Sir Sachin Tendulkar 4

[ajithfederer]

LM, How many ODI 50's and 100's do we have?

[ajithfederer]

Hot Spot | Chetan Narula
My Sachin Tendulkar Story
Posted on Dec 27, 2012 at 07:56am IST

The year was 1992. A young boy and his even younger brother were playing in their room while parents left for office. The maid, a cricket fanatic, promptly switched on the television. India were playing Pakistan in an ODI World Cup. Hearing her cheers, the boy peeped across and saw an infantile batsman at work. The seven-year-old never went back to play with his brother, spending the day watching his first ever cricket match.

That World Cup inspired a scrapbook collection. It was a fad among his schoolmates. How could he not have one? And a cricket bat with the 'Power' logo - that was a must-buy. But this was just the beginning of a fascination. On this particular November night, that batsman showed he could bowl as well. The kid was at a wedding function for his parents had forced him along. They couldn't stop him from standing at the local kirana store from across the hall, from watching that last over. Love seldom happens at age nine. Even so he wasn't the only one afflicted. The whole country went bonkers, he realised much later. The year was 1993.

His father was strict. 'No cable TV until you are in eleventh standard', he decreed. The boy couldn't do anything, but follow commentary on All India Radio and read in newspapers. The few matches on Doordarshan were a boon, for he could watch him bat in all the possible glory. He had started opening now, was all the kid understood. Then, the year was 1996. Cricket came to town, in all its pomp and splendour, and no parent could enforce boundaries anymore.

Kenya and Zimbabwe were shown their place. Australia were smacked, Sri Lanka too. But these two teams couldn't be beaten, especially the latter, especially that night in Kolkata. The batsman was still quite young in comparison to his peers. Yet he carried the hopes of a billion people, the kid was told by his cricket-mad uncle. Why alone? He couldn't answer that question, no one could.

The year was 1998. Australia were a glutton for punishment and Doordarshan started a new channel to showcase their misery, DD Sports. They were thumped in every nook and corner of the country. Their next beating happened in Sharjah. His schoolmates yelled out before morning prayers. 'They are calling it the Desert Storm', said one, imitating his shots, trying to. 'He said Australia could lose in the final, that too on his birthday', said another, also trying to imitate his shots.

The teenager, meanwhile, cursed his ill-luck. He pestered his parents to take him to grandma's place, for he could watch the final on cable TV there. Then, on the way, he prayed for an encore. Lightning did strike twice.

Another World Cup came around and an India Today Special was bought. In it, a senior journalist named Peter Roebuck explained that particular batsman's greatest shot yet. A straight elevated drive down the ground for six - a first lesson in cricket nuance. There were other things to bother about though. His father passed away and he didn't play against Zimbabwe, who won. He returned to play against Kenya, and conjured up a century batting at number four. The gaze at the sky was long and hard, it pierced hearts, old and young.

Even so the teenager, who played gully cricket only with an MRF-stickered bat, thought he needs to open the batting against Australia in the Super Six stage. His father predicted a cheap dismissal and a loss for India. It came true - a four-ball duck to Glenn McGrath. Oh well! The remote was flung in anger and it broke. The TV escaped the impact. The boy didn't escape his father's thumping. The year was 1999.

Diwali that year was sweet though. The TV was in his parents' room and they locked it to make the brothers study whilst they were away, or atleast hoped to. That particular day, India were playing New Zealand in an ODI in Hyderabad. As his mother got ready, an innocent crime was committed. The younger one was asked to keep watch, while he stole the duplicate keys. They were caught in the evening, though it was worth it. He made 186 that day, not out!

The years passed. Boards, entrance exams and college life came up. Never mind that it was miles away from home, travelling from college to home on weekends to watch cricket was the norm. There was a cable connection at home, none at college. Another World Cup meant attendance went for a toss. The reward was wholesome. He played the greatest ODI innings ever. He hit the greatest six, and, the greatest cover drive punch and follow-through ever in the history of limited-overs cricket. Pakistan lost, again. Stockpiles of firecrackers vanished in seconds that night. Then, in his last teen year, he ran like a kid possessed, from door to door, asking if anyone had any more crackers stashed up. The year was 2003.

