Sir Sachin Tendulkar - The Greatest Cricketer Ever

[littlemaster1982]

The legend of Sachin Tendulkar

Amidst all the gloom of people being laid off from work and the continued fall in the stock market, Sachin Tendulkar's latest conquest shall work wonders in cheering up the general mood of the nation on the eve of Diwali. The Little Master's achievement of overtaking Brian Lara as the leading run-scorer in Test cricket couldn't have been better timed. Such has been Tendulkar's hold on the pulse of the nation over the last two decades, that Indians have experienced a rainbow of emotions through his divine presence at the batting crease. There are many ways of judging Tendulkar – the Test player after this. His overall batting average vis-à-vis the other legends of the game, his second innings average, his centuries in Tests won by India, etc., etc. shall all be analysed threadbare on prime-time Friday night and in Saturday morning's newspapers. Even if he were to be spared the statistical inquisition, there will be those who will take sinister pride in highlighting the feline grace of Lara's shot-making or the aristocratic swagger of Viv Richard's batting disposition over 'The Bombay Bomber's'. But to indulge in all this one-upmanship either through the myopic nature of the numerical lens or via the highly subjective notion of beauty is to miss out on the completeness of Tendulkar.

Tendulkar, as he went past Brian Lara Friday, had crossed other legends of the game like Sunil Gavaskar, Viv Richards, Alan Border and Steve Waugh. His nearest rivals from amongst current players, as he sits at the very summit of runs scored in the Test arena, are Rahul Dravid (10,341) and Ricky Ponting (10,239) – the Aussie being more likely of the two to break Tendulkar's record should the Little Master hang up his boots today. Thus, the scale of Tendulkar's accomplishment shall never quite acquire the mythical proportions that Bradman's batting average has, given its relative sense of achievability and when viewed within the narrow confines of Test cricket.

However, Sachin has scored 16,361 runs in one-day cricket and is the leading scorer in that version of the game as well. It is only when this figure is combined with Sachin's Test tally (12,027 runs after a sublime 88 runs in the first innings of the current Mohali test) that the legend of Tendulkar begins to take shape. His total tally in international cricket then swells to 28,388 runs. He has also hit 81 centuries and has gone past the 50-run mark on 139 occasions (including Friday) in both forms of the game. That Sachin's nearest rivals in all these three areas are different individuals – Brian Lara (22,358 runs), Ricky Ponting (62 centuries) and Rahul Dravid (134 half-centuries) – is confirmation of the notion that he is indeed a batting god. What it takes three cricketers to do individually over a lifetime is all done by one man. If Bradman's 99.94 was the closest someone came to achieving batting perfection, then Tendulkar's numbers post-retirement - I think 30,000 international runs, 100 centuries and 175 half-centuries – shall confirm his standing as a run machine.

Sachin's longevity

Then there is the other small matter of Tendulkar's longevity as a cricketer and his day-to-day handling of the iconic position he enjoys in India. Modern cricketers world over are known to throw in the towel at some stage of their respective careers citing the challenges of non-stop playing, continuous travel and a suitcase existence. Others have fallen victim to flamboyant lifestyles.

In close to twenty years, Tendulkar has remained seemingly oblivious to all these pitfalls. He has managed to find the necessary motivation to keep himself going. Injuries have played a fair part in ruining his fairytale career at times, but each time, he has handled them like a man who has taken a knock on the chin but has come back harder, stronger and better than before.

He has amassed enormous wealth by virtue of prize money, endorsements and other business ventures, but unlike some of his colleagues, Sachin has retained a middle-class value system in his demeanour, which only adds to his aura of being the complete man. There has been the odd controversy such as the one involving the customs exemption on the Ferrari that was being gifted to him. But while the media had a field day in finally getting the opportunity to crucify Tendulkar, he handled himself with the utmost dignity by never making public his version of the entire episode.

