Thank you Sachin

A legend bids farewell

Table of contents

The last hurrah

Sachins farewell speech: My life between 22 yards for 24 years Cant imagine Sachin without cricket, says Anjali Tendulkar Theres a Sachin Tendulkar waiting to blossom in every family Sachin Tendulkar knew the price of his talent With Sachin gone, cricket wont sound the same again Money, money, money: This is why we go bonkers over cricket Sachin and Wankhede deserved South Africa, not West Indies Tendulkar trivia: Sachin was a ball boy in 1987 WC semi-final Just a fan watching Tendulkars perfect script at Wankhede Sachin farewell: After the frenzy, get ready for the nothingness Tendulkar, Pele and Jordan: 10 players who define their sport Five things Sachin Tendulkar doesnt want to be remembered for 05 07 09 11 13 15 17 19 20 22 24 26

The build-up
Tendulkars captaincy failed because he set impossible standards Three things we want Sachin Tendulkar to do in his last Test Final test: Heres Amuls tribute to Sachin Tendulkar Tendulkar fans still in the dark as site selling tickets for 200th Test crashes The finest vintage: Tendulkar of 1998-2001 was sheer genius First Sachin, now the aloo in biryani. The world is ending. How Sachin Tendulkar made British Asians fail the cricket test 29 31 33 34 35 37 39

The preview
Why Sachin Tendulkar shouldnt have announced his retirement To the very end, Tendulkar should remain himself Why Lahli was the perfect preparation for Tendulkar Tendulkar and Dravid: Contrasting approaches united by sheer genius Tendulkar at Wankhede: Its not about the stats, its about sentiment 42 44 45 47 49

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The decision
The argument that Sachin Tendulkar left too late is utter rubbish For greats like Tendulkar, legacy is such a burden The myth about Sachin Tendulkar and victory The definitive guide to Sachin Tendulkars career The Tendulkar dialogue: What will you miss most about Sachin? Five life lessons that Sachin Tendulkar has given the world 53 56 58 60 66 68

Final Goodbye
What next for Sachin Tendulkar? Little master on life after cricket Photos: Not a dry eye as Sachin bids farewell to cricket 71 74

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The last hurrah

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Sachins farewell speech:

My life between 22 yards for 24 years

he full text of Sachin Tendulkar's farewell speech after his 200th and last Test match

"Friends please settle down, I'll get more emotional. It's hard to believe my wonderful journey is coming to an end, my life between 22 yards for 24 years has come to an end. I've a list of names to thank. The first is my father, who passed away in 1999. Without his guidance I wouldn't be standing in front of you. He said 'chase your dreams, don't give up, the path will be difficult.' I miss him today. My mom, I don't know how she managed a naughty child like me. She just prayed and prayed from the day I started playing the game. For four years I stayed with my uncle and aunt when in school, they treated me like their own son. My eldest brother Nitin doesn't like to talk much but he said, whatever you do, I know you will give 100%. My first cricket bat was presented to me by my sister Savita. She still continues to fast while I bat. Ajit my brother - we have lived this dream

together, he sacrificed his career for me he took me to Achrekar sir first. Even last night he called me to discuss my dismissal. Even when I'm not playing we will still be discussing technique. If that hadn't happened, I would have been a lesser cricketer. "The most beautiful thing happened to me when I met Anjali in 1990. I know that being a doctor there was a big career in front of her. But she decides that I should continue playing and she took care of the children. Thanks for bearing with me for all the nonsense I've said (Anjali wipes tears). Then the two precious diamonds of my life Sara and Arjun. I've missed out on several birthdays, holidays, annual days. I know for 14-16 years I've not spent enough time with you. But I promise you I will spend the next 16 or whatever is left. "My in-laws I've discussed several things with them. The most important thing they did was allow me to marry Anjali. In the last 24 years my friends have made terrific contributions. They have been with me while I was stressed. They have been with me even at 3 AM when I
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was injured. Thanks for being there for me. "My career started when I was 11. I was extremely delighted to see Achrekar sir in the stands. I used to ride on his scooter and play two matches a day. Sir took me along to make sure I played. On a lighter note, Sir never said 'well played' because he didn't want me to be complacent. You can push your luck now, Sir, since I'm not playing cricket anymore. "I started my career here in Mumbai. I remember landing from NZ at 4 AM and playing a Ranji game the next day. The BCCI was fantastic from my debut. Thanks to the selectors. You were right with me making sure my treatment was taken care of. "Thanks to all the senior cricketers who have played with me. We see on the screen Rahul, VVS, Sourav and Anil who is not here. All the coaches. I know when MS presented the 200th Test cap, I had a message to the team I said we are all so proud to be representing the nation. I hope to continue to serve the nation with dignity. I have full faith that you will serve the country in the right spirit.

I will be failing in my duty if I didn't thank the doctors who have kept me fit. Given the injuries I have suffered. They have treated me in odd hours. My dear friend the late Mark Mascarenhas. I miss him. My current management team WSG, for continuing what Mark has done. Someone who has worked closely with me for 14 years is my friend Vinay Nayudu. "The media has backed me a lot, since my school days. Even today. Thank you. Thanks to the photographers for capturing those moments. "I know my speech has become long. I want to thank people who have flown in from different parts of the world. I want to thank my fans from the bottom of my heart. "Sachin, Sachin" will reverberate in my ears till I stop breathing."

Watch Sachin's farewell speech

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Cant imagine Sachin without cricket, says Anjali Tendulkar

From the very start, Anjali was aware that cricket came first for her husband: He belongs to the country, to Mumbai and then to us, she said.

FP Sports, November 17, 2013 from the game even when they were away on holiday in London. He would watch what he ate, go to the gym or practice with Arjun, with one eye on his next series. Thats one of the reasons she could not put into words how his retirement has affected him or the family. "Once the decision [to retire] was taken, to process it took a lot out of us," she said. The family has been overwhelmed by the reaction to his announcement though, and Anjali believes Sachin himself has handled the swirl of emotions very well. Then again, Sachin is not someone who wers his heart on his sleeve, so it is not easy to know what he is thinking or feeling. "Sachin is very good at hiding his emotions. He has never shown us if he is tense about a big match or whether he has been upset by what someone said," she said. One thing Sachin did make clear though, was that he wanted his mother to be there at the Wankhede for his final Test. She had never seen her son play in person before, and he was determined that she would do so this time, to point where he personally supervised the installation of a ramp for her wheelchair and found the perfect spot for her to sit and watch. The decision to retire was actually a simple one. He has always said the minute he feels he can't give 100 percent and can't do it anymore, that will be the time he will take the decision, Anjali said. One day he just told me I think the time is right for me to retire.
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or most us, Sachin Tendulkar and cricket are synonymous. We cant imagine him doing anything aside from playing the game. It seems neither can his family.

I can imagine cricket without Sachin, but I can't imagine Sachin without cricket, his wife Anjali told Harsha Bhogle during the third day of her husbands 200th and final Test. I don't know what will take cricket's place in his life. Anjali, a qualified doctor, put her career on hold to stay home and raise the couples two kids, Arjun and Sara. She said not only will they will have to get used to having Sachin home all the time, he has a knack for find faults, pointing out peeling paint here or a crack there. "I am very worried about it," she said. From the very start, Anjali was aware that cricket came first for her husband: He belongs to the country, to Mumbai and then to us, she said. She revealed that he never really switched off

She responded by telling him not to feel guilty about it and if that was his choice, then he had the familys support. By then the BCCI had already announced the West Indies series, which created the possibility of Sachin playing his last match on his home ground and scripting a perfect ending.

Anjali also revealed that Sachin is not the single-minded cricket machine that everyone imagines he is. There is a lot that goes on in his mind, she said. Maybe one day he will tell everyone.

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Theres a Sachin Tendulkar waiting

to blossom in every family

As the nation celebrates the genius of the worlds greatest cricketer whos won our hearts in such an extraordinary way, lets look closely at the familys role in nurturing, supporting and encouraging Sachin Tendulkar in the pursuit of his talent.

Abhay Vaidya, November 16, 2013 the individual. The Indian youth is criss-crossing the nation in the pursuit of education and employment in larger numbers than ever before. This is bound to result in inter-cultural and inter-religious relationships and yet, how many Indian families are willing to bridge the caste and religious divide to endorse marriages resulting from such relationships? In extreme cases, many families continue to be dictated by their community councils or Khap panchayats who wont hesitate to order the honour killings of young couples in love who may have eloped and married in violation of community norms. Since other peoples grief is extremely captivating, Indian television channels uniformly promote serials that project the worst of the family. TV serials are all about conflict where suppressing individual aspirations to fulfill the wishes of the elders, or preserving and promoting the familys honour and prestige is of paramount importance. In a typical Indian setting it would have been impossible for a Sachin Tendulkar to marry a woman six years his senior! Look around and youll find so many Indian families rejecting the choice of a life-partner made by their grown-up children. The reasons could be varied: the horoscopes dont match, the person belongs to a lower caste; the person is not good looking, has a dark complexion; is much shorter/taller than
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ndia has a strong family culture because an individuals life in India centres around the family. Depending on the values it cherishes, our families can be a boon or a bane, a blessing or a curse. Indian families can cut both ways: they can stifle an individuals aspirations with a heavy hand- especially in the case of women- or they can provide them with wings to fly high as in the case of Sachin Tendulkar, Deepika Padukone or Sania Mirza.

As the nation celebrates the genius of the worlds greatest cricketer whos won our hearts in such an extraordinary way, lets look closely at the familys role in nurturing, supporting and encouraging Sachin Tendulkar in the pursuit of his talent. At the other end of the spectrum are the families run by iron-willed patriarchs who decide practically everything for their children: what they will study, what will they play (!); which professional courses they will or wont pursue and whom they will marry, leaving no choice for

his/her partner; does not belong to the same community or religion and so onInnumerable relationships of young couples in love have been destroyed with fierce opposition from the family. Look at the liberal and supportive family environment in which Sachin Tendulkar was able pursue his talent in cricket and give it his fullest attention: His elder brother Ajit was the first to spot Sachins talent and was instrumental in mentoring him from a tender age when he introduced him to his coach Ramakant Achrekar. On Achrekars suggestion, Sachins father, Ramesh Tendulkar allowed the child to change his school- from the Indian Education Society's New English School in Bandra (East) to Sharadashram Vidyamandir (English) High School at Dadar. Sachin then moved in to stay with his uncle and aunt who lived at Shivaji Park to participate in regular coaching. Strongly mentored by his elder brother Ajit who has stood by Sachin like a rock throughout his illustrious career, Sachin has never wavered from his focus on cricket and never allowed himself to get swayed by the trappings of success, fame and money even as his entire family scrupulously avoided the limelight. Tennis star Sania Mirza's father was the driving influence in her case, refusing to buckle to pressure from some sections among Muslims who objected to her short tennis attire as "unIslamic".

Hockey star Dhanraj Pillay who hailed from a poor family in Kirkee, Pune, received considerable support from his elder brother Ramesh and his mother till his talent was noticed by professional coaches and he entered mainstream hockey. Take the case of badminton legend Prakash Padukone who did not stifle his 18-year-old daughter Deepikas ardent desire to shift from Bangalore to Mumbai to pursue a career in modelling. As he revealed in a poignant, open letter to his daughter published early this year: Deepika, at eighteen, when you told us that you wanted to shift to Mumbai for a career in modelling, we felt you were too young and too inexperienced to be alone in a big city and in an industry we knew nothing about. In the end, we decided to let you follow your heart, thought it would be cruel to not give our child the opportunity to go after a dream that she lived and breathed for. If you succeeded, it would make us proud, but even if you didnt, you would not have any regrets that you did not try. How many parents are willing to let their children follow their heart and pursue their dreams and ambitions rather than impose their own expectations on them? Theres a superstar in every family wanting to follow his own star. Indian families can facilitate this journey for their children by adopting the liberal values that we so very much admire in Sachin Tendulkars family.

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knew the price of his talent

It is this ability to shoulder the weight of expectation not just on the field but off it too that separates Tendulkar from the rest. He understood early that this was the price of his talent and he was prepared to pay that price.
Tariq Engineer, November 16, 2013

Sachin Tendulkar

orget for a moment the runs. Forget the centuries. Forget the wins and losses, the highs and lows. Instead, consider these two stories.

back at Old Trafford and Manchester were completely offhand and, after rebuffing me, he stalked out and drove away, ignoring also the worshipping small boys. Contrast this with the story Amrit Mathur, a former manager of the Indian cricket team, tells for ESPNcricinfo. After the 2003 World Cup final that India lost to Australia, the team had to fly home in economy because business class was full. Naturally, the other passengers could not resist coming up to Sachin Tendulkar and asking him for autographs and photographs. For the next three hours, Sachin fulfilled every request, even while having dinner, repeatedly putting his fork down to sign something", Mathur writes. Strangers patted him on the back, put their arms around him, and grabbed his hand. Not for a moment did he show the slightest hint of irritation. No autograph was refused, no request for a photograph turned down. For all the expectations Tendulkar and Bradman faced on the field, they faced almost as many off it. The intensely private Bradman could be brusque, yet from all accounts, Tendulkar was always gracious and patient with his fans. He has even kept the team bus waiting while he has signed autographs, not wanting anyone to go away disappointed. This not to demean Bradman in any way. It is understandable that there were times when he wanted to be left alone. It is to highlight just how willing Tendulkar was to try and live up to what people expected of him.
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During his farewell tour of England in 1948, crowds surged to every ground to watch the great Sir Donald Bradman once last time. In those days there were no fences. no police patrolling the boundary and no cable television, so fans would spill over onto the field, often obscuring the boundary rope. Yet the Don did not warm as easily to his fans off the field. In Brightly Fades the Don, Jack Fingleton recounts a story told by the gossipwriter of the Manchester Evening News, who was trying to interview Bradman. The writer was waiting in the foyer of Bradmans hotel, alongside small boys with autograph books. His replies to my two perfectly simple questions was he well and how did like being

It is this ability to shoulder the weight of expectation not just on the field but off it too that separates Tendulkar from the rest. He understood early that this was the price of his talent and he was prepared to pay that price. At an India Today conclave to celebrate Tendulkars career earlier this week, Brian Lara said he went through a dark time after making his then world record 375 in a Test against England. He was not prepared for the attention and the scrutiny it brought him. It was only in the latter stages of his career that he learned to cope. You have to embrace it. You are an entertainer. People pay money to come through the turnstiles. You cant shy away from it. Tendulkar seemed to embrace it almost from the very beginning. Perhaps, in a way, he benefitted from the attention he received as a school boy. He was never aware of a time when he was not the cynosure of Indian eyes. He learned to handle it in the same way he learned to handle top quality fast bowling. When the Indian selectors got together to discuss the team for the 1989 tour of Pakistan, selector Naren Tamhane suggested they pick the 16-year-old Tendulkar. But the others worried that the young kid, no more than a boy really, would suffer at the hands of Imran Khan, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Abdul Quadir. The risk of failure was too great, the damage to his confidence potentially too devastating. Pat came the reply from Tamhane: "Tendulkar never fails." Imagine trying to live up to that testimonial while facing the same set of bowlers. It was no easier from within his inner circle either. It was not just his dream. It was the dream of the entire family, his brother Ajit said. India tennis player Sania Mirza knows a thing or two about media attention. Her career, her form, her clothes and her marriage have alll been dissected in the Indian press. And this in a sport like tennis, which does not have half the fanatic following cricket does. So when she

says Indians are extremists; too much love, too much hate, she knows what she is talking about. She tells of conversations with cricketers who have told me they have fallen sick because of the pressure put on them by the media [and others]. That is very unfair. Yet this has never seemed to upset Tendulkar, at least not publicly. Perhaps in his private moments he has expressed concern or even annoyance, but in the glare of the spotlight he has simply smiled and carried on. Tendulkar handled this in two ways. He has a remarkable abililty to compartmentalise his life. When he walks out to bat at the Wankhede stadium for the last time in a Test match, he will know his fans want to see him make a hundred. But he will not be affected by it. Once he walks into the ground, he goes into his zone, VVS Laxman told NDTV. He totally shuts off whatever is happening away and just focuses on the task at hand. The other was his preparation. He worked harder on his cricket than anyone else, whether it was ironing out flaws, perfecting a new technique or just making sure he stayed in the groove, he never wasted a practice session. Not once did he try to cheat the game. When you train at a high level like Sachin does, then it becomes easier to deal with the pressure, Sushil Kumar, Indias two-time Olympic medal winner in wrestling, said. It is for this reason that Lara believes Tendulkar has had the greatest cricketing career of anyone to play the game. He has absorbed the unrelenting attention, adulation and expectations of his fans and simply got on with the job. The day after the Wankhede Test ends, Tendulkar will wake up and for the first time in almost a quarter century, not have to worry about meeting a billion peoples expectations. It will be a strange and unusual feeling for him and there will be a void in his life. But he will also finally have time to breathe. He has more than earned it.
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With Sachin gone, cricket

wont sound the same again
For at least 20 years, we have known this chant. But now, we need to retire it... just as they retire a jersey or a number, we need to retire the chant because without Sachin it has no meaning.

