final Test against South Africa with a groin injury but Indian Premier League's Mumbai Indians team is optimistic that their captain would regain fitness to play the Twenty20 tournament beginning April 18.

"Sachin is a player who does not like to miss any games. I am sure the physio will take care of him and he will be all right in time for the IPL," Mumbai Indians coach Lalchand Rajput said today.

Tendulkar had missed the second Test between India and South Africa at Ahmedabad due to a groin injury.

Rajput didn't confirm if Tendulkar, with Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya would open the innings for the team.

"There are four to five options that we have. We will look at the opposition team and wicket before deciding the openers for a match," he said.

The Mukesh Ambani-owned Mumbai Indians will start a preparatory camp on April 11, a week ahead of the beginning of the cash-rich league, which will see eight teams competing.

The team management also announced the appointment of television commentator Harsha Bhogle as an advisor to the team who will aid in the planning of strategy.

While acknowledging that he had never worked in the management of a team before, Bhogle said he was looking forward to aiding in the planning of the team's strategy.

R Balachandran, the team's CEO, said the squad would also be starting their promotional campaigns in the coming days to connect with potential fans.

"The fans will have a chance to interact with the team through the website and other means," he said.

Tendulkar forced out of third Test against South Africa

2008-04-07T08:21:00.001-07:00

Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar will not be a part of the Indian team for the third and final cricket Test against South Africa as he is still nursing a groin injury.

According to the BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah, Tendulkar has not yet recuperated completely from his injury to play in the third Test from April 11-15 at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.

"Sachin Tendulkar will be unavailable for selection for the third Test match due to his right groin injury. Sachin's recovery is making good progress but he has not recovered sufficiently to be available for the third Test," Shah was quoted as saying.

Tendulkar sensed trouble with his groin during the drawn series opening Test at Chennai.

"This decision has been taken to give Sachin the opportunity to make a full recovery from this injury. Sachin has a rehabilitation programme to continue with and will be monitored closely," he added.

I want to play 2011 World Cup: Tendulkar

2008-04-07T08:07:00.001-07:00

New Delhi: The man Indian cricket missed in Ahmedabad against South Africa, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, has said that he will now weigh his career options series by series without setting a timeline for retirement.

Speaking exclusively to CNN-IBN's sister channel IBN Lokmat Sachin said, "Winning the World Cup is certainly still an unfulfilled dream and I would love to play in it."

Talking about his career and goal Sachin said, "I am enjoying my cricket at the moment, but don't want to think too much into the future. I have been playing almost non-stop for 20 years and want to focus only on the present."

About Harbhajan Singh controversy in Australia he said, "I defended Harbhajan because he had never said what he was accused of and I felt that if we players don't defend him this time, then when will we stand by him? It was not just important for us as cricketers, but it was important for all Indians staying abroad, not just in Australia."

"I just felt that Harbhajan was a teammate who needed support and I should take the lead," he added.

Asked about sledging on the field, Sachin said, "There are limits to everything which no cricketer should cross. Some things will happen on the field of play, everyone wants to win, and we should be prepared for it, as long as it is within limits."

When asked about the auctioning of players and will it destroy the soul of the sport he replied, "No, I don't think so at all. I never played the game thinking about the money I would make out of it, and neither do the youngsters today. This game has given me sleepless nights, just thinking of how I will play the next day. That excitement can never be measured in terms of money. Right from the start, all I wanted was to play well and score as many runs as possible. That has been my motivation, not money."

However, Sachin was critical of the media, saying that it had unfairly created the impression of a rift in the Indian team.

"These reports of senior-junior rift are totally false. In the team, seniors and juniors respect each other, and we all realise the importance of playing for the country. The media is damaging its credibility by giving stories without authentic information."

Sachin said that Brian Lara was the finest batsman he had played with or against." Ricky Ponting is good, especially when he is playing South Africa or West Indies, but not against India. Lara is a great player, a once in a lifetime player. He had amazing ability."

Sachin also said that he is very keen spending more time with his family, but will in some way be connected with cricket.

"The only thing I have known in all these years is to play cricket and I would love to be always associated with the game."

On Harbhajan controversy

First of all, Harbhajan hadn't said it. And what better time for the team to stand behind their team mate? Everyone's support was needed. It's just that I started it.

On Life after Retirement

Obviously, I'd like to stay associated with cricket. I don't know yet in what capacity. But cricket is my strength. I would like to stay with the game.

On family

I think it's more difficult to take care of me than my kids. I tend to lose my temper sometimes but my wife Anjali understands me. Everyone at home knows that nothing can come between me and my cricket.

Dhoni after Dravid, determined by Tendulkar

2008-03-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: It was Sachin Tendulkar's great idea to make Mahendra Singh Dhoni captain of India'a One-Day team, BCCI president Sharad Pawar disclosed on Friday.

Pawar recalled how the Indian team plunged into a crisis in England last year with the then captain Rahul Dravid dropping first hints of his reluctance to lead the team.

"By that time, Rahul had told me he could not concentrate on his game and requested me to find someone else. Some of the selectors wanted Sachin to lead and I conveyed it to him. But Sachin said, 'please don't do this.' I asked then who should lead the side and he said 'give it to someone like Dhoni'.

"He said 'give Dhoni the opportunity. He has excellent relation with the teammates'. I told him I would not interfere but would definitely convey it to the selectors," the BCCI chief said.

Pawar also hailed Tendulkar and fellow senior players Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble for paving way for the youngsters in the Twenty20 team.

"I was in England when we were playing them. Sachin met me and suggested, 'I know you don't interfere with the team selection but you please tell the selectors not to include players of my generation in the Twenty20 squad. He said 'my generation is not fit for Twenty20, so give opportunity to the youngsters."

"Now who would come and say 'don't induct us', when that means losing a few lakh rupees? I think we are fortunate to have players like Rahul, Sourav and Anil. Their commitment is unquestionable," Pawar said.

Pawar praised Dhoni's leadership qualities after the swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batsman led India to Twenty20 World Cup and the tri-series triumph in Australia.

"Dhoni as the captain has done extremely good. He can motivate and has a good equation with other players. He is also cool (under pressure)."

He, however, seemed more impressed by Test captain Anil Kumble, especially after the veteran spinner handled the Sydney racism row with great maturity.

"I would say Anil Kumble has been remarkable as captain. He is a good motivator and his behaviour was impeccable both on and off the field. In true sense of the term, he was an ambassador of the country and we are proud of the way he handled the entire issue," Pawar said.

During the racism row featuring Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh, Kumble's composure drew rich praise from all quarters.

Amid all the allegations and counter-allegations, Kumble's lone observation was that of the two teams fighting a no-holds-barred battle in the acrimonious Test, only one team played in the true spirit of the game.

Cricket World® Player Of The Week - Sachin Tendulkar

2008-03-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

Cricket World® Player Of The Week - Sachin Tendulkar

Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar has been named as this week's Cricket World® Player Of The Week after his unbeaten century in the opening CB Series final led his side to victory.

Chasing 240, Tendulkar overcame the loss of early wickets at the other end to score a superb unbeaten 117 which included ten boundaries as he steered his side to victory with over four overs to spare.

He shared a crucial 123-run partnership with Rohit Sharma (66) but it was Tendulkar's innings, especially after being involved in a run out early on and being hit by a Brett Lee beamer before he reached his century that put his side 1-0 in the best-of-three series.

His innings was, remarkably, his first ODI century in Australia and India's first win against Australia in Sydney.

Those statistics were key in him being given the award over other notable performers including South African double centurions Grame Smith and Neil McKenzie, Under-19 stars Tim Southee, Virat Kohli and Shreevats Goswami, England Women's captain Charlotte Edwards and batswoman Claire Taylor who helped secure a 3-1 win in New Zealand and the aforementioned Sharma.

The Cricket World ® Player Of The Week is judged by the www.cricketworld.com Editorial Team, which takes into consideration matches played in the preceding week with the final decision made on Monday morning.

Users are welcome to discuss the award and put forward contenders for each week's award on our forum, to do so, click here.

© Cricket World 2008

I've all bats with which I hit tons: Sachin

2008-03-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: Sachin Tendulkar has more bats than any sport goods shop as he has kept all the bats with which he scored 81 Test and one-day centuries so far. The master batsman, who has scored 39 hundreds in Tests and 42 in one-day internationals, however, said he did not know how many bats he had collected so far.

"I have all the bats with which I have scored hundreds (in Tests and one-dayers). I don't know how many bats I have but I have kept all of them," he said.

Tendulkar, who scored three centuries - two in Tests and one in the tri-series finals - on the recent tour of Australia, singled out two shots against paceman Mitchell Johnson as his 'defining moments' of the tour Down Under.

"Probably, the two shots that I played over the wicketkeeper's head off Mitchell Johnson during the first final in Sydney," he said.

"Similarly, off Brett Lee in the Perth Test. Also, those straight drives off Lee in the Melbourne one-day which we won," he told Mid Day.

The 34-year-old cricketer, with a career spanning over 18 years, said his obsession with the game had only increased with time.

"Yes, it has. I am enjoying everything and it is fantastic."

Tendulkar said foundation for the Perth Test win was laid in the second Test in Sydney which was the "turning point" of the series.

"That partnership (with Rahul Dravid at Perth) was extremely important. That sent a strong message to the Australian dressing room. But it was the Sydney Test, which changed things and caused the turnaround. We just carried that momentum into the next Test at Perth and in Adelaide. It was from Sydney where things started working differently," he said.

Tendulkar's advice to team-mates for the Test at the WACA, touted to have the fastest pitch in the world, was to spend time in the middle.

"The only thing I told my team-mates was that if you spend some time at the crease in Perth, it is the toughest place for bowlers. There are always opportunities to put the ball away and that's the way I would approach it, is what I told them."

Tendulkar agreed that a "couple of more" warm-up games in Australia before the start of the Test series would have helped the Indian team.

"Ideally, one would have liked to have a bit more practice. The one warm-up game we played was washed out. That was tough but you don't make excuses," he said.

सचिन बने 'मुंबई इंडियन्स' के कप्तान

2008-03-10T13:51:00.000-07:00

सचिन तेंदुलकर को भारतीय क्रिकेट कंट्रोल बोर्ड यानी बीसीसीआई की इंडियन प्रीमियर लीग की मुंबई टीम का कप्तान बनाया गया है.

सचिन ने कॉमनवेल्थ सिरीज़ में दो यादगार पारियाँ खेली

गुरुवार को इस टीम का नाम ‘मुंबई इंडियन्स’ रखा गया है.

इसका लोगो ‘सुदर्शन चक्र’ बनाया गया और इसके बाहर की और तिरंगे की धारियां हैं. टीम के खिलाड़ियों की पोशाक भारतीय टीम की ही तरह हल्के नीले रंग की होगी.

मुंबई टीम, उद्योगपति मुकेश अंबानी ने सबसे ज़्यादा 447 करोड़ रुपए की बोली लगाकर ख़रीदी था.

इसमें सचिन तेदुल्कर के नेतृत्व में हरभजन सिंह, सनथ जयसूर्या, दिलहारा फर्नाडो, लैसिथ मलिंगा, शॉन पोलक, रॉबिन उथप्पा जैसे खिलाड़ी खेलेंगे.

सचिन तेंदुलकर ने टीम के बारे में कहा कि इसमें युवा जोश और अनुभव का अच्छा संतुलन है.

दक्षिण अफ़्रीका में हुए पहले ट्वंटी-20 विश्वकप में नहीं खेलने के बारे में पूछने पर सचिन ने कहा कि विश्वकप से ऐन पहले टीम ने इंग्लैंड लंबा दौर किया था और सौ फ़ीसदी फ़िट नहीं होने की वजह से उन्होंने इस विश्वकप में नहीं खेलने का फ़ैसला किया था

आईपीएल के मुक़ाबले 18 अप्रैल से एक जून तक होंगे.

बीसीसीआई की इस लीग में 44 दिन के अंदर 59 मैच खेले जाएँगे और जीतने वाली टीम को 30 लाख अमरीकी डॉलर की पुरस्कार राशि दी जाएगी.

New boys good, but don't forget seniors- Tendulkar

2008-03-07T16:04:00.000-08:00

Mumbai: Sachin Tendulkar returned from his fourth and possibly his last tour of Australia with his legend reaching unimaginable heights. Now after constantly being on the road and in public glare for the last few months, Tendulkar is expecting some peace and quiet at home in Mumbai.

Mrs Tendulkar was having quite a bit of trouble driving among hordes of mediamen to get her husband into their building complex. Tendulkar, ever the gentleman though, obliged with the obligatory soundbyte.

"The tour was tough, competitive. But I give all the credit to my team who played the series very hard," Tendulkar said upon his arrival.

Even as he celebrated victory with his young team Down Under, Tendulkar wasn't willing to be swept away by the debate of choosing between senior and junior players. The veteran of nearly two decades of international cricket believes senior players still have a role to play in Indian cricket.

"It's been a good journey for the youngsters, but at the same time, I would like to remind everyone that you can't forget what the other senior players — who were not there on the tour — have done for India. It shouldn't be forgotten. You have to respect each individual who represents India. Because the energy was focussed in the right direction, we really, really performed well," the Master Blaster pointed out.

Tendulkar was given a standing ovation Down Under not only when he walked out after getting out everytime, but even when he walked in. For the master, beating the world champions in their own backyard is truly special.

"I'm extremely excited about the whole series," Tendulkar beamed.

For the next few days Tendulkar will look forward to putting his feet up and spending time with friends and family. It's well earned.

Tendulkar storms to the top of LG ICC Player Rankings

2008-03-07T15:45:00.001-08:00

Gilchrist signs off in sixth place while Hayden returns to top five; Player of the Series Bracken stays in second place but Harbhajan is back in top 20

India’s little master Sachin Tendulkar has stormed to the top of LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen after brilliant performances in the tri-series final which concluded in Brisbane on Tuesday.

Tendulkar jumped 10 places to top spot after scoring 399 runs in the series, including match-winning knocks of 117 not out and 91 in the finals in Sydney and Brisbane respectively.

It is almost three-and-a-half years since the 34-year-old from Mumbai has been at the top of the one-day chart. Tendulkar, who has scored 16,361 runs with 42 centuries, last spearheaded the batting chart in August 2004 during the series against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Tendulkar had entered the series in eighth place on 736 points and after battling the ups and downs during a keenly contested series, finished on 777 points to lead Australia captain Ricky Ponting by seven points.

Ponting dropped to second place after occupying the coveted position since the fifth ODI against India in Baroda in October last year. The Tasmanian had started the tri-series on 832 points but lost 62 points after scoring just 191 runs in 10 matches, including a top score of 124.

Ponting is in danger of losing further ground if his South African opposite number Graeme Smith displays the same form in the ODI series against Bangladesh he showed in the Test series. Smith is in third place and just 17 points adrift.

Australia opener Matthew Hayden, besides Tendulkar, is the only big name to have made movement in the right direction. He climbed two places to finish eighth following his 298-run contribution.

However, Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist’s hopes of ending his career on top of the batting list were dashed when the 36-year-old from New South Wales signed off in sixth place after dropping four positions.

Gilchrist scored 9,619 runs and dismissed 472 batsmen behind the wickets and held the top slot on numerous occasions between 2002 and 2006. Gilchrist had started the series in 16th position and gained 56 points after scoring 322 runs.

Australia duo of Mike Hussey and Andrew Symonds managed to hold their places in seventh and 14th positions respectively.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni dropped one place to 10th, Australia’s Michael Clarke slipped seven places to 12th, India’s Yuvraj Singh fell one place to 18th while India’s Gautam Gambhir, who was the leading run-getter of the series with 440 runs, slipped one place to 27th.

While some of the most accomplished batsmen struggled to retain their rankings, a couple of newcomers made an instant impact.

India’s Rohit Sharma rocketed 21 places to 88th position and Australia’s James Hopes jumped 11 places to 99th spot.

In the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, Australia fast bowler Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson failed to retain their places. Lee dropped two places to seventh while Johnson failed to enter the top 10 and instead slipped four places to 15th.

