Sir Sachin Tendulkar 4

[satissh_r]

The joy of Tendulkar

Tendulkar made his debut in 1989; on Tuesday's game against Sri Lanka, the team-mate with the next longest career span was Gautam Gambhir, who entered international cricket nearly 14 years after him. Was Tendulkar losing his appetite for the game, especially as the more familiar faces in the dressing room are starting to disappear? Not on the evidence of Wednesday's training session.

It was an optional session, and it was expected that on the day after the win against Sri Lanka, only the reserve players would turn up. Only three members of the 15-man squad showed up; Tendulkar was one of them.

A meticulous 70-minute batting session followed, as he faced Yusuf Pathan and Rahul Sharma, besides some sharp medium-pace from new bowling coach Joe Dawes, more mild medium from the computer analyst and throwdowns from fielding coach Trevor Penney. There was plenty of chat with the bowlers, and Fletcher kept a close eye on the batsman, providing the stray bit of advice. After the session, Tendulkar had a long conversation with Fletcher.

Till then, there had been a few laughs but the training had been mostly business-like, bearing the hallmarks of a batsman short of runs trying to iron out problems. He rarely bowls these days, and his practice for the day could have ended there, and he could have retired to the shade.

Instead, he stuck around and immensely enjoyed himself with a cat-and-mouse spell of legspin bowling to Rahul Sharma. First, he tested each of the bats Rahul had carried out, and picked out the best one for Rahul to use. He sent down a ripping legbreak that Rahul tried to clobber from the nets to the main Shere Bangla ground, only to be beaten by a long way, to Tendulkar's amusement. The next legbreak was solidly defended, prompting Tendulkar to jokingly ask why he didn't try to slam that one as well. There were googlies that thudded into Rahul's thigh, a straighter one which fizzed on to middle stump, and many times when the batsman struck the ball, Tendulkar would signal that it would have been caught at mid-on or midwicket. The session ended with Tendulkar giving Rahul some batting tips.

Tendulkar has already played more Tests and one-day matches than anybody else. Surely the relentless grind of international cricket would have bored him by now? Whenever asked why he continues to play, Tendulkar invariably says he does because he still loves the game and enjoys it.

It may sound like a pat cliché but in that brief spell against Rahul, it was clear that even after all these years, he still relishes playing the game and derives much delight from it. Add to that the rigorous preparation and the craving for improvement he showed while batting, and it suggests he is in no hurry to join fellow batting legend Rahul Dravid in retirement.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/asia-cup...ry/557319.html

[wizzy]

reverting to 3lb bat or is it only for practice//

[Arvind Srinivasan]

Guess he must be reverting back to the 3lb bat....or else i find no reason as to why he practices with it.....
There might also be the possibility of him using it occasionally....
ethu use panna enna avar nalla aadina pothum.....

[SoftSword]

adhu innum hevaya irukkaadhu???
adhum illama light to heavy avlo seekkiram pogamaattaanga...
i think this one is not as heavy as the one he used before...
some intermediate'a irukkum... seasoning/testing/'ku konduvandhiruppaar pola...
maybe he would use it in the coming matches...

[SoftSword]

the only player who still plays international cricket!!

http://i42.tinypic.com/2r7ud7n.jpg

[VinodKumar's]

Sachin Mongia matter ah konjam vilavariya sollungappa

[wizzy]

SS, Sach is known to use heavier bats during practice..he did the same during the world cup..may be he is working on bat swing...just look at those mighty edges he could probably play a straight with just that..some info when he last used a heavy bat

[ajithfederer]

:cocky smirk:

Instead, he stuck around and immensely enjoyed himself with a cat-and-mouse spell of legspin bowling to Rahul Sharma. First, he tested each of the bats Rahul had carried out, and picked out the best one for Rahul to use. He sent down a ripping legbreak that Rahul tried to clobber from the nets to the main Shere Bangla ground, only to be beaten by a long way, to Tendulkar's amusement. The next legbreak was solidly defended, prompting Tendulkar to jokingly ask why he didn't try to slam that one as well. There were googlies that thudded into Rahul's thigh, a straighter one which fizzed on to middle stump, and many times when the batsman struck the ball, Tendulkar would signal that it would have been caught at mid-on or midwicket. The session ended with Tendulkar giving Rahul some batting tips.

[Plum]

Englisman Mike Selvi in guardian sneakily calls even the 99th century as inconsequential. In the guise of praising Dravid, guardian writers have been sneakily taking cheap potshots at srt. Engliskaaran buddhi maarumaa? feeyarukku link pannalaamnu nenaichen but avaru epdiyum saaljaappu solvaar. So no link

[P_R]

feeyarukku link pannalaamnu nenaichen but avaru epdiyum saaljaappu solvaar. So no link

Pliss to gyuw link. oor ulagathula enna nadakkudhunnu therinjikkittA dhaanE opinion form paNNikka mudiyin.