Ashish Magotra, November 17, 2013 self. As he spoke to the crowd, to all those present -- many a grown man broke down into tears -a kid was content playing 'Angry Birds' on his mobile phone but then he doesn't know Sachin like we do. They just couldn't believe it. It had been in the making for while -- we all knew it was coming but still there are some things you can never prepare for. We just didn't want to believe it. How could this be over? What will he do? Will he return to cricket? Will he still offer advice to young cricketers? Will he turn his attention to other sports? When we see him again? When we see the next Test and Sachin's name will be missing from the scorecard... how will we feel... how will he feel? It was crazy and it was emotional.

achinnnnn..... Sachinnnnnnnnnn, then the clapping of hands, the banging of bottles, then the chant would begin again... Sachinnnnn..... Sachinnnnnnnnnn. Over and over again -- it was an immortal chant.

But today after Sachin Tendulkar finished his speech, he walked to the middle, one final time still wearing the India colours, he bent down and touched the pitch, kissed the dust and touched it to his head... all along the crowd chanted his name... 'Sachinnnnn..... Sachinnnnnnnnnn...' and then there was silence. An uneasy silence -- yet at the same time it felt as loud as anything we'd ever hear. Almost every Indian cricket fan who ever came to the ground had an innate feel for what needed to be said when you were in the stands. We have no elaborate songs like fans in the English Premier League, no anthem, but everyone knew this chant; the rhythm; the timing; the length... it was all natural, very much like the man him-

He cried too. He kept gulping down water to hold back the tears. It came from the heart. It was genuine. It wasn't written by a speech writer, there was no beehive rhetoric, it was about himself and the people who mattered to him. And the fans found a mention there. "I want to thank my fans from the bottom of my heart. 'Sachin, Sachin' will reverberate in my ears till I stop breathing, he said and the crowd roared again. For at least 20 years, we have known this chant. But now, we need to retire it... just as they retire a jersey or a number, we need to retire the chant because without Sachin it has no meaning.
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A quick lunch after the match and the conversation turned to Sachin all over again. Dravid chose not to have a farewell like this, Ganguly didn't get the chance, VVS Laxman... it almost seemed like he retired in a huff. Now, Sachin is gone too. We like and admire Dhoni but will any other cricketer be loved as much as Sachin. Generations -- not a generation -- grew up watching and idolising him and as good as Dhoni is, he has been around only since December 2004. It's not even been 10 years. With Sachin, our con-

versation lasted much longer. After lunch, we wondered whether we should walk to Wankhede once again, make our way to our seats, and then in the empty stadium, give vent to emotions with chants of 'Sachin, Sachin' once again. But then we realised like all good things, this too had come to an end. So as we went towards Churchgate station, we suddenly shouted out 'Sachin, Sachin' and sure enough, we found the chorus too.

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Money, money, money: This is why we go bonkers over cricket

Money makes the mare go. Sports are no exception to this time tested adage.
S Murlidharan, November 16, 2013 n a day when Sachin Tendulkar is being feted on the eve of his retirement, marking the sunset of his illustrious career, it would be an act of party-pooping, nay heresy to say anything against cricket and cricketers. But the youth of this country especially must be told what incalculable harm the nation is doing to other sports by mistaking sports with cricket and vice-versa. There is this apocryphal story of Kapil Dev, another Indian cricketing legend, who it is believed was keen on becoming a sprinter but was dissuaded from pursuing this passion by his wise elder brother. He gave the most prescient advice possible -- even if you win a gold medal, you would soon be forgotten and get nothing more than a footnote status in Indias sporting annals. He could perhaps have added for good measure that this game of cricket was a lambi race ka gora (a horse that would be good for a long haul) and that it was large-hearted enough to accommodate players from teens to pot-bellied middle age like no other save chess, golf and billiards. Heeding his brothers sagacious advice, the youngster is said to have sublimated his energies with vengeance into cricket which catapulted him not only into the hall of Indian cricketing fame but got him a lot of moolah as well. Abhinav Bindra another sportsperson from Chandigarh could be ruing his decision to become a shooter and the fact that he did not have an equally sagacious brother. His efforts won him and the country the first non-hockey Olympic gold medal but that is about all. The nation itself seems to have forgotten him except that a few brave men especially from the armed forces have been training their guns on this game of skill despite knowing there is no money or enduring fame in it apart from the evanescent rewards the moment brings.

What makes us go bonkers over cricket? Is the country still hung-over from the colonial pastime? Is it in our nations DNA? Or is it the dawning realisation that no other sport in India is as financially rewarding as cricket and that while investing in any sport is fraught, investing in cricket at least has the potential to pay itself back sooner or later? Sadly, the last seems to be the uncomfortable, bitter truth. Money makes the mare go. Sports are no exception to this time tested adage. To be sure, one cannot blame the youngsters and their parents for making a pitch for cricket or cinema. Despite the very high attrition rate, the two beckon a lot of people either out of passion or when they are on their limbs out to prove something. The IPL circus has served to accentuate this tendency what with excessive money in circulation seeking more players who are sons of soil. Feeding this frenzy is the media hype which in turn is fed by the advertising support. The world of marketing especially advertising too puts the money where the mouth is -- you get more bang for your ad spends woven round cricket and cricketing events, period. Well, they may be indeed getting more bang for their clients given the immense pester power of children -- a lot of them drink Boost or Pepsi merely because their icon, their heartthrob Sachin or Dhoni is shown on television screens drinking them. Every man needs his fix. Cricket and cinema have been Indias enduring fixes but they have left the nation with debilitating side effects. Come Olympics, the same cheerleaders who are accustomed to singing hosannas of cricket and cricketers, bemoan the nations sad lack of talent beyond cricket and some go through the
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motions of even berating cricket and cinema as being the proximate cause for this malaise. The other game we were once good at, hockey, is slowly eluding success for us with skill replacing stamina more and more thanks to constant changing of rules of the game in the manner of shifting the goalpost. There have been many instances where star performers from other sports have made no secret of their frustration with cricketers walking away with all money and adulation. Cricket has largely remained a commonwealth game, as it were. Besides by England and Australia the two of the major sporting nations in the world, it is played by India, Pakistan, New Zealand and a clutch of islands in the Caribbean banded together as West Indies. Why hasnt the game held appeal to others especially the other major sporting nations has remained a mystery. China, Germany, the USA, Russia, Japan, South Korea to name just a few have shown scant regard for the game, may be on the ground that it is a leisurely and idle pastime though China has lately been evincing interest in the game perhaps in its single-minded desire to humble India in disciplines it has reared its head proudly. The three areas China lags behind India are

Cricket, English speaking and computing skills. It seems to be determined to worst us on each of these fronts sooner or later. Olympics is the ultimate testing ground for a nations sporting prowess. It has however become the occasion for making the sad refrain every time -- China as populous as India gets more than one hundred gold medal but we send our blessings skyward even if we win one or two bronze or silver medals or a combination of them or words to this effect. To get down to brass-tacks, we need to wean away our youngsters from the blandishments and delusions provided by cricket and cinema. And this has to be done early on in a childs life. Catch them young is taken seriously by China which has gone to the other extreme of catching them so young and putting them through the grueling grind of sports factories that it has attracted international opprobrium. But such opprobrium is any day more flattering if not edifying than being branded a nation of couch potatoes. Yes, our elders compound their passivity before the television screens by roping in children of the family too into this vicarious act of passive enjoyment. We need to evolve a national sports policy that would at least supply a serious blueprint for winning at least one gold medal more in successive Olympics.

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Sachin and Wankhede deserved

South Africa, not West Indies

The BCCI didnt like Cricket South Africa and they had a tiff and they slinged mud at each other. But does the fan really care?
Ashish Magotra, November 15, 2013

ow we wished today that West Indies were a side capable of playing better Test cricket...

each other. But does the fan really care? Yes, the idea of a farewell match on his home ground is outstanding but you can't clap with one hand. Couldn't the BCCI have invited South Africa to play these two Tests too? But no, we are the bullies and we have to show them we are right. We have to punish them and in turn, the fans are being punished too. As things stand the West Indies have one bowler Shane Shillingford and Sammy is doing his best to bowl him till he crumbles. Shillingford bowled 55 overs in Kolkata and he bowled another 43 in Mumbai no other bowler got to 20. He is probably thankful that West Indies lost by an innings at the Eden Gardens and look likely to do the same at Mumbai but we aren't. So as we saw Tendulkar get his runs, then Pujara, then Kohli, then Rohit the only thought was that we were being robbed of watching Tendulkar at his best... as he did in Lahli in his last first-class game... as he did in Chennai against Pakistan all those years ago... as he did against Australia on so many tours... as he did against England at Eden recently. When Tendulkar was dismissed there was surprise. But then we are always surprised when he falls. Some things are not meant to be and Tendulkar was certainly not supposed to get out to Narsingh Deonarine. He was, however, supposed to get to his fifty with style and he did that with a delectable straight drive. At the start of the series, there was a promise of four innings West Indies might deliver only two and that thought is tinged with immense sadness. So after Tendulkar was dismissed
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When Darren Sammy arrived in India he spoke with great confidence about how his side had won six matches on the trot. He, however, forgot to mention who the wins had come against two against New Zealand, two against Bangladesh and two against Zimbabwe.

But against India Sammy's side has come a cropper. They have lasted three days in Kolkata and look likely but for a miracle to do the same in Mumbai too. As stage-managed as this farewell has been Sachin deserved a better opposition. One of life's great rules is that you gotta take what life throws at you. But surely, the BCCI might have invited some tougher opposition; surely we would have relished that 74 more if it had come against the likes of Dale Syern and Morne Morkel. Yes, yes. The BCCI didn't like Cricket South Africa and they had a tiff and they slinged mud at

 the crowd cheered for the West Indies. In probably a worldwide first the home crowd cheered for the opposition team. There have been times when you applaud the opposition great but this really was unparalleled. They cheered every wicket, they cheered Tino Best, they cheered catches, they cheered the West Indies... all because they wanted to watch Sachin Tendukar bat again. They offered Dhoni advice "Declare, Declare." Thought up plans of how Sachin might get another bat "Our only hope is Gayle, he is the only one who can score runs fast enough. Sachin needs three hours of Gayle." They dreamt up a

Steyn running "Imagine Steyn running in... the rhythm of it all and Sachin, at the other end, under pressure. The best deserve the best." And when nothing else worked they prayed... not for India but for the West Indies. But going into day three, West Indies trail by 270 runs with 7 wickets remaining and they need a partnership of Laxman-Dravid proportions to even make a fight of this. Now that, in our heart of hearts, we know if a feat beyond this West Indies. Still, we hope for a miracle... we wish it. It's been known to happen around Sachin... only this time we wish it for the opposition.

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Tendulkar trivia: Sachin was a ball boy in 1987 WC semi-final

FP Staff, November 15, 2013 midst all the Sachin madness that has brought India to a standstill from 14th of November, Twitter India, today, announced that Sachin Tendulkars response to the trending #ThankyouSachin messages is now the most retweeted (RT'd) tweet of all-time in India.

news. After all, it is a response coming straight from God! Some of the messages that made the hashtag #ThankYouSachin popular and trending on Twitter are as follows: One of the best things of being born in the 80s has been the privilege to follow the Legend from start to end #ThankYouSachin, tweeted Raunak Munot (@raunakmunot), from Los Angeles. Because It's all Sachin today, I would even tolerate the sight of Rahul Gandhi ... #ThankYouSachin tweeted Hitarth Maru (@ Hitarth1987). Meanwhile, there are others who are thanking Sachin for some very different reasons! Traffic-free west Delhi streets. #ThankYouSachin tweeted veteran journalist Sreenivasan Jain (@SreenivasanJain).

I am really touched with #ThankYouSachin messages. Your support all these years have inspired me to give my best, tweeted Sachin Tendulkar at 8.50 pm on November 13, 2013. The ecstatic fans are busy retweeting Sachins words taking number of RTs to 6,455 (as of now). And 4,734 have marked it as their Favourite. Both the numbers will have increased by the time you are done reading this piece of

As Sachin broke records on Twitter, comparisons were being made between him and Obama. Rohit Bansal (@theRohitBansal) pointed out that Twitter Indias record is a far cry from 507,745 retweets Obamas Four more years tweet saw during the US election night. Will Sachin break Obamas record? Lets wait and watch.

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Just a fan watching Tendulkars

perfect script at Wankhede

One would have thought that the pressure would weigh him down but instead today, he looked free. It seemed like a weight has been taken off his shoulders.
Ashish Magotra, November 14, 2013

his was a day to stop being a journalist. This was a day to go back to being a fan. This was a day to not look at the scorecard or the watch. This was a day to cheer every little thing that Sachin did -- and at the end of it all, this day was unreal.

lin rush last? How long would this mass hysteria continue? How would it affect Sachin? But there was simply no stopping it. The roar that accompanied Sachin as he walked out to bat -- I have no idea what the time was or what else was happening around me, I had eyes only for him -- was heart-warming. It was loud yes, but if you had promised yourself that you wouldn't cry... it took you a little closer to breaking that promise. It was the same old walk -- a quick windmill, a look at the sky... here was Sachin trying to keep things as normal as he could. And here we were in the crowd -- wanting to make make him realise that it wasn't as simple as that. He shook hands with Darren Sammy as the West Indies players gave him a guard of honour. Then he made his way to the middle. Cheteshwar Pujara was already there. Shane Shillingford the bowler -- he had got two wickets already and had clearly been the best West Indian bowler in this series. Not that it mattered today. Tendulkar played out the over, got to the nonstriker's end, did some shadow batting, shook his shoulders. In the stands, we wondered: "Was he nervous?" Pujara clearly wasn't though and that speaks volumes for him. Two fours off Gabriel in the next over -- were greeted with wild 'Sachin, Sachin' cheers. Of course, it didn't matter that Pujara hit the fours -- it was all part of the Sachin effect. As he stood at the non-strikers end, leaning
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Someone might tell you -- Sachin scored 38 off 73 balls; that Cheteshwar Pujara actually looked more fluent; that Pragyan Ojha's five wickets were important for India. In turn, I might tell you that I didn't sit for one ball of the Sachin innings; nor did I have a sore throat at the start of his innings -- now, 73 balls later I do; I might also tell you that I stood on one leg when the total was on 111-2; that I didn't let my friends move from the moment Sachin came to bat to when the last ball was moved. And if all that wasn't enough then the crowd was so loud, so wild that it shook the very foundations of Wankhede Stadium -- if all this sounds like an exaggeration, rest easy... it isn't. In between, we wondered... even as we shouted ourselves hoarse... how long would this adrena-

on his bat, his legs crossed, simply staring into nothingness -- someone in the stands commented -- "Will we ever see that again?" It was truly the kind of stuff that gives one goosebumps. We were all feeling it -- young and old, men, women, and children. Time stood still, Wankhede stood still -- and then it came to life, each time Sachin batted, lustily cheering its hero for each ball he faced. One would have thought that the pressure would weigh him down but instead today, he looked free. It seemed like a weight has been taken off his shoulders. The first four was hit past point-- Shilliongford dropped it short and Sachin helped himself to an easy boundary. The second, in the same over, was driven against the turn past mid-off.

"He is looking solid today," said someone and he was quickly shushed by all those around him. "Don't jinx him. Not today." In the next over came the cover drive -- he leaned into it. Nice and easy. A perfect picture. Four. Typically Tendulkar. "Oh! how we'll miss this," said someone. Pujara , at the other end, was playing the perfect innings. Every time he got strike, he took a quick single. It was perfect for the crowd too -- he kept giving the strike back to Sachin. "This bloke is a good batsman, he is doing the right thing." Indeed. A few overs later, came the on-drive. People cheered as he played the shot. Then they cheered when they showed the replay. The cheering simply didn't stop. Not today, not tomorrow.

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get ready for the nothingness

The bigger fear is not about missing Tendulkar: It is not missing him.
Abhilasha Khaitan, November 13, 2013 ear West Indies team, please dont play the party-pooper. India is throwing its biggest cricket bash and it needs you to let it last the whole five days. Sincerely, the Indian cricket fan. If you have been reading the papers or, lets face it, simply been awake for the last few weeks, you would know about the party being thrown for Sachin Tendulkar. It is being held at home, in Mumbai. Unfortunately, all are not invited but that wont stop his people from joining in the revels from offices, homes and local maidans. Have television, will party.