Harbhajan Singh, however, improved three places to 18th spot to become his country’s only bowler in that group while Praveen Kumar climbed 47 places to 75th and Irfan Pathan slipped six places to 36th position.

The bowlers list is still headed by New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori with Player of the Series Nathan Bracken in second place, 20 points behind.

The top 10 in the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders remains unchanged. The list is headed by Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik while Clarke in 13th place in Australia’s highest ranked all-rounder.


	Name	Country	Rating	Career Best

1	S.R. Tendulkar	IND	777	887 v Zimbabwe, 13/11/1998
2	R.T. Ponting	AUS	770	832 v New Zealand, 20/12/2007
3	G.C. Smith	SA	753	784 v India, 25/11/2005
4	Mohammad Yousuf	PAK	752	777 v South Africa, 10/10/2003
5	M.L. Hayden	AUS	740	854 v India, 15/02/2003
6	A.C. Gilchrist	AUS	738	820 v Sri Lanka, 20/02/2004
7	M.E.K. Hussey	AUS	736	863 v New Zealand, 28/01/2007
8	K.P. Pietersen	ENG	735	834 v Australia, 08/04/2007
9	H.H. Gibbs	SA	731	750 v Sri Lanka, 03/03/2003
10	M.S. Dhoni	IND	728	806 v West Indies, 18/05/2006
11	S. Chanderpaul	WI	721	754 v South Africa, 27/01/1999
12	M.J. Clarke	AUS	717	756 v Sri Lanka, 22/02/2008
13	K.C. Sangakkara	SL	716	760 v India, 11/02/2007
14	A. Symonds	AUS	713	778 v India, 14/10/2007
15	A.B. de Villiers	SA	703	730 v New Zealand, 25/11/2007
16	J.H. Kallis	SA	698	816 v West Indies, 04/02/2004
17	R.R. Sarwan	WI	692	798 v India, 23/05/2006
18	Yuvraj Singh	IND	691	739 v West Indies, 20/05/2006
19	C.H. Gayle	WI	690	804 v Zimbabwe, 30/11/2003
20	D.P.M.D. Jayawardena	SL	678	737 v West Indies, 19/12/2001
21	I.R. Bell	ENG	657	705 v India, 27/08/2007
22	P.D. Collingwood	ENG	651	658 v Ireland, 30/03/2007
23	S.T. Jayasuriya	SL	641	838 v Bangladesh, 14/02/2003
24	Shoaib Malik	PAK	639	685 v India, 13/02/2006
25	B.B. McCullum	NZ	638	638 v England, 23/02/2008
26	S.B. Styris	NZ	634	663 v Bangladesh, 28/12/2007
27	G. Gambhir	IND	615	636 v Sri Lanka, 26/02/2008
28	M.V. Boucher	SA	611	642 v Scotland, 20/03/2007
29	P.G. Fulton	NZ	610	633 v England, 09/02/2008
30	R. Dravid	IND	609	754 v West Indies, 18/05/2006

Sachin Tendulkar Career Performance

2008-03-02T08:32:00.000-08:00

Personal information
Sachin Tendulkar-stats updated on 3rd March,2008

India
Full name	Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
Nickname	The Little Master, Tendlya, Master Blaster
Born	24 April 1973 (1973-04-24) (age 34)
	Bombay, India
Height	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Role	Batsman
Batting style	Right-handed
Bowling style	Right-arm leg break/off break/medium
International information
Test debut (cap 187)	15 November 1989: v Pakistan
Last Test	24 January 2008: v Australia
ODI debut (cap 74)	18 December 1989: v Pakistan
Last ODI	12 February 2008: v Sri Lanka
ODI shirt no.	10
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1997–present	Mumbai
1992	Yorkshire
1988–1996	Bombay
Career statistics
	Tests	ODIs	FC	LA
Matches	146	416	239	480
Runs scored	11,782	16,270	19894	18977
Batting average	55.57	44.21	59.38	45.29
100s/50s	39/49	42/88	63/91	52/101
Top score	248*	186*	248*	186*

Balls bowled	3742	7895	7077	10035
Wickets	42	154	67	199
Bowling average	51.02	43.71	60.05	41.57
5 wickets in innings	0	2	0	2
10 wickets in match	0	n/a	0	n/a
Best bowling	3/10	5/32	3/10	5/32
Catches/stumpings	98/–	120/–	160/–	151/–

I didn't want to prove anyone wrong: Sachin

2008-03-02T07:34:00.001-08:00

Sydney: Sachin Tendulkar, who defied pain to score his first One-day century in Australia in his 18-year career, rated his effort "highly" but said he did not want to prove anyone wrong.
Tendulkar remained unconquered after scoring 117 which helped India to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three finals, setting platform for their first-ever One-day tri-series win Down Under.

"In the last series, I missed a few centuries. I was also struggling with a groin strain for some time. But these things are part and parcel of the game and one has to carry on. I rate this hundred very highly," Tendulkar said after guiding India to a six-wicket victory.

Tendulkar's less than stellar One-day record while chasing in recent times had set some tongues wagging but the batsman said he was not aiming to prove anyone wrong.

"I play the game for passion and love. People have been writing all sorts of things and I don't want to prove anybody wrong," he insisted.

Tendulkar also said he was happy about his long stay in the middle today as planned.

"It was wonderful to end on a winning note and be there when victory was achieved. The century was secondary. The next match (in Brisbane on Tuesday) is very important now," said the master batsman, who may be playing his last ODI series in Australia.

The 34-year-old cricketer agreed that he wanted to get his first One-day hundred in Australia but felt victory in the first final made it a secondary objective.

"I wanted to get the hundred today. We had never beaten Australia in Sydney, and there was no better occasion than today to change that," Tendulkar said.

Tendulkar was very impressed by the batting of youngster Rohit Sharma (66) who stitched a match-winning stand of 123 with Tendulkar to take India to the doorstep of victory.

"It was a terrific effort and the partnership was very crucial. He (Rohit) is calm and has a great temperament. He's got a great future," Tendulkar said.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was happy to get a match-winning hundred from his senior batsman.

Champion Sachin tames the world champions

2008-03-02T07:29:00.000-08:00

Sydney: It was the perfect setting for Sachin Tendulkar to silence his critics for once and all. A big game, India chasing a challenging total and the world champions to combat; after failing to deliver in most part of the series, Tendulkar smashed a blistering 117, which he will savour for a long time to come.
With India chasing 240 to go one up against Australia in the best-of three finals of the CB series, Tendulkar led the charge by carrying his bat through the innings to take the visitors home by 6 wickets with more than four overs to spare.

Tendulkar’s peerless knock came in 120 balls, which included 10 caressing boundaries. The master batsman battled cramps and tremendous pressure along with the Aussie intimidation, which included a beamer from Brett Lee and words of wisdom from Adam Gilchrist, to come up with his 42nd ODI ton and the first Down Under.

The Little Master received great company from Rohit Sharma, who plundered 66 crucial runs as the duo strung together an incredible 123-run partnership after India were reduced to 87-3. Sharma along with Tendulkar took India out of the hole very much like Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds did in the Aussie innings. In fact, the Indian duo went one step further as the two set up India’s remarkable win with the match winning partnership after India were in a spot of bother at one stage.

After getting off to a steady start, India squandered the initiative as a combination of brilliant fielding by the Aussies and some horrendous running by the Indians halted the visitors’ progress.

Robin Uthappa after hitting two cracking boundaries fell to a outstanding diving catch by Michael Hussey for 17. India’s man in form Gautam Gambhir soon fell victim to miscommunication with Tendulkar as India slumped to 56-2.

भारत ने जीता पहला फ़ाइनल मुक़ाबला Sachin Tendulkar

2008-03-02T07:27:00.000-08:00


	सचिन तेंदुलकर ने नाबाद 117 रन की पारी खेली

सचिन तेंदुलकर के शानदार शतक की बदौलत भारतीय टीम ने सिडनी में खेले गए पहले फ़ाइनल मुक़ाबले में ऑस्ट्रेलिया को छह विकेट से हरा दिया है.

भारत की जीत में रोहित शर्मा ने सचिन का भरपूर साथ निभाया. रोहित ने 66 रन की बेहतरीन पारी खेली. हालांकि सचिन का शतक पूरा होते ही रोहित शर्मा आउट हो गए.

पच्चीस गेंद रहते भारत ने ये मैच जीत लिया. चार विकेट खोकर भारत ने ऑस्ट्रेलिया का 239 रन का स्कोर पार कर लिया.

सचिन की शानदार शतकीय पारी के लिए उन्हें 'मैन ऑफ द मैच' चुना गया.

दूसरा फ़ाइनल चार मार्च को ब्रिसबेन में खेला जाएगा. जबकि तीसरा फ़ाइनल मुक़ाबला सात मार्च को एडिलेड ओवल में होगा.

तीनों मुक़ाबलों में दो मैच जीतने वाला कॉमनवेल्थ त्रिकोणीय श्रृंख्ला का विजेता होगा.

सचिन का शानदार शतक

दो फ़ाइनल अभी और हैं

दूसरा फ़ाइनल 4 मार्च को ब्रिसबेन में

तीसरा फ़ाइनल 7 मार्च को एडिलेड ओवल में

सचिन ने अपनी 117 रन की नाबाद पारी में कुल दस चौके जड़े. ऑस्ट्रेलिया में ही ऑस्ट्रेलिया के ख़िलाफ़ ये सचिन का पहला शतक था.

सचिन का ये 42 वां वनडे शतक है.

वे ऑस्ट्रेलिया के खिलाफ़ अब तक आठ शतक लगा चुके हैं. खास बात ये है कि ऑस्ट्रेलिया के खिलाफ़ ही उन्होंने सबसे ज़्यादा वनडे शतक बनाए हैं.

भारतीय पारी

ऑस्ट्रेलिया ने भारत को जीत के लिए 240 रनों का लक्ष्य दिया था.

भारतीय पारी की शुरुआत सचिन तेंदुलकर और रॉबिन उथप्पा ने की. दोनों ने भारत को बेहद सधी हुई शुरुआत दी.

उथप्पा के आउट होने के बाद सचिन तेंदुलकर का साथ देने के लिए गौतम गंभीर मैदान आए. लेकिन तेंदुलकर के एक शॉट पर दो रन लेने के चक्कर में दोनों के बीच ग़लतफ़हमी हुई और गौतम गंभीर रन आउट हो गए.

गंभीर ने सिर्फ़ तीन रन बनाए.

गंभीर के बाद युवराज सिंह मैदान में आए और वो एक बार फिर नाकाम रहे. युवराज सिर्फ़ दस रन के निजी स्कोर पर ब्रेड हॉग की गेंद पर बोल्ड हो गए.

रोहित शर्मा के 66 रन पर आउट होने के बाद कप्तान महेंद्र सिंह धोनी ने तेंदुलकर का साथ दिया और वो भी अंत तक आउट नहीं हुए. धोनी ने 15 रन की नाबाद पारी खेली.

ऑस्ट्रेलियाई पारी


	ऑस्ट्रेलियाई कप्तान रिकी पोंटिंग महज़ एक रन बना सके

इससे पहले कभी लड़खड़ाती तो कभी संभलती पारी में ऑस्ट्रेलिया ने 239 का स्कोर बनाया.

ऑस्ट्रेलिया की ओर से खेल की शुरुआत की गिलक्रिस्ट और हेडन ने.

पहला झटका लगा गिलक्रिस्ट को. वो प्रवीण कुमार की गेंद पर युवराज सिंह के हाथों लपक लिए गए.

केवल सात रन बनाकर गए गिलक्रिस्ट के बाद कप्तान पोंटिंग आए पर एक रन के स्कोर पर प्रवीण कुमार की गेंद पर आउट हुए.

इसके बाद चुनौतीपर्ण स्थिति को संभालने के लिए क्लार्क उतरे पर चार रन के साधारण स्कोर पर वो भी ईशांत शर्मा की गेंद पर आउट हो गए.

चौथा विकेट गिरा साइमंड्स का. उन्होंने हेडन का साथ देकर पारी को संभालने में मदद तो की पर 31 रन बनाकर हरभजन की गेंद पर आउट हो गए.

इसके बाद भारत के लिए चुनौती बन चुका हेडन का विकेट मिला हरभजन को. हेडन तबतक 82 रन बना चुके थे.

होप्स और हुसी छठे और सातवें विकेट बने. होप्स ने 15 रन दिए जबकि हसी पाँच रन से अर्धशतक से चूके.

महज 17 रन के स्कोर पर ब्रेट ली पठान की गेंद पर लौट गए.

भारत की ओर से ईशांत शर्मा और प्रवीण कुमार ने शानदार गेंदबाज़ी का प्रदर्शन किया. प्रवीण कुमार और हरभजन सिंह ने दो-दो विकेट लिए. ईशांत, पठान और युवराज को एक-एक विकेट मिले.

इस मैच में भारत और ऑस्ट्रेलिया दोनों ने ही एक-एक बदलाव किए.

ऑस्ट्रेलिया ने ब्रेड हेडिन की जगह मैथ्यू हेडन और भारत ने मुनाफ़ पटेल की जगह पीयूष चावला को टीम में लिया था.

सचिन से पंगा...ना...ना...ना

2008-03-02T07:26:00.001-08:00


	शेन वॉर्न पर हावी रहे हैं सचिन तेंदुलकर

एक समय फ़िरकी गेंदबाज़ी के शहंशाह रहे ऑस्ट्रेलिया के पूर्व स्पिनर शेन वॉर्न की सलाह मानें तो मास्टर ब्लास्टर सचिन तेंदुलकर से पंगा लेना किसी भी गेंदबाज़ के लिए काफ़ी महंगा साबित हो सकता है.

पिछले दिनों ऑस्ट्रेलिया गई भारतीय टीम और मेज़बान टीम के बीच अभद्र व्यवहार को लेकर मामला काफ़ी गर्म रहा है. शेन वॉर्न का कहना है कि कभी-कभी गेंदबाज़ों को सामने वाले बल्लेबाज़ से कहा-सुनी का लाभ मिल जाता है.

लेकिन बात जब सचिन तेंदुलकर और ब्रायन लारा जैसे खिलाड़ियों की हो, तो इनसे पंगा लेना गेंदबाज़ों के लिए उलटा साबित हो सकता है.

वॉर्न ने कहा, "मेरा मानना है कि खिलाड़ियों में नोंक-झोंक गाली के स्तर तक नहीं जानी चाहिए. वैसे ये नोंक-झोंक कभी-कभी अच्छा हथियार साबित होता है."

हथियार

उन्होंने बताया कि कैसे वे दक्षिण अफ़्रीका के बल्लेबाज़ डेरेल कलिनन को अपनी गेंदबाज़ी से परेशान करते थे और लेग स्पिन पर अच्छी तरह नहीं खेलने वाले कलिनन को वॉर्न अपनी गेंदबाज़ी के अलावा अपनी भाषा से भी फँसा लेते थे.

सचिन तेंदुलकर और ब्रायन लारा सरीखे बल्लेबाज़ों के सामने गेंदबाज़ों को ये हथियार नहीं अपनाना चाहिए अन्यथा नतीजा उलटा हो सकता है

शेन वॉर्न

ब्रितानी अख़बार द टाइम्स में लिखे अपने कॉलम में वॉर्न ने कहा है- सचिन तेंदुलकर और ब्रायन लारा सरीखे बल्लेबाज़ों के सामने गेंदबाज़ों को ये हथियार नहीं अपनाना चाहिए अन्यथा नतीजा उलटा हो सकता है.


	वॉर्न अंतरराष्ट्रीय क्रिकेट से संन्यास ले चुके हैं

उन्होंने कहा कि ऐसे खिलाड़ियों के साथ दोस्ती ही अच्छी है.

वर्ष 1998 में शारजाह में सचिन तेंदुलकर ने शेन वॉर्न की जम कर पिटाई की थी और शेन वॉर्न ने सार्वजनिक रूप से कहा था कि उनके सपने में आजकल सचिन तेंदुलकर आते हैं.

