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Cricket icon Tendulkar appeals against fame game
4 hours ago
NEW DELHI (AFP) — He owns a Ferrari but has not driven it for a year -- just one price that Sachin Tendulkar pays for his iconic status in cricket-mad India.
But his popularity does mean he is one of the few men in the world who can talk his way onto a plane without a passport.
Tendulkar, revered for his extraordinary exploits with the bat, said the adulation makes him "uncomfortable" and he would rather remain a regular family man at home with his wife Anjali.
"I used to receive letters written in blood," the 35-year-old was quoted as saying in the latest Indian edition of celebrity magazine "OK!"
"It feels strange when a fan comes and touches your feet and says you are God. I don't feel comfortable with it, but it is the way they feel about you."
Tendulkar regrets he cannot drive around Mumbai in the sports car with his son Arjun and daughter Sara as they would be mobbed by wild crowds as soon as the car got stuck in the city's endless traffic jams.
"I did not get time to drive the Ferrari at all last year," he said. "I can drive only early in the morning and the kids cannot wake up at that time."
Tendulkar, however, admitted fame can have its advantages -- as in Australia when he was once allowed to board a flight without a ticket or passport.
"I was out with two other players and when we got back to the hotel, the rest of the team had already left for the airport," he recalled.
"We had no way of reaching them... We had no tickets, no passports, nothing.
"I got to the counter at the airport and explained the situation. The guy at the counter recognised me and he gave us three boarding passes from Sydney to Melbourne... without passports, without tickets. :clap: :clap: - Annan na summava :smokesmirk:
"I felt that I was truly special."
The soft-spoken Tendulkar, who is the world's leading batsman with 12,429 Test and 16,440 one-day runs, said he enjoyed doing simple things like dropping his children off at school or cooking for friends and family.
He also took a swipe at the media, saying "criticism is hardly ever constructive".
Tendulkar, who began playing international cricket in 1989, left for a tour of New Zealand with the Indian team early Thursday.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...Qyy3OBBB-Q22Gw[/tscii]
Another version of the above article
What makes Tendulkar uncomfortable?
February 19, 2009 13:49 IST
He doesn't receive letters written in blood any more, but Sachin Tendulkar [Images] says that he does not feel comfortable when a fan touches his feet and tells him he is God.
Tendulkar, whose achievements with the bat have won him fans worldwide, says the adulation never ceases to surprise him.
"I used to receive letters written in blood...but not any more. It feels strange when a fan comes and touches your feet and says you are God. I don't feel comfortable with it, but it is the way they feel about you...that happened again just a couple of weeks ago actually," he says.
In a light-hearted interview published in celebrity magazine 'OK!', Tendulkar spoke about his love for Ferrari [Images] cars, his post-retirement plans and how he handles criticism.
Tendulkar said retirement thoughts were far away from his mind at the moment but he may start a business when he stops playing competitive cricket.
"That's a big question. I don't know...I will definitely be involved with the game. When I retire, that is when the doors to other opportunities will open. As of now, other than just promoting various products, I haven't opened the door to anything else. Maybe I'll start a business," he said.
"I don't know when that would be yet, but that will be the time I will focus my energy in different directions. Right now it's only focussed in one direction -- that is cricket," Tendulkar said.
Asked when was the last time he received some constructive criticism, the batting maestro said, "criticism is hardly ever constructive. I try and stay away from newspapers when I am playing. You get to read so many things that are not constructive, but somehow the guy who is writing it all seems to think that it's constructive."
Tendulkar said his celebrity status has helped him wriggle out of situations that would be difficult to handle for a commoner.
"There's one time that I remember clearly...we were in Australia [Images] playing some exhibition games -- it was around 1994. I was out with two other players and when we got back to the hotel, the rest of the team had already left for the airport. They had packed my bags and gone and there were no mobiles or anything. We had no way of reaching them," he recalled.
"We were to fly from Sydney to Melbourne -- we had no tickets, no passports, nothing. I got to the counter at the airport and explained the situation. The guy at the counter recognised me and he gave us three boarding passes from Sydney to Melbourne...without passports, without tickets. I felt that I was truly special," he said.
Asked when was the last time he spent an entire day without watching any sport, the 35-year-old batsman replied, "On December 31 last year. I spent time with my family in Mussoorie about 7,000 feet above sea level looking at the snow-capped mountains. It was freezing and we went for a long walk. I was a fantastic feeling. That was the day when I didn't watch sports at all."
On the one moment he felt proud of, Tendulkar said, "I was truly proud of our performance during the Chennai Test. We won against England [Images] on the last day."
Asked about the most recent prank he had played on a teammate, Tendulkar said, "I am always doing that...a while ago, we had gone to a restaurant and we actually fooled Yuvraj Singh [Images].
"We put wasabi on a toast and told him it was a delicious spread that he must try. He almost ate it. We stopped him at the last minute." When was the last time he did something which he wished he hadn't?
"Probably the last innings I batted in Mohali. I felt that I shouldn't have played that shot. I got out on it. (Smiles) That's what I feel every time I get out," he quipped.
http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2009/f...omfortable.htm
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1231794
I will never endorse tobacco or alcohol: Sachin Tendulkar
Shubha Shetty-Saha
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 23:59 IST
Mumbai: The Little Master is on a high, with a new personal achievement. No, he has not broken yet another batting record. He has designed a watch. "I can't believe I could actually do it," he says with an impish smile. "It is a very creative process and I took it up as a challenge," he enthusiastically describes why he has designed it the way he has. "It is very me. This is what I would love to wear, so it's natural that the designs will be like this," he says. His strong patriotic streak can be seen in the tricolour streaks that run through the straps of the watches.
