Fantastic, fantastic article from cricinfo
:notworthy: :notworthy: :clap: :clap: :clap:
Printable View
Fantastic, fantastic article from cricinfo
:notworthy: :notworthy: :clap: :clap: :clap:
2/2
Even adults haven't asked me such insightful questions.He is one of the brightest kids I have ever met.I pray for his speedy recovery.
7:20 AM Jun 4th via UberTwitter .
1/2
Met a boy called Varun who has Leukemia through MAKE A WISH FOUNDATION. I was really impressed with his knowledge on cricket...
7:16 AM Jun 4th via UberTwitter
:clap: :clap: :clap: :notworthy: :notworthy: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :redjump: :bluejump: :bluejump: :redjump: :2thumbsup: :yes: :exactly: :cool2: :goodidea:
Idhellam konjam over reaction than but the news is definitely great.
Sachin Tendulkar will now be invited to the Royal box to watch Wimbledon. :D.
Wimbledon invites Sachin to Royal Box
Vijay Tagore / DNA
Saturday, June 12, 2010 0:22
That Sachin Tendulkar is a tennis fan is known. His love for Wimbledon is also well documented. He never misses an opportunity to watch ‘live’ action on the hallowed lawns of Big W. He was seen there last year. He will be seen this year too.
However, this time, the Maestro will be there as a guest rather than as a visitor. He will watch the proceedings ‘live’ from the box. The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club has invited him to witness the matches from the Royal Box. His invitation is for June 26, the first Saturday of the Wimbledon fortnight. It is also known as Sporting Saturday when guests from the field of sports are invited.
As a guest to the Royal Box, Tendulkar could be watching the match alongside Tim Phillips, the Duke of Kent, who also happens to be the life president of All England Club. “That’s right. The Duke should be there alongside him,” a spokesman for the club said.
The invites are sent by the club “taking into account suggestions from members of the championships’ organising committee.” The Royal Box has a capacity of 74 seats with dark green Lloyd Loom wicker chairs.
When approached, Tendulkar confirmed the invite and his acceptance. “Yes, I have been invited there and I will be going,” he told DNA. Wimbledon starts on June 21. As per a club communication, British and overseas Royal Families, heads of government, the world of tennis, media organisations are among those who get invited to the Royal Box.
Tendulkar, however, has a dress code to follow. Protocol says: “dress is smart, suits/jacket and tie etc.” The other protocol to watch from the Royal Box is that ladies should not wear hats, “as they tend to obscure the vision of those seated behind them.”
http://www.dnaindia.com/dnaprint910.php?newsid=1395231
great news indeed :D
:thumbsup: for Wimbledon!!
India news
World Cup final a dream - Tendulkar
Andrew McGlashan
June 14, 2010
'We must take it step-by-step but to get there would be a fascinating journey' © Getty Images
Every time Sachin Tendulkar walks out to bat he has the hopes of billions rested on his shoulders, yet when India co-host the World Cup next year expectations will reach even greater levels. The final will be hosted in Mumbai, Tendulkar's home town, but he is refusing to let his mind wander towards the prospect of a moment that would crown his career.
"As far as the World Cup is concerned it is a process. We don't want to jump to the 50th floor straight away, we must start on the ground floor," he said. "We must take it step-by-step but to get there would be a fascinating journey. It is our dream, not just mine but the entire nation, to get there. To play the final in Mumbai is something you can only dream of and everything has to come together.
"But if we can play to the best of our potential then I think we can do something we have been longing to do for quite some time."
Tendulkar is currently taking a break from the game but will return to Indian colours for the Test series against Sri Lanka next month. The five-day format has suddenly taken on a much greater priority in India - although Tendulkar, himself, has always been adamant it is the main brand of the game - after the team reached No. 1 in the world.
They will look to consolidate that position against Sri Lanka before a mouth-watering contest in South Africa at the end of the year as the top two ranked teams go head-to-head over three Tests at Centurion, Durban and Cape Town. It will be a huge challenge for India to compete in foreign conditions against the likes of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, but Tendulkar doesn't want to let the top spot slip away after working so hard for the honour.