पिछले दिनों ऑस्ट्रेलियाई खिलाड़ी एंड्रयू साइमंड्स पर कथित नस्लभेदी टिप्पणी के कारण हरभजन सिंह सुर्ख़ियों में थे.

पहले हरभजन पर तीन टेस्ट मैचों की पाबंदी लगी लेकिन अपील के बाद उन पर से पाबंदी हटा ली गई. शेन वॉर्न ने हरभजन मामले पर टिप्पणी करने से इनकार कर दिया.

वो अक्सर ख़ामोश रहते हैं, जिनके हुनर बोलते हैं

2008-03-02T07:24:00.000-08:00

...वो अक्सर ख़ामोश रहते हैं, जिनके हुनर बोलते हैं

सचिन ने दिखाया कि उनके बल्ले की धार अभी भी क़ायम है

सचिन रमेश तेंदुलकर, सचिन भगवान तेंदुलकर, मास्टर ब्लास्टर, लिटिल चैम्पियन और ना जाने क्या-क्या. ये तो ऐसे अलंकार हैं जो सचिन को वर्तमान में मिलते हैं.

जब क्रिकेट का ये भारतीय भगवान इतिहास के पन्नों में अंकित होगा, तो और कितने अलंकार उसके साथ जुड़ेंगे- इस पर अभी से विचार करने की शायद फ़िलहाल ज़रूरत नहीं.

क्योंकि सिडनी के मैदान पर सचिन के बल्ले का जौहर देखने के बाद क्या किसी को फ़िलहाल ये सवाल पूछने की आवश्यकता है. कुछ दिन पहले ही सचिन के प्रदर्शन और सचिन की निष्ठा पर एक बार फिर सवाल उठाए गए थे.

लेकिन श्रीलंका के ख़िलाफ़ आख़िरी लीग मैच में सचिन ने 63 रन की पारी खेलने के बाद स्पष्ट किया था कि उनका प्रदर्शन इतना ख़राब नहीं था कि उस पर सवाल उठाए जाए.

ऐसा बहुत कम हुआ है कि सचिन ने अपने आलोचकों को खुल कर जवाब दिया है. ज़्यादा मौके पर उनका बल्ला बोला है.

सचिन के आलोचक कई बार उन पर ये आरोप लगाते हैं कि सचिन की पारी भारत को जीत नहीं दिलाती, सचिन मौक़े पर नहीं चलते और लक्ष्य का पीछा करने के समय तो सचिन का बल्ला ख़ामोश ही रहता है.

गवाह

लेकिन सिडनी के पहले फ़ाइनल में विश्व चैम्पियन टीम के सामने सचिन की पारी इसकी गवाह है कि मौक़े पर सचिन चलते हैं और टिकते हैं और टीम को जीत तक ले भी जाते हैं.


	सचिन ने ऑस्ट्रेलिया में वनडे मैचों का पहला शतक लगाया

आँकड़ों की बातें करने वाले सिडनी के आँकड़ें को याद कर लें अन्यथा एक-दो पारी में सचिन का बल्ला अगर ख़ामोश हुआ तो वही पुरानी कहानी फिर शुरू हो जाएगी- सचिन के दिन लद गए हैं, सचिन को संन्यास ले लेना चाहिए, सचिन युवा टीम में क्या कर रहे हैं...वगैरह...वगैरह.

सचिन की निंदा करने वाले, उनकी निष्ठा पर अक्सर सवाल उठाने वाले ये भूल जाते हैं कि सचिन का रिकॉर्ड क्या कहता है. सचिन के नाम शतक, अर्धशतक और रनों का अंबार क्या गवाही देता है.

क्रिकेट जिस देश में धर्म है और सचिन को भगवान का दर्जा हासिल है. उस देश में क्रिकेट के भगवान पर से इतनी जल्दी आस्था कम होने की कोई वजह नहीं.

सिडनी की पारी में देश को विजयी देखने के लिए सचिन का जज़्बा दिख रहा था, साथी खिलाड़ियों को उत्साह बढ़ाने में उनका जोश दिख रहा था और ख़ुद की पारी में सचिन का दृढ़ निश्चय दिख रहा था.

एक-एक शॉट में सचिन की दृढ़ता दिख रही थी. चौके, सिंगल्स, दो रन और कई तीन रन. सचिन मैदान में हर जगह दिख रहे थे. कभी नॉन स्ट्राइकर पर आते भी तो स्ट्राइकर को टिप्स देने की उनकी ललक देखने लायक थी.

जवाब

उथप्पा कैच आउट हुए या गंभीर रन आउट हुए या फिर युवराज क्लीन बोल्ड हुए- सचिन की पीड़ा देखकर ऐसा लगा कि क्रिकेट के इस देवता पर सवाल उठाने वाले नाहक ही उसकी मानसिक स्थिति से खेलते हैं.


	ऑस्ट्रेलियाई खिलाड़ियों के बीच सचिन काफ़ी लोकप्रिय हैं

ऐसी मानसिक स्थिति जो क्रिकेट के मैदान पर बड़े-बड़ों का धैर्य हिला दे....पोंटिंग जैसे सूझ-बूझ वाले कप्तान को परेशान कर दे...लेकिन जब अपने घर से क्रिकेट पर लिखने वाले इस लिटिल चैंप पर प्रहार करते हैं, तो क्या उसे दुख नहीं होता होगा.

ख़ैर सिडनी की बात करें, तो सचिन के सामने ना सिर्फ़ विश्व चैम्पियन को धूल चटाने का ज़िम्मा था बल्कि यह भी साबित करना था कि अभी उनकी धार कुंद नहीं हुई थी.

98 रन पर ब्रेट ली की एक तेज़ गेंद सचिन के कंधे पर लगी तो उन्हें छोड़कर शायद भारतीय क्रिकेट का हर समर्थक कराह उठा होगा, लेकिन सचिन चूके नहीं बल्कि दरियादिली से ब्रेट ली को माफ़ भी किया.

कमेंट्री बॉक्स में बैठे इयन चैपल और मार्क टेलर जैसे पूर्व खिलाड़ियों ने ब्रेट ली की आलोचना की और साथ ही सचिन की सराहना में बड़े-बड़े शब्दों की झड़ी लगा दी. ऐसा है सचिन का रुतबा, सचिन का क़द और सचिन का व्यक्तित्व.

रुका नहीं लिटिल चैम्पियन

लेकिन सचिन यहीं रुके नहीं. ऑस्ट्रेलिया की धरती पर वनडे मैचों में शतक ना लगा पाने की निराशा को धोया और भारत को बेहतरीन जीत दिलाई. शतक लगाने के बाद सचिन ख़ुश तो थे लेकिन उनके चेहरे से एक पीड़ा भी झलक रही थी.


	सचिन को बधाई देने भज्जी पिच पर पहुँच गए

पीड़ा लगातार उन पर उठाए जाने वाले सवालों की. क्यों जबाव दे यह मास्टर ब्लास्टर हर आलोचना की. मास्टर ब्लास्टर के क़रीब 19 साल के अंतरराष्ट्रीय क्रिकेट करियर में क्या कुछ कमी रह गई.

पिछले साल विश्व कप के बाद भी सचिन पर सवाल उठे थे. संन्यास की मांग उठी थी. लेकिन सबको किनारे करते हुए सचिन ने अपने बल्ले से हर आलोचना का जवाब दिया. बांग्लादेश का दौरा हो, इंग्लैंड का दौरा, पाकिस्तान के ख़िलाफ़ सिरीज़ हो या फिर मौजूदा ऑस्ट्रेलियाई दौरा....हर दौरे पर सचिन जम कर चले हैं और कई बार टीम को जीत दिलाई है.

विश्व कप के बाद जब देशभर में सीनियर खिलाड़ियों के पोस्टर जलाए जा रहे थे तो पूर्व कप्तान राहुल द्रविड़ ने कहा था- बुरे वक़्त में हमें अपने लोगों से समर्थन की ज़रूरत होती है. हर खिलाड़ी के जीवन में बुरा वक़्त आता है.

लेकिन क्यों हम इतने उतावले हो जाते हैं कि क्रिकेट के अपने देवता पर भी उंगली उठाने लगते हैं. हार-जीत, अच्छा-बुरा समय इस खेल का हिस्सा है. हमें इसे उसी रूप में लेने की आवश्यकता है. सचिन की बात करें, तो ये याद रखें कि इस छोटे शहंशाह ने भारतीय क्रिकेट को क्या नहीं दिया है.

सिडनी में सचिन के शतक के बाद अगर आपकी आँखों से दो आँसू निकल आए हों, तो इस जज़्बे को संभाल कर रखिएगा...क्योंकि जब ये बादशाह अपना बल्ला टांगेगा....आपके पास इन ख़ूबसूरत यादों को सहेजने के अलावा कुछ नहीं होगा.

तब शायद आप ये कहने को विवश हो जाएँगे कि हम भाग्यशाली हैं कि हम सचिन युग में पैदा हुए हैं.

Magnificent Tendulkar seals victory

2008-03-02T07:14:00.000-08:00

Australia v India, CB Series, 1st final, Sydney

March 2, 2008

India 4 for 242 (Tendulkar 117*, Rohit 66) beat Australia 8 for 239 (Hayden 82, Hussey 45) by six wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Sachin Tendulkar's sublime 117 gave India a 1-0 lead in the finals

In 38 previous ODI innings in Australia, Sachin Tendulkar had never scored a hundred; in 11 previous one-day internationals against Australia in Sydney, India had never won. Both those jinxes were wiped out in a memorable evening at the SCG, as Tendulkar scripted a magnificent unbeaten 117 and shared a 123-run fourth-wicket stand with Rohit Sharma to take India to an emphatic six-wicket win and a 1-0 lead in the CB Series finals.

The match was a story of sizeable contributions by two openers - Matthew Hayden scored a brisk 82 - and two century partnerships for the fourth wicket - Andrew Symonds shared a 100-run stand with Hayden. Those efforts lifted Australia to a challenging 8 for 239, which, given the Australian bowling strength, might have been enough on another day. Today, though, they ran into an in-form Tendulkar.

From the outset, Tendulkar's approach suggested he was in the mood. In the first ten overs he only found the boundary once, through a savage lofted square-cut off Nathan Bracken, but the evidence that he was in top form came in other ways: the footwork was precise and decisive right from the start, and the judgment of length was impeccable. With Robin Uthappa, he gave India the perfect start, as both ran hard between the wickets, placed the ball into gaps, and put together 50 an excellent rate with scarcely a risk - there were just three fours in the stand.

The innings wobbled briefly thereafter, though, as Michael Hussey pulled off a magnificent catch at deep midwicket - it will surely rank among the catches of the season - to get rid of Uthappa. Two more wickets fell quickly, as Gautam Gambhir failed to respond to an obvious call for a second run, and Yuvraj Singh continued to flounder abysmally against Brad Hogg's spin.

At 3 for 87, the match was perfectly in the balance, before Tendulkar found the perfect ally in Rohit, and their stand turned out to be the match-defining one. With Rohit secure in defence and attack, it allowed Tendulkar to play normally too, and what followed was a treat. After the early threat of Brett Lee had been negated, Tendulkar turned his attention to the others: Hogg was driven over extra-cover for two glorious fours while Mitchell Johnson was perfectly tipped over slip. All along, he pierced the infield, took the singles, and ensured the asking rate never got beyond control. A cramp towards the end of the innings restricted certain strokes, while a beamer from Lee - who apologised immediately - crashed into his shoulder when he was on 98, but today he was not to be denied. The century finally came with the dab to gully, and the celebrations indicated how special it was.

At the other end, Rohit showed why he is held in such high regard by the experts. He began with two glorious straight-drives off Bracken, and then continued in such serene fashion that Australia scarcely had a sniff. He finally fell immediately after Tendulkar's hundred, but by then the result was only a formality.

Matthew Hayden's belligerent 82 helped Australia post a challenging total

The target eventually turned out to be inadequate, but at the halfway stage it seemed Australia had enough to offer a stern test to the Indians. Their innings was largely built around one partnership, which came after they had slumped 3 for 24. India's move to change things around paid off quite spectacularly as Praveen Kumar, who got the new ball ahead of Irfan Pathan, induced two poor pull shots from Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting. When Michael Clarke got a rough caught-behind decision off an indipper from Ishant Sharma which clipped pad, Australia were three down inside six overs and India were off to a dream start.

Obviously, it mattered not a jot to Hayden, who had got his innings going by bludgeoning Praveen over his head in the first over to get to 6000 ODI runs. Four balls after Clarke fell, Hayden announced his intent even more emphatically, taking two strides down the pitch and swatting Praveen over midwicket. From there, it was a run deluge for the next hour, as Hayden imposed his commanding presence on the game. Pathan, who had an entirely forgettable day, leaked three fours in an over on two separate occasions to Hayden as he pummelled boundaries through the off side to bring up his half-century off a mere 43 balls.

Hayden's blistering onslaught allowed the out-of-form Symonds to settle in, and Australia seemed to running away with it, before the spinners pulled it back for India. Chawla, who was drafted into the side instead of Sreesanth, got the ball as soon as the Powerplays were out of the way, and immediately dropped into an impeccable line, giving the batsmen few scoring opportunities. Harbhajan had gone for 17 in his first two overs, but with more protection in the outfield, the flight was more pronounced and caused fatal mishits from both Symonds and Hayden.

The two blows, within five overs of each other, caused a sharp decline in the scoring rate, as Hussey and James Hopes were forced to do the rebuilding act. The absence of Ishant, who injured a finger while bowling and didn't complete his ten overs, was a bit of a blow but Yuvraj slipped in with four tidy overs. Hussey batted sensibly, ensuring that Australia played the entire 50 overs and pushed towards what seemed like a challenging total, but that was before Sachin Tendulkar got into the act.

करियर में पहली बार ‘हिट विकेट’ हुए सचिन

2008-02-21T12:42:00.000-08:00

करियर में पहली बार ‘हिट विकेट’ हुए सचिन

भेजें छापें

04 फरवरी 2008

ब्रिस्बेन। किसी भी खिलाड़ी के करियर में पहली बार कुछ न कुछ जरूर होता है और कीर्तिमानों के बेताज बादशाह सचिन तेंदुलकर के करियर में भी पहली बार कल ऐसा कुछ हो गया, जो पहले कभी नहीं हुआ था।

सचिन अपने वनडे करियर में कल पहली बार ‘हिट विकेट’ आउट हो गए।

सचिन ऑस्ट्रेलिया के खिलाफ सीबी वनडे त्रिकोणीय सीरीज के पहले मैच में कल यहां ब्रेट ली की गेंद पर हिट विकेट हो गए।

कंगारूओं से जंग

उनके 19 साल तथा 408 वनडे मैचों के करियर में यह पहला मौका है जब वे हिट विकेट हुए हैं। उन्हें इस तरह आउट करने का श्रेय भी उनके प्रबल प्रतिद्वंदी ऑस्ट्रेलियाई तेज गेंदबाज ब्रेट ली को गया।

वनडे में हिट विकेट आउट होने वाले सचिन तीसरे भारतीय हैं।

उनसे पहले विकेटकीपर नयन मोंगिया और लेग स्पिनर अनिल कुम्बले हिट विकेट आउट हो चुके हैं।

अपने 408वें मैच में सचिन ने ब्रेट ली की कमर से ऊपर आती हुई एक गेंद को ऑन साइड में खेला और एक रन लेने के लिए दौड़ पड़े। लेकिन उसी समय उनकी दाईं एड़ी स्टंप्स के निचले हिस्से से टकरा गई और बेल्स गिर पड़ीं।

सपना सच होने जैसा है पद्म विभूषण: सचिन

सचिन को यह पता नहीं चल पाया और वे रन लेने के लिए दौड़ पड़े। लेकिन विकेटकीपर एडम गिलक्रिस्ट और स्लिप में खड़े अन्य खिलाड़ी खुशी से उछल पड़े क्योंकि मास्टर-ब्लास्टर हिट विकेट हो चुके थे।

सचिन ने इस पारी में केवल दस रन बनाए और वे वनडे मैचों में 16 हजार रन का आंकड़ा छूने से अब सिर्फ 28 रन दूर रह गए हैं और संभवतः वे अगले मैच में इस आंकड़े को छू लेंगे।

क्या जन्मदिन से पूर्व सचिन होंगे ‘सर सचिन?’