Life brought up more routine, college, exams, family drama, MBA. In a parallel world, routine brought runs, statistics and records, almost all of them. It also brought debate. He is selfish, not a match-winner. There were arguments, with his uncle over dinner, with friends in the canteen and with strangers on internet forums. An engineer, he learned everything about tennis elbow. A glorious hundred in Rawalpindi went waste. That glorious catch at the boundary in Lahore did not. A World Cup dream was shattered. Tears were shed, both in an obscure hostel in Pune and the dressing room in Port-of-Spain. The year was 2007.

Work beckoned. It meant a new life as an adult. It also meant a mature batsman stepped to resurrect himself on the field, amid comparisons with elephants in small silent dressing rooms. CB Series flashed past, 163* in Christchurch and 175 in Hyderabad came about. It pointed to something gargantuan. Gwalior, a first ODI double hundred. The year was 2010. Firecrackers were passé. Half a bottle of Absolut vodka was toasted to God that night.

All these imprints etched by a bat! Yet, the search for that one moment to cherish was still on. 'I was there', that moment. It came. They came, in fact. The year was 2011. The young adult was there when the 48th hundred came up at Chinnaswamy. He was there at Nagpur, when a rousing delivery from Dale Steyn was dispatched to square leg for six, en-route to the 49th. He was there at Mohali when Pakistan lost again. He was there at Mumbai when they carried him on their shoulders. He was there when his name was chanted outside the Wankhede, all over Marine Drive. He chanted too, arm-in-arm with complete strangers, till 6am.

The year is 2012. 100th hundred, yet debate simmers still, with uncles, friends and strangers. Then it stops, on a cold Sunday morning. 'No more in Blue', he says. The heart skips a beat, brain goes numb. Voice chokes. 'He plays Tests still', says the mind, almost an after-thought. If only to make the world of a twenty-eight-year-old carry on.

This is my story. Perhaps this is your story too. It was written by Sachin Tendulkar.

http://cricketnext.in.com/live/blogs...kar-story.html

[littlemaster1982]

LM, How many ODI 50's and 100's do we have?

I'll check and post the list this weekend.

[ajithfederer]

[ajithfederer]

Tendulkar's Extraordinary Career

Published: Wednesday | December 26, 2012

NEW DELHI (AP):

Sachin Tendulkar's retirement from one-day internationals on Sunday signalled the winding-down of an extraordinary career which has established him as one of the greatest cricketers of all time and with an almost mythic status in an Indian nation besotted with the game.

Blessed with a prodigious talent, Tendulkar made his Test debut at age 16 and went on to set a series of international batting records - earning him the inevitable comparisons with fellow greats Don Bradman and Brian Lara in the process.

His retirement from one-dayers and likely near-term retirement from Tests had become equally inevitable, though, after former teammates Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman called it a day, and made way for India's younger cricketers. With Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble already out of the picture, Tendulkar's gradual departure marks the end of a golden generation that helped India to excel both at home and abroad.

Superb technique

The Mumbai batsman's superb technique, variety of strokes and adaptability brought him no fewer than four prestigious records - most runs in Tests (15,643) and one-day internationals (18,426), along with the most centuries in Tests (51) and one-day internationals (49).

In addition to the personal records, the man they call the 'Little Master' also helped India to win the World Cup on home soil in 2011 and become the world's top-ranked Test nation.

No stranger to the spotlight, Tendulkar started to make a name for himself in his mid-teens, when he scored 326 in a colossal 664-run stand with Vinod Kambli in a school tournament.

Tendulkar later cracked centuries on his debut in all three of India's top domestic tournaments - the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup. Though he was unable to repeat those feats on his international debuts, he went on to establish himself as a dependable No. 4 batsman in the Test team and an aggressive opener for one-day matches.