Sachin farewell: After the frenzy,

the nagging fear that the endgame was nigh. But vehement denial allowed the wheel of hope to keep turning. And it wont stop until it absolutely has to. Despite persistent reminders, in the shape of party favours being handed out by the BCCI, it is still not time for the fans to unbury their heads from the sand. That will only happen when the last balloon has been burst and blue streamers are all that are left on the 22 yards. Then even the most optimistic die-hard will be hard-pressed to hold out any hope. After all, cricket, unlike Formula 1, will not lend itself to a return of the king, especially a 40-plus one. Reality will bite, fellow Sachin-ers. Be prepared even as you wear the Tendulkar mask and watch the circus play out over the next five days (Again, West Indies, please?). Heres the thing, though: For a while, the hangover will really be a sense of anticlimax because nothing will tangibly change. The little master has ensured that. Each move over the last couple of years has led to this: The withdrawal from the Twenty20 international team it is a younger mans game; the retirement from one-day cricket after a long period of selective playing; the final IPL tournament; and, eventually, this. He has made it so that we have, uncomfortably, unwillingly and unwittingly, become accustomed to not having him around. But there was always going to be a but while he was not playing, there was, as the heroines of the rom-com movies of the 90s would put it, at least the hope of him; we had the next appearance to look forward to. This, however, is it.
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Now, like all guests of honour, Tendulkar will likely stay dazed through the affair. The fans, meanwhile, are prepping to get drunk on, and by, the occasion in no small measure. And you know what that is going to lead to: The biggest hangover since, well, Hangover I (II and III were more nausea, less post-party zombiehood). The pace may have picked up recently but the build-up to this farewell is at least a decade long: From the time the tennis elbow put a question mark on his longevity till the moment he finally popped the R-word, there has been

After the frenzy, there will only be the nothingness. And then, it will only get worse. You see, the bigger fear is not about missing Tendulkar: It is not missing him. For instance, I am worried that I will forget what it was like to have my heart racing for the entire duration of a players innings. That is the void only a few million will appreciate. Sceptics and scoffers can stay cyni-

cal but on their own time. Because some of us are going to wear our hearts on our sleeves. If not now, then when? The author writes on popular culture, cricket and whatever else takes her fancy. She tweets @ abbykhaitan

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Tendulkar, Pele and Jordan:

10 players who define their sport
With Sachin Tendulkars retirement looming ahead of us, we take a look at 10 players from 10 different sports who define their sport.

FP Sports, November 13, 2013 to play cricket, Bobby was born to play chess. Fischer's eccentric genius makes for a lot of interesting anecdotes about his life and makes up for most of his legend but you cannot ignore the fact that Fischer was probably the greatest chess player ever. He became grandmaster at age 15 and was Boris Spassky's nemesis, beating him to the world title in 1972 in what was touted as a Cold War confrontation. He didn't have much of a formal education but his grasp of languages was astounding. He was world champion from 1972-75, and his career saw him vanish and reappear in the public domain a lot of times adding a certain mystery to the man. There are criticisms of Fischer but his contributions to the game are too many: his opening theories, books on chess and a new way of tim-

ith Sachin Tendulkar's retirement looming ahead of us, we take a look at 10 players from 10 different sports who define their sport: Pele: Sorry Maradona fans. The argument over who is better might never be settled, just like the endless Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi debate. But for us, Pele comes from a nation which is known more for its footballing exploits than anything else and he is the best of them. According to most records, Pele scored 1282 goals at a ratio of 0.94 goals per game and is the only player to win three World Cups 1958, 1962 and 1970. It was a time when players were seldom protected from ankle-busting tackles, balls were heavy and pitches were far from carpet-like. At one instance in 1967, the two factions involved in the Nigerian Civil War agreed to a 48hour ceasefire so they could watch Pel play an exhibition game in Lagos. Which other player can boast of halting a civil war temporarily? Michael Jordan: Jordan created a world of his own (Air Jordan shoes are still Nike's bestselling product) and was able to dominate the league without an all-star quality center to control the paint. His iron will and relentless scoring ability made him, in the NBA's words: "By acclamation, the greatest basketball player of all time." He twice won three titles in a row and might have won eight in a row if he had not taken two years off to play professional baseball. Oh, and Warner Bros also made a movie about him. Bobby Fischer: Like Tendulkar was born

ing were all major changes in the game. Roger Federer: Is there a single tennis record that Federer doesn't hold? No, in fact, the Swiss Maestro holds them all. Federer spent eight years in the top two (20032010) in the yearend men's rankings and ten (20032012) in the top three. While he may be waning now, his
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achievements are astounding 17 Grand Slam singles titles; reaching the finals of each Grand Slam tournament at least five times (an all-time record) and reaching the Wimbledon final eight times. He also reached at least the quarter-finals in 36 consecutive Grand Slams. Michael Phelps: People talk about an Olympic medal here and there well, talk about being the most celebrated Olympian EVER, and that too at the age of just 28. Unbelievable? Believe it. Phelps holds records which can baffle you all-time records for Olympic gold medals (18, which is double the second highest record holders), Olympic gold medals in individual events (11), and Olympic medals in individual events for a male (13). In all, he has 22 medals. And he won the small matter of eight Gold Medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, setting a new record. Babe Ruth: This man played from 1914 through 1935 and his record of 714 home runs stood for 39 years. He also starred as a pitcher in the first part of his career, before switching to the outfield after joining the New York Yankees, where he built his legend. Today's baseball fans have Ruth to thank for ushering the immense popularity of the sport in America. It was due to him that the "live-ball era" came in because his massive hitting power meant more runs... more runs made for more excitement and more excitement led to baseball evolution from a low-scoring, speed-dominated game to a highscoring power game. Ruth still holds the following records: Career slugging percentage: 0.690 Career OPS: 1.164 Career OPS+: 206 Muhammad Ali: Ali made a brutal sport pretty. Before him, boxing was about power and brute force. He made it about poetry, with dancing feet and snapping fists. He was the first man to win the Heavyweight Championship three different times and his rivalry with Joe Frazier is among the most celebrated in the sports. Then there is the stuff out of the ring. Ali not only stood up for black rights, he gave up his title because he objected to the Vietnam War and ended up in jail.

When he returned to the ring, he shocked the world by beating the rampant George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle in Zaire. Ali and an outsized magnetic personality to go along with his outsized talent, and is arguably the greatest athlete of the 20th century. Lin Dan: 'He scores when he wants' is a popular football chant, but for Lin Dan it's more like 'he plays when he wants'. If there is one player unafraid of the Chinese sports establishment, it's Lin Dan and the best part it, China doesn't mind. Dan is a two-time Olympic champion, five-time world champion and a five-time All England champion. He is the only player to have won all the nine major badminton titles in the world and is a megastar in his country and in the sport. His record is enough to tell you why 530 singles matches played, 467 won. That is an 88 percent winning ratio. Dhyan Chand: Easily the greatest name in hockey, Dhyan Chand is India's first sports superstar and put the country on the world map with his unmatched wizardry with the stick. With him, India won the Olympics in 1928, 1932, and 1936 and he triggered India to go on an unbeaten run in Olympics hockey for 28 years. In his international career, he scored more than 400 goals, but we don't have an exact total largely due to record-keeping methods of the old days. Overall, he scored more than 1000 goals in his career. Even today, Dhyan Chand lives on in arguments when one wonders how he would have done on astro-turf. Watford junction was was renamed the Dhyan Chand junction when London Tube stations were renamed during the Olympics. Sachin Tendulkar: For the modern cricketer and the modern fan, Tendulkar is synonymous with cricket. His career coincided with a media explosion in India, and overlapped with the rise of the internet. He is not only a household name across the cricketing world, his is a household face. He has scored runs in every country, against every opposition in every format. He has shouldered the expectations of a billion fans and always tried to live up to them. And he has done it with good grace and without complaining. Then, of course, there are the numbers. So many numbers.

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doesnt want to be remembered for

Cricket in India sees triumph and tragedy in equal measures and while Sachin will be remembered for the former, we fished out a few bad moments from his brilliant career.
FP Sports, November 15, 2013

Five things Sachin Tendulkar

achin Tendulkar is the ideal sportsman he seldom gets into trouble and is never embroiled in any controversy for too long. And even if there's trouble brewing over something he did, he'll rarely lash out against critics.

instance, firmly asked Sehwag and Tendulkar to up their game to which Dravid said, "Nobody has ever spoken to them like that before." Either way, the issue was not that. The issue was the batting lineup. "Sehwag didn't seem very keen. So we sat down with Sachin who in any case was the first priority. We put it down to him and he seemed reluctant. He thought top-of-the-order was the best place for him as it has always been. But we were still in the discussion as Rahul and myself were convinced no other batsman in the team would be able to do it. Sachin finally agreed. Next day he got back to Rahul. Though he made it known that he was not happy doing it. He felt that his reputation demanded two places higher in the order," Chappel is quoted in this 2011 report on rediff.com.

Considering his career spanned more than two decades, all credit to him for rarely putting a foot wrong. Cricket in India sees triumph and tragedy in equal measures and while Sachin will be remembered for the former, we fished out a few bad moments from his brilliant career. The Chappell Controversy The baap of all coach vs team controversies in cricket has to be Greg Chappell vs all the senior players you can think of. Chappell took on Sourav Ganguly, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and of course, Tendulkar. As the story goes, Chappell wanted him to bat down the order during his time as India coach and at one

"If the coach has questioned our attitude, it hurts us most. No coach had mentioned even in passing that my attitude was not correct," Tendulkar said after Chappell questioned the senior players' commitment and attitude. This resulted in Chappell resigning on the same day. Match-fixing/IPL spot-fixing - "Sachin should be questioned . He knows everything ." The above quote is from a Rashis Latif interview when the match-fixing scandal broke out in 2000. While Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja got embroiled in the whole saga, Tendulkar stood in silence and watched. The criticism came less for why he didn't speak it came more for why he didn't speak sooner.
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Sachin eventually broke his silence in an interview with news weekly: "I have always been out of this kind of thing. The nation knows I am clean. My whole career has been transparent. I don't have to go out and say anything in my defence. The only reason I did not speak about it is that I didn't know anything about it. I would have given a statement if I knew something. So how can I say who is telling the truth and who is not?" Tendulkar also denied Latif's claim: "It's not true. And it's not necessary that I have to react to any person's statements". It was the same during the spot-fixing scandal in the IPL. He spoke, but according to many, a tad too late: "It has always hurt me when the game of cricket is in the news for the wrong reasons. The developments in the last two weeks have been shocking and disappointing." Ferrari tax evasion and eventual sale Who sells a Ferrari gifted to you by Fiat and presented by Michael Schumacher after equalling Don Bradman's 29 centuries? Well, Sachin does. The Ferrari-360 Modeno quickly became a matter of national interest (as everything Sachin does) after he sought an exemption on the stipulated 120 percent import duty. The amount Rs 1.13 crore was waived but that didn't stop the Delhi Court from serving notices on both Tendulkar and the Union finance and sports ministries. With the issue getting out of hand, Fiat India agreed to pay the import duty. The nail in the coffin however was Tendulkar selling the Ferrari. After working so hard to avoid paying duty on it, he sold it to a Suratbased businessman. "When Sachin got his Ferrari as a 'gift', he wanted duty & excise exemption; now that he has

sold it will he ask for capital gains exemption?" wrote Tushar Gandhi, great-greatgrandson of Mahatma Gandhi on Twitter. 194* and declared Sachin was aiming for a double-century when Rahul Dravid decided to declare the innings in a Test match against Pakistan in Multan in 2004. This sparked quite a controversy in the dressing room, with coach John Wright later admitting that Tendulkar felt 'let down' by the decision. "I needed only another three or four overs at the most to get to 200," he said. "We'd discussed the declaration at tea, but I didn't know it was round the corner. It was surprising," said Tendulkar. While the inner workings after the incident are not known, Dravid later said that it was the wrong decision on his part. While Tendulkar has always given his all for the team, his quotes were fodder for critics who believe he always played for himself. Monkeygate This is probably one incident that Tendulkar will look back and regret. Harbhajan Singh got embroiled in a racial controversy with Andrew Symonds, with the Aussies claiming that their teammate was called a 'monkey' by the offspinner. Tendulkar's initial testimony was that he didn't hear anything, which he later changed saying he heard a heated exchange between Singh and Symonds but did not hear the word monkey or big monkey. He did, however hear Harbhajan say teri ma ki. Tendulkar said its a term that sounds like monkey and could be misinterpreted for monkey. Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting have openly criticised Tendulkar's actions and this is one time when he came under some fire even in the international press.

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The build-up

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Tendulkars captaincy failed because

he set impossible standards

For Tendulkar watchers, his captaincy will always be a blot on his record.
Tariq Engineer, November 13, 2013

hen Sachin Tendulkar finally steps away from the game, will he have any regrets? Will he look back at the 136 against Pakistan in 1999 or the 2003 World Cup final and wish he had done something different? Perhaps he will turn his mind back to when he was made captain at 25, and wonder if he was too young to take over the mantle of the team.

conclave on Tendulkar that was held in Mumbai on Tuesday, Srinath said, Some of us could not emulate what he wanted. According to Srinath, Tendulkar would turn up in the nets and take the ball and bowl whatever he wanted. Outswingers, inswingers, leg spin, offspin. It didnt matter. It would all be Test quality. That is his ability to connect with the game, Srinath said. Those three hours in practice you would not see him while away his time. Even the optional practice he never missed. To expect the same from others was tough. Tendulkars cricket brain has always been of the highest quality. He would make plans for the opposing batsmen and expect his bowlers to execute them flawlessly. "When I was not able to bowl the outswinger, he would shout from the slips: 'bahar dalao, bahar dalo,'" Srinath said. "But I told him I could not." After the days play, Tendulkar would take the ball in the nets and bowl outswingers at will, then turn to Srinath and say 'do it like that'. It was always going to be hard to live up to such genius. "You could see him getting frustrated. He wanted to win so badly," Srinath said. Tendulkar did change the second-time around.

For Tendulkar watchers, his captaincy will always be a blot on his record. A man devoted to winning won just four of 25 Tests in his two stints as team leader while losing nine. It was a similar story in the one-dayers, with India winning 23 and losing 43 of his 73 games in charge. Among the many theories that have been put forward for Tendulkars lack of success is that he could not understand that everyone was not like him. Nobody had Tendulkars natural genius; nobody prepared harder than Tendulkar. Yet he expected his team-mates to match him and could not understand when they failed.

"When he came back, he was far, far better," Srinath said. "He gave time for people. Patience was something you could see in him. He learned to expect differently from each person, whatever Count former India fast bowler, Javagal Srinath, their level of talent was." as a supporter of this theory. At the India Today
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The theory has another supporter in Kiran More, who not only played with Tendulkar, but was chairman of selectors too. "There was an issue that he expected others to play at his level. I am doing it, why cant they do it?" However, Dilip Vengsarkar argued that Tendulkar as captain was only going to be as good as his team. "I dont think he got a very good team. He asked for a few players. He was not given them. And he was upset, he said. Reportedly a theory doing the rounds at the time was that certain sections of Indias cricketing world was worried that Tendulkar would become an Imran Khan figure a dictator of Indian cricket and thats why he was not given the team he wanted. However, Bishan Singh Bedi, another former India captain, rubbished that theory.

"Sachin was temperamentally different from Imran," he said. "He was shy and withdrawn and thats why he might not have enjoyed captaincy as much." For Bedi, the same middle-class values that made Tendulkar an exemplary batsman kept him from becoming an exemplary captain. He also pointed out Sir Garfield Sobers was not a great captain either. Thats not to say Tendulkar did not have any positive qualities as a leader. "Sachin would never compliment you easily as a player," Srinath said. "Maybe a nod or a handshake, but he would not say too many words to you. That was one of his good traits as a captain. It made us raise our levels because you have to please your captain."

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Tendulkar to do in his last Test

Age and injuries have their own way of limiting a player. The Tendulkar of today doesnt play the hook or the venomous pull nor does he use his feet against the spinner with any regularity.

Three things we want Sachin

Ashish Magotra, November 12, 2013 gap. Headley noticed the change before he took guard again. Then his eyes light up as Grimmett pitched one down the leg-side (with fine leg up it was runs for the taking), he glanced it neatly but Oldfield, the wicket-keeper, quickly moved way over on the leg-side and took the catch. The Australians trapped him. James then wrote about Headleys reaction: I cut that out. What do you mean, you cut it out. I just made up my mind never to be caught that way again. So you do not glance? Sure I glance, but I take care to find out first if any of these traps are being laid. Always? Always. Truly, genius is as genius does. Steve Waugh was a strokeplayer when he started out, but then he decided that their was too much risk associated with the the hook and the pull shot so he simply cut them out. He chose to rather take a hit on the body than play the shot.

I play one every year. Im going to play an innings before I retire when I'm going to hook. Ill guarantee that. It will be in a Test match. Youll know when I'm about to retire by that. -- Steve Waugh Genius is as genius does. In the brilliant essay The Black Bradman, CLR James, in 1963, wrote about George Headley the man whose average of one century every four innings was exceeded only by Don Bradman.