मोंगिया अप्रैल 1995 में शारजाह में पाकिस्तान के खिलाफ मैच में वसीम अकरम की गेंद पर हिट विकेट हुए थे। जबकि कुम्बले जनवरी 2003 में वेलिंगटन में न्यूजीलैंड के खिलाफ एंड्रयू एडम्स की गेंद पर इसी दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण तरीके से आउट हुए थे।

अपने 408 वनडे मैचों की 398 पारियों में सचिन सर्वाधिक 152 बार क्षेत्ररक्षकों के हाथों कैच आउट आउट हुए हैं। दूसरे नम्बर पर विकेट कीपर हैं, जिनके हाथों वे 65 बार लपके गए हैं। सचिन को गेंदबाजों ने 60 बार बोल्ड किया है।

मास्टर-ब्लास्टर 30 बार रन आउट हुए हैं जबकि 29 बार वे पगबाधा हुए हैं। गेंदबाजों ने 14 बार उन्हें अपनी ही गेंद पर लपका है और अब वे पहली बार हिट विकेट भी हो चुके हैं।

सचिन के वनडे में 16 हजार रन पूरे हुए

2008-02-21T12:34:00.000-08:00

सचिन के वनडे में 16 हजार रन पूरे हुए

भेजें छापें

05 फरवरी 2008

नई दिल्ली। ‘रिकॉर्ड शहंशाह’ सचिन तेंदुलकर अब 16 हजारी बन गए हैं।

सचिन ने यहां सीबी त्रिकोणीय वनडे क्रिकेट सीरीज के दूसरे मैच में श्रीलंका के खिलाफ अपनी 35 रनों की पारी के दौरान यह गौरव हासिल कर लिया है और वनडे मैचों में 16 हजार रन बनाने वाले वे पहले खिलाड़ी बन गए हैं।

सचिन के अब 409 वनडे मैचों में 44.21 के औसत से 16007 रन हो गए हैं।

कीर्तिमानों के बेताज बादशाह सचिन इस समय वनडे क्रिकेट में सर्वाधिक मैच (409) खेलने, सर्वाधिक रन (16007) बनाने, सर्वाधिक शतक (41) बनाने और सर्वाधिक अर्द्धशतक (87) बनाने के रिकॉर्ड एक साथ अपने नाम रखते हैं।

मास्टर-ब्लास्टर के नजदीकी प्रतिद्वंदी श्रीलंका के विस्फोटक ओपनर सनथ जयसूर्या हैं। जिनके इस मैच से पहले तक 403 मैचों में 32.63 के औसत से 12207 रन थे।

सचिन और जयसूर्या के बीच 3800 रनों का फासला है और यह बहुत मुश्किल लगता है कि भविष्य में कोई खिलाड़ी सचिन द्वारा स्थापित इन रिकॉर्डों के आसपास भी पहुंच पाएगा।

सचिन और जयसूर्या के बाद तीसरे नम्बर पर पाकिस्तान के पूर्व कप्तान इंजमाम उल-हक हैं। जिनके 378 मैचों से 11739 रन हैं, लेकिन वे अंतर्राष्ट्रीय क्रिकेट से संन्यास ले चुके हैं।

सौरव गांगुली 311 मैचों में 11363 रन बनाकर चौथे स्थान पर हैं। लेकिन उन्हें भारत की वनडे टीम से दरकिनार किया जा चुका है और वे त्रिकोणीय सीरीज के लिए वनडे टीम से बाहर हैं।

मौजूदा ऑस्ट्रेलियाई कप्तान रिकी पोंटिंग 289 मैचों में 10835 रन बनाकर पांचवे स्थान पर हैं। लेकिन उनके तथा सचिन के बीच 5172 रनों का लम्बा फासला है।

भारत के पूर्व कप्तान राहुल द्रविड़ 333 मैचों में 10585 रन बनाकर छठे स्थान पर हैं। लेकिन वे भी गांगुली की तरह वनडे टीम से बाहर हैं।

वनडे में 10 हजार रन बनाने वाले खिलाड़ियों की सूची में फिलहाल सातवें स्थान पर वेस्ट इंडीज के पूर्व कप्तान ब्रायन लारा हैं। जिन्होंने 299 मैचों में 10405 रन बनाए हैं। लेकिन वे भी अंतर्राष्ट्रीय क्रिकेट से संन्यास ले चुके हैं।

इस आधार पर देखा जाए तो सचिन के 16 हजार रनों से ऊपर के रिकॉर्ड को अगले कई सालों में कोई खतरा नहीं होगा, क्योंकि वे अभी भी इसमें और इजाफा करते जाएंगे।

सचिन ने अब तक अपने 16007 रनों में से सर्वाधिक रन विश्व चैम्पियन ऑस्ट्रेलिया और उपविजेता श्रीलंका के खिलाफ बनाए हैं।

मास्टर-ब्लास्टर ने ऑस्ट्रेलिया के खिलाफ 55 मैचों में 2471 रन और श्रीलंका के खिलाफ 66 मैचों में 2471 बनाए हैं।

उन्होंने चिर प्रतिद्वंद्वी पाकिस्तान के खिलाफ 66 मैचों में 2381, द. अफ्रीका के खिलाफ 52 मैचों में 1655 रन, वेस्ट इंडीज के खिलाफ 38 मैचों में 1571 रन, न्यूजीलैंड के खिलाफ 38 मैचों में 1460 रन, जिम्बाब्वे के खिलाफ 34 मैचों में 1377 रन और इंग्लैंड के खिलाफ 34 मैचों में 1274 रन बनाए हैं।

मास्टर-ब्लास्टर ने केन्या के खिलाफ 10 मैचों में 647 रन, बांग्लादेश के खिलाफ 10 मैचों में 354 रन, नामीबिया के खिलाफ एक मैच में 152 रन, संयुक्त अरब अमीरात के खिलाफ दो मैचों में 81 रन, हॉलैंड के खिलाफ एक मैच में 52 रन, बरमूडा के खिलाफ एक मैच में 57 रन और आयरलैंड के खिलाफ एक मैच में चार रन बनाए हैं।

सचिन तेंदुलकर ने रचे तीन नए कीर्तिमान

2008-02-21T12:29:00.000-08:00

सचिन तेंदुलकर ने रचे तीन नए कीर्तिमान

11 फरवरी 2008

मेलबर्न। कीर्तिमानों के बेताज बादशाह सचिन तेंदुलकर ने कल ऑस्ट्रेलिया के खिलाफ त्रिकोणीय वनडे क्रिकेट सीरीज के चौथे मैच में भारत की पांच विकेट की जीत में अपनी 44 रनों की पारी के दौरान तीन नए कीर्तिमान बना दिए।

मास्टर-ब्लास्टर का यह 410वां वनडे मैच था और वे 400 वनडे पारी खेलने वाले दुनिया के पहले खिलाड़ी बन गए हैं। उनके नजदीकी प्रतिद्वंद्वी श्रीलंका के सनथ जयसूर्या हैं, जिनकी 405 मैचों में 393 पारियां हैं।

सचिन हैं युवा खिलाड़ियों के कोच

सचिन ने ऑस्ट्रेलिया के खिलाफ वनडे मैचों में 2500 रन भी पूरे कर लिए। वे दुनिया के एक मात्र बल्लेबाज हैं, जिन्होंने किसी टीम के खिलाफ 2500 रन बनाए हैं।

उनके अब ऑस्ट्रेलिया के खिलाफ 56 मैचों से 2515 रन हो गए हैं। सचिन ने इसके अलावा श्रीलंका के खिलाफ 66 मैचों में 2471 रन भी बनाए हैं। वे इस सीरीज की तीसरी टीम श्रीलंका के खिलाफ भी अब 2500 रन पूरे कर सकते हैं।

वॉर्न ने कहा सचिन से पंगा मत लो

सचिन ने पाक के खिलाफ भी 66 मैचों में 2381 रन बनाए हैं।

सचिन ने ऑस्ट्रेलियाई धरती पर भी अपने 1000 रन पूरे कर लिए हैं और यह उपलब्धि हासिल करने वाले वे पहले भारतीय बल्लेबाज हैं।

सचिन की कीमत डेढ़ करोड़ से ज्यादा!

सचिन की कीमत डेढ़ करोड़ से ज्यादा

2008-02-21T12:26:00.000-08:00

सचिन की कीमत डेढ़ करोड़ से ज्यादा!

07 फरवरी 2008

मुम्बई। यह तो अब तय हो चुका है कि क्रिकेट की सबसे चर्चित लीग इंडियन प्रीमियर लीग (आईपीएल) की टीमों के मालिक की सूची में किन-किन लोगों का नाम शामिल हैं। लेकिन अब यह जानने समय है कि कौन सबसे बड़ी बोली लगाकर क्रिकेट जगत के स्टार खिलाड़ियों को अपनी टीम में जगह देने में कामयाब होता है?

उल्लेखनीय है कि पिछले महीने आईपीएल की टीमों के लिए बोली लगाई गई थी। बोली लगाने वालों में उद्योग जगत के बड़े खिलाड़ियों के अलावा किंग खान यानि शाहरुख खान के अलावा अभिनेत्री प्रिति जिंटा का नाम भी शामिल है।

17 अप्रैल में शुरु होने वाला आईपीएल का ट्वेंटी-20 टूर्नामेंट करीब डेढ़ महीने तक खेला जाएगा। सीएनएन-आईबीएन को मिली जानकारी के मुताबिक इसमें हिस्सा लेने वाले खिलाड़ियों के लिए भारी भरकम बोली लगाने की तैयारी की जा रही है।

पढ़ें: आईपीएल के लिए खतरे की घंटी बजी

भारतीय क्रिकेट जगत की तिकड़ी सचिन तेंदुलकर, राहुल द्रविड़ और सौरव गांगुली के लिए करीब 1 करोड़ 60 लाख रूपये की बोली लगाई जाएगी। युवराज सिंह और महेंद्र सिंह धोनी की भी कीमत भी लगभग इतनी ही होगी।

अनिल कुम्बले भले ही ट्वेंटी-20 और वनडे मैचों से संन्यास ले चुके हों। लेकिन कुम्बले भी आईपीएल के इस टूर्नामेंट में खेल रहे हैं और उनकी बोली करीब एक करोड़ रूपये के आसपास लगाए जाने की उम्मीद है। तेज गेंदबाज और स्पिनर हरभजन सिंह की भी कीमत करीब एक करोड़ रूपये होगी।

चौंकाने वाली बात है कि ट्वेंटी-20 विश्वकप विजेता टीम के सदस्यों की तुलना में 37 वर्षीय कुम्बले की कीमत कहीं अधिक है। रॉबिन उथप्पा, गौतम गंभीर और वीरेंद्र सहवाग के लिए तकरीबन 80 लाख रूपये की बोली लगाई जाएगी।

हालांकि एक ओर जहां सचिन तेंदुलकर, राहुल द्रविड़, सौरव गांगुली और युवराज सिंह अपनी घरेलू टीमों के लिए खेलेंगे, वहीं दूसरी तरफ यह तस्वीर अभी साफ नहीं हो पायी है कि दूसरे स्टार खिलाड़ी किस टीम की ओर से खेलेंगे।

पढ़ें: आईपीएल-आईसीएल से आई नई मुसीबत

सूत्रों के मुताबिक वनडे टीम की कप्तान महेंद्र सिंह धोनी पर शाहरुख खान की कोलकाता टीम के अलावा मुकेश अंबानी की मुम्बई टीम की नजर है। वहीं विजय माल्या की बेंगलुरु टीम और डेक्कन क्रोनिक्ल की हैदराबाद टीम की नजर रॉबिन उथप्पा पर है।

प्रीति जिंटा आक्रामक गेंदबाज श्रीसंत को अपनी मोहाली टीम में शामिल करना चाहती हैं। लेकिन इस सारी खबरों पर सिर्फ अटकलें लगाई जा रही हैं, क्योंकि इस संबंध में पुख्ता तौर पर अभी कुछ भी पता नहीं चल पाया है।

युनाइटेड स्पिरिट के महाप्रबंधक विजय रेखी ने बताया है कि, “हमने फिलहाल फौरी तौर पर खिलाड़ियों की सूची बनाई है। अभी तक इस बारे में कोई अधिकारिक फैसला नहीं लिया गया है।”

बहरहाल आईपीएल की सभी टीमों के पास खिलाड़ी की बोली लगाने के लिए न्यूनतम 13 करोड़ पांच लाख रूपये की राशि निर्धारित की गई। माना जा रहा है कि फरवरी के तीसरे हफ्ते में खिलाड़ियों की बोली लगाई जाएगी।

Australian idol-Sachin Tendulkar

2008-01-29T13:56:00.000-08:00

Just what is it that endears Sachin Tendulkar to crowds and cognoscenti alike Down Under? We asked a selection of Australia's great and good for their opinion January 29, 2008

Loved to bits: the SCG gives Tendulkar a standing ovation after his 154

Back in Melbourne, "Aussie Ana" was adding to her ratings. Twenty-year-old Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, the 2008 Australian Open finalist, endeared herself to sports fans Down Under thanks as much to her knockout good looks as for her tennis skills. A nation that feeds off the deeds of its sportspersons, Australia has always welcomed the talented with open arms. It was the same 16 years ago, when another youngster, the 18-year-old Sachin Tendulkar, arrived on his maiden voyage and returned with two spectacular centuries, leaving behind impressions that still endure in the minds of the natives.

Now, nearly two decades on, it is almost as if they have adopted him as one of their own. There have been other visiting champions during this age, such as Brian Lara of the West Indies, but none has attracted quite the sort of rapturous applause that has greeted Tendulkar every time he has walked out onto a cricket ground in Australia during this series. Yes, much of it has to do with this tour probably being his last, but it was much the same in the 2003-04 series, and in 1999-2000.

Just what it is about Tendulkar that the Australians so love? The reasons have as much to do with Australia as with the man himself.

Bill Lawry, the former Australian captain, points out that Australians have always had time for champions. "We've always enjoyed champions and they could be in any sport." Peter Roebuck, who captained Viv Richards and Ian Botham at Somerset, and enjoys something approaching Tendulkar-like status in cricket writing himself, reckons it has to do with the sentimentality of Australians. "It's a new country, and its people get excited when they see great innings like Tendulkar's." He goes on to stress that the likes of Lara and Shane Warne were "mixed blessings", while Tendulkar is not.

Gideon Haigh, historian and cricket writer, agrees that his countrymen admire anyone who does well against them, but presents a unique point. "It is partly a mark of respect, partly a symptom of national narcissism. I think Australians are also fascinated by Tendulkar's status in India. Australian cricketers are hugely popular in their own country, but they do not need protection from their fans in the fashion Tendulkar does. His fame, to us, makes him an emblem of Indian extremity and exoticism."

There is also the matter of two ringing endorsements, delivered by Australian greats.

When Tendulkar was at his peak in the mid-to-late-1990s, one day Sir Don Bradman called his wife Jessie to the television set and said how he could see himself in the young man he was watching play on the screen. Then Warne, talking about his contests with the Indian, said Tendulkar gave him "nightmares".

Mark Taylor, another Australian captain who played against Tendulkar and has been an admirer from the day he first watched him play, thinks the Bradman compliment was a major head-turner. "Suddenly people thought, 'Hold on, you don't have the greatest batsman saying things just like that.'"