"To be number one is special, it was our dream and our target to get to the number one spot in Test cricket," he said. "We have had a good run in the last 20 months. Everyone wants to be number one and we cannot relax because there are other countries who want to be number one. It means a lot to us."
At 37, it won't be too long before Tendulkar calls time on his stellar career. He has already cut back his Twenty20 commitments and doesn't play that format internationally, while he also declined a deal with Middlesex this season to spend more time with his family. However, for the time being he has no plans to end his Test or one-day days.
"I want to play for as long as possible and as long as I have the desire and the hunger I will carry on," he said. "The day I do not want to get out of bed and do anything then I know it will be time to go in another direction."
Sachin Tendulkar is an RBS brand ambassador and was speaking in London to mark 30 years of NatWest involvement in English cricket
Andrew McGlashan is assistant editor of Cricinfo
Feeds: Andrew McGlashan
http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/c...ry/463170.html
Tendulkar backs England for Ashes
(UKPA) – 3 hours ago
Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar believes England have every chance of retaining the Ashes on Australian soil this winter.
Tendulkar, widely regarded as one of the best batsmen in the history of the game, believes England's chances will largely depend on the form of Kevin Pietersen and Graeme Swann down under, while he also expects Test rookie Eoin Morgan to feature prominently.
"I think England have a good chance of retaining the Ashes," said Tendulkar.
"The key members for England will be Pietersen, Morgan, and in the bowling department - Swann.
"For me they will be the key members of the team. Then after that you have the experience of Andrew Strauss, so they can do something special in Australia.
"Swann will play a big role so I think England definitely have a good chance.
"Also, from what I have seen of Morgan, he looks a solid player. He can control the pace of the game quite nicely - certainly in T20 and one-day matches.
"The winning of a major tournament gives you confidence and this is what winning the ICC T20 World Cup has done for England.
"I am sure at this moment England feel as though they can pull off any situation. It's all about confidence and positive energy and once you have this, then anything is possible.
"I would not use the word vulnerable to describe Australia. But they have lost some match-winners. They are going to miss those players and it takes time to replace them." :yes:. Nobody talks correctly like Sir. :exactly:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukp...GOezQSQklzengQ
LM, Sir is on my side :poke: :lol: :).
Thalaivar ippadi sollittare :| But still, he just thinks England can win Ashes. He is not sure about it :lol: :poke:
Sachin Tendulkar opens up on his career and the modern game
Richard Hobson, Deputy Cricket Correspondent
Sachin Tendulkar was the special guest of NatWest at a breakfast in London today to mark their 30 years of cricket sponsorship in England. The venue, the Century Club on Shaftesbury Avenue, could almost have been renamed the Century of Centuries Club given Tendulkar’s record 93 hundreds in Test and one-day internationals.
Adam Mountford, the producer of BBC’s Test Match Special, compered the event enthusiastically and a rush to ask Tendulkar to autograph various bits and pieces of memorabilia at the end of the session – with a number of former players in the queue – provided testimony to his enormous standing in the game. For a little man his presence is quite staggering.
In keeping with the occasion, most questions centred on his experiences in England. But Tendulkar also touched on broader issues including the future of limited overs cricket, his way of dealing with expectations back home and the dream of playing for India in the World Cup final in his home city of Mumbai next year.
Here are some of the highlights:
On his first tour of England as a 17-year-old in 1990
“A few days ago I watched some film of my hundred at Old Trafford. I think I was embarrassed to put my bat in the air to show the crowd. I remember the press conference afterwards and being amazed at all the cameras. That may have been the first press conference I ever gave. I grew up watching cricket in England on the TV and to play for India over here was a dream.”
On his low, one-handed running catch to dismiss Allan Lamb at Lord’s that year
“I just thought ‘how can the ball have stayed in my hand’. We had a top three batsman in our side then called WV Raman, he loved to play his shots but didn’t worry too much about footwork. We called him ‘the lazy, elegant WV Raman’. In the dressing room afterwards we were talking about that catch and I said to him ‘see how much ground you can cover if you move your feet’. He looked surprised and just said: ‘Can you?’”
Did you learn anything from Graham Gooch’s 333 in that Test?
