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Celebrating Sachin Tendulkar's 20 glorious years [Update: 28th year]


Chandan

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Sachin's first ever interview published in Mid Day in 1986 wajzgx.jpg Read the last sentence :giggle:
Seems to be another Sandeep Patil in the making.
:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:
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'Proud' Maharashtrian Sachin says Mumbai belongs to all Indians Even as politicians in Maharashtra like Raj Thackeray are increasingly using the "Marathi Manoos" card, iconic Mumbaikar Sachin Tendulkar on Friday walked a middle path and said the financial capital belonged to India. "Mumbai belongs to India. I am a Maharashtrian and proud to be a Maharashtrian, but I am also an Indian," said Tendulkar to a specific query at a media meet here on the eve of completing 20 years in international cricket. Tendulkar made his international debut against Pakistan in the first Test at Karachi in 1989 and is all set to play his 160th Test against Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad, the venue of the first Test of a three-match series, on November 16. :adore: LINK
way to go sachin .. :two_thumbs_up:
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India's proudest possession By Peter Roebuck 10r4dq0.jpg Tendulkar has gone two decades being a blend of the sublime and the precise, incapable of ugliness or of being dull; and those are among the least of his achievements Sachin Tendulkar has been playing top-class cricket for 20 years and he's still producing blistering innings, still looking hungry, still demolishing attacks, still a prized wicket, still a proud competitor. He has not merely been around for two decades. From his first outing to his most recent effort, a stunning 175 in Hyderabad, he has been a great batsman. Longevity counts amongst his strengths. Twenty years! It's a heck of a long time, and it's gone in the blink of an eye. The Berlin Wall was taken down a week before Sachin Tendulkar first wore the colours of his country, Nelson Mandela was behind bars, Allan Border was captaining Australia, and India was a patronised country known for its dust, poverty, timid batsmen and not much else. In those days Tendulkar was a tousle-haired cherub prepared to stand his ground against all comers, including Wasim Akram and the most menacing of the Australans, Merv Hughes. Now he is a tousle-haired elder still standing firm, still driving and cutting, still retaining some of the impudence of youth, but nowadays bearing also the sagacity of age. It has been an incredible journey, a trip that figures alone cannot define. Not that the statistics lack weight. To the contrary they are astonishing, almost mind-boggling. Tendulkar has a scored an avalanche of runs, thousands upon thousands of them in every form of the game. He has reached three figures 87 times in the colours of his country, and all the while has somehow retained his freshness, somehow avoided the mechanical, the repetitive and the predictable. Perhaps that has been part of it, the ability to retain the precious gift of youth. Alongside Shane Warne, the Indian master has been the most satisfying cricketer of his generation. Tendulkar's feats are prodigious. He has scored as many runs overseas as in his backyard, has flogged Brett Lee at his fastest and Shane Warne at his most obtuse, has flourished against swing and cut, prospered in damp and dry. Nor can his record be taken for granted. Batsmen exist primarily to score runs. It is a damnably difficult task made to look easy by a handful of expert practitioners. Others have promised and fallen back, undone by the demands, unable to meet the moment. Tendulkar has kept going, on his toes, seeking runs in his twinkling way. In part he has lasted so long because there has been so little inner strain. It's hard to think of a player remotely comparable who has spent so little energy conquering himself. Throughout, Tendulkar has been able to concentrate on overcoming his opponents. But it has not only been about runs. Along the way Tendulkar has provided an unsurpassed blend of the sublime and the precise. In him the technical and the natural sit side by side, friends not enemies, allies deep in conversation. Romantics talk about those early morning trips to Shivaji Park, and the child eager to erect the nets and anxious to bat till someone took his wicket. They want to believe that toil alone can produce that straight drive and a bat so broad that periodically it is measured. But it was not like that. From the start the lad had an uncanny way of executing his strokes perfectly. His boyhood coaches insist that their role was to ensure that he remained unspoilt. There was no apprenticeship. Tendulkar was born to bat. Over the decades it has been Tendulkar's rare combination of mastery and boldness that has delighted connoisseurs and crowds alike. More than any other batsman, even Brian Lara, Tendulkar's batting has provoked gasps of admiration. A single withering drive dispatched along the ground, eluding the bowler, placed unerringly between fieldsmen, can provoke wonder even amongst the oldest hands. A solitary square cut is enough to make a spectator's day. Tendulkar might lose his wicket cheaply but he is incapable of playing an ugly