Sachin: I must thank Mr Gavaskar for having given batsmen a goal

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Sachin: I must thank Mr Gavaskar for having given batsmen a goal Sachin Tendulkar - Cricket’s senior-most pro picks the special moments in his career LOKENDRA PRATAP SAHIA TELEGRAPH SPECIAL

Calcutta: International cricket’s senior-most pro Sachin Tendulkar completed 18 years in the big league a fortnight ago. The other day, in a one-on-one with The Telegraph, the talismanic 34-year-old (No. 2 run-getter in Tests and No. 1 in ODIs) picked the special moments in his career. Here goes in Sachin’s chosen order Getting selected as a 16-year-old for India (November 1989): It was in the midst of the Irani Trophy in Mumbai that I got picked for the tour of Pakistan... I can’t recall who gave me the news... Could’ve been somebody from the media... The first thing I did was to call home and share my excitement... As I was staying on the Wankhede premises itself (because of the match), there was no immediate celebration by the family... (Adds laughing) I did, however, give myself an extra helping of ice-cream that night! Maiden Test hundred, at Old Trafford (August 1990): The firsts are never forgotten... That unbeaten 119 helped India save the match and, so, the joy was all that more... I’d missed out on a hundred (falling for 88) on the tour before that, to New Zealand, and I must confess that that was there at the back of my mind. I kept telling myself I shouldn’t again fall in the Eighties. Being part of the team which won both the one-day and Test series in Pakistan in 2003-04: That the wins came on our first full tour there in 14-15 years made it memorable... Also, it was in Pakistan, where I made my debut... Of course, it was a challenging tour, but I came away with fond memories... I was, indeed, touched by the hospitality and the crowds came to applaud good cricket... As a player, you do want fans to pack the stands... It’s a form of encouragement. The 2003 World Cup in Africa: We lost in the final (to Australia), but were otherwise superb in that tournament... Once we started to win, the sequence (eight in succession) continued till the final... We hadn’t done well on the tour of New Zealand, which preceded the World Cup, but I believe it’s always a fresh start in a new tour or tournament... There’s no carried over baggage and every day is a new beginning. The April 1998 tournament in Sharjah and his 35th Test hundred (109 against Sri Lanka, at the Kotla, in December 2005): I enjoyed every moment of that tournament... I played the shots I wanted to and had absolute control over them... As it turned out, my performance (an awesome 434 runs in five matches) helped India win the trophy... As for the 35th hundred, well, I must thank Mr (Sunil) Gavaskar for having given batsmen a target to achieve... A goal to reach... I’m glad he played for the number of years that he actually did (16) and inspired me to set a target (getting past 34 hundreds) for myself... Mr Gavaskar showed what dedication and determination can achieve. Discipline as well. Finally, on the future: (Laughs) As I’ve been saying, I’m enjoying the present... Enjoying my cricket and don’t wish to look too far ahead.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071201/asp/sports/story_8615213.asp