He was handed a Test debut in 1989 against a strong Pakistan side, only to be struck on the mouth by rookie pace bowler Waqar Younis. Tendulkar bled, but batted on to make his mark on the series. He quickly grew in stature in his early years as he tackled top bowlers like Wasim Akram, Allan Donald and Courtney Walsh with ease.

That his most memorable performances came against the era's best team - Australia - and his most remembered rivalries with that team's best bowlers - Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath - are a testimony to his abilities.

Tendulkar's 114 on a fiery Test pitch at Perth in 1991-92 when he was still in his teens, a 155 not out in the Chennai Test of 1997-98 and a host of outstanding one-day performances, including in the Coca-Cola Cup at Sharjah (1997-98) and the CB series Down Under (2007-08), made him a marked man for the Australians - along with Laxman.

His performances in Australia in the first half of his career even drew praise from the reclusive Bradman, whose astonishing Test batting average of 99.94 remains the only major cricketing peak that Tendulkar failed to scale.

"Having seen Tendulkar on the television, I was very, very struck by his technique," Bradman said.

"I asked my wife to have a look at him because I said, I never saw myself play but I feel that this fella is playing much the same as I used to play, by looking at him. She had a look at the television and said 'yes, there is a similarity between the two'. I can't explain it - his compactness, stroke-production technique, it all seems to gel."

Tendulkar performed well in the Mohammad Azharuddin era of the 1990s, though India often fell short despite some stellar displays from him.

The team's fortunes changed, however, under Ganguly. A combination of the talent of Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, with the proven experience of Dravid, Laxman and Kumble, all helped to turn Tendulkar's efforts into match-winning ones over the following decade. Acclaimed for his execution of the cover and straight drives early on, Tendulkar also showed his innovative side by mastering the paddle-sweep in later years.

Waning firepower?

Tendulkar also excelled against other top sides like South Africa, England and Pakistan. Then, just when many believed his firepower was waning, he became the first batsman to score a double-century in one-day cricket with 200 not out against South Africa at Gwalior in 2010.

One year later, Tendulkar's record sixth World Cup appearance culminated in a triumph on his home ground - Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. Pictures of him being lifted by teammates during a victory lap will remain etched in the memories of his fans around the world.

"Winning the World Cup is the proudest moment of my life. ... I couldn't control my tears of joy," Tendulkar was to say later.

He scored the highest number of runs by a batsman in two World Cups - 673 in 2003, when India made the final, and 523 in 1996 when they reached the semi-finals. In the victorious 2011 tournament, he was the second-highest scorer with 482, just behind Sri Lanka's Tillekaratne Dilshan (500).

His absence had been felt in the 1999 World Cup when India failed to advance from the Super Eights, losing a crucial game to Zimbabwe after Tendulkar had returned home on the death of his father. He subsequently returned to the tournament and struck a century against Kenya, but India failed to reach the knockout stages.

Tendulkar played in India's first Twenty20 international against South Africa in 2007 before asking not to be considered for the format, although he went on to spend five seasons with the Mumbai Indians in the lucrative Twenty20 Indian Premier League.

Time seemed to finally be catching up with Tendulkar as the big scores proved elusive after his country's World Cup triumph. The one bright spot came with a return to one-day cricket for the Asia Cup in 2012, when his 114 against Bangladesh completed an unprecedented century of international centuries.

Dravid, who lived in Tendulkar's shadow even though many considered him to be the better Test batsman, spoke in late 2012 of his time at the crease with his illustrious teammate.

"We have scored 6,900 runs together ... and I can proudly tell my grandchildren that I batted with Sachin," Dravid said. "They may not remember me, but they will certainly remember Sachin."

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...s/sports7.html

[ajithfederer]

'He toyed with us like we were schoolboys'

Shamya Dasgupta Ž· Dec 24, 2012 Ž·


"It's unfortunate for Australia that he has played many great knocks against us over the years, said Waugh.