stroke. His defence might have been designed by Christopher Wren. And alongside these muscular orthodoxies could be found ornate flicks through the on-side, glides off his bulky pads that sent tight deliveries dashing on unexpected journeys into the back and beyond. Viv Richards could terrorise an attack with pitiless brutality, Lara could dissect bowlers with surgical and magical strokes, Tendulkar can take an attack apart with towering simplicity. Nor has Tendulkar ever stooped to dullness or cynicism. Throughout, his wits have remained sharp and originality has been given its due. He has, too, been remarkably constant. In those early appearances, he relished the little improvisations calculated to send bowlers to the madhouse: cheeky strokes that told of ability and nerve. For a time thereafter he put them into the cupboard, not because respectability beckoned or responsibility weighed him down but because they were not required. Shot selection, his very sense of the game, counts amongst his qualities. On his most recent trip to Australia, though, he decided to restore audacity, cheekily undercutting lifters, directing the ball between fieldsmen, shots the bowlers regarded as beyond the pale. Even in middle age he remains unbroken. Hyderabad confirmed his durability. And yet, even this, the runs, the majesty, the thrills, does not capture his achievement. Reflect upon his circumstances and then marvel at his feat. Here is a man obliged to put on disguises so that he can move around the streets, a fellow able to drive his cars only in the dead of night for fear or creating a commotion, a father forced to take his family to Iceland on holiday, a person whose entire adult life has been lived in the eye of a storm. Throughout he has been public property, India's proudest possession, a young man and yet also a source of joy for millions, a sportsman and yet, too, an expression of a vast and ever-changing nation. Somehow he has managed to keep the world in its rightful place. Somehow he has raised children who relish his company and tease him about his batting. Whenever he loses his wicket in the 90s, a not uncommon occurrence, his boy asks why he does not "hit a sixer". Somehow he has emerged with an almost untarnished reputation. Inevitably mistakes have been made. Something about a car, something else about a cricket ball, and suggestions that he had stretched the facts to assist his pal Harbhajan Singh. But then he is no secular saint. It's enough that he is expected to bat better than anyone else. It's hardly fair to ask him to match Mother Teresa as well. At times India has sprung too quickly to his defence, as if a point made against him was an insult to the nation, as if he were beyond censure. A poor lbw decision- and he has had his allocation- can all too easily be turned into a cause celebre. Happily Tendulkar has always retained his equanimity. He is a sportsman as well as a cricketer. By no means has it been the least of his contributions, and it explains his widespread popularity. Not even Placido Domingo has been given more standing ovations. And there has been another quality that has sustained him, a trait whose importance cannot be overstated. Not long ago Keith Richards, lead guitarist with the Rolling Stones, was asked how the band had kept going for so long, spent so many decades on the road, made so many records, put up with so much attention. His reply was as simple as it as telling. "We love it," he explained, "we just love playing." And so it has always has been with Tendulkar. It's never been hard for him to play cricket. The hard part will be stopping. But he will take into retirement a mighty record and the knowledge that he has given enormous pleasure to followers of the game wherever it is played. LINK

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Vengsarkar pays tribute vengsarkar.jpg "What I admire about Sachin is his humility, respect for elders and the passion for the game that he has retained even after so many years and after achieving so much in cricket. He has not changed at all," former India captain Vengsarkar said in praise of the master batsman who made his international debut on November 15, 1989. The former chief selector told PTI that he had his first look at Tendulkar's precocious talent during the 1988-89 series against New Zealand when he invited the prodigiously talented schoolboy to the Indian team's net session. "I had heard about his exploits (in schools and junior cricket) in 1988-89 when I was India captain and Vasu Paranjpe (former Mumbai cricketer) told me I must make it a point and see him play. We were in the middle of the series against New Zealand and I invited Sachin for the nets," Vengsarkar recalled. "I was very impressed after seeing the way he batted against Kapil Dev, Chetan Sharma, Maninder Singh and Arshad Ayub at the nets and the same evening the Mumbai selectors met and picked him to play his first Ranji Trophy tie against Gujarat. He played very well and went on to make a hundred (100 not out) in his first game," the former middle-order stylist said. "Then he got picked for India. At that time we never thought he would score so many thousands of runs or play for 20 years for the country," Vengsarkar said. Vengsarkar was emphatic that the 36-year-old batting genius, scorer of 12,773 runs in Tests and over 17,000 runs