James wrote about an incident where Headley was batting against Australian leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett, the first bowler to get 200 Test wickets. Headley was getting the ones and twos with ease. Grimmett was a superb bowler with great control of length -- but Headleys footwork was just too good. Then Grimmett decided he had had enough; he decided he wants to plug the gap, so he moved a few fielders around. The fine leg is moved square and square leg is moved up to block the

But before he retired, he promised himself that he would play the shots again. He would be himself again. Now, over time Sachin Tendulkar too has simply cut out some strokes. We knew he was capable of that the 241 against Australia in the 2003-04 series was a great example of that. Going into the fourth and final Test, he had scores of 0, 1, 37, 0, 44 to his name his average was a paltry 16.4. He has been edging the ball outside the off-stump to the keeper/slips and it seemed like the bowlers had sorted him out. So he
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decided to simply not play on the off-side. Just like that -- he too cut it out. He only played shots when the ball was pitched on his pads. He made the bowlers bowl to him it took him 10 hours but his innings of 241 was a classic in its own right. It showed that there were no limits to his skill. But age and injuries have their own way of limiting a player. The Tendulkar of today doesnt play the hook or the venomous pull, nor does he use his feet against the spinner with any regularity. Rather, he waits and then he accumulates a prettier version of Shivnarine Chanderpaul as someone said recently. But when he steps out to bat in his last Test -against the West Indies at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai -- the knock should be a throwback to the 90s, when Tendulkar was the heart of the Indian batting when he would take on the bowlers and at times, would simply win the match for India. And that is why in his last innings he needs to abandon the struggle and play with a freedom that defined his early years. Tendulkar against Shane Warne was a battle that defined them both, and Tendulkar almost always came out on top. The reason he used his feet to get to the pitch of the ball to devastating effect. I'll be going to bed having nightmares of Sachin just running down the wicket and belting me back over the head for six. He was unstoppable. I don't think anyone, apart from Don Bradman, is in the same class as Sachin Tendulkar, Warne had later said. Surely, if he could do it to Warne, he can do it to Shane Shillingford too and Mumbai would love that. A quick shuffle down the wicket and

bam! (If you need to really jog your memory see this.) Then, there was the pull shot. Tino Best and Sehldon Cottrell are quick, but erratic, and the Sachin of old would have sent them to the stands with ease. We all remember what happened to Andrew Caddick when he laid down the gauntlet. It was the 2003 World Cup and Andrew Caddick, just before the match said that he worked out a way to get Sachin out cheaply. Caddick made the mistake of provoking Sachin and spoke about him being just another batsman. He also said that perhaps the short ball might do the trick against the Indian batting line-up. The talk saw Sachin single out Caddick for special treatment including a pull shot for a spectacular six over mid-wicket and out of the stadium in Durban. For many, it remains the shot of the tournament it was violent, it was graceful, it was pure Sachin. Will Wankhede see him do the same? And finally the hook shot. Mahendra Singh Dhoni plays the shot as do Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. But few have seen Tendulkar play a proper hook shot in recent times. Why buckle down and duck out of the way, when you can send the ball soaring into the stands? (Check THIS out to see what Tendulkar can really do with the hook shot.) A well executed hook shot is perhaps the most exciting shot in cricket. There is risk, there is timing, and there is the perfect swivel. Tendulkar has all that and he should lay it all out. The hook, the pull and the quick use of feet three things we would love to see Tendulkar do in his final Test; three things for the old times; three things for the road.

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Final test: Heres Amuls

tribute to Sachin Tendulkar
Amuls latest ad says that India is retired hurt as Sachin says goodbye to international cricket.
FP Sports, November 12, 2013 Amul's latest ad features a tribute to the retiring Sachin Tendulkar and as usual, it's witty and perfectly timed.

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Tendulkar fans still in the dark as site selling tickets for 200th Test crashes
Kyazoonga.com, the website tasked with selling 5000 tickets for Sachin Tendulkars 200th and final Test match at the Wankhede Stadium, crashed as tickets went on sale at 11 am.

FP Sports, November 11, 2013 t didnt take long. In fact, it was over before it began. that the tickets will eventually find their way to the black market, just like they did for the World Cup final, and end up commanding as much as 100 times their marked price. Kyazoonga sent out the following tweet after the site crashed: @shalinilearning No. We are seeing 5x the traffic the Olympics games saw and rising. Please bear with us KyaZoonga (@kyazoonga) November 11, 2013 Update at 3:15 pm: The site is loading now but very slowly. Checking out and paying for your ticket is still a problem, with the site crashing for us when we clicked on proceed after adding a ticket to our shopping cart. According to Kyazoonga, some sales are going through: @kkapeeed Please try again, sales are going through. We apologize for the inconvenience, please bear with us. KyaZoonga (@kyazoonga) November 11, 2013 Update at 6.30 pm: Site is still down. Kyazoonga's Twitter timeline is now full of answers to queries from people about whether their tickets have been confirmed or not. The usual answer seems to be as follows. @nikhil_chawla92 If you've not got a conf mail, you've not got your tickets. The bank will automatically process refunds. KyaZoonga (@kyazoonga) November 11, 2013
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Kyazoonga.com, the website tasked with selling 5000 tickets for Sachin Tendulkars 200th and final Test match at the Wankhede Stadium, crashed as tickets went on sale at 11 am. The Mumbai Cricket Association chose to sell tickets online because it wanted to avoid the possibility of a stampede at its ticket counters. Tickets were up for sale at three price points:

Rs.500, Rs.1000 and Rs.2500, but there was no chance of finding out which stands those seats were located in because Kyazoonga failed to load, just as it did when tickets for the 2011 World Cup final went on sale. Like the World Cup, only two tickets per person can be booked online, which means plenty of people would have rushed to the site at 11 to make sure they didnt miss out on buying tickets with obvious consequences. One would have thought that Kyazoonga would have learned their lesson following the World Cup ticketing debacle, but that is clearly not the case. As a result there is already speculation

The finest vintage: Tendulkar of

1998-2001 was sheer genius

Between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2001, Tendulkar played 31 Tests, batted 56 times and amassed 3313 runs at an average of 67.61 with a top score of 217 against New Zealand.
Tariq Engineer, November 11, 2013

hen Sachin Tendulkar plays his final Test in Mumbai, he will rightly be applauded for his entire body of work. The 200 Tests, the 51 centuries and the countless memories scattered like confetti across the world. But like any body of work, it is not of uniform quality. Some years, like those of fine wines, are better than others.

Tendulkar said he talked to a lot of people about the science of shot selection, and was told it would not come over night but with repeated exposure to bowlers at the international level, he would learn to adapt his game. I felt, as time went by, my shot selection became better, he said. It was this evolution that led to Tendulkars most glorious phase: Between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2001, bowlers must have wished they had chosen to become butchers or accountants instead. In those four years Tendulkar played 31 Tests, batted 56 times and amassed 3313 runs at an average of 67.61 with a top score of 217 against New Zealand (Tendulkar's "Desert Storm" would come during this period as well, but we are concerned only with Test cricket here). He made 13 hundreds and 12 fifties during that period and gave Shane Warne nightmares for good measure. His 155 in Chennai and 177 in Bangalore reduced the majestic legspinner to the ranks of a mere trundler. Tendulkar famously prepared himself for Warnes tactic of going round the wicket and bowling into the rough. When Warne chose to go round the wicket at a crucial moment in the first Test, Tendulkar already had the answers to the questions Warne would pose. [Sachin] was still at the crease so, if it was pitched, up he drove it, if it was short, he pulled it, Warne wrote in the Telegraph a couple of days ago. It was his judgment of length and clarity in his head with shot selection that made him so dominant against all opposition bowlers in all sorts of conditions. There was heartbreak too. In 1999 came the 136
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The early Tendulkar wanted to dominate opposing bowlers, sometimes at the expense of losing his wicket. With experience and maturity came craftier shot selection; instead of always wanting to be on top, Tendulkar learned to pick his moments to strike. He explained his batting evolution to Pradeep Magazine in a 2012 interview with Hindustan Times. The shift from first-class cricket to playing the best in the world is huge. I played my first series against the likes of Imran [Khan], Wasim [Akram], [Abdul] Qadir, Waqar [Younis] and Aaqib [Javed] and the next against [Richard] Hadlee and [Danny] Morrison. They were all top-class bowlers and against them shot selection becomes really important, which as a 16-year-old I lacked.

against Pakistan at the same venue. Tendulkar battled not just Wasim, Waqar and Saqlain, but also a bad back to take India to the very edge of a famous win that was ultimately not to be. It was a genuinely heroic effort that left Tendulkar inconsolable in the dressing room and the scars would only heal nine years later with his 103, again in Chennai, in 2008. Statistically, 1999 would remain Tendulkars best year for a decade. He made 1088 runs from 19 innings at an average of 68. He made his first double-century 217 against New Zealand and a chance-less 116 at Melbourne against a hostile Australian attack led by Glenn McGrath. The use of his feet and the sheer craftsmanship of his batting were a pure joy to behold, ESPNcricinfo wrote at the time. If you take just 1998 and 1999, Tendulkar scored 1735 runs in 28 innings (15 Tests) at an average of 72.29 with eight hundreds and five fifties. It was a time before injuries when Tendulkar would use his feet to the spinners and play the hook and the pull against the fast men. When he straight drove a fast bowler down the ground, it was heady, thrilling stuff. Here was an Indian batsman who could not only stand up to the worlds quickest bowlers, he could turn them into harmless bystanders. He was the best batsmen in the world and everyone knew it. Later, injuries and the passing years would take their toll but Tendulkar would once again adapt. He would transform from the stalking boxer looking for the knock out blow to a fighter that jabs and weaves and is happy to win on points. At the ripe old age of 36 and 37, runs came by accumulation rather than domination.

By the numbers, the two-year period from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2010 is Tendulkars tour de force. He averaged 75.10 with nine hundreds and eight fifties from 32 innings with top score of 214. Seven of those hundreds came in 2010 alone, when he made 1562 runs the most he would ever score in a calendar year at the staggering average of 78.10. But this version of Tendulkar was not the shotmaker of his relative youth. This was the experienced old hand who had seen it all and knew how to make the most of his physical limitations. The straight drive was still there but his game had evolved again to cut out as many risks as possible. He was not ruthless, but he was relentless. If one only considers the numbers, the 37-yearold Tendulkar must be the pick of the bunch. It was a time when India was the No 1 ranked Test side in the world and would go on to lift the 2011 ICC World Cup. Individual success had been married to team success. But cricket is about more than numbers. Tendulkar in his mid to late-twenties was a unique combination of technique, style and confidence and our choice for the finest bottle of wine in this collection. It was also a time before the Big Four and India needed Tendulkar to be Tendulkar. He not only fulfilled those hopes, he did so in a way that made you feel that everything in the world was alright so long as he was batting.

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The world is ending.

Some of us will remember this week as the week Sachin Tendulkar played his last test in Kolkata. And others will remember it as the week we lost the aloo in our biryani. Both threaten our very notion of civilization.
Sandip Roy, November 7, 2013 samosa. Aloo posto with the nutty poppyseed specks. The humble boiled potato mashed with rice and one green chilli. The potato that has sopped up all the delicious flavour in a tender mutton jhol. Civilization, as we know it, stands endangered. Thank god at least we have Sachin in this dark hour. No matter that he went for 10 runs in the first innings, Sachin fever continues unabated. In fact, its probably a good thing he didnt score a century. The overstretched Kolkata police, already scrambling to guard spuds in markets across the city, would have been hard-pressed to contain the wild pandemonium that would have erupted everywhere. The media has already whipped itself into complete hysteria about Sachin. The headlines have acquired a quasi-religious tone. God is at Eden. Devotee and Disciple at Eden. In our Kalyug it seems even Gods must retire. I dont know if Sachin Tendulkar is lapping up the adulation or discomfited by it. But its amazing to see the media spin euphoric front page articles, splashed across five columns, out of very little. Make that less than little. Shutting out the brouhaha, Sachin was calm after the Test-eve nets at the Eden. Back at Taj Bengal, he smiled and nodded when this reporter wished him All the best. Enjoy yourself. Thats it. Out of a wordless smile and nod we can generate reams of excited copy about the Kohinoor of Indias cricket.
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First Sachin, now the aloo in biryani.

just saw a policeman guarding sacks of potatoes at our local market in Kolkata. The humble aloo has skyrocketed in price and all but disappeared from the bazaars. Mamata Banerjee has gone on a war footing. And potatoes at Rs.13 a kilo are being sent to markets under police guard.

Some get Sachin duty. I get potato duty, the rather disgruntled cop muttered to a bystander. These are truly the best of times and worst of times for Kolkata. Sachin Tendulkar is playing his 199th test at Eden Gardens. Meanwhile the citys fabled biryani is losing its signature potato reports The Telegraph. We might have to drop the aloo and replace it with an egg, warns Nadim Amin, the director of the legendary Aminia restaurant. Onions were a crisis. The potato is a catastrophe. The thin crispy fine-cut jhoori aloo bhaja. The spicy tart aloo kaabli. The filling for the

The enthusiasm can sometimes get in the way of spell-check or grammar like the billboards Mahendra Singh Dhoni noticed at Eden: Celebrating Sachine Tendulkars 199th Test Match. Those billboards were hurriedly removed but the fever just keeps heating up with a grand finale promised by none other than the states Celebrator-in-Chief, Mamata Banerjee. Didi who loves organizing great celebratory jamborees is promising to do something special and top-secret for Sachin before this test match ends. She is busy right now with the potato crisis. She has even temporarily taken over the agricultural marketing department because the minister Arup Roy is struggling to impose a ceiling on the prices. But even the Great Potato Famine will not keep Didi away from celebrating Sachin. It is as if the entire test match (yes, there is actually a test match going on between two countries) has been turned into an exhibition game to showcase Sachin Tendulkar. Everyone is timing the day they will skip office or school with the day they think Sachin might bat. All cricketers must retire. And the game must, and will, go on. This ecstatic over-the-top goodbye feels like a bloated carnival of excess especially because great cricketers dont fade away anymore. Sachin will probably be there on our television for years to come mumbling expert commentary for a high price tag.

A great cricketer should get a great send-off. But this is not even his final test even if its at the hallowed Eden Gardens. Does it really need 199 kilos of rose petals showered on him from light aircraft, a 40 kg sandesh from Balaram Mullick sweetshop, the artist Jogen Chowdhurys special sketch of the man and a specially composed song approved by the CAB? The Taj Bengal has Sachin-ized its menu offering up the likes of a Behind the Stump (chicken tikka in a croissant) or a Leg Glance (Mumbai style sandwich with spiced potatoes and Cheddar cheese). What is there left for Wankhede to do? Have Lata Mangeshkar sing Jai Ho? Next week Sachin will be gone from Kolkata. The confetti will have been swept up. Some of us will remember this week as the week Sachin Tendulkar played his last test in Kolkata. And others will remember it as the week we lost the aloo in our biryani. Both are life-changing events, one long-dreaded, the other never-imagined. But the lesson is the same. Just because its always been there, and has a reputation for being humble, dont take something for granted. One day it might be gone and then you all you can do is just savour the memory. Of that immaculate Sachin stroke. Or the perfect Chandramukhi aloo.

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British Asians fail the cricket test

He connected strongly with British Asians - mostly second or third generation immigrants - who came to cricket grounds in much greater numbers in the years that followed, to see him bat, and to chant his name.
Oliver Brett, November 6, 2013

How Sachin Tendulkar made

achin Tendulkar was not the first overseas player to use his charm and skill to win the affections of Englands cricket faithful. While a toddler in Mumbai was picking up bats for the first time in the mid-1970s, Viv Richards was wowing Somersets cider-drinkers down at Taunton and also starring in that fine West Indies team of the period.

onship treadmill. From the mid-1980s onwards, it was generally through the medium of the international game that English spectators were given the opportunity to witness star acts from beyond their own shores. And so, along came Sachin. A fresh-faced 17-year-old with a curly, bouffant mop of hair in 1990, and tending to wear his shirt with the top three buttons undone, he toured England with Mohammad Azhruddins Indians. He already had seven Tests behind him, but had been forced to adapt to the nomadic world of a top-class cricketer, as none of those were in his home country. A few weeks before the tour started, Conservative politician Norman Tebbitt told Parliament: "A large proportion of Britain's Asian population fail to pass the cricket test. Which side do they cheer for? It's an interesting test. Are you still harking back to where you came from or where you are?" They were words that created a few ripples of controversy. The first Test was at Lords, where India were buried under a ton of runs from Graham Gooch and Tendulkar made little impression with the bat. He took one blinding catch, however. I remember because I was in the crowd. With England having narrowly failed to enforce the follow-on they were looking for quick runs before an inevitable declaration. At times such as these, it is natural for the fielding side to switch off mentally. Allan Lamb middled a drive down the ground off the leg-spinner
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And while the razzle-dazzle of Viv undoubtedly made him king, there were other wonderful players who were adored by county fans of a particular persuasion cricketers of high calibre alongside their charisma like Imran Khan and Gordon Greenidge, and wonderful technicians like Richard Hadlee and Barry Richards. We werent to know it at the time but we were already witnessing the end of the golden period for overseas players in the English counties and leagues as the financial muscle of Kerry Packer allowed the games biggest stars to drift away from long, hard seasons on the County Champi-

Narendra Hirwani, without timing it at all well. Tendulkar, positioned very wide at long off, had to sprint 30 yards before taking the catch, still running full tilt, one handed and at shin-height. A Lords crowd, up until then intoxicated by England runs, had something else to applaud, and it didnt matter a jot that it was an Indian who had provided that special moment. You can watch the catch again eight minutes into this YouTube clip. Only a sprinkling of fans pitched up on the last day of the drawn Test at Old Trafford that followed, but those that did were rewarded with Tendulkars first Test century to stave off defeat, featuring a delightful assortment of drives punched off the back foot, racing across a parched outfield during what happened to be a hot, dry English summer. But look back on that innings and note what he does when he reaches his century. There is no exuberant celebration the helmet is held in one hand, bat in the other, but its a muted acknowledgement, not a look how great am I statement. It was the gesture of a teenager who knew there were an awful lot more such moments to come if he could continue to work hard, respect his opponents, maintain a level head and feed off the enormous talent he had the God-given luck to possess. Two summer laters, he spent a season at Yorkshire, becoming the famous clubs first overseas

player. English county dressing-rooms were not always the most unilaterally welcoming environments, and Tendulkar was not yet out of his teens, but he had Yorkshires other pros onside from the word go. Coach Steve Oldham said at the time: "They are all better players for his presence. His confidence is infectious, they all want to bat with him." He scored more than 1,000 runs that season and did things on his days off that any other kid his age might do riding rollercoasters on the beach, eating fish and chips. The Tendulkar experiment had proved an unqualified success. Perhaps most poignantly, it continued a narrative that would continue whenever and wherever Tendulkar scored runs for India, especially against England. He connected strongly with British Asians - mostly second or third generation immigrants - who came to cricket grounds in much greater numbers in the years that followed, to see him bat, and to chant his name. They watched satellite feeds of him scoring runs elsewhere across the globe. They compared his great deeds in online discussion forums. Even their mums were besotted with him, because he was so well-mannered. And remember, these were fans who would support India against England - but without question favour England against pretty much anyone else. So much for Norman Tebbitts ludicrous cricket test. And all hail to Sachin Tendulkar.