Soon after news came in on Sunday that Sachin Tendulkar had retired from One-Day International cricket, there was an outpouring of shock, especially on Twitter. But Tendulkar had practically retired from ODIs a long time ago, hadn't he? He played irregularly for some time before the 2011 World Cup, then played the tournament, and since then had made only sporadic appearances in ODIs.

The Sachin 'Retirement Debate' although it's his selection in the team and not his retirement that was up for discussion; whether he should quit or not is his decision alone has centred on Test cricket. That he won't play ODIs anymore is really just a formal bringing down of the curtains. It wasn't likely that he would play the format once the World Cup was won and the century of centuries was out of the way.

But really, now that the announcement has been made, it is the 'end of an era' - bigger than the era that will end when he quits Test cricket. After all, while Tendulkar has been a great Test cricketer, he was, by some distance, the greatest ODI batsman. Ever.

He was truly at the height of his powers during the period between 1994, when he started opening the batting, and the turn of the millennium. Essentially, the period when India became almost a one-man army, up to the time support came in the form of Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, and later, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh. That was when Tendulkar was at his absolute best. In ODIs, he had no peer. Enough said.

Anyway, what can I add to all that's been said over the years, and in the past 24 hours? Instead, I want to go back to a longish interaction I had with Steve Waugh earlier this year this was around the time that the frenzy, and the wait, for Tendulkar's hundredth hundred was at its peak, and our conversation focussed entirely on the man.

When Tendulkar burst on to the scene, Waugh, remember, had already won a World Cup (1987), but was some years away from becoming the massive force that inspired cricket's changing of the guard in the mid-1990s.

"Sachin had a fantastic first tour of Australia and when he got a century in Perth as an 18-year-old, I thought that if he could score a hundred in Perth coming from a country where the ball doesn't bounce very much, he has got to be a special player, said Waugh, taking his memory back to 1991-92 when Tendulkar scored 114 against Craig McDermott, Merv Hughes, Paul Reiffel and Mike Whitney. "So straightaway he was on the radar of the Australian cricket side."

When it comes to Australia and Tendulkar though, thoughts invariably turn to Desert Storm in Sharjah, 1998. Never before, or since, have two consecutive innings of such arrogance, such determination, such aggression and such domination been played in ODI cricket that too against the best team in the world at the time.

"It's unfortunate for Australia that he has played many great knocks against us over the years," Waugh told me with a twinkle in his eye.

But what about Desert Storm, I probed. He was coming to it anyway.

"Those were pretty trying conditions and after he scored his first century (143), Allan Border, who was our temporary coach, told us that there was no way he could score another century in the final. And the next day he got another big one (134). Those were two incredible knocks. He was the closest I have come to where I did not know where to bowl to a batsman. He was toying with us like we were schoolboys and not professionals.

Waugh (or indeed, the Australian side) was not the only one who felt like that, especially in the 1990s. Yes, it was after the turn of the century when all the big landmarks were notched up, but that was when the Indian team was a much stronger and much more organised unit. It was the 1990s that belonged to Tendulkar.

Speaking for myself, I have to say that I watched with some dismay as Tendulkar became an accumulator of records and more records over the past few years. Even the 2003-04 double in the Sydney Test, which has become the stuff of legend because of the way Tendulkar constructed it no drives on the off side and is a technician's delight, was, to me, an innings of a man determined to score a lot of runs without the flamboyance that must differentiate Tendulkar from an average Joe. Where was the bravado, where was the flair? Even after that, Tendulkar, to me, seemed more intent in getting it right than someone who was out to exhilarate, to spread joy.

But that's only me. Others I know see the aestheticism in his technical perfection, in his perseverance. Besides, zillions of Indians across the world didn't care as long as the runs came, as long as the little man with the monstrously heavy bat walked out and strutted his stuff. They were the real fans, I'll have to admit; I was clearly not as devoted. But I continue to console myself with the thought that I admired Tendulkar for what he really was, what he stood for and didn't gloss over what I felt were his flaws.