in ODIs, is the best batsman ever to play for India. "I can definitely say he has been the best batsman produced by India, not only for the sheer number of runs he has scored but also for the pace at which he has got those runs which has given the bowlers enough time to bowl out the opposition," said the 53-year-old former captain. Vengsarkar remembers very well the brilliant hundreds scored by Tendulkar as his India teammate in England and Australia at Manchester, Sydney and Perth and said even at that age he had a very mature head on his shoulders. "As a teammate, I have seen him score his first 100 that saved the Test for India against England (119 not out at Manchester in 1989-90 series) and the hundreds he scored against Australia (on his first tour in 1991-92) at Sydney (148 not out) and Perth (114 out of 272)," he said. "They were amazing innings and even at that young age he showed a lot of maturity. He was also physically strong. We knew then that he would go on to achieve bigger things in cricket," he said. One of Tendulkar's best innings in domestic cricket was a blistering near-ton he scored against Haryana in the Ranji Trophy final in 1990-91 at the Wankhede Stadium when Vengsarkar was the team captain. "I can also never forget his blistering innings of 96 against Haryana (led by Kapil) in the 1990-91 final at the Wankhede Stadium when we chased 350-plus runs in 65 overs and were down to 30-odd for three. It was an amazing knock, one of the best I have seen," he gushed. Mumbai lost that match by a heart-stopping two runs after they made a great effort to chase the target (355) by riding on Tendulkar's early pyrotechnics and Vengsarkar's brilliant unbeaten knock of 139 on virtually one leg. LINK

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The Berlin Wall was taken down a week before Sachin Tendulkar first wore the colours of his country' date=' Nelson Mandela was behind bars, Allan Border was captaining Australia, and [b']India was a patronised country known for its dust, poverty, timid batsmen and not much else. In those days Tendulkar was a tousle-haired cherub prepared to stand his ground against all comers, including Wasim Akram and the most menacing of the Australans, Merv Hughes. Now he is a tousle-haired elder still standing firm, still driving and cutting, still retaining some of the impudence of youth, but nowadays bearing also the sagacity of age.
Worst Peter Roebuck article in a long time. Oddly enough Sachin fans are much happy to see their "God" appreciated when it is their country that is being dissed. Timid batsmen Peter? Wasnt Amarnath acknowledged by every great fast bowler of his time as the bravest batsman?? Pray do tell which English, or Australian for that matter, received the same accolodate at the time? And that is not even considering Gavaskar who was easily one of the top 2 bats of his time alongside Viv Richards. Has flowery language deluded your judgement so much that you completely forget Sunny's record in cricket?? And while we are discussing 80s did you happen to forget how India won the 83 World Cup, and was the favorite to win the 87 World cup too? Speaking of 87 World cup was it not the most popular World cup till date, with the most mammoth crowds and better arrangements than what your nation England could provide in 75, 79, 83?? It is bewildering to see you mention as Indians being patronised and do exactly that! Get real Peter, India was a cricketing power much before Sachin arrived. Sure as a batsman Sachin achieved a lot for India but if folks like you dont relate India with poverty these days it has nothing to do with Sachin, more to do economic reforms. What a sweet and juicy piece of trashy article this was. xxx
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Worst Peter Roebuck article in a long time. Oddly enough Sachin fans are much happy to see their "God" appreciated when it is their country that is being dissed. Timid batsmen Peter? Wasnt Amarnath acknowledged by every great fast bowler of his time as the bravest batsman?? Pray do tell which English, or Australian for that matter, received the same accolodate at the time? And that is not even considering Gavaskar who was easily one of the top 2 bats of his time alongside Viv Richards. Has flowery language deluded your judgement so much that you completely forget Sunny's record in cricket?? And while we are discussing 80s did you happen to forget how India won the 83 World Cup, and was the favorite to win the 87 World cup too? Speaking of 87 World cup was it not the most popular World cup till date, with the most mammoth crowds and better arrangements than what your nation England could provide in 75, 79, 83?? It is bewildering to see you mention as Indians being patronised and do exactly that! Get real Peter, India was a cricketing power much before Sachin arrived. Sure as a batsman Sachin achieved a lot for India but if folks like you dont relate India with poverty these days it has nothing to do with Sachin, more to do economic reforms. What a sweet and juicy piece of trashy article this was. xxx
Tbh while reading the article I too felt bad with the way how Roebuck ridiculed our country and players of the past. He could have easily avoided mentioning that since it was never going to add any charm to what he wrote. Except for that silliness, article is quite good.