Copyright 2012 Firstpost

The preview

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Why Sachin Tendulkar shouldnt have announced his retirement

Yesterday, as Sachin Tendulkar entered the Eden Gardens at around 11:00 am, he was showered with rose petals. The master batsman sped through it as quickly as possible but frankly, he looked embarrassed.
Ashish Magotra, November 5, 2013 olkata likes to deal in hyperboles especially when it comes to their sporting heroes. But even then, the preparations for Sachin Tendulkar's 199th Test can't strike anyone as less than ridiculous. Yesterday, as Sachin Tendulkar entered the Eden Gardens around 11:00 am, he was showered with rose petals. The master batsman sped through it as quickly as possible but frankly, he looked embarrassed.

As Tariq Engineer tell us: "The front faade of Indias largest cricket stadium has been adorned with life-size cutouts of Tendulkar, with two of them guarding the entrance." There is a sketch of a young Tendulkar -- curly hair and all that -- on the tickets, there are giant hoardings and posters all over the city, there is a photograph exhibition with exactly 199 pictures showcasing various moods and highlights of Tendulkar's life, as the batting genius gears up for his 199th Test match. The coin for the toss will have Sachin's image embossed on one side and the Eden Gardens on the other side. And before we can catch our breath, the CAB will hand the coin over to the batsman himself along with a silver banyan tree. It will get stranger still. Singer Piloo Bhattacharya has come up with an album titled -- hold your breath -- 'We Miss You Sachin.' The album has been endorsed by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and will be played at the Eden Gardens. And listening to those songs will be thousands of spectators wearing masks -- Tendulkar masks. Can we hope for some vigilante justice? The CAB has also organised placards for all the spectators with special congratulatory messages on them. Why not let spectators say what they want to... A travelling tableau of Tendulkar moments has already been let loose on Kolkata and if things weren't bad enough -- the West Indies team was forced to cancel their press conference because
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A few days back as he made his way to Lahli to play his last Ranji Trophy game, Times Now trailed him from the Mumbai airport all the way to Lahli -- they said they didn't want to capture every move of his but it certainly felt like a stalking mission. Moving back to Kolkata, the rose petals were only the start.

the police took over the media centre to review security arrangements. And there is also the utterly ridiculous plan to shower the Eden Gardens with 199 kilos of rose petals during the match. Yes, 199 kilos -- the symbolism is important. But who is going to clean up a field of rose petals? Former Mumbai skipper Shishir Hattangadi put it best on his Twitter timeline: CAB start the Tendulkar Tamasha MCA will complete it,functions,reception committees,irrelevant speeches,hello there are Test matches too shishir hattangadi (@shishhattangadi) November 5, 2013 In the middle of all this, Tendulkar has been desperately trying to stay focused. Yesterday's nets session was an optional one but Tendulkar turned up to practice -- perhaps it was the only way to get away from the madness. He had his usual nets session -- batting against the bowlers, throw downs -- chats with Shikhar Dhawan and Ishant Sharma followed. He was trying to stay on track but then every now and then an official would walk along and make small talk. He has felt this kind of madness before -- the 100th ton had attracted a similar kind of frenzy and it had gone on for longer. When he finally did get it, before anything else he felt a sense of relief.

"I felt it [the milestone] was there somewhere in my subconscious, though I kept telling myself that above all I just need to enjoy playing cricket and be myself. But when you get at least 100 reminders daily, it becomes difficult not to think about it. You are forcibly made to think about it. That was getting tougher and tougher as the days wore on. I felt like telling everyone 'let's just talk cricket and not talk about the 100th hundred,'" Tendulkar had said after he got his 100th international ton. Indeed, the message from Tendulkar has always concerned cricket. So why is that message lost in this whirlpool of hype? There are even reports that Tendulkar himself has been unhappy with the tamasha and perhaps that is why part of him must be wishing that he hadn't announced his retirement publicly. In that sense, his retirement from the IPL took everyone by surprise -- Mumbai Indians won and he decided that he was done. It was perfect -- it spared him and his fans the prolonged bout of media madness that has become the norm with everything Sachin. The Cricket Associations will want to put on a show but perhaps they will best realise that the best show anyone can put on will be an exciting Test match. Let the occasion be about cricket and that will make everyone, including Tendulkar, happy.

Copyright 2012 Firstpost

should remain himself

From the very beginning, Sachin coming out to bat has been what cricket is all about.
Tom Alter, November 5, 2013

To the very end, Tendulkar

I watched every ball of his second innings against Haryana what brought the greatest joy was so many people at a Ranji match and what a match. Haryana has talent and grit and with a little luck could have taken the match... Sachin was not at his best, but he fought and won and that is the magic of cricket, be it Sachins or anyone elses and to think that this was only his 38th Ranji match in a career of 25 years. Much less than two a year this is no time to blame Sachin, but if stars made Ranji a much more important part of their cricketing calendars, the results would be there for all to see.

e has not left us yet still two Tests to go...

And no two, Tests coming up yes, Sachins final two, but two Test matches there should have been at least three. As I keep saying, but the situation won out, and now only two follow in South Africa, where five was there for the asking if not the taking... Two tests a possible four innings for Sachin. If ever there was a test, this is it. He must play not from memory but as if he was playing for his place in the side and, much more than, for India we must win the Tests, and Sachin must be in good form. But winning is the key if we win, Sachin goes out on a high and he knows it. Two Tests taking him to two hundred that will be one thousand days of Test cricket, almost, allowing for defeats and early victories and rain. That is almost three years on the field three years out of 24 years of international cricket a wondrous thought... And to have a Test be his final international match... this is justice; this has the right feel to it if it had been in South Africa against much stronger competition, the feel would have been even more right -- but, this is now not a time to complain. This is a time to be with Sachin... to feel for the last times the so special excitement of when he comes out to bat, no one else matches that excitement. That is a fact whether it is his charm, or his stature, or his quicksilver being who knows but, from the very beginning, Sachin coming out to bat has been what cricket is all about. May Gayle get a century and Kolhi two and may India win in exciting fashion and may Sachin just be Sachin- to the very end...
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Was Sachin out, down the legside off the bowling of the off-spinner? What an appeal and what lovely bowling loop, and flight, and turn and a clean, clean action let us keep an eye on this bowler (Jayant Yadav) and Mohit Sharma a workhorse from the old school. Why was Joginder Sharma not used so much in the second innings? Questions, questions, questions this is cricket.

Why Lahli was the perfect preparation for Tendulkar

Ordinarily, Ranji Trophy isnt a challenge for Sachin. He scores centuries virtually at will -- the stats show that. And that is why Lahli was important it didnt make things easy for him.

Ashish Magotra, October 30, 2013 The match started off with Haryana being dismissed for 134 in the first innings. Mumbai replied by folding up for 136. Tendulkar was dismissed for 5 by Mohit Sharma. The ball wasnt scything parabolas through the air, it wasnt unplayable, it wasnt the New Zealand of 2003-04. But it was moving in the air and off the pitch doing just enough to keep the batsmen on tenterhooks. They needed to make sure that their technique was compact and loose shots were avoided. In the second innings, Haryana managed to put on 241 a target which felt closer to 280 according to Tendulkar because of the wicket. Mumbai didnt have the best start either losing veteran Wasim Jaffer with the total on just 1. But an 86-run partnership between Ajinkya Rahane and Kastubh Pawar got them back in the game. Still they kept losing wickets. At one point, they were reduced to 167-5 Sachin Tendulkar in the middle with the top-order back in the hut. With the total on 190, Hiken Shah went for a big shot failed to clear the fielder and Sachin was left to battle it out with the tail. It felt like the nineties all over again to many watchers when the fate of the Indian team was interlinked with that of Tendulkar himself. If he sunk, then so did the Indian team. But he stayed up for Mumbai. He was not hitting the big shots the slow wicket made that difficult but he kept taking the singles, the
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achin Tendulkar was there in the end raising his arms in triumph and in joy. He had played a match-winning innings of 79 not out in far from ideal batting conditions and led Mumbai to a tough win over Haryana in the first match of the 2013-14 Ranji season.

But even though Mumbai had their stars (Wasim Jaffer, Ajinkya Rahane, Zaheer Khan and Sachin Tendulkar) in attendance, victory wasnt a given. If the Lahli wicket had been any less generous with the help it gave the bowlers, Mumbai would have won easily for they have too much class in their batting line-up and Haryana have too little in that department. Instead, Lahli turned up as it always does. There was grass, there was movement and there was a challenge even for a veteran of 198 Tests. It brought out the best in him. It forced him to concentrate on every ball, to weigh each shot carefully there was no flourish to his shots but there was a lot of care... a lot of attention to detail.

twos and he kept Dhawal Kulkarni in the loop. The duo put on 50 runs in 23.3 overs at a runrate of 2.12. It wasn't thrilling in the T20 or ODI kind of way but every run mattered the game of chess has its own thrills. The 42-year-old Ajay Jadeja, leading the Haryana side, was a wily competitor when he played for India and he didnt make it easier for the batsmen either. But he might have missed a trick by under-bowling Joginder Sharma. The medium-pacer took 5 wickets in 11 overs in the first innings. But bowled only 12 overs in the second innings (even as Mohit Sharma bowled 27). Still Tendulkar played his part to perfection. He didnt miss a trick. Ahead of the Test series against West Indies; ahead of his last two Tests this was the best practice he could have hoped for. Theres nothing like a thrilling match to

shake off the rust and get the adrenalin pumping -- it gets your feet moving and the brain thinking. And no matter how much you practice in the nets, it just doesnt match up to spending quality time in the middle. Ordinarily, Ranji Trophy isnt a challenge for Sachin. He scores centuries virtually at will -- the stats show that. And that is why Lahli was important it didnt make things easy for him. It had him on his toes, it allowed everyone watching to see just how good he still is. And thats how it should be. Curator Jasmer Singh could have ensured that this would have been a Sachin-friendly wicket instead he ensured that this was a cricketfriendly wicket. It was good for the game and good for Sachin too. Come Kolkata and Wankhede, Sachin is probably going to thank him for that.

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Tendulkar and Dravid: Contrasting approaches united by sheer genius

If Rahul was the wall, Sachin was the mountain. If Rahuls defensive technique was a masterclass, Sachins range of shots were breathtaking.
Rajdeep Sardesai, October 18, 2013 he Ferozeshah Kotla is not among my favourite cricket grounds. An unnerving experience of being lathi-charged during an India-Pakistan match in 1999 convinced me that a city of VIPs (of the dont you know who I am culture) isnt the best place to watch a game. All that changed last week when I decided to go and see the finals of the T 20 Champions League. The joyous atmosphere was infectious and even the sight of Malika Sherawat giving away the prizes did not take away from what was a special occasion: the legendary Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid on the same field for one last time.

Right through his cricket career, Rahul was always in Sachins shadow. Statistically, Sachins hundred international hundreds is a monumental record which wont be beaten in a hurry. But there are other statistical measures that place Rahul in the same league, well almost. He has scored more runs that any other batsman in Indias overseas wins, faced more balls and been involved in more century partnerships. If Rahul has never quite been seen as an equal of Sachin, it is only perhaps because a Tendulkar is, in every sense, a once in a generation cricketer whose iconic status dwarfs all else, a bit like how the great Australians in and around the Bradman era never quite got their due. And yet, something strange has happened in the last two years wherein Rahuls second innings has lifted his stature further even as questions have been raised over Sachins future for the first time. Part of this has to do with the manner in which these two champions have chosen to bid farewell from the game. Eighteen months ago, Rahul decided to quit international cricket after a disappointing tour of Australia. He wasnt the only Indian batsman to fail, had just scored a remarkable three centuries in a series in England only a few months before, and could easily have continued for a while longer. That he chose to quietly walk into the sunset without any grand farewell, without being lifted off the ground by teammates or any lap of honour, is perhaps typical of a man who preferred to let his broad bat do all the talking. His role in guiding a young Rajasthan Royals side to play above themselves is in many ways a tribute to his obsessive determination to place team above self, to guide and mentor generation next. Contrast that with Sachin. The master blasters decision to retire comes after he failed to score a
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Rahul and Sachin: a number 3 and 4 like Indian cricket has never seen. In any all-time Indian eleven, their names will be the first to be penciled in. If Rahul was the wall, Sachin was the mountain. If Rahuls defensive technique was a masterclass, Sachins range of shots were breathtaking . They were great individual players, but as a duet, this was a partnership made in heaven. They were to cricket what Rafi and Lata or a Kishore and Asha were to film music: contrasting approaches to the art of batsmanship but united by their sheer genius.

hundred in 22 tests and has just two half centuries in his last 12 tests. He has been bowled a shade too frequently for a great batsman and worrying questions have been raised over slowing reflexes and a fraying technique. The BCCI has been accused of designing a series only for Sachin to achieve the 200 test milestone. Even Sachins entry into the Rajya Sabha as a nominated member of parliament has not met with unanimous approval. The fact that he has barely attended a couple of hours of parliament over the last year has sent out a negative message: almost as if he has treated a position of responsibility purely as a ceremonial honour. Questions have been raised whether it was necessary for Sachin to become an MP even while continuing with his cricket career. This is not to suggest that Sachin should have gone the Rahul way and retired when people said why, and not when they say, why not. Retirement is a highly personal decision, and when you have achieved as much as Sachin has over such an extended period of time, then you deserve to be the best judge of when you feel enough is enough. Yes, I do believe that retiring after the famous world cup win in Mumbai in 2011 would have been the perfect fairytale end to a glorious career but after batting so well in that tournament, one can understand the temptation to go on just that bit longer. After all, cricket for Sachin has been an all-consuming passion since he was just about old enough to hold a bat in hand.

Tearing yourself away from a sport you love so much is never easy. Look at Federer, remember Ali. There is always the belief that maybe you have that one more Grand Slam, one more fight, one more great innings in you. Its a natural desire to constantly believe there just might be one more peak to be scaled, one more moment of excellence to be savoured. Those who have questioned Sachins desire to play on tend to forget that he had his most successful year in 2010, a year when he seemed to roll back the years and bat with an authority scarcely seen since his pomp in the late 90s. In the final analysis, the retirement debate will scarcely be a footnote: what will dominate are the golden memories: of a Sachin punch off the back foot, of a Rahul cover drive. Both these middle class India role models have been ornaments to this great sport, masters of the game who remained servants to its fine traditions. Rahul has gone, Sachin will follow him next month. No wonder there is an emptiness within. Watching Indian cricket just won't be the same again. The writer is editor in chief, IBN 18 network. Email: Rajdeep.sardesai@network18online. com

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Tendulkar at Wankhede: Its not

about the stats, its about sentiment
Tendulkars home ground of Wankhede has been selected as per the master batsmans wishes.
Ashish Magotra, October 16, 2013 he venue for Sachin Tendulkar's 200th and last Test has been decided and it's not MA Chadambaram stadium in Chennai or even the M Chinnawamy stadium in Bangalore that has been accorded the honour. Instead, Tendulkar's home ground of Wankhede has been selected as per the master batsman's wishes. And no one was thinking about the stats when they selected the venue it was just about sentiment. It was about the familiar surroundings, the roaring crowd and the fact that his mother could attend the game. Hardly can a sportsperson choose his venue of retiring but Tendulkar is special, and no place in the world but Wankhede could give him the perfect send-off. Now, of course, Tendulkar and Wankhede stadium go back a long way. But are they a good match? We take a look at every match that Tendulkar has ever played at the Wankhede stadium. Ranji Trophy He played his first Ranji Trophy match at the venue on 10 December, 1988 against Gujarat -and as had become the norm, he started off with a century... exactly 100 not out. The second match was against Uttar Pradesh in 1988-98 (the Ranji quarters) -- the first innings saw Mumbai collapse to 234 after a 145-run opening partnership. Tendulkar made just 4 and then in the second innings, rebounded to score 75. The Ranji semi-final followed soon in March 1989 and Tendulkar top-scored for with 78 but Delhi won on the basis of a first innings lead.

It wasn't until 1991 that he returned to the venue -- once again for the Ranji semi-finals -this time against Hyderabad.