Taylor also points out that part of the admiration has to do with the sheer amount of runs Tendulkar has made in Australia. Six of Tendulkar's 39 Test centuries have come in Australia, each worth its own photo album. Haigh's personal favourite was the MCG Test of 1999. "The Indian batsmen struggled awfully. [Rahul] Dravid was lifeless, inert," he remembers. "But Tendulkar was so immediately at home that it was almost like the Aussies just gave up trying to get him out and decided to work around him." Haigh calls Tendulkar not just a great batsman but a fascinating batsman: "so correct, so compact, as intricate and exquisitely functioning as a Fabergé egg."

Tendulkar came to Australia for the 1991-92 series as a impressionable youngster. His legend was already on the way to being established, thanks to the world record he had set with Vinod Kambli in school cricket. When he arrived in Australia, people wanted to see the young phenomenon. "People loved him then because he seemed to be still a boy but played brilliantly," recollects Mark Ray, a senior Australian journalist.

Ray, the author of Cricket Masala, a brilliant photographic travelogue of his various cricketing tours, touches on another aspect of Tendulkar's appeal. "His modesty is a bit old-fashioned these days and appeals to many Australians. We have an image of being tough, very self-confident sportsmen, but most of the public here still prefer the modest champion. He stands out in that regard." Jim Maxwell of ABC Radio believes it's Tendulkar's flawless character that has defined him. "Australians like the humble, the laconic, no-complaining types, which Tendulkar is."

Mike Coward, the eminent cricket writer, says: "Humility and civility have followed him all his life." For Coward it is Tendulkar "who has raised awareness about Indo-Australian cricket, given it a profile more than anyone else. He is someone people can relate to."

'Australians like the humble, the laconic, no-complaining types, which Tendulkar is'

Tendulkar for his part has valued the importance of gaining the respect of the most feared opponents around. Ravi Shastri, a team-mate at the time, recalls how Tendulkar, even on his first Australian tour, wanted to take the fight to the Aussies. "We were at the SCG and the contest was getting heated. Both of us were batting well and the Aussies were shooting sledges from all directions. I told him that I would take care of them while he focused on his batting. He was mentally charged. I still remember him saying, 'Let me get past my 100, then I will give it back', in Marathi. Let me point out again that he said he wanted to get to the century and only then would he distract himself."

When asked recently if Australia ever felt like a second home to him, Tendulkar said, laughing: "I only have one home. But it's truly a special feeling to walk in to such a reception, when I don't know if I am batting on zero or on 100."

In private conversations with friends Tendulkar has talked about his appreciation for the respect he has been accorded in Australia. He told a senior Indian journalist friend how satisfying it was to score his 39th Test hundred at the Adelaide Oval, the home of Bradman, who would have been close to a hundred years old if he were still alive. Tendulkar wouldn't admit that in the public lest it was mistaken for false modesty, but thereby he adds another layer to his greatness.

General Peter Cosgrove, a former head of the Australian Defence Force, delivering the 2008 Sir Donald Bradman oration at the University of Western Australia two weeks ago, said, "Australians are among the most overtly competitive people on the planet. Cricket defines our approach to competition: it has rules and teams, it demands focus and self-confidence. It entails an intense desire and will to win; it needs an abundance of skill, stamina, courage and perseverance." Indeed, these are the qualities Sachin Tendulkar has come to define for Australians among others. And in so doing, he has come to represent an unreachable ideal.

Greg Baum, columnist at Melbourne's Age, wrote in Wisden Asia Cricket magazine a few years ago: "Here is a man not susceptible to human failing in any endeavour, a man not so much invincible as invulnerable." He ended his appreciation by calling Tendulkar "the game's secular saint".

Sachin Tendulkar's 39th Test century

2008-01-24T09:27:00.000-08:00

Sachin Tendulkar's 39th Test century carried India to 309 for 5 by the close of day one in Adelaide

Tendulkar hundred caps India's day

India 5 for 309 (Tendulkar 124*, Sehwag 63, Laxman 51, Dhoni 6*) v Australia

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Sachin Tendulkar batted with confidence and posted his 39th Test century

It was less than two years ago that a small minority booed him off at the Wankhede Stadium in his home town. On Thursday at the Adelaide Oval, he replicated his feats as an 18-year-old, scoring his second century of the series as India endeavoured to take advantage of winning the toss. Sachin Tendulkar's 39th Test hundred was one of his finest, and it rescued India from the tight corner they found themselves in when Sourav Ganguly was given out midway through the afternoon.

Tendulkar's 126-run partnership with VVS Laxman wrested the initiative, but a superlative spell of old-ball bowling from Brett Lee righted the balance on a surface where even totals in excess of 550 haven't been enough to guarantee victory in the recent past. Having batted in fairly circumspect fashion immediately before and after tea, the batsmen went on the offensive against Brad Hogg, selected ahead of home-town hero, Shaun Tait, for this game.

Laxman started it with a elegant drive, and a six and a four either side of the sightscreen from Tendulkar in the same over forced Ricky Ponting to reassess his bowling options. Off went Hogg and on came Lee, with Michael Clarke pressed into service at the Cathedral End. Laxman greeted Lee with a delighful cut past gully for four, but he should have gone two balls later when a careless waft flew to Adam Gilchrist's right. He fumbled it, and Laxman, then on 37 and with the score at 240, would go on to add another 42 with Tendulkar.

By then, the master was in rampant mood. He had taken 77 balls for the half-century, but he needed just 56 more to reach a unique landmark. A powerful straight hit for six off Clarke got him to 98 and when he threaded a drive beyond mid-off's despairing dive, the crowd rose as one to acknowledge a fantastic effort. Soon after, he survived a half-shout when he tried to run a Hogg delivery down to fine leg and the ball might have gone off the face of the bat into Gilchrist's gloves. But so mild was the appeal from behind the stumps that Billy Bowden wasn't convinced.

Across the 22 yards, Laxman had been largely stifled by Lee's pace, but Hogg's left-arm spin was much more to his liking. Two swats through midwicket took him to 50 (95 balls), but Gilchrist redeemed himself for his earlier lapses soon after, holding on to a simple chance down the leg side after Laxman got himself into a terrible tangle against a Lee bouncer.

Unsure of whether to pull, he ended up taking his eyes off the ball, and it merely lobbed up off the glove to end what had been the defining partnership of the day. It was some reward for Lee, who steamed in at close to 150kph on a hot afternoon, reverse-swinging the ball at will to find a way back into the game for his team.

Tendulkar's innings had started in inauspicious circumstances after he walked out just before lunch following the dismissal of Dravid. It took him 18 balls to get off the mark but when he did, it was worth waiting for, a magnificent on-drive off Lee. That seemed to lift an invisible weight off his shoulders, and Mitchell Johnson was then taken for three fours through the off side in an over that saw India go past 100. Lee did strike him a painful blow in the ribs, but the real alarm came when an attempted cut off Hogg fell just short of Clarke at backward point.

It helped India that Tendulkar found his rhythm just as Virender Sehwag was losing his. With the bowlers maintaining tight lines and Ponting setting astute fields, his scoring was restricted, and the frustration finally got the better of him when he had a statuesque flirt at a Lee delivery that thundered down at 149.1kph. Too late on the shot, he could only find the edge through to Matthew Hayden, restored to first slip after missing the defeat in Perth.

Mitchell Johnson picked up a couple of early wickets but needed more help for Australia to halt India's progress

Tendulkar's intent against Hogg was unmistakable, with cuts, sweeps and a huge shot that soared over midwicket for six. Stuart Clark came on to try and prise out another wicket, but it was to be Hogg that got lucky, as Asad Rauf upheld an appeal after Ganguly had been struck in line a long way forward. At 4 for 156, India were in danger of squandering the advantage.

Earlier, with a perfect blue sky overhead and a great batting surface underfoot, India had rattled off 51 in the opening hour, only to be reeled in before lunch. Dravid's wicket, on the ground where he inspired an Indian victory in 2003, was a big blow, but it also vacated the stage for Tendulkar to arrive to another standing ovation.

With Wasim Jaffer dropped so that Harbhajan Singh could be accommodated, the decision to open with Irfan Pathan was only a moderate success. He clipped the first ball he faced from Johnson for four through midwicket, but then played and missed a few times before sparring at one that just left him a touch. By then, India had 34 on the board, with Sehwag making a typically brisk start.

There were a couple of fortuitous edges through the slip cordon and an inside edge off Johnson that flew past off stump, but those were counterbalanced by two contemptuous flays through the covers when Lee erred in length. Clark came on in the tenth over, and Australia managed 14 before drinks, just a reminder that teams can do it when faced with the threat of fines or suspensions. He and Johnson stemmed the tide somewhat, and the Indians made up for the lack of boundaries with some aggressive and purposeful running between the wickets.

Dravid survived an excellent leg-before shout from Johnson when he was on 3, and the Indian masterplan was being implemented beautifully until a Johnson delivery that slanted across Dravid took the edge through to Ricky Ponting at second slip. Sehwag reached his half-century from just 68 balls, but it was Australia that inched ahead in the afternoon until Tendulkar flipped through his back pages and came up with the sort of innings that had 1992 or '98 stamped on it.

Hayden dropped Dhoni off Johnson just before stumps to complete a pretty ordinary day in the field for the world's best side. Lee and Johnson had been outstanding at times, but others needed to step up if they were to deny Tendulkar a triumphant Australian swansong.

I was determined to get a big one here - Tendulkar

2008-01-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

Australia v India, 4th Test, Adelaide, 1st day

'I was determined to get a big one here' - Tendulkar

January 24, 2008

Sachin Tendulkar savours his first hundred at the Adelaide Oval while VVS Laxman looks on

Sachin Tendulkar said he was happy to have notched up his first hundred at the Adelaide Oval, one where he hadn't made much of an impact earlier. Returning to the city where he met Don Bradman in 1998, he brought up his sixth hundred in Australia and second of the series.

"I knew that Adelaide hasn't been a great ground for me," he said after his unbeaten hundred at the end of the first day. "In 1999 I scored 65 runs here and that was my best, so I was determined to get a big one here. It also happens to be Sir Don's home ground. I wasn't thinking about that while batting out there but am very pleased to have got a hundred at this venue."

Tendulkar admitted that this was one of his most complete innings, talking about how certain balls went exactly where he intended. "The first straight drive off [Brett] Lee gave me a lot of confidence," he said. "I middled it and the shot went exactly where I wanted it to go. In the next over I repeated it [against Mitchell Johnson]. So I took it from there.

"There are days when you are moving well, days when you're not. There are also days when you middle the ball and days when you don't. You need to wait for that moment. I've felt those moments off and on in my career. Any hundred is special but when the team really needs one, it means more. Today there were big shots in between and defensive ones too. It was important we [Laxman and him] just stayed there and played according to the merit of the ball. We needed to play out the good spells properly."

Tendulkar has received an overwhelming reception in Australia, entering to standing ovations and being cheered throughout. No other Indian batsman has been accorded such a warm applause. "It's truly special," he said, "and sometimes I need to look at the scoreboard to figure out whether I'm 100-plus or zero. It means a lot to me and would like to thank each and every person for treating me like this. It makes every trip of mine very special."

Like in the first two Tests, Tendulkar was particularly severe on Brad Hogg but denied having "targeted" him for punishment. "Any bowler can get you out, you don't want to take anyone for granted," he said. "It all depends on the flow of my innings. If I pick the ball early enough, I will put it away. There were patches when he bowled well and patches when I felt I could put the ball away. Whenever I got the opportunity I made it count. That was my strategy."

Tendulkar went from 86 to 100 in a sequence that read 4,2,6,2, smashing the part-time spin of Michael Clarke. "I thought the wind was behind me and wanted to use it," he said. "I knew if I middled the ball, it would clear the field. Even if I don't middle it the wind would work.

"I was very positive at that stage and if the ball was there to put away, I was prepared to do that again," he said off the six that took him to 98. "When I played that off-drive [to get to 100], I played inside out, though it was not a half-volley. I had that chance to force the ball. I got the time to force it a little bit."

He was pleased to have weathered the old-ball burst from Lee - "he has been their stand-out bowler" - and thought India would need to bat as long as possible to increase their chances of leveling the series. "I think to put up a big total in the first innings would be the key. Later on I think the wicket might have some big cracks. Ideally we would like to score as many runs tomorrow. The first session will be very important."

Tendulkar does a Don in Adelaide

2008-01-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

Australia v India, 4th Test, Adelaide, 1st day

Tendulkar does a Don in Adelaide

January 24, 2008

Tendulkar brought out his signature shot that he hasn't played in recent Tests: the charge against the spinners to launch them back into the stands

There's a statue of Don Bradman at the Cathedral End of the Adelaide Oval, where he appears to be dancing down the track and lofting the ball straight over the bowler's head. The bat is above his left ear, his knees are bent and the eyes are looking upwards, watching the ball soar into the horizon of his home ground. It was fitting that Sachin Tendulkar chose the venue to bring up an immaculately-crafted hundred, the kind which is said to have put Bradman so far ahead of the rest.

If anyone missed Tendulkar's innings in the first three Tests they should have simply landed up here. He was attacking in Melbourne, authoritative in Sydney, and innovative in Perth but this was the combination of them all. It had the moments of adrenaline-fuelled strokeplay, a hint of chance, a dash of inventiveness and tons of intelligence. Bringing out his percentage game against a high-quality bowling attack, he stood alone.

It wasn't an innings with any distinct shade, rather one that covered the entire spectrum. Walking in to a standing ovation, he didn't score off the first 18 balls. Soon after he had eased into first gear, he set the stage with a flurry of fours. The first was a simple, yet glorious straight drive off Brett Lee; the fourth was hammered past Mitchell Johnson, the bowler. The skies were clear but it would have been fitting if a rainbow hung over the arena.

Bradman rated his 254 at Lord's as his finest innings, simply because each stroke went exactly where he intended. It was interesting to hear Tendulkar talk about the first couple of straight drives here, saying how the ball travelled precisely where he wanted it to go. "These are phases which come and go," he said, "and you know when you're hitting the ball well. You need to wait for that moment."

It wasn't a flawless innings. He was in trouble against Brad Hogg, padding up without offering a stroke, and had his nervy moments while facing Lee and Johnson. A few moments before tea, with Johnson bowling the 53rd over, he was bounced twice before being beaten on the move. The next ball, pitched on the same length like the previous one, was left alone. The final ball, straighter and swinging away, was edged short of first slip.

Through the innings, he showed the ease with which he could adjust. By paddle-sweeping Hogg, he altered his line towards the off stump. Soon he tapped it away to the off. Against Lee, while facing a brilliant late-afternoon spell, Tendulkar subtly changed his stance after each miss, shifting an inch or so either way. Good balls were followed by a little nod, as if to suggest that he was enjoying the battle.



	Through the innings, he showed the ease with which he could adjust. By paddle-sweeping Hogg, he altered his line towards the off stump. Soon he tapped it away to the off. Against Lee, while facing a brilliant late-afternoon spell, Tendulkar subtly changed his stance after each miss, shifting an inch or so either way.

It was an innings where the good balls were put away, amply illustrated when Hogg said his "best ball of the day" had been struck for six. Stuart Clark saw a good away-goer race past gully, simply because Tendulkar had known exactly when to open to the face of the bat.

What he also did was to bring out a shot that he's rarely played in recent Tests: the charge against the spinners to launch them back into the stands. It used to be one of his signature strokes and often came with an air of dominance, dismissing the good balls with quicksilver footwork. Twice he stepped out and smashed the spinners over their heads, revealing yet again how he could change his game depending on the situation. He signed off with a cheeky ramp over the slips, making full use of Lee's pace and bounce, and rounded off an innings which had almost everything.

Tendulkar scores 38th century

2008-01-03T21:46:00.000-08:00

Tendulkar ton guides India past 400

India 8 for 500 (Tendulkar 145*, RP Singh 13*) lead Australia 463 by 37 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball-details
How they were out

Sachin Tendulkar made his 38th Test century and India took the lead on Australia's total on the third day in Sydney

The century that eluded Sachin Tendulkar repeatedly in 2007 came at the earliest possible opportunity in 2008 as he helped India negotiate a post-lunch wobble and reduce the deficit to just 39 runs in the company of a feisty Harbhajan Singh. Australia sniffed a chance of gaining a sizeable lead when they snapped up two quick wickets immediately after the lunch break, but Tendulkar then took over.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni let Australia get a foot in the door, trying to play a forcing shot off the back foot against Brett Lee and only managing a catch to Adam Gilchrist. When Anil Kumble, usually good for some stodgy resistance, fell to the same combination soon after, with India still trailing by 118, they were in serious trouble.