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Aamir Khan Pays tribute 1430_photo.jpg You will be surprised to know that I have seen Sachin bat against the best bowlers at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) even before he played for India. I clearly remember, Dilip Vengsarkar had come to the Indian team nets with a 14-year-old. After the nets he asked the boy to pad up and handed over a brand new ball to Kapil Dev. Kapil thought Dilip was trying to play a prank and he bowled some dollies to the kid who looked visibly upset. Dilip went to Kapil and insisted that he should bowl at his normal speed. Kapil, reluctantly, bowled some quick balls but the boy faced all of them with great confidence. Now he was happy. Kapil’s ego had been hurt. After all, how can a 14-year-old handle him so easily? He marked his run-up and bowled some nasty balls. But the lad faced them with supreme confidence. We were stunned. After the session, Dilip told Kapil, “This is the wonder boy I was talking about. His name is Sachin Tendulkar.†“Goodness me,†said a startled Kapil. “At this age he seems so matured. You are right; he is special.†All of us were tracking his progress, primarily through newspapers. Less than two years since that amazing net session, Sachin was awarded the India cap. Our career started almost at the same time. Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak was released in 1988; Sachin made his international debut in 1989. I first met him when he was invited to give the muhurat-shot clap for our new film Avval Number. He was very shy and far too polite. Since then we have nurtured a special friendship. I would like to narrate two stories which are close to my heart. We were in the final stages of Lagaan and were in need of some sound bytes. You usually hear two kinds of noises in a packed cricket stadium. One is a giant roar when something spectacular happens. The second is a deafening silence when something goes unexpectedly wrong. An India-Australia match was played at the Wankhede Stadium. I called Sachin so that he could get us approval from the right authorities to record sound bytes when the match was on. Sachin promptly got us the consent. The stadium was full and we got the bytes we dearly wanted. When we listened to the track, we had to cut almost 80 per cent of the footage. The reason? When Sachin is on the field spectators will continuously chant: Saaaachin, Saaaachin. It was not possible to use those sound bytes given that Sachin was not playing any role in Lagaan. Before its release I invited him for a private screening. It was an amazing scene: Sachin watching Lagan and I watching him. I was dying to see his reactions. The film rolled on and when Bhura took his first wicket in the film, Sachin unwittingly lifted his left hand and appealed: “How’s that.†I was relieved. That was it; I knew we were on the right track. I felt confident that the cricketing part in the film was just fine and the chances of success bright. I was invited for the Indian Premier League final (of its first edition) at the DY Patil Stadium. I was damn lucky since I got a seat next to Sachin. During the course of the match I asked him about the possible bowling changes. He explained the situation and predicted who would be bowling next. The change was made and the same bowler, who he had foreseen, came in to bowl next. For the next half an hour he was reading the game like an open book. He was only making an accurate prediction of the bowling changes; he was spot on with his views on field placement. He could even sense what shots the batsmen would play. It was unbelievable. I was stunned by his observations, his knowledge of the game, and the way he read the minds of the opposition. Completing 20 years in international cricket is a great achievement. I think his single-mindedness, dedication, passion for the game and his values have made this possible. His enthusiasm remains undimmed. Even after reaching this stage, he is so simple and humble. He is still fighting fit and motivated too. Let us enjoy watching the legend for a couple of more years at least. LINK

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Tbh while reading the article I too felt bad with the way how Roebuck ridiculed our country and players of the past. He could have easily avoided mentioning that since it was never going to add any charm to what he wrote. Except for that silliness' date=' article is quite good.[/quote'] I am reluctant to let it go as a mere mistake, more so since Peter Roebuck was a cricketer in his own right and was captaining Somserset in 80s. All the examples I mentioned earlier are from his cricketing days. I did not even bother to mention 2nd class examples: Dileep Vengsarkar scoring 3 100's at Lords(probably Roebuck's hallowed ground), Kapil scoring 292 runs in about 240 deliveries in 82(I would dare Mr Roebuck to give me a single example of a "cavalier" English batsman who has scored at that SR abroad) etc etc. This is either complete ignorance or just a blantant act of setting the bar of Indian cricket heritage so low that Sachin comes across as being a Superman. Thats my 0.02c, didnt mean to change the theme of this thread. xxx