“I remember thinking how glad I was to be 17 so I had the energy to keep running around in the field. But he also scored a hundred in the second innings and strangely that made a bigger impact. I thought that was a greater achievement, to have the mental strength to come out the next day and do it again, to have that desire. That innings was a huge learning process for me.”
On coming to Yorkshire as overseas player in 1992, posing for publicity shots with a flat cap on his head and a pint of bitter in his hand
“I had not started drinking then and there I was with a big glass of Tetleys in my hand. My parents asked what had happened and I had to say ‘don’t worry, I didn’t actually drink it’. But that was a special time for me. The reception everywhere when I walked out to bat was fantastic. I had to keep pinching myself to remember I was on zero. To any youngster I can say blindly, just go and play a season in England. It will really improve you as a cricketer.”
Will you come back to England to play county cricket, perhaps in the T20?
“If I was 27, definitely. But I’m 37 and I suppose the best answer is ‘if time permits’. My schedule is so tight it becomes difficult to fit in time with my children [he has a girl aged 12 and a boy aged 10]. The reason I didn’t play for Middlesex in the end this time is because I wanted time with the children. If I play for any county I need to give my best, my conscience would not allow any other way. If I had my children with me and I was playing around that, I would not be able to give 100 percent. Who knows? I might turn up to play for Yorkshire, but I don’t want to talk about drinking again.”
What do you remember about the 1999 World Cup over here?
“I lost my father during the tournament so I had to go home and within about 30 hours of getting back I was on the field again [he scored a brilliant 140 not out against Kenya at Bristol]. Even today it gives me goosebumps to think of that whole week. It was probably the toughest week of my life and scoring those runs meant a lot to me personally. My memories are very vague because it was such a harsh experience. Those losses are irrevocable. It wasn’t a pleasant World Cup for me.”
Was the 2002 NatWest Series final at Lord’s when India scored 326 to win among your most memorable one-day games?
“In those days anything over 300 was a huge total to chase. It isn’t like today when you can score 434 and still lose, as Australia did to South Africa. The contribution of the top five was not great but as the total crept up [thanks to Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif] the old superstition came into play and we weren’t allowed to change places in the dressing room. Our manager was near the toilet and I was by the food, so I kept munching away. I can tell you I was very full by the end.”
You have advocated split 50-over matches so that teams bat in 25 over blocks. But do you think in 30 years time we will have 50-over cricket at all?
“Who would have imagined a 20-over format even 15 years ago? I am sure things will keep changing with each generation. To me, it is about globalising the game as much as possible. However many come to watch T20 across the world, if 10 or 15 percent start liking Test cricket then your Test audience has increased and for me, Test cricket will always be the number one format. That is the most challenging, tough and satisfying form of the game.”
How has the IPL changed the game in India?
“It is getting more aggressive. The great thing is for the youngsters to spend 45 days with so many international players and for all of us to play in the same side as those from other countries, to mix and share beliefs. For a young Indian player I would compare that to the season I was fortunate to have at Yorkshire.”
How do you deal with the incredible level of expectation on you every time you walk out to bat in India?
“It is difficult to live with the expectations other people have for me, so I think about my own expectations instead. I have always set targets for myself. There are always butterflies in my stomach every time I walk to the ground and they are good companions to have. They show I still care about cricket as much as ever, that I am ready to play. Even in exhibition matches, I am nervous when I go out. That is how my body prepares. When those butterflies are gone, I know it will be time for me to go too.
So for how long will you go on to play?
“At the moment I am just thinking about my next Test match, I am looking to play against Sri Lanka starting July 17. The answer is that I really don’t know. As long as possible, I hope, as long as the desire and hunger is there. The day I wake up and decide I want to stay in bed that is the day to change direction.”
What would it mean to play a World Cup final in Mumbai next April?
“You have to start on the ground floor and you can’t jump straight to the 50th. So let’s not get carried away. One floor at a time, one game at a time. It would be a great achievement and the country is dreaming about it. Actually, I am dreaming about it as well. What can I say? If we can play to our potential we can really get there.”
Let's not count those 2 tests against Aus, AF. It's not yet confirmed, I guess. Even without Aus tests, Thalaivar has a good chance to hit 4 100's.