Sanjay Manjrekar led the way with a massive 377, Dilip Vengsarkar and Vinod Kambli got centuries too while Tendulkar chipped in with another 70. Mumbai put on 855 and Hyderabad replied with 498. Tendulkar got another chance to bat and scored 80 as Kambli and Chandrakant Pandit helped themselves to centuries. Next up was the epic Ranji final against Haryana in 1991. By the end of it, Dilip Vengsarkar was in tears as Haryana won by 2 runs. Tendulkar's contribution was 47 and 96 (off just 75 balls) -- in a losing cause. He learnt his lessons of defeat early. He shared a stand of 134 for the fourth wicket with Dilip Vengsarkar in the second innings. Such was his counter-attacking strokeplay in the second innings that as word spread, 18,000 fans filled the stands. His next date with Wankhede was in 1994/95 -matches against Gujarat (30), Tamil Nadu (166 in a total of 330), Uttar Pradesh (109), Punjab -- final (140 and 139).

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It wasn't until 1997/1998 that he got another chance to play domestic cricket at the Wankhede. Matches against Railways (95), Orissa (135). The year after he played a match against Gujarat (35). In 1999-00, he was back again for the semi-final against Tamil Nadu (233 and 13 not out) and the final against Hyderabad (53 and 128). It was almost too easy for him now. The Ranji Trophy was a level of competition where he seemed to be able to score a century almost at will. In 2006-07, Tendulkar came back to help the Mumbai team in the Elite League final against Bengal (105 and 43). After 2007, it was a five-year wait before he played for Mumbai at the Wankhede again. It was against the Railways and Tendulkar helped himself to 137 off 136 balls in just 175 minutes. After that Tendulkar played three matches for Mumbai in the 2012-13 Ranji season -- Baroda (108), Services (56), Saurashtra (22). Expect him to play another two matches this season before the finale against West Indies -- one in Delhi and another against Haryana at home. His overall Ranji record at the venue is almost Bradmanesque: 19 matches, 2353 runs, HI of 233*, average of 98.04 with 11 centuries and 8 fifties. Irani Trophy He played his first Irani Trophy match at the Wankhede stadium in 1989-90 -- playing for Rest of India, he had scores of 39 and 103. Back again in 1995-96 -- this time representing Bombay (13). His team won the match by 9 wickets. Last Irani Trophy game at Wankhede was in 2013 -- a brilliant unbeaten 140 gave us hope that he was getting back to his best. Irani Trophy record at Wankhede: 3 matches, 295 runs, HI of 140*, AVG of 147.50 with 2 centuries.

Test cricket Some might have said that perhaps he should have played his last match at Chennai given his record there. In 10 matches at Chepauk, Tendulkar has scored 970 runs at an average of 88.18 -- the most at an Indian venue. Even Bangalore has been a favoured venue -- 9 matches, 869 runs, HI of 214 and an average of 62.07. But Wankhede it is. The first match at Wankhede was way back in February 1993 against England. This was the match when Vinod Kambli got 224 and Tendulkar chipped in with 78 in 213 balls. India won by an innings and 15 runs. The next match was in 1994-95 against the West Indies -- 34 and 85 (top score for India). India won the match by 96 runs. Against Sri Lanka in 1997-98, Tendulkar got his only century (148) at the Wankhede in a drawn match. The next match was against South Africa in 1999-00. This was around the time when India's dependence on Tendulkar was complete. In the first innings, Tendulkar made 97 out of the India's team's total of 225 in the first innings. In the second innings, Tendulkar made just 8 as India collapsed to 113 all out. South Africa won by 4 wickets. Next up were the all conquering Aussies in 2000-01. Tendulkar made 76 as India were bowled out for 176 in the first innings. India even had Australia on the mat at 5-99, but then Matthew Mayden and Adam Gilchrist launched a blistering counter-attack that left India all but dead. In the second innings, Tendulkar topscored once again with 65 as India collapsed to 219 all out. Australia won the match by 10 wickets, In 2002, the West Indies came visiting again. India won by an innings and 112 runs as Dravid and Sehwag slammed centuries in the first innings to set things up. Tendulkar scored 35. Australia made their way to Mumbai again in 2004-05 and this time a death trap was preCopyright 2012 Firstpost

pared for them. India won by 13 runs on a vicious turner. Dravid top-scored with 31 out of India total of 104. Australia responded with 203 runs. In reply, VVS Laxman's 69 and Sachin Tendulkar's 55 helped get to 205 in the second innings before Harbhajan Singh (5-29) and Murali Kartik (3-32) turned things around to bowl India to a controversial win. England were in complete attendance in 2006 and India were not, as the visitors won by 212 runs. Tendulkar only had scores of 1 and 34 in the defeat. West Indies were back in 2011-12 and the match ended in a draw. Tendulkar made 94 and 3 in the match.

The last time Tendulkar played at this ground was in 2012-13 against England. Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar worked their magic to lead the visitors to 10 wicket win. Tendulkar made 8 in both the innings. His overall record at the Wankhede: 10 matches, 847 runs, HI of 148, AVG of 47.05, Just one century and three fifties. He has also played one other first-class match at the venue and he made 39 runs in that. His overall first class record at the Wankhede is: 33 mts, 51 innings, 6 NO, 3534 runs, HI 233*, Avg 78.53, 14 100s, 15 50s.

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The decision

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The argument that Sachin Tendulkar

left too late is utter rubbish

The responsibility for dropping Tendulkar, or having a quiet word in his ear, rests with the selectors, not the player. The players job is to play; the selectors job is to select.
Tariq Engineer, October 16, 2013

It's hard for me to imagine a life without playing cricket because it's all I have ever done since I was 11 years old." - Sachin Tendulkar In an article titled Farewell Left too Late on ESPNcricinfo, Mukul Kesavan examines the timing of Sachin Tendulkars departure. He compares Tendulkars exit to those of Sunil Gavaskar, Steve Waugh and Brian Lara, and concludes that Tendulkar not only left too late, but damaged Indian cricket in the process by holding younger players back and allowing his retirement to compromise Indias Tour of South Africa. He lays the blame mostly on Tendulkars shoulders, though he concedes it isnt Tendulkars fault alone.

"

over his last 25 innings and the almost 65 Steve Waugh averaged before he hung up his boots. Lara averaged just under 45 while even Ponting, with all his struggles, managed 38. It is easy in hindsight to use the numbers to point to Tenudlkars decline. But those numbers only exist because he played on. In the 40 innings Tendulkar played before his last 25 innings (between November 2009 and November 2011), he averaged 64.05 with eight hundreds, the last of which was his masterclass against Dale Steyn. Given that sort of form, why should Tendulkar have retired? There was obviously no call for the selectors to drop him based on that form either. Analysis: The myth about Sachin Tendulkar and victory Stats: Tendulkar and Wankhede - Sentiment over stats Cricket will be poorer without Tendulkar: Pak media Photos: From 1989 to 2013 - 24 years of Indian cricket with Sachin Gavaskar may have walked away having averaged 58 over his last 25 innings but there is no reason that Tendulkar had to follow suit. He has every right to keep playing cricket for as long as he wants and for as long as he felt he could contribute to the team. When he was in that sort of form, did he not owe it to his country and his fans to keep going? And when the lean trot began, who was to say this form would not rebound? While there were plenty who felt he should have called it a day after the 2011 World Cup, there were just as many who thought Tendulkar was just going
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I am here to argue it is not Tendulkars fault at all. Kesavan points out that Tendulkars average over his last 25 innings is under 30 with no centuries, compared to the 58 Gavaskar averaged

through another lean patch and would eventually emerge from it with, if not his customary panache, at least a reasonable facsimile, even if he was closing in on the big 4-0. That his form would not improve looks obvious in the rear view mirror, but it was not so obvious then. Kesavan says that unlike Lara, Tendulkar failed to repay the faith placed in an ageing genius raging against the dying of the light. But this is not for lack of trying. Tendulkar has not wanted to fail. It is quite the opposite. That he has not produced is not for lack of effort. The greatest tend to have the hardest time leaving the field. Muhammad Ali, the greatest athlete of the 20th century and arguably ever, was a shell of the boxer he was when Larry Holmes beat him in 1980. So much so that Holmes said he held back in the fight for fear of injuring Ali. Michael Jordan came out of retirement to play for the Washington Wizards at the age of 38, and even now, at the age of 50, believes he can compete in the NBA. Besides, the responsibility for dropping Tendulkar, or having a quiet word in his ear, rests with the selectors, not the player. The players job is to play; the selectors job is to select. Waugh as it happens, did not go quietly either. He also happens to be one of 100 Australian Living Treasures. The only other male cricketer to have received the same honour is a certain Don Bradman. But the selectors were willing to take tough decisions. He was controversially dropped from the one-day side in 2002, a decision Allan Border, then chairman of selectors, called one of the hardest and lowest moments of his career. "Behind the scenes Stephen wasn't totally accepting about the one-dayers and he was saying, 'I'm going to try to prove you wrong and I'm still available if you need me', Border told The Age. Waugh was also told by the selectors in 2003 that he would be picked on form, and not be an automatic selection because he was the captain of the Test team. In Tendulkars case there is the argument that dropping a national icon in India would be impossible and lead to a huge backlash, but

there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that Sandeep Patil, the current chairman of selectors, was willing to at least consider belling that cat, which is what he is being paid Rs 60 lakhs a year to do. In a profile of Patil in Open magazine, Akshay Sawai writes that "in December 2012, just months after taking over as chief selector, it was Patil who reportedly broached the subject of Tendulkars future with the legend, resulting in his abrupt, oddly prosaic retirement from One-day cricket. The 2015 World Cup is high on the selectors and teams agenda and Tendulkar could not realistically be a part of 2015. A few days ago, Patil was back in the news. Media reports hinted Tendulkar had been told that after his 200th Test he would be picked only on form. Patil denied the story." And there is the quote Patil once gave the Times of India, "If Sachin wants to bat like this (defensively), then he should quit. But if he wants to bat like the Sachin of old, then he should keep playing." Kesavan also argues that Tendulkars delayed departure has held back the teams development, but there is a counter argument that leaving too early might have destabilised the team. Australia lost Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh after the same Test in 1984. It took the team five years to recover from that blow. Having Tendulkar around after Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman preserved a link to the Big Four and could be argued, eased the transition rather than hampered it. As for the South African tour, BCCI politics are murky and inscrutable at the best of times. The board is on record saying it wants a home season at this time of year as well as wanting to maximise its revenues. All is clearly not well between it and Cricket South Africa. Tendulkars 200th Test, and now farewell Test, is perhaps a convenient excuse to shoehorn the West Indies series, but arguably no more than that. To lay the blame it at Tendulkars door is to absolve the BCCI of all its machinations. Everyone wishes their idol would choose the perfect moment to retire. Pete Sampras walked away after winning the 2002 US Open. Roger
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Federer hopes for something similar and so pushes on, trying to catch lightning in the bottle. But there are no guarantees in sports. Tendulkar too would have been hoping for a last great hurrah. It may still happen in his final

two Tests, but that it has not happened so far is not due to any fault of his. To think so is to misunderstand not only the capricious nature of sports, but the nature of great sportsmen, who often fight on after their considerable powers have waned because it is that innate self-belief that allowed them to be great in the first place.

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For greats like Tendulkar,

legacy is such a burden

It is disturbing when a superstar seems comfortable performing a supporting act. But if his role, although diminished, continues to be significant to the team, should anxiety over legacy be of any consequence?
Abhilasha Khaitan, October 15, 2013

his piece was first published on March 26, 2013. But we are republishing it in the wake of Tendulkar's retirement announcement. Who wants to be in Sachin Tendulkars shoes? In 2013, nobody.

end of advice that would have been laughable at any other point of his career -- to get his timing right. This time, it isnt quite as easy as putting bat to ball. Twenty-four years on, after knowing no life other than the one in flannels, he must finally prepare to take a bow. In fact, delaying the inevitable seems almost awkward as the world has already started saying its goodbyes with standing ovations everywhere he goes, assuming it to be his last time. For him, I suppose, it is like the last few minutes of a great movie. Even though you know how it will end, youre still hoping for another twist before the credits must roll. But with eight months to go before the next Test series, a tough one in a country [South Africa] where India have an iffy track record, there is little room for indecision or twists-and-turns. Even I, a hard-core Tendulkar fan, can see that an emotional approach on his place in the team will be like taking a huge jump backwards from the progress made at home against Australia. However, while age is usually seen as an appropriate yardstick, that should really not be the moot point here. To my mind, only one question seems relevant: Does Tendulkar need Team India more than the team needs him? If the answer to that is yes, then the next steps seem inevitable. Here, the experience argument seems to favour him in a discussion otherwise punctuated with the sentiment of giving a legend a suitable farewell. The recent exploits of the Indian toporder also contribute to the debate. Watching the young guns of the team play the lead role
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The biggest downside to being a legend is that everyone else thinks they have a stake in you. They are so captivated by your halo that even the slightest hint of damage to it has them scrambling to protect your legacy. This holds truest for sportspersons. The glory of their playing years is relived by fans long after they have hung up their boots. As such, preserving their greatness becomes as important as achieving it. Consider how leave the game on a high has been chanted like a mantra for just about every athlete after they cross a certain age and enter that tenuous twilight phase. Just a month away from the big 40 and as the last man standing from the golden generation, Tendulkar now finds himself at the receiving

in the whitewash against Australia would have been a bitter-sweet experience for him. Even as it would have reassured him that the outlook was looking brighter for Indian cricket, it would have also made him ponder his own role even in its immediate future. This puts Tendulkar in an unenviable position. How is someone who enjoys the game like a 16-year-old supposed to dispassionately say goodbye because the biological clock is ticking and everyone else is hearing the alarm ring? Throw back to another sport and another legend. Michael Schumachers return to Formula One after retiring at an unprecedented high was panned by experts and welcomed hesitantly by fans. He would tarnish his legacy, coming back as he was in an inferior machine and several years older. They were right. The comeback was luke-warm and called a mistake. But the man was less concerned about protecting his legacy than others, and happy just to be seated in a racing car again. The thrill of the sport and the ability to compete seemed to supersede notions of pride and reputation.

Even with Tendulkar, the longer he waits to call it quits, the more damage he seems to do to his larger-than-life image. The statistics are less awesome (albeit still better than most) dropping batting average, century conversion rates and so on. He continues to make contributions to his team but is no longer playing the starring role. It is disturbing when a superstar seems comfortable performing a supporting act. But if his role, although diminished, continues to be significant to the team, should anxiety over legacy be of any consequence? That is the dilemma of Sachin Tendulkar. And that is why no one would want to be him. The author writes on popular culture, cricket and whatever else takes her fancy.

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The myth about Sachin Tendulkar and victory

Conventional wisdom holds that when the going got toughest, it was VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid that India could count on, not Tendulkar, who even felt the burden himself.
Tariq Engineer, October 12, 2013

achin Tendulkar has been on the winning side in 70 Test matches, the most of any Indian cricketer. In those 70 Tests, he has averaged 62.36, which is not insignificant. Of his 51 Test hundreds, 20 have come in the pursuit of victory. Yet somehow Tendulkar will call time on his career with the perception he never quite got it done when India needed him the most.

numbers stack up against those of Dravid. Tendulkar has averaged 49.46 with three hundreds and seven fifties from 41 innings when India has come out on top. Dravid averaged 52.84 with three hundreds and seven fifties from 36 innings. If you take just the fourth innings, Tendulkar edges ahead. He averages 59.58 with one hundred and four fifties from 22 innings compared to Dravids average of 56.77 with three fifties from 19 innings. Dravid has also often been held up as the last man standing while the rest of India collapsed around him. That reputation was enhanced during the 2011 series in England, which India lost 4-0 despite three centuries from Dravid. But Dravid had only ever scored one hundred in a loss before that. Tendulkar has scored 11 Test hundreds in losses, including that heroic 136 against Pakistan in Chennai in 1999, a match India ended up losing by 12 runs.

Conventional wisdom holds that when the going got toughest, it was VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid that India could count on, not Tendulkar, who even felt the burden himself. Thats why his 103 not out in the fourth innings against England in Chennai after the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 was so important to him. Tendulkar needed to prove that he could deliver the goods when his team needed him to. The reality though, is more nuanced than that. Tendulkar is often accused of shrinking in the third and fourth innings of matches, but his

Admittedly, these numbers dont say anything about the state of the game or the quality of their opponents. Breaking it down by country reveals that Tendulkar did not have much of an impact against Australia, averaging 30 from 8 innings when Inda won. He is overshadowed by Dravid, who averaged 55.00 from four innings and Laxman, who averaged 100.50 from 8 innings. Dravid also comes out on top away from home, where he averaged 107 in the fourth innings in victories, compared to Tendulkars average of 42.66. Take their overall records though (not
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just third and fourth innings) and Tendulkar averaged 80.68 in wins away from home, while Dravid averaged 69.48. Add draws to the equation and Laxman separates himself from the other two. He averaged a staggering 76.21 from 50 innings when his team batted a second time (3rd or 4th innings), while Dravid averaged 55.49 and Tendulkar 52.73. An average over 50 does not constitute failure though, no matter how you slice it. The way we remember games has also played a part in how we remember Tendulkar. Sunil Gavaskars 96 on a turning track in Bangalore is remembered as one of his finest innings, even though India lost that match by 16 runs. Gavaskars reputation as a fighter had long been established and Indias failure to win did not detract from the quality of his batting. Tendulkars courageous 136, however, is often held up as an example of how he failed take his team over the line. Never mind that India were 82 for five at one stage, that Tendulkar batted for 405 minutes despite battling a back strain and that India needed only 16 runs with three wickets in hand when he holed out at mid-off. Had Nayan Monga not thrown away his wicket or the tailenders taken India to victory, Tendulkar might well be remembered differently today. Indias epic win over Australia in Kolkata in 2001 is another case in point. Laxman and Dravid were magnificent and deserve the plau-

dits for turning the match on its head, but Australia still had to be bowled out the final day. India needed Harbhajan, who took six wickets, to complete possibly the greatest Test victory of all time. Tendulkar also happened to take three wickets in the fourth innings, including that of Matthew Hayden, who top scored for Australia with 67. Had Australia survived, Laxmans 281 and Dravids 180 might well have taken on a different hue. Even when Tendulkar did take India across the finish line in Chennai in 2008, considerable credit was given to Virender Sehwag, whose rapid-fire 80 set the platform for Tendulkar to complete Indias chase. It appears to be a case of damned if he does and damned if he doesnt. On the flip side, Dravid had his fair share of failure too, averaging 26.42 in the third and fourth innings when India has lost (49 innings), while Tendulkar averaged 33.20 (56 innings). All of which proves that while we may celebrate individual achievement, cricket is a team game and more often than not, it takes more than a solitary contribution to win a Test match. Laxman, Dravid and Tendulkar have all won about 35% of the Test matches they played in because India as a team won about that often. In the final analysis, Tendulkar may not be the most clutch player India has produced, but that does not diminish him as a cricketer. It just makes him human, like the rest of us.