It is in this light that we should remind ourselves of the immortality of Tendulkar's legacy. His feats in both forms of the game and his exemplary conduct off the field have put him in a realm which humans only visit in the afterlife. Fittingly, as Deepavali approaches, Tendulkar has chosen the perfect stage to illuminate our ordinary lives yet again.

[Sourav]

Sachin Tendulkar: 12,027, still batting

Sachin Tendulkar is an extraordinary cricketer whose durability and skill have for many ears uplifted his country’s cricket team. Now he holds the game’s most prized batting record. It has been a magnificent, underestimated achievement. Ever since he first appeared as precocious teenager Tendulkar has known nothing except exorbitant expectations.

It is no small thing to become public property at 16. Nor has there been any hiding place. Not for sportsman the luxury of private studios. Every time he leaves his home it is an appearance; he loves swanky cars but can drive only in the dead of night. It is against this background that his career must be judged.
Spirit still intact

Remarkably, Tendulkar has managed to retain his health and reputation through it all. His body might be complaining but his spirit endures and he seems immune to stress and sickness.

During the course of his tumultuous career Don Bradman suffered several serious setbacks. Tendulkar has even managed to retain a semblance of normality in his life, a wife, children who tease him and egg him on, friends, a restaurant, and the same smile.

Throughout there has been something in Tendulkar that set him apart. Partly it is the purity of his style. From the outset he could bat in the classical way. Contemporaries insist that he was not taught the game; it came from within, like an underground spring.

From the outset it has merely been a matter of correcting the bad habits that creep in the moment the brain sleeps. His strokes are played with a bat somehow broader and straighter than any other, and his feet seem to move effortlessly into position.
Country’s hero

But it goes beyond facts and figures, style, sportsmanship, or else others could join him in his acclaim. Tendulkar has been the hero his country needed. Indians spend billions of dollars every year trying to lighten their skins. Advertisements for the appropriate creams are shown between overs. India knows that its film stars have not crossed cultural lines.

Booker prize winners cannot inspire a nation half as well as the sight of a demonstrably Asian boy repeatedly cracking feared bowling around. It was his combination of aggression and productivity that defined him. And he has been untarnished by scandal.

For 19 years Tendulkar has inspired his countrymen. Supporters cherish his introductory masterpieces, daring and almost cheeky, his hundreds scored in adversity, and his later more restrained efforts. It is idiotic to expect a man to be the same at 36 as at 16.
Superb strokes

They remember his superb strokes, resounding straight drives, hooks and the back-foot punches past point that tells him everything is in its proper place, and his duels with Wasim Akram, Shane Warne and Brett Lee.

Accordingly it is fitting that he should become Test cricket’s highest scorer. Ordinarily the number of runs a player scores is not regarded as definitive. Apart from skill, the amassing of vast career tallies requires an ability to avoid injury, war and whim. But runs are hard-earned in Test cricket besides which longevity can be as much a bane as a boon.

All the more reason to respect this record for it tells a tale of many things, the boy who grew up before our eyes, the batsman who survived everything the bowlers or life could send his way.

Tendulkar may be in decline but he has been a constant champion for 19 years. He has had more on his shoulders than any contemporary and has managed to remain intact. Oh yes and he has scored a few runs along the way, and given immense pleasure to millions of people, Indian and otherwise.

Guys check those articles posted in last pages of old thread also.

[Sourav]

‘Focus was on team’s needs’

Mohali: Sachin Tendulkar said it was the team’s requirement and not records that mattered more to him.

Speaking to the press after his record-breaking effort here on Friday, Tendulkar noted, “My focus was on the team’s needs. Probably the thought about records is there in the sub-conscious mind since everybody keeps talking about them. But I have never played for records.”

However, he admitted to a quiet sense of satisfaction after becoming the first man to surpass 12,000 Test runs. “But I am happy about reaching the mark. It reflects my contribution to Indian cricket over the past 19 years.

“I am happy with what I have been able to achieve for the country. It’s not my record. It’s a record by an Indian. It’s a record for India,” he said.
Ups and downs

Talking about his long and enduring cricketing career, Tendulkar said “It has been a fantastic journey. It has not been about success alone. There have been ups and downs. “It’s the cycle of life. You learn and you evolve. Success is a process during a bigger journey. I have worked on the positives with great support from my family.”