Milind Shelte / DNA
"If I like something, even if it was in vogue in the 1930s, I would pick it up," Sachin Tendulkar
"Style, for me, has to be highly individualistic. Whatever I am wearing, if it doesn't make me feel comfortable, I see no point in wearing it. I feel clothes, shoes, sunglasses, watches, everything has to be extremely personal. I do experiment with colours but that totally depends on my mood. I don't let the latest trends dictate my style. I am a very T-shirt and jeans person. Unless, of course, the situation demands that I wear more formal clothes. If I like something, even if it was in vogue in the 1930s, I would pick it up. I don't believe in blindly following fashion trends. Even when I endorse something, I see to it that it suits my style. I have a bunch of people who know me well and who make sure that the products I endorse are suitable to the kind of person I am."
Sachin says he realises that his position as an idol is full of responsibilities and he is very clear about certain things that he shouldn't do. "I would never endorse tobacco or alcohol. I know I am a public figure and I am looked up to. I wouldn't want to propagate anything that would not be great for the people who want to emulate me."
Thalaivaaa, proud to be a fan of you :notworthy: :notworthy:Quote:
Originally Posted by ajithfederer
I heard that when he was on a flight and they offered coke he declined as he has always been associated with Pepsi. idhellAm toooo much....
PR,
Annan moopathi anji vayasu kolendhae :noteeth:
Ivaru kudikiradha evanaavadhu camera mobile-la photo pudichu magazine-la perusa article varum..idhellam thevaya!Quote:
Originally Posted by Prabhu Ram
Tendulkar 100: Allan Donald Interview
Sachin Tendulkar, by far, the best I have seen or played against
By Allan Donald
Sachin Tendulkar has often reminded me of a veteran army colonel who has many medals on his chest to show how he has conquered bowlers all over the world. Which is why I find it amusing when critics suggest that he plays well only at home. Do they realise that they are talking about a guy who has scored centuries in almost all the Test-playing countries?
He only played at the start of his career in Pakistan and has not played too much in either Zimbabwe or Bangladesh - the two new entrants in Test cricket, otherwise I have no doubt he would have reached three figures in these countries as well. As far as I am concerned, he is by far the best I have seen or played against.
I must admit that I was not entirely convinced that Tendulkar had something special about him when I first heard about him. It was prior to South Africa's return to world cricket that the "Tendulkar buzz" was heard around the county circuit. He played a season for Yorkshire, but did not really get going. However, he did score one century in a Sunday League, the rerun of which I saw on television. There was a lot of Sunil Gavaskar in his style, and he also had the balance that nobody else possessed. But these were glimpses of potential and I did not think he would be consistently good for a long period of time.
How wrong I was. Tendulkar got better and better with each passing year and today he is the most frightening batsman as far as bowlers across the world are concerned. Everybody is king at home, and scoring heavily in your backyard has never really impressed me. However, Tendulkar has 16 centuries outside India, which is more than half of all his centuries. Many quality batsmen end up with that many centuries in their entire career, so that number is a clear indication that we are talking about a freak player - someone who is as good and as consistent abroad as he is at home.
As a bowler you have to have your gameplan ready before bowling to Tendulkar. Sachin looks to leave a lot of balls in the beginning, and as a bowler your best chance against him is in the first 20 minutes. During our team meetings, we often speak about the importance of the first 12 balls to Tendulkar. If you get him then you can thank your stars, otherwise it could mean that tough times lie ahead.
Consistency is the factor that makes Tendulkar special. He is often spoken about in the same breath as Brian Lara, but as far as I am concerned, the comparison does not even begin. Lara is not half as consistent as Tendulkar and lacks the discipline of the latter. The left-hander plays in a more loose manner and is not that controlled or patient during the first 20 minutes of his innings. Lara was unbelievable in 1994, but he has never been able to recreate that magic consistently after that.
Which is why I rate my dismissal of Tendulkar at Durban in 1996 as the best ball I've ever bowled in Test cricket. I remember that over very clearly. Tendulkar had just hit me for two boundaries, but I decided to stick to my outside-the-off-stump line. The ball just nipped back sharply and claimed his off-stump. It was a perfect ball and, more importantly, exposed a tiny chink in the army colonel's armour. Since then we have worked on bowling that ball against Tendulkar and have had some degree of success with it.
I don't know Tendulkar too well, but one of the main reasons for his success is that he is able to motivate himself all the time. He seems to be constantly assessing his game and setting new goals for himself. There's a certain passion about the game that is unique to him and nothing excites him more than representing his country.
At 29, Tendulkar is at the middle of his career and from hereon he can score another 15 to 20 centuries, taking him close to the 50-century mark. He will continue to terrorise bowlers for another six to eight years, and, hopefully, he will be able to keep the motivation going.
Great players often decide to retire out of the blue. This is particularly common among those who are family men because they find it increasingly difficult to spend time away from their near and dear ones. I've heard that Tendulkar is deeply attached to his children and might face such a crisis. However, like many admirers all over the world, I certainly hope that he succeeds in keeping his focus on the game for many more years. I think he owes it to the game and to his admirers.