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The definitive guide to

Sachin Tendulkars career
Its been a long career and along the way there have been plenty of milestones. Heres a detailed look at the facts and figures that defined Tendulkar.
Rajneesh Gupta, October 11, 2013 third (at that time) youngest player of all time. 1990: At Old Trafford, Manchester, he saved India from defeat at the age of 17 years 112 days to become the youngest Indian and the second youngest ever (at that time) to score a Test century after Pakistans Mushtaq Mohammad. 1991: With an innings of 159 for West Zone in the first innings of the quarter-finals against East Zone at Guwahati he became the first batsman to complete a unique treble of centuries on debut in Ranji, Duleep and Irani Trophies. 1992: On November 14, on the second day of the Test against South Africa at Durban, he became the first victim of the third umpire, an innovation tried out for the first time. Third umpire Karl Liebenberg adjudged him out in a tight decision when on-field umpire Cyril Mitchley at square leg referred the decision upstairs even as Jonty Rhodes combined with Andrew Hudson to achieve the milestone. 1993: In the Hero Cup five-nation tournament in November, he was surprisingly asked to bowl the last over against South Africa who needed six runs, with two wickets left, helped India pip the visitors to the post. 1994: Asked to open the innings against New Zealand at Auckland as the result of Navjot Singh Sidhu pulling out of the team with a stiff neck, he scored a masterly 82 off 49 balls with just 22 scoring shots to herald his arrival as a murderous opener in ODIs. His first ODI century came five years after his international debut against Australia in the
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t's been a long career and along the way there have been plenty of milestones. Here's a detailed look at the facts and figures that defined Tendulkar. 1988: At 14, Sachin Tendulkar added 664 runs with Vinod Kambli without being separated for Shardashram Vidyamandir against St Xaviers at Azad Maidan. Kambli made 349 not out, Tendulkar 326 not out. It remained the highest partnership recorded in any form of cricket, until 2006.

1988: Scored his maiden first-class century - vs Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy. He entered the record books at age 15 years 232 days by becoming the youngest Indian to score a century on first-class debut. 1989: Scored a century on debut in Irani Trophy at age 16 years 197 days. He represented Rest of India against Delhi at the Wankhede Stadium. Made his Test debut at age 16 years 205 days against Pakistan to become youngest Indian and

Singer Cup match in Colombo on September 9. 1995: Married paediatrician Dr Anjali Mehta in Mumbai in May. Watching TV at his Adelaide home, Don Bradman told his wife, the Indian wizards batting technique was similar to his own. 1996: Was named captain of the Indian team for the Singer Cup one-day tri-series in Sri Lanka and the Sahara Cup Friendship one-day series against Pakistan in Toronto, Canada. 1997: Even though India were crushed by South Africa in the second Test at Cape Town, he and Mohammed Azharuddin put on 222 in 40 overs which had fans, critics and even members of the opposition raving. Tendulkar was last man out for 169, inclusive of 26 boundaries. Described India's defeat against the West Indies in the third Test at Barbados as one of the most disappointing moments in his career. Chasing 120 on the fourth day for what would have been Indias third victory in the West Indies in 50 years, India were bundled out for 81. Got chosen as one of the five cricketers of the year by Wisden Cricketers Almanack. 1998: Sacked as captain on January 2. Under his captaincy, India had lost 31 out of 54 ODIs, won 17, one tied and five abandoned games. As captain, he had managed a disappointing 1739 runs at an average of 37.00. In 17 Tests as captain, India won three, lost four and drew 10 with him aggregating 1195 runs at 45.96 with four 100s and four 50s. After being sacked, he immediately played a prominent role in Indias 18-run win over Pakistan in the preliminary game of Silver Jubilee Independence Cup in Dhaka, scoring 67 off 44 deliveries and adding 112 in partnership with man of the match Mohammed Azharuddin (100) off 84 balls. His 204 not out (then his best in first-class cricket) off 192 balls for Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai at the Brabourne Stadium set the tone for the Test series against world champions Australia. His mauling of Shane Warne (he

finished with figures of 16-1-111-0), then considered the greatest spin bowler in the world along with Muttiah Muralitharan, will long linger in the memory of those who were present. Sachin hammered the Australian attack to score 80 in the Coca Cola Cup in Sharjah, the highest score of the match but his effort was not enough to prevent the Australians from defeating India by 58 runs. In the return match against Australia, India needed 285 to win and 254 (reduced to 276 and 237 following a sand storm which prevented four overs from being bowled) to qualify for the final on run rate.As the sandstorm refused to abate, he nearly steered India to victory with a memorable 143 off 131 deliveries inclusive of nine fours and five sixes. India lost the match, but qualified by beating New Zealand on net run-rate. This was followed by another innings of rare vintage on Sachin Tendulkar's 25th birthday at Sharjah against Australia, the master blaster plundering 134 off 131 balls (12 fours, three sixes) to enable India to win easily by six wickets, with nine balls remaining. On 14 May, he missed an ODI for the first time having appeared in 185 consecutive ODIs for India. Set a world record for the opening wicket when putting on 252 runs from 43 overs against Sri Lanka along with Sourav Ganguly in the final of the Singer Nidahas Trophy tri-series (also featuring New Zealand). Tendulkar scored 128 from 131 balls. On August 29, he was awarded the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the only cricketer to receive it. On September 26, Sachin Tendulkar scored his 18th ODI century at Bulawayo in the ODI series against Zimbabwe to erase Desmond Haynes' world record. 1999: In Chennai, he scored a great hundred (136) in vain in the first Test against Pakistan. Was awarded the Man of the Match despite Indias loss. Mongia joined Tendulkar at the
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crease when the score was a paltry 82-5, with the top order suffering a total collapse at the hands of the Pakistani quickies and Saqlain Mushtaq. Tendulkar, with the support of Mongia brought India within 17 runs of the desired target - 271. Tendulkar batted for 405 minutes and hit 18 fours. After Tendulkar's dismissal the team collapsed and India lost by 12 runs. He had scored a duck (0) in the 1st innings, his first duck after 20 Test matches.

Completed 8,000 runs in ODIs in his 217th match at the age of 26 years and 45 days -v Pakistan at Manchester. Reappointed captain on July 28 in place of Mohammed Azharuddin after tremendous suspense over whether he would accept the honour again. His mysterious absence from Mumbai made the speculation all the more acute. Was back in action in October after his back surgery. Controversy erupted in a big way in the third Test against New Zealand at Ahmedabad when he refused to enforce a follow-on after India were leading by 275 runs and enabled the visitors to draw the Test. Scored his first double century in Test cricket in October against NZ at Ahmedabad (494 minutes, 344 balls)--10 years after his Test debut. On November 8, scored his then highest One Day International score - 186* against New Zealand in the 2nd ODI at Hyderabad. This was also then the highest score by an Indian batsman in ODIs, beating Ganguly's 183. Also for the first time Tendulkar carried his bat through full 50 overs. He also featured in a stand of 331 in 46.2 overs for the second wicket with Rahul Dravid. In the match India's 376 for two was the second highest ODI total of all time and the partnership the biggest ever partnership. 2000: Was declared out LBW in the Melbourne Test after ducking and being hit by McGraths bouncer that kept low, which lead commentators to coin the term "shoulder before wicket". Won his second Man of the Series award in a Test series v Australia in Australia by aggregating 278 runs at an average of 46.33 Completed 9,000 runs in ODIs in his 242nd match at the age of 26 years and 330 days Completed his 6,000 runs in Test cricket in 76th match v South Africa at Bangalore Scored his 25th ODI century Scored 9000 runs in One Day Internationals.
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In the World Test Championship game at Kolkata, he was adjudged run out by substitute fielder Nadeem Khan for 9, after colliding with bowler Shoaib Akhtar His dismissal sparked off a near-riot. With missiles flying in the stands, Jagmohan Dalmiya paraded ST on the ground to pacify the irate crowd. The final day when Pakistan won by 46 runs after 10 minutes was played before empty stands. Received the Padma Shri on March 23. Two months later, he featured on the cover of Time magazine (Asian edition). His father passed away on May 18 at his Bandra residence during the 1999 World Cup on the night before Indias match against Zimbabwe which India lost by three runs in the last over. Tendulkar rushed back to Mumbai for his fathers funeral. After the last rites, he rushed back to England for the crucial match against Kenya at Bristol where he (140*) was involved in an unbeaten stand of 237 in 29.1 overs with Rahul Dravid (104*). He dedicated the century to his father. He said he had been motivated to answer his country's call by his mother who said his father would have wanted him to go back.

2001: In the memorable Kolkata Test against Australia, which India won by 171 runs, he played a major role by taking the wickets of Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne, after VVS Laxman (281) and Rahul Dravid (180) had turned the match on its head with Harbhajan Singh also chipping in with a hat-trick, the first by an Indian in Test cricket. On March 31, he became the first batsman to score 10,000 runs in ODIs in the course of his 139 against Australia at Indore. On August 14, he missed a Test for the first time (injury on right foot) against Sri Lanka. Before that, he had appeared in 84 consecutive Tests for India. In the Port Elizabeth Test on the tour of South Africa, six Indian players, including Tendulkar were hauled over the coals by match referee Mike Denness and fined for what he considered excessive and intimidatory appealing and showing dissent at the umpires decisions. The charge against Tendulkar (without reference to the field umpires) was that he had tampered with the ball while bowling. Charging Tendulkar for bringing the game into disrepute, Denness fined him 75% of his match fees and slapped a one Test ban suspended until December 31. Tendulkar said later in India that he did not intend to go against the rules and spirit of the game and was merely cleaning the ball. With BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya demanding that Denness be sacked for the remainder of the series, South Africas Dennis Lindsay replaced Denness for the third match that was termed unofficial. In November, he completed his 7,000 runs in Test cricket in 85th match v South Africa at Bloemfontein. In December, he faced negative tactics by Ashley Giles under the instructions of England captain Nasser Hussain. At Bangalore he was stumped (by James Foster) for the first time in a Test in his 143rd innings. 2002: On January 27, Tendulkars agent Mark Mascarenhas was killed in a car accident On January 28, completed his 11,000 runs in

ODIs in his 284th match at the age of 28 years and 279 days against England at Kanpur. Completed 8,000 runs in Test cricket in his 96th match v West Indies at Kingston. On August 23, he crossed Don Bradmans tally of 29 centuries by scoring 193 against England at Leeds. On September 5, he became the youngest player ever to play in his 100th Test Match (v England at the Oval) aged 29 years 134 days. In December, Wisden rated him as the second greatest Test batsman ever, behind the legendary Don Bradman. 2003: On March 1, he played a memorable innings of 98 off just 75 balls in World Cup clash against arch-rivals Pakistan, chasing a target of 274. Ended the World Cup 2003 with 673 runs at 61.18 - the highest tally by any batsman in a single edition of World Cup. In August, he drew flak for a duty waiver on his Ferrari, gifted to him by the Fiat group on his passing Don Bradman's record of 29 centuries. Sachin Tendulkar celebrates his 100th hundered. Reuters Sachin celebrates his 100th hundered. Reuters 2004: Following a slump in form when New Zealand toured India and during the early part of the 2003-04 tour of Australia, Sachin Tendulkar scored 241 not out in 613 minutes in January in the final Test at Sydney which was his longest innings, which was notable for his Spartan discipline in refusing to rise to the offside bait set by Steve Waugh. He did not play a single cover-drive during this innings. On the tour of Pakistan, he scored a sterling 141 in the ODI at Rawalpindi, a match India lost. This was the first ODI century by an Indian in Pakistan. India went on to win the series 3-2. Completed 13,000 runs in ODIs in his 330th match. Also became the first player in ODI history to
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win 50 Man of the Match awards. Completed his 100 catches in ODIs and completed the allround treble of 10,000 runs, 100 wickets and 100 catches Notched up his 33rd Test century at Multan. Sehwag scored a triple century in the match, which India won by an innings and 52 runs. Sehwag added 336 for the third wicket with Sachin, who was denied a double century when, with his score on 194, stand-in captain Rahul Dravid decided to close the innings. Equalled Sunil Gavaskar's world record 34 test centuries in the first test against Bangladesh. became only the third player in history, after Gary Kirsten and Steve Waugh, to score centuries against all test-playing nations. In August, a tennis elbow injury surfaced for the first time during the Videocon Cup in Holland which forced him to miss the Champions Trophy in England, and then first two Tests against Australia in the home series. Scored his highest Test (and first-class) score, 248 not out, in the first Test at Dhaka in December. This innings enabled him to draw level with Sunil Gavaskars 34 Test centuries. With this hundred he also achieved the distinction of scoring a century against all other 10 Testplaying nations. 2005: On March 16, he became the fifth batsman to aggregate 10,000 Test runs in the course of his 52 against Pakistan at Kolkata. In May, he underwent surgery for the tennis elbow and had to miss the triangular series in Sri Lanka, a tour to Zimbabwe, and the SuperSeries in Australia. On October 25, he made a roaring return to international cricket, with a 93 off 96 balls against Sri Lanka at Nagpur. On November 25, he became the most capped player in ODI history by appearing against South Africa at Kolkata, moving ahead of former Pakistan allrounder Wasim Akram's

tally of 356 matches. Scored his 35th Test hundred at Ferozeshah Kotla, Delhi against Sri Lanka, thus moving ahead of Sunil Gavaskars tally of 34 centuries. He dedicated the record-breaking century to his father. 2006: Set a new world record by completing 14,000 one-day runs en route his 39th century in the first one-day international against Pakistan in Peshawar.one-day international against Pakistan in Peshawar. Played his 132nd Test, the most by any Indian ever, at his home ground in Mumbai. On March 19, he was booed perhaps for the first time on a cricket ground (that too by his home crowd) after making 1 in 33 minutes against England. India ended up losing the Test at the Wankhede Stadium. Missed the one-dayers against England and the tour to the West Indies as he headed to England for surgery on his right shoulder. On September 14, he made a spectacular comeback with 141 off 148 balls against West Indies in a DLF Cup match at Kuala Lumpur. India went on to lose the match by D/L method though. 2007: In May, he was rested for the first time in his career - for the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh. He scored back-to-back centuries in the two Tests that followed. Was finally a part of a series-win outside the subcontinent as India beat England 1-0 in England. Tendulkar made 228 runs at 38.00 On October 11, played his 400th ODI v Australia at Baroda. 2008: On March 2, he scored his first ODI century in Australia in first final of the CB Series, helping India to achieve their first tri-series win on Australian soil. In October against Australia at Mohali, he eclipsed Brian Laras Test aggregate record of 11,953.
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2009: Awarded the Padma Vibhushan. On November 5, Sachin Tendulkar he carved a brilliant 175 off 141 balls against Australia, chasing a target of 351. The rest of Indian batsmen choked after his dismissal. He completed 17,000 ODI runs during this knock. On November 20, he became the first batsman to complete 30,000 runs in international cricket in the course of his unbeaten 100 against Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad. 2010: On February 24, he scored the first-ever ODI double century - 200* at Gwalior against South Africa Became the most capped player in Test cricket (169 Tests) when he took the field for the third and final Test against Sri Lanka at the P Sara Oval. Received an honorary rank of Indian Air Force Group Captain at a function in New Delhi on September 3. On October 6, he won the coveted Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Cricketer of the Year at the ICC awards. On October 10, he became the first batsman to aggregate 14,000 runs in Test cricket in the Bangalore Test against Australia. The next day, he reached his hundred with a six off Nathan Hauritz - the fifth time he was reaching the three-figure mark in this fashion - most by any batsman in Test history. Became first Indian batsman to score SIX Test hundreds in a single calendar year. Became the first batsman to score 50 Test centuries. 2011: Became first player to score 100 centuries in international cricket. Finally achieved his dream of being part of a World Cup-winning team when India beat Sri Lanka in the final on his home ground the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 2.