He spoke about enjoying the game and not playing under any pressure. “When I started as a 16-year-old, there were no targets. I just enjoyed the game. I continue to do so. It is so important to enjoy the game.”

Queried about what went through his mind when he looked into the sun after setting a major batting record, Tendulkar revealed, “It was for two things. Firstly, I thanked the almighty. Then, I remembered my father. Had he been alive, he would have been a happy man today.”

Commenting on selection panel chairman Krishnamachari Srikkanth’s observation that he should continue representing India for at least three more years, Tendulkar said, “Yes, I will continue to play. I am feeling good. It’s for me to decide when I should stop.

“Nobody can tell me that. Some people have certain views and opinions. They may not always be right. I don’t have to prove anything to anybody. What matters more to me is the atmosphere in the dressing room and on the ground.

“And how we plan with the captain, the coach and the manager.”
Nice coincidence

Tendulkar said it was a nice coincidence that Srikkanth, his first captain in Tests, was the chairman of the selection panel when he became the highest run-getter in Test cricket.

Asked about the innings he recollected in an eventful career, he replied, “I remember my first hundred in England in 1990. It was an important innings for the team. Then I recall my hundreds in Sydney and Perth in 1992.

“They were two Test innings played in different conditions. The pitch in Sydney was slightly slow. The one in Perth had pace, bounce and movement. Those two innings gave me a lot of confidence.”

Tendulkar spoke about his time in the middle with Sourav Ganguly here on Friday. “We decided to keep our concentration going after the long fireworks display. Sourav reminded me of the fact that he was my partner when I scored my 35th Test hundred in Delhi. It was nice batting with him.”

He called the Indian captain Anil Kumble, “the greatest Indian bowler and someone with a big heart.” On the course the second Test could take, Tendulkar said, “The pitch is on the slower side. We need a big partnership tomorrow to move into a stable position.”

[Sourav]

The toast of the nation


Will there be another cricketer with more grandeur than that of Sachin Tendulkar? It is one thing to promise and another to deliver. He has done it. He showed potential as a 14-year-old, meeting the ball with the middle of the bat at the ‘nets’ with the seniors. And he achieved success with the mastery of a wizard.

Tendulkar has been the toast of the nation and a darling of the cricketing world from the time he ignored a bleeding nose and smashed the Pakistan fast bowlers in his debut series.

That was 19 years ago.

That he has lasted this long itself is a tribute to his endurance and perseverance. You don’t see cricketers like him these days.
Bradman’s praise

When Don Bradman lavished praise on this icon of modern cricket, the world took notice. Tendulkar was special indeed and the Don made no secret of his admiration.

Now that he sits on the summit, with a number of records adorning his career, Tendulkar obviously must be a much-relieved person.

Not that the record, of highest number of Test runs, was beyond his reach.

He has reached it as if by right. But the pace to scale it had slowed in recent times.

Tendulkar the batsman was put under scrutiny by an over-zealous army of critics. But Tendulkar the man, ever humble and the least unnerved, knew his job.

In private, he was pained at some of the unjust reactions but those expressions of emotions always remained private.

He has pursued his first love in life with the dignity that has delighted the purist.

When he batted, greatness was enthroned at the crease.

The expectations grew every time he walked out. He met most, but then failed too.
The failures

The failures rankled him and the pressures weighed him down. Like a champion, he fought and conquered his opponents and detractors.

The expectations were born when he took guard in his first Test. And they multiplied as Tendulkar set new benchmarks. Brian Lara was closest to him in matching the highest batting standards.

Comparisons were obvious but the two remained greatest admirers of each other.

Tendulkar emerged the better for many reasons, his eternal poise and grace being the highpoint in a career that has remained uncomplicated and non-controversial in all forms of the game.

