World Cup final a dream - Tendulkar

[Lord]

Every time Sachin Tendulkar walks out to bat he has the hopes of billions rested on his shoulders, yet when India co-host the World Cup next year expectations will reach even greater levels. The final will be hosted in Mumbai, Tendulkar's home town, but he is refusing to let his mind wander towards the prospect of a moment that would crown his career. "As far as the World Cup is concerned it is a process. We don't want to jump to the 50th floor straight away, we must start on the ground floor," he said. "We must take it step-by-step but to get there would be a fascinating journey. It is our dream, not just mine but the entire nation, to get there. To play the final in Mumbai is something you can only dream of and everything has to come together. "But if we can play to the best of our potential then I think we can do something we have been longing to do for quite some time." Tendulkar is currently taking a break from the game but will return to Indian colours for the Test series against Sri Lanka next month. The five-day format has suddenly taken on a much greater priority in India - although Tendulkar, himself, has always been adamant it is the main brand of the game - after the team reached No. 1 in the world. They will look to consolidate that position against Sri Lanka before a mouth-watering contest in South Africa at the end of the year as the top two ranked teams go head-to-head over three Tests at Centurion, Durban and Cape Town. It will be a huge challenge for India to compete in foreign conditions against the likes of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, but Tendulkar doesn't want to let the top spot slip away after working so hard for the honour. "To be number one is special, it was our dream and our target to get to the number one spot in Test cricket," he said. "We have had a good run in the last 20 months. Everyone wants to be number one and we cannot relax because there are other countries who want to be number one. It means a lot to us." At 37, it won't be too long before Tendulkar calls time on his stellar career. He has already cut back his Twenty20 commitments and doesn't play that format internationally, while he also declined a deal with Middlesex this season to spend more time with his family. However, for the time being he has no plans to end his Test or one-day days. "I want to play for as long as possible and as long as I have the desire and the hunger I will carry on," he said. "The day I do not want to get out of bed and do anything then I know it will be time to go in another direction." Sachin Tendulkar is an RBS brand ambassador and was speaking in London to mark 30 years of NatWest involvement in English cricket ____________________________________________ r u listening,boys

[gaurav92]

When God speaks, others must listen :hail::hail::hail::hail::hail::hail::hail::hail::hail::hail:

[Lord]

When God speaks, others must listen :hail::hail::hail::hail::hail::hail::hail::hail::hail::hail:

i hope they r.i dont have too many hopes.i fear God's gonna be dissapointed coz of our rockstars:((

[Sid]

its really dissappointing to see Sachin giving interview on some natwest celebration and then that wimbledon royal box nonsense,when he really should be with the indian team and i really hope he also misses champions league becoz he needs to be fresh while playing important test vs aus and sa then playing t20 matches,i think both dhoni and sachin should opt of champions league but as everybody knows they cant for obvious reasons

[Karan114]

its really dissappointing to see Sachin giving interview on some natwest celebration and then that wimbledon royal box nonsense' date='when he really should be with the indian team and i really hope he also misses champions league becoz he needs to be fresh while playing important test vs aus and sa then playing t20 matches,[b']i think both dhoni and sachin should opt of champions league but as everybody knows they cant for obvious reasons

Exactly, its not gonna happen, unfortunate though it is.

[cowboysfan]

Sachin will be sorely dissapointed.we don't have the bowlers to win a single knockout game let alone reach the finals.

[Karan114]

Sachin will be sorely dissapointed.we don't have the bowlers to win a single knockout game let alone reach the finals.

Sadly true.

[UmarAkmal]

Sachin was supposed to spend time with family after withdrawing from Asia Cup but he is in UK for endorsement reasons. He is setting bad example for youngsters.Once you become senior and reached star status you can pick & chose games you want to play.

[Lord]

Sachin was supposed to spend time with family after withdrawing from Asia Cup but he is in UK for endorsement reasons. He is setting bad example for youngsters.Once you become senior and reached star status you can pick & chose games you want to play.

his tweet on his twitter page

no news frm me for a while as i m away on holiday with my kids.wont get to holiday with them for a year after this.