Became the first player to appear in 100 overseas Tests when he appeared against England at Nottingham. Was dismissed on 91 against England at the Oval - ninth dismissal in nineties for him in Test cricket. With this he equalled Michael Slater and Rahul Dravids world record of most dismissals in the 90s. 2012: Became the first active sportsperson to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha. Finished his ODI career with a world record of 463 matches, 18,426 runs, 49 hundreds, 96 fifties, 62 man of the match and 15 man of the series awards. Hit 2 sixes off his first two balls in Indias fourth innings successful chase against Australia at Chennai. 2013: Equalled Sunil Gavaskars Indian record of scoring most (81) centuries in first-class cricket. Also became the quickest to 4000 runs in Ranji Trophy. Became first sub-continent player to aggregate 50000 runs in all recognised cricket (first-class, list A and Twenty20s).

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will you miss most about Sachin?

Ashish Magotra and Tariq Engineer on what well remember and miss most about Tendulkar. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section too

The Tendulkar dialogue: What

FP Sports, October 11, 2013 an end. It was an experience. It was what cricket was all about. We have just two more Tests of that remaining. Tariq Engineer: I know what you mean. I remember being at a Ranji Trophy game with Mumbai playing Bengal. The crowd actually booed Sourav Ganguly when he field the ball when Sachin Tendulkar was on strike. And this was when Ganguly was captain of India and had a huge fan following of his own. But the admiration for Tendulkar was always on another level. Once Tendulkar was out, the Wankhede stadium quicky emptied. It was like the stadium was being evacuated because there was a bomb scare.

t's official. Many of us are going to take a break from cricket. If not that, we will at least not be watching it with the same fervour anymore. For many of us, cricket was Sachin and it's tough to imagine the game without him. He was the cricketing habit we found so hard to kick. Even when the times were tough, we tuned in for Sachin. That was his magic. Ashish Magotra and Tariq Engineer on what we'll remember and miss most about Tendulkar. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section too.

Tariq Engineer: Its still hard for me to digest the news that SRT is calling it a day. I suspect those last two Test matches against West Indies are going to be crazier than the 2011 World Cup final. A lot of people are going to call in sick. For me, what I am going to miss the most is knowing that India had a player that was better than anyone in the opposition and whom the opposition actually feared. I go back to 1998 and the way Tendulkar surgically took apart Australia. This wasnt a player just getting hot. This was simply Tendulkar being Tendulkar. And he gave you lift in a way I imagine Sunil Gavaskar must have given the previous generation. That we could give as good as good as we got. Ashish Magotra: Honestly, the moment that stands out for me is not a particular knock. It is the moment when the crowd would realise that Sachin Tendulkar was the next man in. It didn't matter what the man who was dismissed had scored, it didn't matter if it was Sehwag, Ganguly or Dravid. His walk to the crease was always accompanied by the most earth shattering noise you will ever hear. It was a crescendo without

Ashish Magotra: Yeah, True. Everyone has their favourite player -- Ganguly for some, Dravid for the classics, Sehwag for the mavericks, Kumble for the gritty. But no one could bring themselves to hate Sachin. That was his greatest achievement. He managed to break boundaries in the way no other cricketers did. We all grew up aping his stance, his mannerisms, his aila too. Few... no, no one will ever
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achieve this kind of adulation again. As big as Dhoni is, it is just not the same. Tariq Engineer: Admittedly, that admiration did take a little bit of a hit over the last couple of years, as his form suffered and people felt he needed to retire. But for me, he had earned the right to keep going until he felt he was not able to contribute to the team. His coming to the wicket was always the most anticipated moment of an India match. My grandmother, who is 86, has said she will stop watching cricket once Tendulkar retires. I am sure she is not alone in her sentiments. He has defined Indian cricket for almost two and a half decades. It is difficult to accept that the end has come so suddenly. Ashish Magotra: But still what is it that you will remember most about him? Some of the best things about him were seen during the nets session -- away from the public. He would be the first man in (even during Ranji practice), the last man out, would wear out the coach (just ask Gary Kirsten's shoulder). I met him for dinner once during India's last tour of New Zealand and he said that practice for him was not about quantity, instead it was about quality. But even then there was a lot of quality in there. A lot of hard work too. He had a very human touch about himself -- as great as he was, he was always approachable -- to fan and journalist alike. Tariq Engineer: Yes. There were no airs about him when you talked to him. What I remember is the meticulous attention to detail. Everything had to be just right. I watched him get ready for a photo shoot in 2009 and he had plenty of questions for the stylist. He wasnt going to let anyone mess with his hair unless he felt comfortable about it and approved of the concept. Thats one trait all the great ones have in common. Talent is necessary but it is the commitment and dedication that turn that talent into achievement. No one was more dedicated to playing cricket than Tendulkar. Ashish Magotra: With Sachin in the middle, anything was possible. That is what I will remember most. When wickets were falling all around him in the 1990s, he was beacon of light for cricket fans in India. He gave us hope and that meant a lot to us. Through his career, he was the man we trusted to set things right.

Through every controversy, he remained untainted. Through cricket, he brought us together... huddled in front of our screens. Simply put, he made cricket India's national past-time. Tariq Enginer: I couldnt agree more. I do have one criticism, though. I feel he was always too quiet when it came to scandals. When the match-fixing scandal broke in the late 1990s, Tendulkar chose to stay in the background and not say much publicly. I am sure he had plenty to say behind the scenes and to the younger players, but I wish he had been more vocal in public. His moral authority has always been unimpeachable and I wish he stood up the way he did when he told the Shiv Sena that I am a Maharashtrian and I am extremely proud of that. But I am an Indian first. And Mumbai belongs to all Indians." Ashish Magotra: Perhaps Sachin had his own way of doing things off the field. Perhaps it was not the right way. Perhaps he believed that he wanted to do all the speaking with his bat. Yes, we would have loved him to talk about the scandals -- we would have loved him to take on the BCCI -- we would have loved to see him right the wrongs. But then again many of us like him because he managed to find a way to not get embroiled in any controversy. He remained pure. His going away is going to leave a void for us all. How will cricket survive? Will we ever have the same sort of involvement? Tariq Engineer: I know I wont watch cricket the same way. What Tendulkar did on the field was personal. He belonged to his fans in a way that none of his contemporaries did. You didn't change the channel or do errands when he was batting. His triumphs were our triumphs. His failures hurt in our guts and we felt let down because we believed he should never fail because if he failed, we failed. He was, to steal a phrase from the Beatles, our ticket to ride. And I dont know how you replace that. You can replace the bat on the field with another bat, but you cant replace the man and the space he occupied in our lives. There has never been another Don Bradman. There will never be another Sachin Tendulkar either.

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Tendulkar has given the world

He has had a singularly impressive impact on the life and times of everyday Indians, more than any other sportsperson in recent history, more than any other celebrity or politician.
Amrish Sethi, October 11, 2013

Five life lessons that Sachin

o Sachin has finally made the announcement on his retirement and if the buzz on twitter and news television is anything to go by, the world, as we know it wont be the same ever again. Like most of you out there, I too have watched in awe the phenomenal achievements of this man, every match day, every test series, on pitches across the world. I love the man. Always have. Always will.

times of everyday Indians. More than any other sportsperson in recent history, more than any film star and much more than the entire cabinet of ministers put together. I personally do not know of anybody who does not like the man or his achievements. And while you might argue that I do not know many people (true!) even those who do occasionally complain about Sachin, will also very easily concede that Sachin is a great role model for all who are aspiring to achieve individual perfection. For me, a lot of my own life lessons have come from watching Sachin both on and off the field. But since you already might be overdosing on Sachin-mania, am going to restrict myself to just five. Here they go: 1) Being successful in life or being filthy rich has got nothing to do with studying hard at school or which educational institution you go to. Its okay to even flunk exams. Just make sure you have a burning hunger to excel in a field of your choice. If, however, you are unable to show any promise to others chasing your dream, then do at least maintain a good attendance record and revise last three years' question papers! 2) You dont need an animated demeanor or a baritone voice to make yourself heard. Actions speak louder than words. And the best way to communicate is to show people what you can do, rather than just talk about it. If however all you can do is just talk, then do choose a job as a news television anchor. If you become a guest commentator or a panelist, it does not count.

What Tendulkar has been able to accomplish on the cricketing field with his rather heavy bat has had no precedent (Don Bradman included) and in all probability, will have no follow-up. Ever. Even as sports and news media compile comprehensive highlights of Sachins sporting life, no doubt embellished by laudatory comments from everybody who counts (and some who do not) in the cricket world, what should also be highlighted and seen is the singularly impressive impact this one man has had on the life and

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3) Being the best in a team or a group does not mean that you can lead others successfully. Be open to the fact that sometimes the most you can do for a team is simply by doing your part efficiently. Not everybody can be a captain in life. Some have to be star team members. It really is time you realized that you are better than your boss and management. Stop drinking now. 4) You are never too young or too old to do anything. If you think you are ready to contribute and if you are enjoying playing the game (whatever that is) then do not pay any attention to what others might say about your inclusion or retirement. You can make as much impact as a

gawky teenager as you can as being the old wise one. Do remember however that its always way too early in anyones life to accept a Rajya Sabha nomination. 5) Lastly, it does not matter how you look, how tall you are or even how silly your hairstyle really is. If you do the task at hand well enough, your face will adorn a million posters and you can even endorse rival cola brands. If you are extremely good looking but otherwise incompetent, then a career in films is where you should be headed. However if you are ugly and also incompetent, then politics is where you will truly flourish.

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Final Goodbye

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What next for Sachin Tendulkar? Little master on life after cricket
All the answers Sachin Tendulkars gave at his press conference in Mumbai.
FP Sports Nov 18, 2013 All the answers Sachin Tendulkar gave at his press conference in Mumbai On retirement decision and how it feels To play for my country was the most important thing for me. In those 24 years, different challenges came but the desire to play for the country I had to find solutions for them. The family, friends and coaches were with me and it was a dream journey for me. my body was not taking this load consistently. Training sessions were becoming an effort. When I saw a question mark the answer was that this is the perfect time to leave the game. I had requested the BCCI if they could keep my last game in Mumbai because my mother had never seen me play a single ball before this. She never told me she wanted to see a game and I wanted to keep this a surprise but well, she got to know from the media. This match was for her and very special for me. Today, I woke up at 6.50 AM and suddenly realised that I don't have to quickly shower and get ready for a match. I made myself a cup of tea and enjoyed a nice breakfast with my wife. It was a relaxed morning. I spent a lot of time responding to all the messages I got. On the farewell yesterday I can't ask for anything else after seeing the farewell I got. (On question whether Windies were weak opIt hasn't struck me that I'm not going to play an- position and took sheen off retirement) Please ymore cricket. Well I'll find some place to play! understand, West Indies have world class players. There are ups and downs -- sometimes I have no regret that I'm leaving cricket and I things don't work out. They play cricket in right thought this was the right time to stop playing spirit and that is what matters. As long as you -- but it was an enjoyable journey. play the game the way it is to be played, I give you full marks. I was enjoying cricket, but honestly I had maintained that when I felt I would stop, I would tell Never in my life during an international match you. There were many questions about retirewould I be able to touch the pitch and pay it ment and I got that feeling. I felt that after 24 respect -- the 22 yards is like a temple for me. years, and you have to appreciate it was not easy So I wanted to say a big thank you to cricket and to overcome injuries too. every time I bat I touch the pitch. I didn't say it, but I thank cricket for everything. Simple as Somewhere a stage comes when your body that. says, 'enough' and the body requires rest. I felt
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Walking back to the pitch was very emotional. When I took the decision I wasn't that emotional because I knew it was the right decision. But I got emotional during the sendoff from my team. I got emotional when I was speaking to the wicket -- to the pitch. When I see those moments I get emotional. The thought that I wouldn't represent India on that pitch again made me emotional. When I went back to the wicket and realised it was the last time I was standing in a packed stadium and would never have a bat in my hand playing for India. I could think of all those moments during that walk. I couldn't look up while walking back because I was in tears and didn't want anyone to see me that way. On the Bharat Ratna Yesterday I said that the Bharat Ratna is for my mother for all the sacrifices she's made right from my birth: My parents have sacrificed everything and the beauty about it is that I was never told - 'we did this for you', so this award is for my mother - but not just my mother, but like my mother there are millions of mothers who sacrifice for their children. I want to share this award with all those mothers I would also like to congratulate Prof CNR Rao -- it's a great honour to be named alongside him because his contribution to science is immense. It's just that cricket is played in front of thousands, what he does is not like that so I want to congratulate him. I'll say that this award I accept in behalf of every sportsperson. I'm glad the door has opened for sportspersons (Bharat Ratna) and I hope more sportspersons and their contributions get appreciated. On his family and support system I could reach till here because of Achrekar sir -and other coaches' guidance too. I had on-field and off-field relations with sir. Our relationship's beauty is this -- in words I can't describe it. But sir never told me 'well played' and the reason was that I don't get complacent and so

that I respect the game -- which is bigger than anyone. After so many runs I thought he'd say well played so yesterday I joked that sir, now is the time. (However), Achrekar sir called me after the Bharat Ratna yesterday and said well done. I was representing Ajit and India too. It's hard to describe what he's done for me. Yesterday when I spoke to him he wasn't showing me his emotions but he looked relieved and relaxed too. I was able to perform because nobody at home was carried away in celebration. It was balanced. Like any other Indian family, we would buy sweets and keep them in front of God. Even yesterday my mother did the same. My mother was extremely happy after the 74. Earlier I thought she may/may not come because it's hard for her to travel. After witnessing the first day she sat for some time and I was so worried she may not sit the whole day. But she preferred being there and watching each ball! It was special and I could see in her eyes what it meant. As a father, I'll say please leave Arjun Tendulkar alone. Don't pressurise him that I have done this so he has to do it too. If it was like that, I would have had a pen in my hand and not a bat considering my father was a professor. Arjun is mad about cricket and that is what matters. About performances I won't put pressure on him and you must not too. Leave any player alone and he'll enjoy cricket. On his injuries During injuries, it was a hard time because all my injuries were uncommon. To overcome and play again is not easy and I had different goals and time limits. The body getting healed depends a lot on nature and it is important to respect that. I thought at times that my career was over and I wouldn't pick up a bat again. After tennis elbow surgery I wasn't able to pick a plastic bag for Arjun! I was hitting the ball hard after the surgery but it would go 10-15 yards and I thought I can't play anymore. It was a hard phase in my life.

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What now? Even though I'm not playing for India, my heart will always be for India. It doesn't matter whether I'm in the team or not. In any field, India comes first and then the rest. Cricket is my oxygen out of 40 years of my life I've played cricket for 30. So 75% of my life is cricket. There will be some association with cricket, maybe not in the immediate future though. (On opening an academy): I have spent time with U-19 players and Ranji players, I just don't make these things public. I have thoroughly enjoyed those interactions and I will continue to do so not publicly but with a low profile. I would like to continue to share my thoughts with youngsters. On Gen Next All the guys -- I've thoroughly enjoyed being part of the team. Jokingly I've told guys to tell me 'good morning sir' when enter the dressing room! If you are prepared to understand what youngsters are telling you, you learn more about the sport. I think this will continue. I've shared my experiences with them and it's fun to do all that and not because I'm the senior-most member -- it's about breathing cricket. It doesn't matter what stage of life you're in.

(On cricket coaches): It's not about foreign coaches -- it's about who is coaching, how, the results and whether they are consistent. To me, it's not about Indian or foreign -- he should understand the players and should be like a friend. We all know how to play a cover drive... it's not about technique, it's about the things between your ears -- so who do you go to then? As long as the relation between coach and player is healthy and if a player can confide in a coach and know that it won't be leaked out. To have that confidence is very important. Moments Two special moments were winning the World Cup -- had to wait a lot -- 22 years. The other was yesterday's farewell and how people responded. I don't know how to react to that! I think it was really really special. (Favourite moments against England): First 100 I scored at Old Trafford and the second was chasing in Chennai in 2008. (Disappointing moment): 2003 World Cup final loss and how we didn't cross the final hurdle. Campaign to get cricket into Olympics? It's been hardly 24 hours since I retired... and you're engaging me in a campaign. Give me some time and we'll give things a thought.

Watch full press conference after playing his 200th and last Test match.

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Not a dry eye as Sachin bids farewell to cricket

The usually composed Tendulkar couldn't hold back the tears as he walked off the field one last time: BCCI

Sachin! Sachin! Tendulkar acknowledges the crowds at Wankhede as the team give him a 'mobile' guard of honour: BCCI
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After the ovation and two laps of victory around Wankhede, Tendulkar walked alone to the middle of the ground, touched the pitch and paid obeisance: BCCI

'Please quiet down. I am getting more emotional", Sachin appeals to the crowd before making his speech: BCCI

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Tendulkar autographs the camera lens at the end of the presentation ceremony: BCCI

The emotions flowed freely as Sachin made his farewell speech: BCCI

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'I missed out on the first 14 and 16 years of your life. But the next 16 years and even beyond, are all for you", said Tendulkar to his children Sara and Arjun: BCCI

Tendulkar walks around Wankhede, first with his family and then borne aloft by Indian captain MS Dhoni and vice captain Virat Kohli: BCCI

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Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay take over the 'Sachin lifting' duty for a while: BCCI

There was hardly a dry eye in Wankhede after Sachin's speech: BCCI

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