His consistency, longevity, discipline and camaraderie have been an invigorating and infectious influence on his team-mates. Pressures and injuries have failed to lay him low.
Tradition and style

Tendulkar has lit up an era in which commercialism is synonymous with professionalism. He has kept the traditions and the style alive.

The fact that he continues to command his place and audience in these times is a glowing tribute to the Mumbaikar. Even as ‘experts’ and critics question the durability of the `Fab Four’ and press for youngsters to be blooded, he holds his place in the Indian team on his terms. He has done it for nearly two decades now.

Now that he has got past Lara’s record, it would be fitting to allow the man to play without any pressures.

The Tendulkar of the 90s, domineering at the crease, imperious when facing the best, would be the biggest gain from this landmark at Mohali.

And please, let him decide when to play his last innings for India. He deserves this honour.

[Sourav]

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[Sourav]

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repos.../Pc0011600.jpg

[littlemaster1982]

‘THERE MIGHT BE ANOTHER 16-YEAR-OLD IN ME’

Mohali: Greatness, they say, is the dream of youth realized in old age. For Sachin Tendulkar, perpetually 16, greatness had been preordained, a nation living off an exquisitely talented batsman’s dreams as he grew up in the public eye.

It couldn’t have been easy, but genius knows only barriers of the mind. On Friday, Tendulkar finally claimed the record many felt he had been born for, ever since his debut in Pakistan as a diminutive teenager, with a perpetually raging fire in the belly.

It was a record 19 epochal years in the making, and Friday saw a moment at the sun-drenched PCA Stadium which will be etched in sporting immortality. The first ball after tea, with India rebuilding after the fall of three quick wickets, Tendulkar steered Australian debutant Peter Siddle to third man to ease past West Indian stalwart Brian Lara’s record and become the highest scorer in Test cricket history.

It was inevitable, planned for, such is Tendulkar’s enduring prowess. Yet it was worth the wait. The years had taken away some fleetness of foot, some sharpness of reflex, and the tongues were wagging, the swords out. The ceaseless grind of international cricket had taken a big toll on the body. He had failed in three Tests in Sri Lanka, where he went needing 172 to breach the 11,953 mark. He failed in the first Test of this series in Bangalore, falling for 49 in a knock which helped save the game for India. He needed only 15 here, and as a surprisingly sparse Mohali crowd exploded, fireworks went off in the mid-afternoon heat and Ricky Ponting and the Australians rushed to congratulate, Tendulkar merely looked up at the heavens, more in relief than celebration. In a lifetime of living up to expectations, he had lived up to the biggest of them all. He revealed later he was thanking his gods, and missing his father (“He would have been a proud man”). He then went on to another first, breaching the 12,00-run mark, before falling 12 short of his 40th Test ton.

“Success is a process,” an understandably philosophical Tendulkar said later. “It’s a lot of sweat, challenges. I’d have preferred to get to this mark earlier. This is not only my record, it’s a record for all India. Kaafi baat ho rahi thi. I never played for records when I started out. I still don’t. But as the career progresses, the subconscious mind starts thinking about these things. Everyone kept reminding me of it. At least I don’t have to give them the same answer.

“I knew it would come. As always, I decided to just keep it simple and keep my eye on the ball, not the record. The journey has been fantastic. There have been ups and downs, but each step has taught me more. It’s a circle of life, success and failure comes as a package deal. Sometimes there are stones thrown at you and you convert them into milestones. This is one of my proudest moments.”

For 19 years, Tendulkar hasn’t slept well before a Test match. He didn’t sleep well on Thursday night either. “I don’t think it’s abnormal,” he smiled wearily, “It’s just the pressure of a Test match.” Being alone at the top isn’t new for Tendulkar, but what next? “Who knows, there might be another 16-year-old in me,” he laughed, “Who knows what might happen next. All records are meant to be broken. I don’t want to give up yet. Opinions don’t bother me, it’s only the team I care about. I have always batted for joy. When you enjoy the game, you can deliver the goods. I don’t want to complicate my game. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone. I feel good, I’m going to continue.”