[Karan114]

Sachin Tendulkar opens up on his career and the modern game Richard Hobson, Deputy Cricket Correspondent Sachin Tendulkar was the special guest of NatWest at a breakfast in London today to mark their 30 years of cricket sponsorship in England. The venue, the Century Club on Shaftesbury Avenue, could almost have been renamed the Century of Centuries Club given Tendulkar’s record 93 hundreds in Test and one-day internationals. Adam Mountford, the producer of BBC’s Test Match Special, compered the event enthusiastically and a rush to ask Tendulkar to autograph various bits and pieces of memorabilia at the end of the session – with a number of former players in the queue – provided testimony to his enormous standing in the game. For a little man his presence is quite staggering. In keeping with the occasion, most questions centred on his experiences in England. But Tendulkar also touched on broader issues including the future of limited overs cricket, his way of dealing with expectations back home and the dream of playing for India in the World Cup final in his home city of Mumbai next year. Here are some of the highlights: On his first tour of England as a 17-year-old in 1990 “A few days ago I watched some film of my hundred at Old Trafford. I think I was embarrassed to put my bat in the air to show the crowd. I remember the press conference afterwards and being amazed at all the cameras. That may have been the first press conference I ever gave. I grew up watching cricket in England on the TV and to play for India over here was a dream.†On his low, one-handed running catch to dismiss Allan Lamb at Lord’s that year “I just thought ‘how can the ball have stayed in my hand’. We had a top three batsman in our side then called WV Raman, he loved to play his shots but didn’t worry too much about footwork. We called him ‘the lazy, elegant WV Raman’. In the dressing room afterwards we were talking about that catch and I said to him ‘see how much ground you can cover if you move your feet’. He looked surprised and just said: ‘Can you?’†Did you learn anything from Graham Gooch’s 333 in that Test? “I remember thinking how glad I was to be 17 so I had the energy to keep running around in the field. But he also scored a hundred in the second innings and strangely that made a bigger impact. I thought that was a greater achievement, to have the mental strength to come out the next day and do it again, to have that desire. That innings was a huge learning process for me.†On coming to Yorkshire as overseas player in 1992, posing for publicity shots with a flat cap on his head and a pint of bitter in his hand “I had not started drinking then and there I was with a big glass of Tetleys in my hand. My parents asked what had happened and I had to say ‘don’t worry, I didn’t actually drink it’. But that was a special time for me. The reception everywhere when I walked out to bat was fantastic. I had to keep pinching myself to remember I was on zero. To any youngster I can say blindly, just go and play a season in England. It will really improve you as a cricketer.†Will you come back to England to play county cricket, perhaps in the T20? “If I was 27, definitely. But I’m 37 and I suppose the best answer is ‘if time permits’. My schedule is so tight it becomes difficult to fit in time with my children [he has a girl aged 12 and a boy aged 10]. The reason I didn’t play for Middlesex in the end this time is because I wanted time with the children. If I play for any county I need to give my best, my conscience would not allow any other way. If I had my children with me and I was playing around that, I would not be able to give 100 percent. Who knows? I might turn up to play for Yorkshire, but I don’t want to talk about drinking again.†What do you remember about the 1999 World Cup over here? “I lost my father during the tournament so I had to go home and within about 30 hours of getting back I was on the field again [he scored a brilliant 140 not out against Kenya at Bristol]. Even today it gives me goosebumps to think of that whole week. It was probably the toughest week of my life and scoring those runs meant a lot to me personally. My memories are very vague because it was such a harsh experience. Those losses are irrevocable. It wasn’t a pleasant World Cup for me.†Was the 2002 NatWest Series final at Lord’s when India scored 326 to win among your most memorable one-day games? “In those days anything over 300 was a huge total to chase. It isn’t like today when you can score 434 and still lose, as Australia did to South Africa. The contribution of the top five was not great but as the total crept up [thanks to Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif] the old superstition came into play and we weren’t allowed to change places in the dressing room. Our manager was near the toilet and I was by the food, so I kept munching away. I can tell you I was very full by the end.†You have advocated split 50-over matches so that teams bat in 25 over blocks. But do you think in 30 years time we will have 50-over cricket at all? “Who would have imagined a 20-over format even 15 years ago? I am sure things will keep changing with each generation. To me, it is about globalising the game as much as possible. However many come to watch T20 across the world, if 10 or 15 percent start liking Test cricket then your Test audience has increased and for me, Test cricket will always be the number one format. That is the most challenging, tough and satisfying form of the game.†How has the IPL changed the game in India? “It is getting more aggressive. The great thing is for the youngsters to spend 45 days with so many international players and for all of us to play in the same side as those from other countries, to mix and share beliefs. For a young Indian player I would compare that to the season I was fortunate to have at Yorkshire.†How do you deal with the incredible level of expectation on you every time you walk out to bat in India? “It is difficult to live with the expectations other people have for me, so I think about my own expectations instead. I have always set targets for myself. There are always butterflies in my stomach every time I walk to the ground and they are good companions to have. They show I still care about cricket as much as ever, that I am ready to play. Even in exhibition matches, I am nervous when I go out. That is how my body prepares. When those butterflies are gone, I know it will be time for me to go too. So for how long will you go on to play? “At the moment I am just thinking about my next Test match, I am looking to play against Sri Lanka starting July 17. The answer is that I really don’t know. As long as possible, I hope, as long as the desire and hunger is there. The day I wake up and decide I want to stay in bed that is the day to change direction.†What would it mean to play a World Cup final in Mumbai next April? “You have to start on the ground floor and you can’t jump straight to the 50th. So let’s not get carried away. One floor at a time, one game at a time. It would be a great achievement and the country is dreaming about it. Actually, I am dreaming about it as well. What can I say? If we can play to our potential we can really get there.†http://timesonline.typepad.com/line_and_length/2010/06/sachin-tendulkar-opens-up-on-his-career-and-the-modern-game.html