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Tbh while reading the article I too felt bad with the way how Roebuck ridiculed our country and players of the past. He could have easily avoided mentioning that since it was never going to add any charm to what he wrote. Except for that silliness' date=' article is quite good.[/quote'] If you read closely, his article has nothing special,. I preferred that article much more which Harsha retrieved from Sports world, or some of the interviews where Sachin said that Kumble was the best Indian cricketer of his generation. Yesterday, he had a long press conference where journalists kept asking him question which he has replied several times. One journalist had an interesting way of repoting this conference: ...how we wonder what you are HIS EYES give it away. Behind the public reserve is an animated man. THE AFFECTION AND SUPPORT from the cricket fans of the country was immense. You need people to share your success and I have more than a billion people. That is more than enough for me. Sukhwant Basra MUMBAI: Somewhere, far removed from his public face, frolics the real Sachin Tendulkar. Perhaps that man is not reserved, modest or always in control. Under the glare of the arc lights it seems to peek hrough once in a while -- in the form of a blazing sil ver belt buckle that's almost as wide as his hand, or the shiny black crocodile skin shoes that match the buckle twinkle to shine. The flashy Tendulkar inhabits a private world; facing his nth press conference, he is decidedly bland. There's an u nderlying restlessness to the man sitting in the chair. His neck bobs all the time-- back and forth and sideways with a distinctive tendency to flop towards the right shoulder. 2j0mikw.jpg Then, it's all stretched out when responding to a question that has him more animated than most. Its all very bird-like. Sometimes hawk, largely dove. The left hand's steady with the microphone grasped. The right is whirring about with fingers splayed when he gropes for the correct words and lies limp when the query refuses to excite him. The shiny-shoes-clad feet begin to move as an answer drags out. In the hour plus that he faced a volley of questions, they have done a full tap dance circumambulating the space under the table. They, after all, are free from scrutiny under the wood. There, they can frolic a bit. The man who terrorises bowlers with temerity, refuses to hold eye contact with a questioner for the length of a retort. After all, those eyes are the most naked bit in the shell that he cocoons within. The warmth is there, the vibe is positive but the armour is always up. Just, the eyes are a giveaway. They glaze over at a controversial poser, sparkle with boyish humour at questions that amuse and come alive when he is talking pure cricket. The focus of a mind that spells 175 even at the age of 36 is clear in the way he streams out all the background commotion. It is white noise. He does not ask for long questions, which are actually a series of them woven into one, to be repeated. He reels off the answers. Just that the answers have been accumulating over 20 years. It's the same stuff over and over again. 2f06j2u.jpg "Every individual should respect another... whatever you say or do you have to think twice," he says to a query on why he has never lashed out with angry words. That attitude doesn't make great copy but perhaps that's exactly why he makes a great cricketer. "Cricket lies in my heart. I enjoy playing cricket. It comes naturally. It is my life and I enjoy every moment of it." There's a robotic one-dimensional aspect to his subservience to his God. Something that does not allow him to rest easy on the last great knock. "Others talk about the last game, I think about the next one." Perhaps someday Tendulkar will let his guard down and speak his mind without being too bothered about the ease of others. He may yet take on the toughest of posers and rip through them with the abandon only his willow flashes as of now. "People have appreciated me the way I am. Why change what you are when people anyway like you the way you are?" Perhaps someday he will get over the bit that he has to be liked by everyone and allow a peek into his private world -the place where he is all human and no superstar. Perhaps. (The interaction was organised by the World Sports Group, who manage Tendulkar) VERBATIM 20 YEARS is a long time and I have many special moments and it would be difficult to count them. But the first one (Test), the first day walking out in the playing XI in Pakistan probably was the greatest moment. I KNOW there is lot of cricket left in me because I am still enjoying it. I am not thinking of retirement. At some stage, I will have to, but I don't need to think of it right now. IT WAS a long journey and what I did after that was a reflection of my contribution to the game in the country. Playing for the country was my childhood dream and I have fulfilled my dream. I am fortunate to have played for my country for so many years.