He proceeded to thank his family, none of whom were present (“it’s not my family style to go over the top”), his coach, Anil Kumble and the day’s other milestone man, Sourav Ganguly. “Sourav was also there when I got my 35th ton, and he reminded me of that. I said, ‘How can you think of such things in the middle?’”

Times of India.

[littlemaster1982]

For the record, he is the greatest

As Test cricket’s most prolific run-maker, the question kind of becomes redundant. But it will still be asked in certain uncharitable quarters. So here goes: Is Sachin Tendulkar the greatest batsman this game has seen?

The answer, at least before the ugly new millennium sneaked in, was close to an emphatic yes. But since then, the body — probably jealous of its own extraordinary exploits — rose in revolt. It blunted the one thing that made him super-special: his stroke-play.

Tendulkar has always been a smart cricketer; but more than that, he has also been a smarter person. He did his math, plusses and minuses, and painfully arrived at the conclusion: it’s better to forsake a thing or two for that ultimate gain: the highest perch in history.

He cut off a few strokes, paced his innings more and yielded the spotlight to the younger guns. The booming coverdrives, searing cuts and pulls surfaced only as afterthoughts. The cheeky shots became part of his repertoire.

Well before he had entered the Test arena, of course, he had abandoned the towering sixes; now, the boundaries too came only as rapidly as they do for most other batsmen. The ones and the twos got pally with him too. But then Tendulkar always understood the real value of every drop.

As the world mocked him, he laughed along: the grander designs of great men are never understood by the lesser mortals of this world. Today, as he crosses 12,000 and enters an even more rarefied stratosphere, one can only look up and marvel at his conquests.

For many years, Tendulkar was of course the little boy on the burning deck, fighting fire with fire. Before him, Indian batting was more about survival, even self-preservation, when it came to the fiercest fast bowlers; after him, the word fear was removed from our conscience.

It didn’t matter if it was Waqar Younis, Allan Donald, Curtly Ambrose, Wasim Akram or Glenn McGrath; the faster they came at him, the harder he hit them. Incredibly, he had all the time in the world to play them; more fascinatingly, perhaps, he brought serenity to the crease. As the years rolled on, however, the assaults came from within: he had to be ever-conscious of his back, his elbow, his little finger. He just didn’t know which part would betray him in the next match; more than the little screams from inside, though, the noises from outside were disturbing.

Everybody wanted him to be that little boy again; everybody yearned to see him dominate the bowlers. But Tendulkar had already evolved: he had gone on to the next level. The world might not like it this way; but he is at peace with himself, and the world too.

Let us never forget, he has spent 19 years of his life taking the game higher and higher. First, he brought big money into cricket; then, he made it a national passion. Indeed, for a very long time, he was the main unifying force in the country; in times of trouble, he was the only soothing balm too.

Along the arduous journey, though, he maintained his poise all the way. Dignity and humility were part of his armour; amazingly, the hunger for the game never subsided. Is it surprising, then, that virtually all the important records in the game have come and lay down at his feet? Can there be any greater player than that?

[littlemaster1982]

‘A master, tutor and elder brother’

Team India Salutes Batting Genius And His Spirit

Nagpur: On the day Sachin Tendulkar climbed the Everest of expectations, some of his colleagues joined the chorus of people from every walk of life to acknowledge and appreciate his titanic achievement.

‘‘Paaji (Sachin) is such an inspiring presence at the wicket and in the dressing room. He still retains a school boy’s enthusiasm for the game and he’s always willing to share his wealth of experience,’’ said Dhoni. “It’s no secret that whenever a new player joins the team, he silently keeps studying Tendulkar for the first few matches. But the man himself is like an elder brother. He’s never short of valuable tips for all of us,’’ he dded.

Finally, when Dhoni did make it to the Indian team, he made the most of Tendulkar’s presence around him.

‘‘I remember in the 2006 series in Pakistan, when India was struggling in the Faisalabad Test, I came to the wicket when Shoaib Akhtar was bowling at 150 plus. The first few balls were lightning fast and honestly I had no clue. It was here that Tendulkar walked down from the non-striker’s end and told me, ‘Play the way you always play with a smile on your face and enjoy the challenge.’ That gave me a lot of confidence and I hit the next ball for a six over mid-wicket. I went on to score my maiden Test hundred (148) and we saved the follow-on.’’

Another senior pro, VVS Laxman, too showered praises on Tendulkar. ‘‘He has been around for 19 years and he has been absolutely brilliant. He has been playing the game with such love, passion and commitment, it’s unbelievable. No one deserves the record more than him.’’

Sharing his dressing room experience with Tendulkar, Laxman underlined the man’s modesty. ‘‘For a man of his accomplishments, he is very humble. He is always willing to share his experience. He is an amazing team man.’’

One of the promising youngsters who has gained from sharing the dressing room with Tendulkar is RP Singh. ‘‘There’s so much to learn from him. He’s friendly, and always willing to help,’’ RP said. Yuvraj Singh probably symbolises the sentiments of most young guns best vis a vis Tendulkar’s overwhelming presence in the dressing room. ‘‘When I first came into the team, I was scared to talk to him. But he is such a fantastic person that he would himself come up and speak to me. And that made me very happy. Later on, we became good friends and I value his presence on and off the field. He is not only a great batsman but he is also a great human being.’’

The dashing left-hander reckoned that it was a ‘great feeling’ to see Tendulkar break the record. At the same time he was a bit surprised that he did not go on to score a well deserved hundred. ‘‘This is probably the only time that Sachin has raised his bat thrice without going on to score a hundred. First when he went past Lara’s record, next when he crossed 12,000 runs and the third time when he completed his half-century.’’

Yet another young gun to benefit immensely from the little champion’s presence in the dressing room is Irfan Pathan. ‘‘The way he conducts himself in the dressing room is also a part of the learning process. He has such a great knowledge about the game that he is always willing to share it. Not just that, you can even learn a lot without him saying a word. On the field, he has given me useful tips standing at mid-off or mid-on.”

[littlemaster1982]

Career highlights

Holds the record for most Test hundreds away from home — 23

Shares the record for most Test hundreds (16) with Gavaskar in India

Holds the record for most runs away from home - 6821 at 53.70, 87 Tests.

Holds the record for most runs in India - 5118 at 54.44 in 64 Tests.

Recorded seven scores in the 90s. Rahul Dravid and Steve Waugh, with 10 scores in the 90s, jointly hold the record for most nineties.

Holds the record for the fastest 8,000 runs in Tests (154 innings)

Only Indian batsman to amass 300 runs in a Test without being dismissed — 241 not out + 60 not out vs. Australia in Sydney in Jan, 2004.

Is the only batsman in Test annals to register two unbeaten fifties apart from aggregating 300 runs in a Test without being dismissed against Australia.

Only batsman to post 9 centuries in India-Australia Tests. Only England’s Jack Hobbs, with 12 hundreds, has recorded more hundreds than Sachin against Australia.

His tally of 7 tons is the most by any batsman against SL.

Four times in his career, he has aggregated 1,000 runs in a calendar year — 1000 (ave.62.50) in 12 Tests in 1997; 1088 (ave.68.00) in 10 Tests in 1999; 1003 (ave.62.68) in 10 Tests in 2001 and 1392 (ave.55.68) in 16 Tests in 2002.

Holds the partnership records for the third, fourth and 10th wickets for India.

Best series in terms of run-aggregate — 493 at an average of 70.42 against Australia in 2007-08.

Hit four centuries at M.A.Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai in eight Tests — the most by him at any one venue.

At four Test venues, his average is 185-plus - 266.00 at Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka; 221.33 at Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia, 193.00 at Headingley, Leeds and 187.00 at Old Trafford, Manchester.

His tally of 11 Man of the Match awards is an Indian record.

Hit most fours in Test Cricket — 1579.