Sir Sachin Tendulkar 4

Sachin needs to set one thing right and he has already started it.

His average against South Africa is very low by his own lofty standards.

He has started rectifying it with back to back centuries against them last year. Can you believe it - this was his first century against SA at home!

I hope and pray that he scores atleast 2 centuries when we go there later this year. This will improve his average in South Africa.

It is interesting that Sachin, VVS and Dravid have scored heavily in Australia where the wickets are hard and bouncy. They have not been consistent in South Africa where the pitches are similar.

Curious on why this difference? They have a chance to set this right.

Hopefully, Rahul announces his retirement after that series. He needs to make way for younger batsmen like Pujara who can play alongside Sachin and VVS.

Sunny G.

Sachin alone can't get us anything. It's only by a co-ordinated team effort you win tournaments.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Waterloo

Congrats Sachin Sir. Pls get us the world cup too.

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Sachin :clap: :notworthy:

Delight in the game keeps Tendulkar among the elite
Peter Roebuck
October 8, 2010


Sachin Tendulkar bats against Australia in the first Test. Photo: AP

SACHIN Tendulkar's nomination as international cricketer of the year counts among the finest achievements of a brilliant career. Nor was it a sentimental decision bestowed upon a favoured son. Tendulkar played 10 Tests in the period and scored 1064 polished runs at an average of 81. Along the way he rose from 25th to third in the rankings. Not bad for a 37-year-old deemed to be on his last legs. Not bad for a player whose nerves were supposedly shot.

Two main forces lay behind this astonishing renaissance. Despite receiving two structural injuries in Mohali, the Indians look fitter than ever before. Even Virender Sehwag has been spotted in the gym. Not so long ago he left a tour of Sri Lanka saying he was missing home cooking. Now he is streamlined and sharp.

Tendulkar has always looked trim but that gets harder as the years pass. A few extra kilograms can cost a sportsman the fatal fraction. Focusing on fitness is easier when the collective standard is high.
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Sachin Tendulkar with his ICC Cricketer of the Year and People’s Choice trophies.

Sachin Tendulkar with his ICC Cricketer of the Year and People’s Choice trophies. Photo: AFP

Moreover, this fitness drive confirms that ambition remains intact, and ambition is the elixir of youth. In the supposed twilight of his career, Tendulkar finds himself in a proud team that has for the first time in its history claimed top spot in the rankings.

And the World Cup is around the corner. Tendulkar has achieved most things in his career but has never lifted the game's most prestigious trophy.

But there is another more vital reason behind this renewal. Tendulkar loves the game. Even after all these years, all these grounds, hotels, fielding drills and press conferences; it's not an effort for him to play or practise. Cricket is his game and his way of life. He does not need anything else. Always it has been the same. The most underestimated thing about him has been his longevity, his constancy

Throughout 20 years of intense pressure and unrelenting exposure, he has retained his delight. Through it all he has managed to focus on the next ball and the next innings. There have been no demons. Remaining simple is difficult and he has managed it. By no means is it the least of his contributions. He has never stopped appreciating the game, never let it become a chore. He enjoys cricket, and batting in particular. He'd play from dawn til dusk if they'd let him, and again the next day.

Has any cricketer of his calibre changed less? Has any sportsman of his duration shown so few signs of mental wear and tear? Garry Sobers comes closest. For him, too, the game never became an ordeal.

Of course, the body grumbles but the Indian's mind has remained attentive. To an extraordinary extent, Tendulkar plays for the same reasons as in his youth. It's not that he has failed to grow; just that from the outset he saw the game in its true light, as an end in itself.

That cannot be said of other great players, many of whom began to fade in their early 30s. In the latter part of his career Viv Richards became a caricature of himself. Brian Lara became ever more fitful. Both are remembered for their glorious periods; both left something on the table, an unexpressed part of their genius.

Contrastingly, Tendulkar is best judged over the long term. Moreover, Indian cricket has kept rising in his time, from backwater to mainstream, from victories on manufactured pitches to triumphs on foreign fields.

Tendulkar's technique has also helped him keep going. Natural and classical were interwoven at birth. Throughout, too, he has been a perfectionist. After stumps he can sometimes be seen on the square, practising the shot that had brought him down. Before series he will anticipate the challenges that lie ahead. He is a professional constantly in search of a better way.

The challenge has never bored him. As much can be told from the singles he creates out of thin air, many of them tucked towards square leg. Every run is valued, not least because it frustrates the bowler. Moreover, he plays straighter than any rival, relies less on cross-bat shots than, for example, Ricky Ponting. Accordingly, he does not depend as much upon eye and foot. That has helped him stay the course.

It has been a glorious career, the best of them all, and it's not over yet. Not so long ago Tendulkar scored 200 in a 50-over match. Admittedly, he cannot bowl these days but his wonky elbow is holding up and his mind remains fresh. Put it this way. At 37 he has, for the first time, been saluted as player of the year. Others have their moments. He has lasted the course.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/...007-169sv.html

I want to be in top condition for the World Cup: Sachin

Courtesy: NDTV | 2010-10-07 16:28:18

Bangalore: Cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar was named Cricketer of the Year at the seventh ICC Annual Awards at Grand Castle, Bangalore. He spoke to NDTV after the event. The full transcript of the interview follows:

Natasha: ICC cricketer of the year and of course people's choice, Sachin, many many congratulations. and of course it's very special coming as it does a day after the spectacular win coming from Mohali, were you at any point nervous, like the rest of us chewing on your nails?

ICC Awards 2010

Sachin: Yes, we were actually sitting in the dressing room, I was sitting with MS, Sehwag, yes only three of us basically, and we had a topic going on and we didn't want to change that topic, we ran out of stories but we said no, we need to continue doing that, a bit of a superstitious thing but it was a fantastic victory and unbelievable what Laxman did for us and what tremendous character Ishant Sharma has shown.