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A tribute by Sir Viv Richards 13240.jpg Sunny (Sunil Gavaskar) hung his shoes in 1987, and Sachin Tendulkar emerged in the international cricket scene in 1989. I envy Indian cricket’s fortune as they have had two batting legends (back to back) in Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar. For a number of years, I have enjoyed watching Sachin bat. He has got a perfect blend of defence and aggression. I also admire his ability to score runs in both forms of the game. I distinctly remember one interaction between us. The 2007 World Cup was a disaster for the Indian team. They lost to Bangladesh – it was just one bad day and suddenly the Indian team was under tremendous pressure. Eventually, they lost to Sri Lanka and were thrown out of the tournament. Now they had to face the wrath of one billion Indian fans. A friend of Sachin told me that he was in a state of shock and feeling depressed. He wanted me to have a chat with him. I was more than happy to do so. During the course of the next match in Antigua, I got a phone call from Sachin. We had a hearty chat for almost half an hour. I told Sachin that he was already a legend and that he should not pressurise himself to perform in every match. I said, “Sachin whenever you are going in to bat, do not expect that you should play a match-winning knock. At this stage of your career your role in the team is more than just a player. You should be a mentor to the team, a guide to the younger players.†I also bluntly asked him, “Are you sure in your mind about why you are playing now?†He told me that his body was holding up and he was not merely going through the motions. His motivation to perform at the highest level was still there. He is so honest in whatever he does. He proved that his hunger to perform at the highest level was still there when he played some great knocks during the Indian team’s tour to Australia (2007-08 series). He scored two centuries in the Test series. Furthermore, he helped India win the triangular ODI series. I admire Sachin as a person too. He is so polite; his mannerisms are heart-touching. He is a living legend and a wonderful role model for world cricket. LINK

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Beast pays tribute Shahid-Afridi2.jpg It’s an honour to talk about the man I’ve admired all my life. As a kid I enjoyed watching Sachin’s feats on television and he was one of the reasons why I fell in love with the game. His style in his initial years was all-aggression. Now, of course, he is more matured in his approach. I got my world record (fastest century in one-day cricket) with Sachin’s bat. I remember we went to Kenya after playing an under-19 tournament in the West Indies. Incidentally, Waqar Younis was in possession of that bat. Sachin wanted him to get a willow of a similar make from Sialkot. Waqar suggested that I try it, for somehow he felt it would work for me and I would enjoy myself. I instantly liked the feel of the wood and the balance. With the bat I achieved the world record but if my memory serves me right, Sachin has also got out with it a few times. I still have the bat, for it holds a special significance for me. First, I got the world record with it. Second, the prized possession belongs to Sachin. I value the bat as though it is my bride. But let me emphasise that be it Sachin or Brian Lara, I have never allowed myself to be intimidated by anyone. I’ve, in all these years, played cricket from the heart. It is natural that you would be in awe of Sachin but at the same time you need to lift yourself. True he has been brilliant against us, but there were occasions when I was in rhythm and managed to dismiss him. Yes, it’s never easy when you are up against him. Usually I want to have him at the non-striker’s end, so that I can concentrate on plotting the downfall of the other batsman. On my first tour to India I asked him to point the areas where I could improve. We had a one-on-one chat and he did give me a couple of suggestions. I know he is the kind of person who will always have something useful to offer whenever I need it. I have fond memories of many of his special innings. There was one knock at the Lord’s but, in Pakistan’s context, I would like to pick his innings in the Bangalore Test in 2005. He was in his elements on the last day. I remember dismissing him which opened the floodgates for us to win the game. I think I got him out seven-eight times in our exchanges, which is an honour for me. LINK

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This is one guy Raj Thackray will not take panga with.