But Tendulkar deftly shifted gears, sensing that it was important that runs came quickly and was helped along by an adventurous Harbhajan. While Harbhajan's hitting, unorthodox and improvised, over the slips cordon and through the on-side, was a major bonus for India, it was Tendulkar who made the big difference.

Up until the lunch break Tendulkar had played a battling innings, getting to a half-century but not really attacking the Australian bowling. After lunch, with quick wickets falling, Tendulkar signalled his intentions with an upper-cut four into the vacant third-man region.

From there on the strokes were a treat to watch, and this Sydney crowd, perhaps watching Tendulkar play his last Test at the venue, applauded warmly even as Australia's bowlers were denied results. When he drove Stuart Clark through cover off the back foot and ran the brace that took him to three figures, there was no wild celebration for Tendulkar, rather an understated taking off of the helmet and acknowledgement of the crowd's cheers.

While Tendulkar's hundred provided the backbone, Harbhajan's unbeaten 41 proved invaluable as the two put on an unbeaten 79 runs going into the tea break. India were in with a good chance of wiping out the Australian lead, but it was not always that way.

The first session of the third day was hard work for India's batsmen. Ganguly continued his recent good run with some gorgeous strokes through the off side. The timing was impeccable and he started the day with a couple of caressed boundaries off Lee. He used his feet well to the spinners and made his own length by going either back or forward.

He heaved Brad Hogg over mid-on, lofted Michael Clarke over the straight boundary and cut when the spinners corrected the length. It was a soft dismissal at the end, as he fell trying to clear mid-off with Hogg getting a crucial wicket once more. The disappointment on missing out on a century was evident as he smashed his bat in the ground before walking off.

Meanwhile, Tendulkar was circumspect. He chose to defend against the seamers, taking care not to push outside the off stump and concentrated on staying out there in the middle. It was not a completely monk-like effort like 2004 as he played a few forcing strokes against the spinners. He swept and lofted Hogg and cut Clarke but it was clear that it was a day where he was going to embrace caution over bravado. Clarke troubled him on a couple of occasions with his floaters - Tendulkar survived a confident shout for lbw - but he battled on.

The momentum changed completely with Ganguly's fall. Yuvraj Singh never looked in. Never a confident starter against spin, he struggled against Hogg. He failed to pick the turn, lunged forward uncertainly and was hurried on by the occasional flipper. And the struggles continued when Lee returned with the second new ball. Lee tucked him up with well-directed short ones at his ribs before trapping him with a full one that held its line.

India 'properly prepared' - Tendulkar

2007-12-24T15:25:00.000-08:00

Series win would be Sachin' s career highlight

India 'properly prepared' - Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed for 19 in the washed-out tour match against Victoria but he is confident India have played enough cricket lately to be ready for Boxing Day © Getty Images

Sachin Tendulkar says it would be the highlight of his career if India can complete the mammoth task of beating Australia in the four-Test series that starts on Boxing Day. No visiting team has won a Test series in Australia since West Indies in 1992-93 and Tendulkar, who is embarking on his fourth tour of Australia, is desperate to taste the ultimate success before he retires.

"I think it would be the most important tour if we can pull it off," Tendulkar said. "Beating Australia is obviously the ultimate thing because the way they have played for so many years makes it a special tour. Having come here four times, it would be a wonderful occasion."

India last visited Australia in 2003-04, when they won the Adelaide Test and secured a 1-1 series draw. Australia have now triumphed in their past 14 Tests and two more would see them equal their own record set under Steve Waugh, but it was India who broke that winning streak in 2000-01 and Tendulkar is keen to help them do it again.

Their tour started with a three-day game against Victoria at the Junction Oval but only 48 overs were possible because of Melbourne's wet weather and play was abandoned completely on Saturday. Some parts of Melbourne had more than 100 millimetres (four inches) of rain in the week to Saturday morning - most of it in the last two days - although a warm change was expected by Christmas.

During the rain breaks India trained at the MCG's indoor nets and if Melbourne's weather remains nasty they will be back there several more times before the first Test. But Australia's coach Tim Nielsen said India would still be fresh from their tough series against Pakistan and Tendulkar agreed that they were already primed for Boxing Day.

"We have come here properly prepared because although the practice match was rained off, we have come here having played Test cricket, which is extremely important," Tendulkar said. "We are geared up and as far as I am concerned we are ready and we would like to go out there and put on a good show. We are confident."

However, he felt it would have been ideal if the players had more time to rest and recuperate between Test series. India arrived just days after a demanding home series against Pakistan and their season includes a massive seven back-to-back Tests.

"We can have more cricket, but it's equally important to have a little more gap in between the tours," he said. "But the international calendar is very tight so there's not much time to go back home and assess things."

Tendulkar made an entertaining, albeit brief 19 against Victoria and he is certain that the knee injury that kept him out of the final Test against Pakistan is behind him. He also wants to keep up his impressive form in Australia - from 12 Tests Tendulkar has made 1029 runs at 54.15. But India's hopes rest not only on Tendulkar but also on how quickly his team-mates can adjust to the bouncier pitches in Australia.

"All the batters have scored runs so they are feeling confident," he said. "What you do out there in the middle matters. You can practice various things but you have to go out there and get used to the occasion. Once you calm down your nerves, everything falls into place."

Tendulkar wraps up Indian test win

2007-12-01T02:03:00.001-08:00

NEW DELHI, India -- Sachin Tendulkar completed his 46th test half-century as India wrapped up a six-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first test in New Delhi on Monday.

Tendulkar is now second only to Brian Lara in the list of test run scorers.

The hosts knocked off the 32 runs they needed to win and go ahead in the three-match series off 6.2 overs, Tendulkar finishing with 56 not out.

Tendulkar, 32 overnight, pulled pacemen Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami for fours and reached his half-century by hitting leg-spinner Danish Kaneria through the covers for a boundary.

He finished the match with a square-cut four off Akhtar.

"Every time he (Tendulkar) goes out to bat he has to handle pressure and he has done it for the last 18 years," said India captain Anil Kumble.

"The hunger is there as always. He is definitely going to be number one test batsman in terms of runs, centuries, everything."

During this match Tendulkar became the second-highest test scorer with 11,207 runs and a record 37 centuries. Retired West Indies captain Brian Lara is now the only player ahead of him with 11,953.

Shoaib was Pakistan's best bowler with four for 58.

He denied left-handed Sourav Ganguly a 50 in his second over of the morning, having him caught pulling by debutant Sohail Tanvir at fine-leg.

Ganguly fell at his overnight score of 48 after putting on 88 for the fourth wicket with Tendulkar to set up the comfortable victory. He hit eight fours in his 64-ball knock.

Kumble said:"I think the boys responded very well. Everyone contributed in this win. The stand between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Laxman in the first innings was very crucial. Laxman is a class player.

"Our bowlers kept pressure in the second innings and then came the Ganguly-Tendulkar stand, which was the turning point."

The match was a personal triumph for veteran leg-spinner Kumble, who finished with seven wickets on his captaincy debut and was named man of the match.

The second Test begins in Kolkata on Friday.

Sachin Tendulkar-Stats

2007-11-28T11:42:00.001-08:00

Sachin Tendulkar

Player profile

Full name Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
Born April 24, 1973, Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra
Current age 34 years 275 days
Major teams India, ACC Asian XI, Mumbai, Yorkshire
Nickname Tendlya, Little Master
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak, Legbreak googly
Height 5 ft 5 in
Education Sharadashram Vidyamandir School

Batting and fielding averages
	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct
Tests	146	236	25	11740	248*	55.90			39	49		47	98
ODIs	407	397	37	15962	186*	44.33	18669	85.50	41	87	1747	166	120
T20Is	1	1	0	10	10	10.00	12	83.33	0	0	2	0	1
First-class	245	383	40	20379	248*	59.41			64	95			165
List A	494	482	51	19514	186*	45.27			52	105			155
Twenty20	5	5	0	198	69	39.60	119	166.38	0	2	30	5	2

Bowling averages
	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w
Tests	146	123	3856	2206	42	3/10	3/14	52.52	3.43	91.8	0	0
ODIs	407	263	7985	6774	154	5/32	5/32	43.98	5.09	51.8	4	2
T20Is	1	1	15	12	1	1/12	1/12	12.00	4.80	15.0	0	0
First-class	245		7215	4095	67	3/10		61.11	3.40	107.6		0
List A	494		10161	8402	201	5/32	5/32	41.80	4.96	50.5	4	2
Twenty20	5	4	57	65	2	1/12	1/12	32.50	6.84	28.5	0	0

Career statistics
Test debut	Pakistan v India at Karachi, Nov 15-20, 1989 scorecard
Last Test	Australia v India at Perth, Jan 16-19, 2008 scorecard
Test statistics
ODI debut	Pakistan v India at Gujranwala, Dec 18, 1989 scorecard
Last ODI	India v Pakistan at Jaipur, Nov 18, 2007 scorecard
ODI statistics
Only T20I	South Africa v India at Johannesburg, Dec 1, 2006 scorecard
T20I statistics
First-class debut	1988/89
Last First-class	Australia v India at Perth, Jan 16-19, 2008 scorecard
List A debut	1989/90
Last List A	India v Pakistan at Jaipur, Nov 18, 2007 scorecard
Twenty20 debut	South Africa v India at Johannesburg, Dec 1, 2006 scorecard
Last Twenty20	Bengal v Mumbai at Ahmedabad, Apr 19, 2007 scorecard

Notes

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1997

Profile

Sachin Tendulkar has been the most wholesome batsman of his time, and arguably the biggest cricket icon as well. His batting is based on the purest principles: perfect balance, economy of movement, precision in stroke-making, and that intangible quality given only to geniuses, anticipation. If he doesn't have a signature stroke - the upright, back-foot punch comes close - it is because he is equally proficient in each of the full range of orthodox shots (and plenty of improvised ones as well) and can pull them out at will.

Though he has adopted a noticeably conservative approach in the last quarter of his career, there are no apparent weaknesses in Tendulkar's game. He can score all around the wicket, off both front foot and back, and has made runs in all parts of the world in all conditions.

Some of his finest performances have come against Australia, the overwhelmingly dominant team of his era. His century as a 19-year old on a lightning fast pitch at the WACA is considered one of the best innings ever to have been played in Australia. A few years later he received the ultimate compliment from the ultimate batsman when Don Bradman confided to his wife that Tendulkar reminded him of himself.

Blessed with the keenest of cricket minds, and armed with a loathing for losing, Tendulkar set about doing what it took to become one of the best batsmen in the world. This was after he was turned away from a fast-bowling camp in Chennai by Dennis Lillee.

Tendulkar's greatness was established early: he was only 16 when he made his Test debut. He was hit on the mouth by Waqar Younis but continued to bat, in a blood-soaked shirt. His first Test hundred, a match-saving one at Old Trafford, came when he was 17, and he had 16 Test hundreds before he turned 25. In 2000 he became the first batsman to have scored 50 international hundreds, and he currently holds the record for most hundreds in both Tests and ODIs - remarkable, considering he didn't score his first ODI hundred till his 79th match.

Tendulkar's considerable achievements seem greater still when looked at in the light of the burden of expectations he has had to bear from his adoring but somewhat unreasonable followers, who have been prone to regard anything less than a hundred as a failure. The aura may have dimmed, if only slightly, as the years on the international circuit have taken their toll on the body, but Tendulkar remains, by a distance, the most worshipped cricketer in the world.
Sambit Bal October 2007

Sachin Tendulkar-Stats

2007-11-28T11:42:00.000-08:00

Sachin Tendulkar

India

Player profile

Full name Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
Born April 24, 1973, Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra
Current age 34 years 218 days
Major teams India, ACC Asian XI, Mumbai, Yorkshire
Nickname Tendlya, Little Master
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak, Legbreak googly
Height 5 ft 5 in
Education Sharadashram Vidyamandir School

Batting and fielding averages
	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct
Tests	141	228	24	11207	248*	54.93			37	46		42	93
ODIs	407	397	37	15962	186*	44.33	18669	85.50	41	87	1747	166	120
T20Is	1	1	0	10	10	10.00	12	83.33	0	0	2	0	1
First-class	240	375	39	19951	248*	59.37			63	92			160
List A	494	482	51	19514	186*	45.27			52	105			155
Twenty20	5	5	0	198	69	39.60	119	166.38	0	2	30	5	2

Bowling averages
	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w
Tests	141	117	3742	2143	42	3/10	3/14	51.02	3.43	89.0	0	0
ODIs	407	263	7985	6774	154	5/32	5/32	43.98	5.09	51.8	4	2
T20Is	1	1	15	12	1	1/12	1/12	12.00	4.80	15.0	0	0
First-class	240		7101	4032	67	3/10		60.17	3.40	105.9		0
List A	494		10161	8402	201	5/32	5/32	41.80	4.96	50.5	4	2
Twenty20	5	4	57	65	2	1/12	1/12	32.50	6.84	28.5	0	0

Career statistics
Statistics	Statsguru Tests \| Statsguru ODIs \| Statsguru T20Is
Test debut	Pakistan v India at Karachi, Nov 15-20, 1989 scorecard
Last Test	India v Pakistan at Delhi, Nov 22-26, 2007 scorecard
ODI debut	Pakistan v India at Gujranwala, Dec 18, 1989 scorecard
Last ODI	India v Pakistan at Jaipur, Nov 18, 2007 scorecard
Only T20I	South Africa v India at Johannesburg, Dec 1, 2006 scorecard
First-class debut	1988/89
Last First-class	India v Pakistan at Delhi, Nov 22-26, 2007 scorecard
List A debut	1989/90
Last List A	India v Pakistan at Jaipur, Nov 18, 2007 scorecard
Twenty20 debut	South Africa v India at Johannesburg, Dec 1, 2006 scorecard
Last Twenty20	Bengal v Mumbai at Ahmedabad, Apr 19, 2007 scorecard

Notes

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1997

Profile

Tendulkar's greatness was established early: he was only 16 when he made his made his Test debut. He was hit on the mouth by Waqar Younis but continued to bat, in a blood-soaked shirt. His first Test hundred, a match-saving one at Old Trafford, came when he was 17, and he had 16 Test hundreds before he turned 25. In 2000 he became the first batsman to have scored 50 international hundreds, and he currently holds the record for most hundreds in both Tests and ODIs - remarkable, considering he didn't score his first ODI hundred till his 79th match.

Arjun Tendulkar-Sachin's son

2007-11-28T11:36:00.000-08:00

Mr S. Khan: Aryan’s pride, other papas’ envy

- Sorry, young fathers, the superstar has bagged the gold at son’s school and set a tough goal for you

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Dad’s dash: Shahrukh Khan

Mumbai, Feb. 8: If you had been a young father at this school sporting event today, you might not have felt inclined to clap very hard.

The announcer was businesslike: “Mr S. Khan, father of Aryan Khan, please come to the podium.”

A 40-year-old wearing a grin familiar to millions stepped proudly forward to receive his medal.

Superstar Shahrukh Khan had just pocketed the gold at the 100-metre sprint for parents at his child’s school sports meet.

The demands of fatherhood had just got a little tougher for hundreds of thousands of Indian men in their thirties and early forties.

Young fathers prevented from attending the meet by the oppressive schedules of modern urban life may not have grudged the actor his presence by his son’s side, though it’d mean they would’ve some hard explaining to do at home.

But try explaining to your eight-year-old kid why papa can’t disappear ahead of the rest of the field in a cloud of dust.

“He is 40 and still he was yards ahead of the rest of the pack at the finishing line,” said Manas Munim, a wonderstruck rival.

Shahrukh’s son Aryan (top) and Sachin’s son Arjun, the winner and runner-up in the 100-metre race for students

If only it had been a cricketer or any other sportsman who had won!

The morning had begun harmlessly enough. His usual energetic self, Shahrukh clicked away on his digital, capturing his children while wife Gauri chatted with friends and fellow parents Juhi Chawla and Adhuna Bhabani Akhtar.

Khan, in jeans and red checks, was joking away with other parents when the call was made for the runners to take up position. A few stretches and the celebrity father was ready.

He lined up with Chunkey Pandey, Farhan Akhtar, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and a host of others from more mundane walks of life. Then he was out of sight? well, almost.

“Shahrukh was thrilled to have the gold medal around his neck. It didn’t matter that it was at his children’s school sports meet,” a close friend said.

Hardly surprising, since the actor had been a school-level athlete and had made it to the hockey, cricket and football teams at his school, St Columba’s.

“I would’ve been in the army or become an athlete had I not been an actor,” Shahrukh had once told an interviewer.

Aryan, too, won gold in his 100-metre event, beating off strong competition from the silver-winner.

And here’s where Munim and the other young fathers ? worrying how to live up to expectations at home from now on ? have reason to feel a bit hard done by.

The boy who came second to Aryan was named Arjun Tendulkar.

If only for a day, many Indian men would’ve been wishing that Sachin Tendulkar were here to try and win a 100-metre gold rather than be at the nets in Pakistan, eyeing a 40th one-day century.

QUOTES: About Sachin

2007-11-28T11:28:00.000-08:00

In terms of technique and compactness, Tendulkar is the best: Desmond Haynes.
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: Sir Garfield Sobers.
He is 99.5 per cent perfect. I'd pay to see him: Viv Richards.
I saw him playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I feel that this player is playing much the same as I used to play, and she looked at him on Television and said yes, there is a similarity between the two... his compactness, technique, stroke production... it all seemed to gel: Sir Donald Bradman.
Technically he stands out as the best because of his ability to increase the pace at will: David Boon.
There is no shame being beaten by such a great player, Sachin is perhaps only next to the Don: Steve Waugh.
Sachin is cricket's God: Barry Richards.
India's fortune will depend on how many runs the little champion scores. There is no doubt Tendulkar is the real thing: Sunil Gavaskar.
A complete batsman — he's the best in the business: Mohinder Amarnath.
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: Jeff Thompson.
If I've to bowl to Sachin, I'll bowl with my helmet on. He hits the ball so hard: Dennis Lillee.
You take Don Bradman away and he is next up I reckon: Steve Waugh.
I'll be going to bed having nightmares of Sachin just running down the wicket and belting me back over the head for six. He was unstoppable. I don't think anyone, apart from Don Bradman, is in the same class as Sachin Tendulkar. He is just an amazing player: Shane Warne.
When it comes to judging the best among these fabulous band of batsmen, my vote goes to Tendulkar. He has an uncanny ability to come out on top under different circumstances and under different conditions, whether it is Test cricket or one-day internationals. And more importantly, he has done this so young: Shane Warne.
Don't bowl him bad balls, he hits the good ones for fours: Michael Kasprowicz.
Hell, if he had stayed, even at 11 an over he would have got it: Allan Border (after India won the Coca-Cola cup in Sharjah).
He is a perfectly balanced batsman and knows perfectly well when to attack and when to play defensive cricket. He has developed the ability to treat bowlers all over the world with contempt and can destroy any attack with utmost ease: Greg Chappell.
It's scary, where the hell do we bowl to him: Allan Border. Yeah mate, but that's with all great players: Ian Chappell. Imagine what he'll be like when he's 28: Allan Border. I'd like to see him go out and bat one day with a stump. I tell you he'd do okay: Greg Chappell.
Sachin's better; Lara is more risky outside the off stump: Mark Waugh.
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"
He's a phenomenon. We have to be switched on when he plays allow him no boundries, for then he doesn't stop: Mark Taylor.
Tendulkar is the most complete batsman I have stood behind. I saw the hundred in Perth on a bouncy pitch with Hughes, McDermott and Whitney gunning for him — he only had 60-odd when No 11 came in. I've seen him against Warne too: Ian Healy.
Harder he works, the luckier he gets: Ian Chappell.
He has defined cricket in his fabulous, impeccable manner. He is to batting what Shane Warne is to bowling: Richie Benaud.
Sachin's the best. I've had this view since I saw him score that hundred in Sydney in 1992. He's the most composed batsman I've ever seen: Mike Coward.
The pressure on me is nothing as compared to Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin, like God, must never fail. The crowd always expects him to succeed and it is too much pressure on him: Mark Waugh.
I still think Tendulkar is the best batsmen in the world ahead of Steve Waugh and Lara: Glenn McGrath.
He is currently the best batsman in the world: Sir Gary Sobers.
There's no doubt about it. He is the best: Tony Grieg.
Technically, you can't fault Sachin. Seam or spin, fast or slow — nothing is a problem: Geoffrey Boycott.
Sometime back I had written a piece that said that Sachin's the master and Lara a genius with his head high up somewhere. That's it: Peter Roebuck.
A little genius. Reminds me of Sunny Gavaskar: Kieth Fletcher.
He is Sachin Tendulkar. I hope he stays Sachin Tendulkar. We need a new player, a player in his own way. He has a technique which is the hallmark of a great player. Everything indicates that he will be a great player and I am sure he will prove me right. Reminds me of Barry Richards: Eddie Barlow.
Destined to be a great: Barry Richards.
What we (Zimbabwe) need is 10 Tendulkars: Paul Strang.
The original little master, Sunil Gavaskar, had said that the champion cricketer was an example of the perfect batsman. Gavaskar praised Tendulkar for the stillness of his head, his straight back-lift, the ease with which he played his shots and their wide range.
West Indian great Brian Lara said Sachin Tendulkar was a peerless batsman with a lot more to offer. Lara, Test cricket's leading scorer with 11,294 runs, regarded Tendulkar the best batsman he ever watched despite the prolific success of Australian captain Ricky Ponting and South African Jacques Kallis. Lara said: "For me, the best batsman in the world is Sachin Tendulkar. I admire Jacques Kallis' consistency and Ricky Ponting, with the purple patch he's going though. Everybody gets 15 minutes of fame. But if there's one person I've admired over a 15-year period, it's definitely Sachin."
The fact of the matter is that India still need Sachin in a big way. All this talk of the youngsters taking over is very foolish. The reason why Tendulkar is so important for the team is because of his ability to inspire others and make them perform under pressure - TOI
Not only did Tendulkar continue playing, but he also emerged as one of the finest batsmen to grace the game and was regarded by the great Don Bradman as his modern reincarnation. Greg Chappell too is impressed with Sachin. The Australian believes the hype and expectations on Sachin is greater than even Bradman faced in his day.
The Indian coach said: Sachin carries a weight of collective expectation to the crease that few can comprehend. Bradman would not have had the weight of expectation that Sachin has on him every time he went out to bat."
"Cricketers like Sachin come once in a lifetime and I am privileged he played in my time," said Pakistan legend Wasim Akram.
Many hold Tendulkar's mastery of the craft high above anyone else in the modern era. Even the great Sir Don Bradman saw Sachin as his closest replica, indirectly branding the batting maestro better than Gavaskar.TOI
But the finest compliment must be that bookmakers would not fix the odds - or a game - until Tendulkar was out.

The Napolean of Centurian - TED CORBETT

2007-11-28T11:23:00.000-08:00

We have been in awe of Sachin Tendulkar's sills, ready first of all to be enchanted by his youth, then to be respectful of his mighty figures, and now to be assured that, whatever Bradman achieved, whatever Gavaskar did, he stands on his own, writes TED CORBETT

IS there anyone, no matter how experienced, how qualified, how seasoned, who dare to measure the greatness that lies within Sachin Tendulkar? I doubt it. In an era of sublime batsmen - Lara, Kallis, Dravid and Ganguly, the Australian top five, none of whom need to have their names spelt out -Sachin has no equal.For 13 years Test and one-day batsmanship has been defined by his deeds. We have been in awe of his skills, ready first of all to be enchanted by his youth, then to be respectful of his mighty figures, and now to be assured that, whatever Bradman achieved, whatever Gavaskar did, Tendulkar stands on his own.He is not just the richest of cricketers but the most richly rewarding to watch.

In the early 21st century we can easily recall the achievements of another generation only recently past: Lloyd and Richards, the Chappell brothers, Martin Crowe, Javed Miandad, Gower and Botham, Azharuddin and Zaheer Abbas; all touched with angelic grace and producing figures to astound us. None measure up to the prowess of Tendulkar, the supreme batsman. We knew it when the World Cup began and now we have had all our adjectives confirmed, all our dreams realised, seen his muscular batsmanship reach heights we only guessed at, seen, best of all, his courage, his imaginative use of the unorthodox, and wondered once again at his pocket battleship strength. Here is no Viv Richards using his boxer's power to whip the ball to whatever part of the field took his fancy; here is no David Gower, harnessing his lithesome elegance and timing to ease the ball hither and thither.

For, let us make no bones about it, Tendulkar is small yet, like those Amazons of the tennis circuit Venus and Serena Williams, he can stand away from the ball and yet hit it powerfully. Into the crowd as he did against Pakistan in that never-to-be-forgotten win or around the boundary ropes as he did in the England game. There has never been another batsman like him. One of a kind; and what a one! The poet Chesterton's phrase "The legend of an epic hour'' from The Napoleon of Notting Hill fits him precisely. Tendulkar is more properly The Napoleon of Centurion, a ground that ought to have a memorial to his deeds but before he raced to that magic score against Pakistan he had already made this tournament his own. He seems to have realised quicker than most that the old tactic of a 15-over bash at the top of the innings would not apply against the white ball on these sluggish South African pitches.

Sixty runs has been the mean average for the overs of field restriction in this event and that is how Sachin went about scoring his runs. How right he was too.By the time the preliminary matches had been completed, after 24 days of controversy and confusion, Tendulkar stood head and shoulders above the rest. Remember Shane Warne's departure under the shadow of a drugs charge, Rashid Latif's threat to sue, New Zealand's decision to drop out of the match in Nairobi, England's long battle to have their Zimbabwe match moved to South Africa, arguments about the failure to post four fielders in the ring, the ban on Waqar Younis for bowling beamers, Pakistan's fight during a football game, South Africa's inability to interpret the Duckworth-Lewis rules. The stories are endless. Happily, they are all forced into the shadow by Tendulkar's dynamic batting. As the preliminary matches ended his statistics took the breath away.

He began on the fourth day of the World Cup with 52 from 72 balls off Holland; a pipe-opener that went almost unnoticed as the host South Africa led by Shann Pollock slaughtered Kenya. (If only we had known then that Kenya were not the mugs of the competition but the first round heroes; would we not at this moment be sitting on our own Caribbean island, soaking up the sun and wondering how we might spend our ill-gotten gains.)

From that moment he made a steady progress of sizeable scores: 36 off 59 against Australia, 81 off 91 against Zimbabwe, 152 off 151 versus Namibia, 50 from 52 against England and finally, gloriously, 98 from 78 balls delivered by Pakistani bowlers brought victory and a certain place in the Super Sixes. In total six innings, 469 runs, at 78.19 with a century and four fifties ? not to mention a strike rate of 93.80 ? meant that as the teams regrouped for the next stage it was being called Tendulkar's Tournament. When we set his last few weeks in context we are not disappointed. Overall in World Cups Tendulkar has played 27 innings in 28 matches, been not out three times and scored 1,528 runs with that 152 not out against hapless Namibia his highest score. He averages a colossal 63.67, he scores at 88.63 for each 100 balls he faces and he has four hundreds and 10 fifties.

Surely there is another World Cup in his life which means that one day he will retire - yes, even gods have to put their feet up at some stage in their lives ? with figures beyond the dreams of youngsters starting on their one-day careers. Just as a reminder, Tendulkar has played 309 one-day games, batted 300 times, scored 12,015 runs with his highest score an undefeated 186, an average of 44.50, 34 centuries and 60 fifties. He collects those runs at 86.43 runs each 100 deliveries. I will throw in his Test statistics just to show what a big man lies inside that chunky body. In 105 Tests he has batted 169 times, scored 8,811 runs, including 31 centuries and 35 fifties at an average of 57.59.

So as the preliminary matches in the 2003 World Cup ended, Tendulkar had scored 20826 international runs and 65 international centuries and, not just in the opinion of the sub-continent, was sitting so high on Mount Everest that his rivals appeared to be making their way through the foothills. And, even in this World Cup, there is so much more to come. Perhaps even success for India if the rest of the side can back up that great man's towering success. The figures are not as impressive but he bowls and fields as enthusiastically as he must have done in his teen years when he set out on this great career in the rough grounds of Mumbai. He has captained India too and one day he may do so again.

So thank heavens for Tendulkar. He may be a millionaire many times over and he might, if he chose, retire and live in luxury for the rest of his days.But the best of this extraordinary cricketer is that, having played all the matches on the calendar, he rises every morning keen to play, looking forward to carrying that hefty bat to the middle and certain, as he has every right to be, that he can make even more runs. Long may he reign!

Why Yorkshire Loves The Wrong 'un - GEOFFREY BOYCOTT

2007-11-28T11:22:00.000-08:00

During the December 1997 Sharjah series I remember telling my good friend Sunil Gavaskar that I was thinking of writing that Sachin Tendulkar should stand down as captain. I strongly felt that that extra responsibility was holding him back as a batsman. He is a nice lad, polite, well-mannered—yet I felt the Indian team needed a good ‘kick up the backside’. I didn’t think it was right for him and India to spend so much of his mental and emotional energy on others. Sunil said, ‘Don’t write it Geoffrey—there will be hell to pay!’ Well, the selectors had the same view and it proved to be the right one. Freeing Tendulkar of the captaincy was a godsend.

Once relieved of the extra stress, he had a magical year. The Indian team has blossomed and he has solved the question on everyone’s lips as to who is the best—Brian Lara or Sachin Tendulkar? I have been privileged to see quite a lot of both fine players. But while Sachin has moved forward with dominating and majestic innings, Lara has gone backwards. Technically, you can’t fault Sachin. Seam or spin, fast or slow—nothing is a problem. Of course he will get out cheaply from time to time. Who doesn’t? All that will prove is that he is human.

When he came to Yorkshire as our first overseas player in 130 years he was a promising talent, a young man on the verge of his career. Much was expected of him in India but nobody was quite sure how good he would become. Who could know for sure? Most of us don’t have a crystal ball. With hindsight some will say ‘I told you so’ but it is easy to be right with hind-sight! There are people in England who still say he didn’t do that well for my county. I say they are wrong and all of our Yorkshire supporters loved him. We’d have him back tomorrow if we could!

It was vital that we had as our first overseas player someone who was no trouble. How awful it would’ve been if he had been seen out disco dancing on match days or drinking late at night in pubs or off—hard to members, sponsors and media. Sachin was a dream. A boyish smile, warm, friendly—nothing was too much trouble for him. Our members and the office staff loved him.

Yorkshire prided itself on having only Yorkshire-born players and by pure mis - chance we had never had a coloured cricketer. Therefore, we were open to the criticism of being prejudiced. Sachin’s arrival did away with that and every youngster knew from then on that what had been said was true.

I am delighted to have been the prime mover and proposer that changed Yorkshire’s club rules, and proud that the first one was a little embryo genius! Sachin played well for a medium team but at the age of 19 he was not the finished article. We didn’t expect him to be but he created an enormous amount of interest and left behind tremendous goodwill. I wouldn’t have swapped him for any other player.

From now on as his greatness unfolds there will be the inevitable comparisons with the ‘little master’—Sunil Gavaskar. It is always unfair to judge people who play in different eras but it won’t stop some individuals. The rules today are different for Sachin. Sunil played in an era where unlimited short stuff was allowed at the umpires’ discretion. Today there are only a handful of genuine fast men but Sunil had to take on—and won—against the all-conquering West Indians who had four of the very best operating all day long—every day.