He might have played hockey the last few years when it comes to ODI cricket, but cricket, in coloured clothing, will always be defined by what he did, what he achieved. Not just the runs and records, but something else something Jayasuriya or Gilchrist or Gayle, despite their murderous hitting, could never quite match.

http://www.wisdenindia.com/cricket-b...hoolboys/41670

[ajithfederer]

This picture was taken at 7am in the morning and the temperature was 3 degrees.

[ajithfederer]

Sachin Tendulkar: the man with the golden arm

Arguably the world’s greatest batsman ever, Sachin Tendulkar brought down the curtains on his glorious 23-years ODI career on December 23, 2012. With these golden words, Tendulkar bid good bye to the 50-over format: "I have decided to retire from the one-day format. I feel blessed to have fulfilled the dream of being part of a World Cup wining Indian team”.

The batting maestro left a huge pile of records – 18, 426 runs and 49 centuries in 463 ODIs—which is next to impossible for any batsman to achieve it in the next two decades. But besides his batting, Tendulkar was equally a match-winner; he took 154 ODI wickets with two five-wicket hauls to earn the sobriquet of India’s man with the golden arm. Here is look at the best bowling moments in Tendulkar’s glorious ODI career

5 for 32 against Australia in 1998 at Kochi:

Riding on a brilliant century by Ajay Jadeja, India set Australia a challenging target of 310. The Australians were off to a solid start but a magnificent spell by Tendulkar, including the scalps of Steve Waugh, Michael Bevan, Darren Lehmann and Damien Martyn, helped India clinch victory by 41 runs.

5 for 50 against Pakistan in 2005 at Kochi:

The venue was same but the opponents were different this time. With the help of centuries from Virender Sehwag (108 off 95 balls) and Rahul Dravid (104 off 139 balls), India posted a challenging total of 281 against Pakistan. The decision of captain Sourav Ganguly to give the ball to Tendulkar proved fruitful. Tendulkar bowled 10 overs and claimed five important wickets. Ripping through the Pakistan middle order, he dismissed skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Sami. India won by 87 runs.

4 for 34 against West Indies in 1991 at Sharjah:

Tendulkar’s first Man-of-the-Match award as a bowler. He picked up 4 for 34, dismissing Clayton Lambert, Richie Richardson, Gus Logie and wicketkeeper-batsman Jeff Dujon to help India skittle out West Indies for 141. India chased down the target easily by seven wickets. Tendulkar made an unbeaten 11 runs with the help of one boundary.

4 for 34 against Australia in 1998 at Dhaka:

In the quarter-finals of the inaugural Wills International Cup, Tendulkar almost single-handedly led India to victory. With the bat, his 141 off 128 balls set up a total of 307 for 8. With the ball, Tendulkar prized out Steve Waugh, Bevan, Martin and Brad Young as India won by 44 runs.

3 runs off the last over at the Hero Cup 1993:

The 1993 Hero Cup semi-final against South Africa at Kolkata will always be memorable. South Africa needed just six runs off the last over against India. The target was imminently achievable, with Brian McMilan at the crease. After a long discussion, India captain Mohammad Azharuddin gambled by giving Tendulkar the final over. That was his first over of the match. Tendulkar left South Africa confused with his bake of tricks and gave away just three runs. It was one of India’s most famous win of the 90s.

3 for 43 against Sri Lanka in 1994 at Rajkot:

India posted 246 in 50 overs after Sri Lanka won the toss and invited them to bat. Tendukar came in at No. 5 and made just 1. In the chase, the Sri Lankan openers Roshan Mahanama and Dulip Samaraweera were off to start and added a quick 46 for the first wicket. After Javagal Srinath and Manoj Prabhakar failed to make inroads, Azharuddin handed over the bowling to Tendulkar who dismissed both openers in a short span and added the captain Arjuna Ranatunga for 8. That spell turned the match, with India winning by eight runs.

http://cricketnext.in.com/live/news/.../70129-13.html

[ajithfederer]

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[sathya_1979]

yOv! daily azha udaadhayaa....