My first thought :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:
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Worst Peter Roebuck article in a long time. Oddly enough Sachin fans are much happy to see their "God" appreciated when it is their country that is being dissed. Timid batsmen Peter? Wasnt Amarnath acknowledged by every great fast bowler of his time as the bravest batsman?? Pray do tell which English, or Australian for that matter, received the same accolodate at the time? And that is not even considering Gavaskar who was easily one of the top 2 bats of his time alongside Viv Richards. Has flowery language deluded your judgement so much that you completely forget Sunny's record in cricket?? And while we are discussing 80s did you happen to forget how India won the 83 World Cup, and was the favorite to win the 87 World cup too? Speaking of 87 World cup was it not the most popular World cup till date, with the most mammoth crowds and better arrangements than what your nation England could provide in 75, 79, 83?? It is bewildering to see you mention as Indians being patronised and do exactly that! Get real Peter, India was a cricketing power much before Sachin arrived. Sure as a batsman Sachin achieved a lot for India but if folks like you dont relate India with poverty these days it has nothing to do with Sachin, more to do economic reforms. What a sweet and juicy piece of trashy article this was. xxx
I never liked Roebucks' article for the same fact that he never misses a chance to take a potshot anything that is Indian. Last week he took his cheapest shot at one of the Indian franchises' in IPL (KKR). I never bothered reading his tribute to SRT on cricinfo...was planning to but thanks to you for highlights his dull low-blows. And "you" folks need to go easy on SRT fans' bashing. Even we consider that no one is greater than our country, then why the need of generalizing ?
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I never liked Roebucks' article for the same fact that he never misses a chance to take a potshot anything that is Indian. Last week he took his cheapest shot at one of the Indian franchises' in IPL (KKR). I never bothered reading his tribute to SRT on cricinfo...was planning to but thanks to you for highlights his dull low-blows. And "you" folks need to go easy on SRT fans' bashing. Even we consider that no one is greater than our country, then why the need of generalizing ?
His articles reflect some arrogance. He believes in sensationalism. He has written some quite pathetic stuff in the past.