So while we are all heaping praise on Sachin, don’t put down Sunny’s contribution. What we should do is enjoy Sachin’s batting while we can. His wicket will be the biggest prize sought after by every bowler around the world. That has always been the case for batsmen who hold the mantle of ‘best in the world’. From Grace to Hobbs to Bradman to Sobers and Richards. That won’t change—but I am confident Sachin can handle that.

Tendulkar A Genius! - GREG CHAPPELL

2007-11-28T11:20:00.000-08:00

When I watch Sachin Tendulkar bat I find myself wondering how Don Bradman would have coped with the modern game.

The Indian genius was at his imperious best when he delivered a match-winning innings for India in the humiliation of Sri Lanka at the Wanderers Stadium.Would Bradman's insatiable appetite for scoring runs have been diminished by so much cricket, especially the endless stream of one-day matches? How would he have handled the modern method of individual game plans and field placing?Suppose he experienced some of that with bodyline bowling and field placing and it curtailed his rampant run making. Would Bradman have automatically batted in a helmet and would he have graduated to heavier bats?

These are all imponderables, but it is natural to fantasise about such things when watching another blitzkrieg from the modern genius. Make no mistake Tendulkar is a genius!

Tendulkar's combination of deft touches and raw power is virtually unmatched in the game today.

Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Brian Lara probably go closest to him. They can certainly match his power though they don't quite match his exquisite skill and versatility.The versatility is an innate, instinctive skill. It must have been learned somewhere because I doubt that it was taught. Something in Sachin's environment early in his cricket development allowed for the acquisition of this skill.Bradman developed his similarly exquisite skill on his own, with the help of a golf ball thrown against a tank stand, and played with a stump.

Had Bradman learned to bat with the heavy bats in vogue today he may have played very differently?

While there is only a difference of 6 or 7 pounds between the bats used by Bradman and Tendulkar, the extra weight can make a difference in balance and style.Bradman controlled the bat with his top hand. This would have been more difficult with the heavier bat.In place of the glides, glances, pulls and cuts that he favoured, all along the ground of course, we may have seen more of the modern bludgeoning.Bradman used the laws of physics better than anyone else, then or now. He used the energy created by the bowler and redirected the ball with brilliant footwork and incredible wrist work.

Tendulkar goes closest to emulating him, but has the added advantage -- delivered by the heavier modern bat -- of being able to block the ball back past the faster bowlers more quickly than it was delivered.Tendulkar's innings of 97 was as intimidating to most of the Sri Lankan bowlers, as it was for the Pakistanis at Centurion Park.Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan were the only Sri Lankan bowlers who seemed capable of withstanding the Tendulkar-led tornado that comprehensively blew them away.The Indian bowlers, led by Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra then delivered the knockout blow which may have destroyed Sri Lanka's World Cup hopes. Just maybe!

I am not sure some of the bowlers will ever recover from the brutality of the assault.

India has made a remarkable recovery from the tour of New Zealand and the mauling by Australia on February 15. Confidence is a remarkable thing and it is difficult to play well without it. The difference in the team now is noticeable in all aspects of their cricket, not least of all in the field.

The intensity of commitment and quality of fielding has risen commensurate with the improved results. In this form India can seriously challenge for the title.

It will need the same level of commitment shown since the loss to Australia and it will need a team effort.

Tendulkar has shown them the way out of the gloom that had descended on the team, and their supporters, over the poor form leading into the World Cup.

He is one of the best four batsmen I have seen and he is the best player of his generation. What is it that makes Sachin Tendulkar so good?

He has an exceptional physical talent. He has outstanding balance. He is very competitive. He is very strong. He has exceptional speed. He has great presence and an excellent temperament. He has a huge desire to be the best and he has an extraordinary mental ability.Batting at the highest levels of the game is as much about mental skills as it is about physical talents. The better players may have a greater range of strokes than the rest but you can bet they also have a greater mental capacity.

Sir Donald Bradman was the best batsman of all time because he was the most determined and mentally strong batsman there has ever been. I am sure I have seen batsmen who have had as much physical talent as Bradman but they have not had the same ruthless drive to make big scores.Bradman had the ability to treat batting in matches the same way as he batted in the middle. He seldom felt the same pressures of batting that mere mortals feel. This allowed him to concentrate for long periods.

What exactly is concentration?Concentration is the ability to focus on the important things at the right moment while blocking out the rest. Some things are more relevant than others at different times.At the point of delivery the only thing that a batsman should see in his field of vision is the ball leaving the bowler's hand. Just prior to the point of delivery the batsman should see the full view of the bowler as he folds up into the delivery position. The ability to be able to track between the two at the appropriate times separates the men from the boys.

Testing that was done with Bradman concluded that his eyesight and reflexes were within the 'normal' range.

What he did better than the rest was to pick up the cues from the bowlers' action just prior to, and at the point of, delivery better than all the rest.I have no doubt Bradman, a well organised man, had a process of concentration for each and every delivery. His instincts were well trained from hours and hours of hitting golf balls with a cricket stump as a young man.His brain will have had a greater capacity for storing information than the most complex computers that man can build.The most important part of a batsman's development happens in the early stages of learning the game. The instinctive skills that are learnt at this stage are relied upon when under pressure in a match situation.These instinctive skills are learnt rather than taught.

A good coach will create the environment in which the young player will train these instincts.

The early environment in which Sachin learnt his skills must have been excellent. His instincts are outstanding.

I have been lucky enough to see all of the best batsmen of the past 50 years.

Some of those whom I rate in the very top bracket of the elite group of players in that time would be Peter May, Ken Barrington, Neil Harvey, Garfield Sobers, Rohan Kanhai, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Graeme Pollock, Sunil Gavaskar, Clive Lloyd, Barry Richards, Doug Walters, Viv Richards, Javed Miandad, Gordon Greenidge Ian Chappell, Allan Border, the Waughs, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Brian Lara and Tendulkar.

Each one of these players had slightly different methods and styles but each had great instincts.If I had to pick the best of all of these I would choose Sobers, closely followed by Pollock, Viv Richards and Tendulkar in no particular order. They all possessed 'genius' quality and could win matches on their own. Each hit the ball with incredible power. Sobers' record has stood the test of time for he made runs under all conditions against all types of bowling.

Tendulkar's record is also exceptional and he has played well against quality pace and spin. His clashes with Shane Warne in recent times, especially the past two Australian tours of India, have provided some excellent theatre.I have also seen him take on Saqlain (Mushtaq) and (Muttiah) Muralitharan in Sharjah and Sri Lanka respectively and he has taken them on and come out on top nearly every time. Tendulkar's record in the games India must win is excellent and stamps him as a true champion.His footwork and brute force are awesome to see and his range of strokeplay makes him the most awkward of customers against whom to bowl. I love to watch him bat because he has two or three options to the same delivery and he is just as likely to hit the best balls for four, or six.

If there were a weakness in his armoury some would say it is against quality fast bowling on the bouncy wickets of Australia. If that is true it doesn't make him Robinson Crusoe! All good players have been troubled by quality fast bowling on bouncy wickets at one time or another.As the pre-eminent batsman of his time, Tendulkar is always targeted by the opposition and has been tested on innumerable occasions. He has come out on top more often than not and his successes have usually carried India's fortunes with them.Few of Tendulkar's predecessors have played as much one-day cricket as he has and few, Bradman apart, have had to endure the pressure of mass adulation at home as he has.

The fact that he has endured the adulation, and the pressure of expectation of one billion fans, and has been able to maintain his equilibrium and his passion for the game is a great credit to him and his parents who obviously set an excellent foundation for him.

He cannot last forever so I make every effort to see him bat whenever I can for he is a rare gem, the like of which does not come along very often.

At 33, a fighting Tendulkar is still surprising us

2007-11-28T11:19:00.000-08:00

Tendulkar's true gifts lie in his mind, but it is his body which is the instrument of his genius, writes Rohit BrijnathSix months before Kuala Lumpur, before he advertised he could run 50 overs even at 33, before an innings against the West Indies that was like some national reassurance, before a century impressive for its unhesitancy, for a moment, even he was visited by doubt.

In late March, as surgeons poked around his shoulder in search of a cyst, mid-procedure, as he lay there semi-awake, they told Sachin Tendulkar that his bicep tendon, well, that had ruptured, too.

Toe. Finger. Back. Elbow. Shoulder. Now bicep. Sachin Tendulkar's true gifts lie in his mind, but it is his body which is the instrument of his genius. And it was failing him. Still, stoic, he told the doctors, "do what you have to do''.

Later, the pain was so pure, so cruel after even the slightest movement, that he thought "what is happening, it was like someone still cutting through your arm''. It was the only time when, understandably, he admits, "you always wonder if it's going to get better''.

Testing time

For much of his career Tendulkar has batted with such assurance that he spins the illusion he is unfamiliar with struggle. But he knows struggle. Well. He knows it because pressure arrives every morning, and just because he manages it with serenity hardly means he doesn't feel it.

He knows struggle because his form has dipped in recent times and the criticism hasn't always been pretty, but he keeps working; he knows struggle because he's missed 77 one-day matches because of various ailments since 1998-99, and as the years accumulate on his joints every comeback must be more testing.

Rehabilitation is slow, steady; great athletes are anything but. They are conditioned to push. Tell them recovery takes six months, and they think four. Sometimes it works, sometimes it makes for moments so deflating they'd rather be erased from the memory.

Tendulkar's moment, the worst one, came he says ''when I was trying hard to go to the West Indies. I was told by the doctors it was tough to make it. At one stage, I was the only one who said I was going there. Others said after this sort of surgery (shoulder and bicep) there was no way to recover in four months.''

''(But) I was pushing myself. And there was a setback. I felt a twitch in my bicep, it started hanging like a hammock. I got scared." So there he was, Tendulkar, mind flown to the Windies, but body on the couch in front of the TV in India.

Did he weep? "No," he laughs. "But I felt bad, I felt frustrated, I felt extremely low." He also felt desperately driven to come back. So he struggled on, leaning on wife Anjali, saying, "I spoke a lot to her, she's a huge supporting factor. She has a balanced mind, (offering both) a wife's opinion and a doctor's opinion."

But through this battle, gradually restoring his shoulder, muscle after muscle, stroke at a time, one thing he didn't doubt. His form.

Surely he was anxious; surely after another injury, another year older, he frets. But no, if Tendulkar didn't believe in himself, he couldn't play. "I wasn't worried," he says, "I don't need to convince myself. I know it (that I could reclaim my form).''

Addiction to attention

Were we surprised that he scored a century in his first full match back? Should we have been surprised? He says he wasn't, insisting he had laboured long to be ready, but maybe it's more than that. Champions, like him, seem to suffer from what might be light-heartedly termed an addiction to attention, finding the limelight irresistible, constant stealers of headlines.

Only the special can do this. Can score 93 off 96 balls as he did last year against Sri Lanka after returning from six months out because of elbow issues. Can return after making a duck in Multan on February 16 and score not just 141, but stay unbeaten, and last 50 overs. If he was making a statement, we heard it.

If it's been hard for Tendulkar, and annoying, because from 16 he's been a man of action and now he's condemned to these periods of idleness, he continues because cricket still infects his being. When he turned to heaven after the West Indies century, he may have thought of his late father, but he was also "thanking God'' that he was simply able to play, "to do what I enjoy doing''.

"I dont mind pushing myself. Every time you push yourself it's a torture only if you're not enjoying it, but I am (enjoying it). I look forward to even the practice sessions.'' At 33, Tendulkar's iron will is carrying a patched-up body forward.

His form, he admits, these past two years "has been good in patches". The injuries, all pertinently to his upper body, have stolen momentum from him, but time, too, has robbed his batting of some luminosity. No man is the greatest forever; but some men, like him, just remain great for longer.

I ask him, forget the scores, how does he know when he's batting well. He says: "When I see the ball early enough and move the way I want to move. To commentators and experts, they may feel I'm not moving, but the batter (knows best). If I want to do something and am able to do that, then there's nothing to worry about."

He's not worried. Ok, then, neither are we.

Sachin Tendulkar - The God Of Big Things

2007-11-28T11:05:00.000-08:00

Across cricket academies in India, youngsters chant a single mantra: that of Sachin
By God : He's God

EVEN when he's miles away from home, putting the world's most feared bowlers to the sword, Tendulkar is omnipresent at the coaching camps that have mushroomed across India's cricket-crazy cities. Monotheism is the unquestioned creed. Sachin is God, the only God. While wide-eyed youngsters, wielding bats heavier than their bodies, want to model their game on the master blaster's, many parents are willing to wager everything on their children in the frenzied search for more Tendulkars. Says Prinann Dutta (13), of Calcutta Boys School: "Sachin is the Boss. I worship him."

So do numerous young cricket enthusiasts. Sachin inspires the kind of fervour generally reserved for Divinity. Not even Gavaskar or Kapil quite had the same impact. They were huge icons of their times, but their exploits were always in the realm of the tangible. Tendulkar's deeds have assumed mythic proportions even as he's only probably a quarter of the way through his career.

Non-stop live TV has helped no doubt, but it's Tendulkar's own aura that's translated into a windfall for the cricket coaching shops. Virtually everyday, a new private coaching centre is unveiled in some corner of India, one of the latest being the Sunil Gavaskar Foundation training scheme in Calcutta. In Delhi, almost every major former cricketer, not to speak of veteran coaches like Drona-charya award-winning Gurcharan Singh, is actively involved with overbooked seasonal or permanent coaching camps. Demand far outstrips supply. Says Dilip Vengsarkar, who runs Mumbai's Elf Cricket Academy: "Sachin's been responsible for the increase in the number of kids taking up serious cricket training." The Calcutta cricketer-turned-coach Gopal Bose says: "Sachin is the No. 1 idol of the boys I coach. There's no other name. Ganguly maybe, but there isn't a third name."

Not surprising at all. He stands alone in the pantheon of cricket's Mt Olympus. Says Aravind Lal (13), a student of Hyderabad's Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan: "Sachin's God's gift to Indian cricket. I dream of emulating him, but can I?" Can anybody? Wonders K. Sai Baba, who runs the MCH-Sport Coaching Foundation: "Is it possible to consciously produce Sachins? A sportsman like him is born once in a way." Quite so. Isn't that why Sachin mania gets bigger and bigger? Ask Gaurav Majumdar, 15, of Calcutta's Julien Day School. "I've idolised Sachin ever since I took to cricket four years ago," he gushes. Adulation's grown into full-blown obsession. The youngster's bedroom walls are plastered with Sachin posters. He's asked his mother to pick up every book, every article that mentions the Big Little Master. "If you idolise Sachin, you don't need to idolise anyone else. He grabs your attention totally," says Gaurav. That's a bit like Sac-hin's game: no half measures.

But when a young cricketer goes gaga over Sachin, he should keep his feet on the ground, warns former Ranji player Vijay Mohanraj, the first to start a private coaching centre at the Secunderabad Gymkhana grounds. "Not everyone can be a Sachin. Coaching is only a part of the learning process. Everything hinges on natural ability." Cricketing abilities do vary at these camps. But the reigning idol is constant. Such is Sachin's power over minds and hearts

SPORTS HERO:SACHIN

2007-11-28T11:00:00.000-08:00

SPORTS HERO:
SACHIN TENDULKAR

Basketball has Jordan. Soccer has Beckham. Cricket has Tendulkar. Just saying the name Sachin Tendulkar is enough to strike fear into the hearts of cricket players worldwide. At the tender age of 16, Tendulkar was thrust into the international spotlight in his debut test match. Now he is a living legend and continues to amaze India and the world with his incredible cricket skills.

Called "The Little Champion" and "The Greatest Batsman Alive," Tendulkar stands at only 5'4. However, in spirit and talent, he towers over his colleagues. He was made captain of the Indian cricket team from 1996-1997, and was the second youngest captain in Indian cricket history. His captaincy was cut short, but this setback didn't keep Tendulkar down for long.

Most recently, Tendulkar was awarded the prestigious Man of the Tournament award during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003.