[DomainK]

Sachin was supposed to spend time with family after withdrawing from Asia Cup but he is in UK for endorsement reasons. He is setting bad example for youngsters.Once you become senior and reached star status you can pick & chose games you want to play.

I am sure you met him in UK, huh?

[UmarAkmal]

I am sure you met him in UK' date=' huh?[/quote'] Sachin Tendulkar was the special guest of NatWest at a breakfast in London today to mark their 30 years of cricket sponsorship in England. :winky:

[b555]

i hope they r.i dont have too many hopes.i fear God's gonna be dissapointed coz of our rockstars:((

:(( :((

[Serani]

BCCI obviously disagree...

“I had not started drinking then and there I was with a big glass of Tetleys in my hand. My parents asked what had happened and I had to say ‘don’t worry, I didn’t actually drink it’. But that was a special time for me. The reception everywhere when I walked out to bat was fantastic. I had to keep pinching myself to remember I was on zero.To any youngster I can say blindly, just go and play a season in England. It will really improve you as a cricketer.â€

[mastana]

:(( :((

[Karan114]

BCCI obviously disagree...

The BCCI agrees or disagrees with things depending on how many millions they make off them. Player welfare can go **** itself for all they care.

[Guest OriginalPrince]

unfortunately winning the wc will remain a distant dream for tendulkar and the indian team

[mastana]

unfortunately winning the wc will remain a distant dream for tendulkar and the indian team

What about hosting a world cup? :hmmm:

[Guest OriginalPrince]

What about hosting a world cup? :hmmm:

the dream of hosting the wc has become a reality but im afraid this indian team (that recently lost to zim) has no chance of getting to the finals. plus india seems to choke in big games.

[gaurav92]

the dream of hosting the wc has become a reality but im afraid this indian team (that recently lost to zim) has no chance of getting to the finals. plus india seems to choke in big games.

That was our 'A' side and not our full strength side, so plz don't compare the performance of our young side and presume that tat will be our standard for the World Cup.