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Time to stop talking Tendulkar All around us today all of India is talking a language called 'Tendulkar'. His twenty years has led to actors delivering lines, singers hitting notes, academics offering profundities, colleagues offering praises over partnership, coaches delivering theories, friends telling their tales. Yet, most of his admirers remain unknown. They climb trees to look into a stadium, push the one ahead of them to grab a cheap seat, stand on the street shifting from one foot to another, duck down security barriers, run along the team bus to catch sight of him. When they see him, they become the single biggest sound in cricket. Today, it is they who are smiling silently. If they are merely distant fringes of his life, flecks seen from behind his sunglasses, he is at the centre of theirs. Because every time Tendulkar sets off to the crease, he takes with him the only thing they own - their pride. And today, that is bursting. Twenty years on, the batsman of their dreams is still there - and he remains real. In his twentieth year, Tendulkar has of course been turned into a monument, a deity. As India stretched itself through the 1990s and into the new millennium he went from Cherub-Face to Funky-Haircut, prodigy to big brand. He owns the Ferrari and a Mike Knopfler guitar hangs on a wall in his house. He is thought of as so valuable now they will cut trees to produce some 35kg piece of furniture about him and call it a book. But Tendulkar is where he is because when it comes to what he does, he has hung onto the most ordinary of descriptions. He is truly precious because he has remained the working man. Sure, his work happens to be visible and public. Sure, it attracts and seduces India, sending a country's blood pumping. Yet to him, it has remained his craft, his trade, his soul and he has given it his complete absorbtion. It is the quality that has made him the batsman he is. Not his eye, his timing, not even his gleaming, polished talent. Skills and gift could take him a distance, but only his mind in cricket and his heart towards it, could have lasted twenty years. When he bats, everyone watches. He reaches a demographic which the movie star and the politician would envy but will not ever possess. Male and female, young, middle-aged and old, business mogul and the man who polishes his shoes, students, teachers and drop outs, Indians in every corner of the country and the nooks and crannies of the world. When he had his tennis elbow injury, a room in his house piled up with medicines, oils, plasters, bandages, supports, sent by his fans from everywhere. In the time Tendulkar wrote the story of his career, he has given us ours. Pradeep Ramarathnam, a multinational executive in Bangalore today, thinks that Tendulkar brought sons and mothers closer. And in a way, God as well. In the 1990s, Ramarathnam's mother who never followed cricket, watched Tendulkar with him, amazed by the young batsman's age and mastery. Whenever Tendulkar arrived at the crease, Ramarathnam was told to rush off and pray for him. It was his mother's way of teaching him the prayers, but the son believed it was his way of ensuring Tendulkar didn't get out early. Well, he hasn't. Every fan has a personal Tendulkar story about the man's presence that has nothing to do with chance meetings. The twenty-year anniversary has led to a wild outbreak of festivities in the media with Tendulkar probably sitting through more interviews in the space of a few weeks than he has done in two decades. It is his twentieth year, but actually his 21st season. Think about it, it is in those seasons he has made his name, reputation and those towering records and he's already crossed twenty. The meticulous man would probably have noted 2008-09 as No. 20 passing by. That slipped out of the rest of our thinking and even statisticians didn't send out alerts. It didn't matter. Tendulkar turned up from South Africa and sent out his: 175 in Hyderabad that sent TV ratings and India's pulse racing. So never mind talking Tendulkar. As season 21 continues after the celebrations of Year 20, all that must be felt is contentment. All that must be experienced is enjoyment, all that must be appreciated is presence. It is what Sachin Tendulkar has given us all.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/70882/Top%20Stories/Time+to+stop+talking+Tendulkar.html
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Ganguly wants Tendulkar to fire at the 2011 World Cup 2009-11-14 19:22:00 Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly wants Sachin Tendulkar to fire at the 2011 World Cup. On the eve of Tendulkar's 20th year in international cricket here Saturday, Ganguly said: 'I hope he keeps on firing. If he fires in the 2011 World Cup and leaves an impact in the team then India could have a big time.' Describing Tendulkar as the best role model for sportsmen, all-rounder Irfan Pathan also wants to see the master blaster as a member of the World Cup winning team in 2011. India, alongside Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, are hosting the 2011 World Cup. Ganguly congratulated Tendulkar for completing 20 years in top flight cricket. 'It's a fantastic achievement playing 20 years for the country. Perhaps he is the best batsman I have seen,' he said. He recalled his maiden interaction with Tendulkar in the under-15 national camp at Indore in 1987-88. 'I had heard a lot about him because even then he was making news. He was considered a special talent and has lived upto expectation for two decades,' he said. Describing himself as fortunate for playing over 300 matches with Tendulkar, Ganguly said he has fond memories of the Mumbaikar on and off the field. 'I treasure these experiences. We have many sweet memories,' he said. Ganguly termed Tendulkar's 175 at Hyderabad against Australia as his best One-day International innings. 'It was perhaps his best ODI innngs. At least the best I have seen,' he said.

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