Natasha: Sachin, speaking of tremendous achievement, a huge achievement for you today, two awards, a surprise really for all of us who followed your career that this is the first time you are actually getting the award.

Sachin: It's better late than never. You keep working hard for it. It's come in the 21st year of my international career. It's fantastic. As I said better late than never, so it feels good.

Natasha: And Sachin, so many awards, the Padma Bhushan, the Khel Ratna, where does this rank, since you have a glittering trophy cabinet and you're adding these trophies to them every year.

Sachin: This is wonderful but obviously I wouldn't want to compare this to the Padma Bhushan and the other awards, they have a different meaning altogether for me. It's the second highest civilian award, it's something really really special, I treasure all the awards, but the last thing I want to do is to compare them to one another as I've always maintained that the Padma Bhushan is a very very special one.

Natasha: You mentioned these awards, I'm sure you've got many more to go and have enough of them all over your house but there are so many people, so many cricketers who say that they would pay to see you play. Who would you pay for, is there anyone out there?

Sachin: Two of my cricketing heroes are Sunil Gavaskar and Vivian Richards, and I've seen them, both of them, play. But I've never seen Sir Garfield Sobers or Sir Donald Bradman play live. That's something I would have loved to do.

Natasha: Sachin, in your formative years, there was tremendous amount of competition from the bowlers that you faced, whether it was Curtley Ambrose, Courtney Walsh or Waqar, Wasim, Shane Warne, somehow that seems to have changed. Do you miss the fact that you wish you had more competitive bowlers and really those legends bowling against you?

Sachin: See, you're talking about Shane Warne, Muralitharan, McGrath, Wasim, all these bowlers, they didn't become great bowlers overnight. It took them 15 years to become what they are today and similarly there are many talented bowlers playing, to name a few, Dale Steyn, I mean I wouldn't want to single them out but there are world class bowlers playing at the moment. In time to come, in ten years from now, they'll all be in the same league. Most of them will have 400 to 500 plus wickets. It doesn't happen overnight and you've got to wait ten, fifteen years to allow a player to showcase the talent that he has and for the world to appreciate what his contribution to cricket is.

Natasha: We'll of course wait to see where you are at that much time, 10 years, 20 years, what if you've to compare yourself 15 years ago? Sehwag for instance says his hair on his head has got thinner, what for you has changed?

Sachin: Maybe my hair is greyer now, plenty has changed since then, the cricket itself has changed, the way the whole team is managed has changed. The pre-match preparation has changed, post-match recovery has changed, all these things have changed in the last 15 years, which is a long time, and it will continue to change.

Natasha: What about you personally? I would imagine with time things do slow down, physically it gets challenging, so how do you make up? You just seem to be growing from strength to strength.

Sachin: It's a challenge which you just have to take in its stride, and work harder. I've enjoyed my game, it's but natural that when you're a 21 year old, your body is different, when you're 37, your body is different. It's a challenge I really enjoy and it's wonderful, working hard. I'd like to thank my team mates for having supported me and the support staff, especially our coach Gary Kirsten, he has really really worked hard and he throws millions and millions of balls at us in the nets, and that's what it is that keeps us going and it allows us to keep a good frame of mind and as I spoke earlier, the pre-match preparations have really helped.

Natasha: Sachin, you spoke about how it would be a dream to play the World Cup. That seems a possibility now since it's only 4-5 months away.

Sachin: Yes, the World Cup is around the corner and we are 5-6 months away from the Cup, the tournament. I would want to be in top condition to play the tournament, not only me but the whole team will do everything possible to be in the right frame of mind and top condition to play.

Natasha: And how do you see India's chances, they're doing wonderfully well, we're the number one Test team, how do you see it going into the World Cup, the way the team is shaping up?

Sachin: I don't want to put any pressure on the teammates or on myself, just take it in the stride and as I said earlier, prepare to the best of your ability and before the tournament, one should not feel that we weren't well prepared enough to participate in the tournament, so that is what our first goal will be - to make sure the preparations are on to the fullest.

Natasha: Besides the on-field action, off-field controversies have been dominating cricket this year also, we saw the unfortunate episodes with fixing etc, you're perhaps the biggest ambassador of cricket, how do you suggest it be handled because the temptation is enormous for the youngsters.

India vs Australia

Sachin: I'm not an expert to give advice on this but the simple fact is I take lot of pride in playing for India. I should be able to sleep well at night and wake up the next morning and feel proud that I've been able to this for the last 20 -21 years and for me it's simple, I'll continue to do that. I know I'm on the right track and I need not worry about anything else and as an individual I know I'll continue to do whatever I've done for the last 21 years, it is as simple as that for me.

Natasha: What will Arjun say when he sees the awards, he keeps advising you "papa should do this". So what will he say when he sees the two awards?

Sachin: Well I'm sure he'll be thrilled, I don't know if he's watching this program or not but he had his birthday on 24th of last month and my daughter's birthday, Sarah will be on 12th of October, so this will be a wonderful gift to give.

http://sify.com/sports/i-want-to-be-...hq2sedibc.html

during icc awards, dhoni was telling that he, sachin and sehwag were talking about some story and when the camera turned to master, he was laughing. must be some funny story. ivara pidkkathavanga irukka mudiyuma.

This great man, after 20 years of his own brand of cricket, still so humble abt awards. proud of you sir :notworthy:

http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/35320.html

Just now noticed: Sachin now has 150 fifties in both tests and ODI's combined. (57 in Tests and 93 in ODI's).

!!!....................................14000...... ....................................!!!

:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:

Sachin :thumbsup: what a way to bring 14K in Test cricket...

Sachin 14k :notworthy: