Sachin Tendulkar Celebrates His 39 Today

BORN TO BAT (1988): As a schoolboy Sachin scored a century in almost every innings he played. His record partnership of 664 with his friend Vinod Kambli in a Harris Shield inter-school match is still fresh in the hearts and minds of every cricket fan.







DUKE OF YORK (1992): Sachin earned the distinction of becoming the first overseas-born player to represent Yorkshire in the English County Championship.

HOME HERO (1993): Tendulkar had to wait four years after his debut to score a century at home, but when it came it was one of his most memorable and dominating. His innings of 165 in Madras against England was studded with 24 fours and a six.

 FIRST ODI TON (1994): Soon after he started opening the innings, Sachin brought up his maiden one-day century.

REWARD FOR SUCCESS (1994): Sachin's sporting achievements are recognised by the Indian government, which bestows the Arjuna Award on him.

WORLD CUP SPLASH (1996): As with everything else in the game of cricket, Sachin would also come to dominate records in the World Cup. Playing the tournament for the second time, he topped the batting averages (87.16) as India were knocked out in the semi-finals.

HITTING IT OFF WITH THE DON (1998): Sachin met the late Sir Don Bradman during his 90th birthday celebrations. The Australian legend said he saw a lot of himself in the Indian maestro.

NO LOOKING BACK (2003): It was World Cup year again and Sachin dominated. India lost to Australia in the final, but Sachin emerged the highest run-scorer of the tournament, earning the best player award. While playing against Pakistan in the group match, Sachin scored his 12,000th ODI run.

HIGH PRAISE FROM RIVALS (2007): One of Sachin's greatest rival showered him with an unexpected compliment. Former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne names him at Number 1 on his list of 50 greatest cricketers ever. Sachin also became the first batsman to score 1,000 runs in a calendar year on seven separate occasions.

 

DOUBLE DHAMAKA (2010): It had been spoken about for a few years, but no batsman had managed to get it. It was only fitting then that Sachin Tendulkar should push the envelope once again by scoring the first ODI double century, a 200 not out against South Africa.

 

PROUDEST MOMENT (2011): Sachin got his hands on the one trophy that had eluded him through his career -- the World Cup. The master blaster was overjoyed and said, "Winning the World Cup is the proudest moment of my life. ... I couldn't control my tears of joy."

 

 

 

 

 

Another Incredible Milestone - SACHIN'S 100 TON

Ever since Australia's Charles Bannerman scored Test cricket's first century against England in Melbourne in March 1877, the three-figure mark has defined a batsman's aura. It is the yardstick that secures or tears reputations and none can ever get bigger than Tendulkar at 100 international centuries. Over to K.C. Vijaya Kumar. 

Indian cricket has gifted many classic vignettes, which are too exhaustive to chronicle. The obvious few are Kapil Dev's toothy grin while holding aloft the 1983 World Cup; Sunil Gavaskar's late cut off Pakistan's Ijaz Fakih to become the first Test cricketer to score 10,000 runs in Ahmedabad in 1987.

On March 16, a feat of staggering proportions was added to that list and it is a record that will stand unique and alone in the sands of time, much like Sir Don Bradman's Test average of 99.94. Whisper ‘a hundred international hundreds', may be say it aloud, and then get surprised by the sudden intake of breath while the words linger.

Yes, the wait was finally over when Sachin Tendulkar nudged Shakib Al Hasan for a single at exactly 17.05 local time, at Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on a bustling Friday. Once the tryst with history was sealed during the Asia Cup match against Bangladesh, Tendulkar raised his bat, looked at the skies, removed his helmet, broke into a half-smile and then Suresh Raina wrapped him in a hug and a few Bangladesh players rushed in to congratulate the legend.

Prior to that incandescent moment, Tendulkar's drought of centuries lasted 33 innings that spread across Tests and ODIs played in India, England and Australia. Incidentally Tendulkar scored his 99th international ton, a glittering 111 against South Africa, in a World Cup game in Nagpur, on March 12, last year.
Over the past few months, an overwhelming sense of anticipation hung in the air but the hundred proved elusive and the larger picture of a struggling Indian team in England and Australia, made it worse. “I tried to insulate myself from the hype but even the room-service (guy) used to ask me,” Tendulkar said.

The 38-year-old veteran, unlike his former fellow teammate Rahul Dravid who left international cricket recently, has no plans for retirement at the moment and believes that this is the time for him to enjoy the game while playing without any pressure.

  “If I am enjoying it then the performance will be there, and that's how I have always played in the past. There are different challenges along the way and you overcome those obstacles and that is also part of the learning process,” said the legend.

The Most Searched Person Celebrity in India - Sachin Tendulkar

Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar emerged as the most searched male celebrity in mobile videos in India, according to a reports.

The findings of a latest global video insights report for September, released by Vuclip, an independent mobile video service, Tendulkar was the most favourite male celebrity for the web surfers while Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif emerged the most searched celebrity in mobile videos.

Tendulkar, who plays for franchise Mumbai Indians was earlier the most searched player in the 3^rd season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2010 according to the 2nd IPL Zeitgeist for 2010, a survey conducted by Google India. Tendulkar was then followed by former India captain Sourav Ganguly.

Tendulkar is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket.

In 2002, just 12 years into his career, Wisden ranked him the second greatest Test batsman of all time, behind Donald Bradman, and the second greatest one-day-international (ODI) batsman of all time, behind Viv Richards.

Tendulkar was an integral part of the 2011 Cricket World Cup winning Indian team at the later parts of his career, his first such win in six World Cup appearances for India.

Mumbai Indians Won CLT20

Sachin Tendulkar heaped praises on skipper Harbhajan Singh, who, he felt played a key role in Mumbai Indians victory in the Champions League final against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday.

“I think it was fantastic. He led from the front. Today was an important day because he got crucial wickets at the crucial moment. So, his role was really, really big,” Sachin said of Harbhajan’s performance, “said Tendulkar.

 The batting legend also heaped praises on his team, Mumbai Indians for winning the Champions League T20 finals against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday despite starting the tournament as underdogs.

He said, “We started the tournament as underdogs. In a way, it was wonderful because there was no pressure on the players to deliver and live up to expectations. When everyone is already running you down, it becomes a challenge to prove everyone wrong.”

Tendulkar felt the secret behind team’s success was a display of team effort by the younger players who were picked in the team due to injuries to many seniors.

“[Yuzvendra] Chahal really bowled well today. He got us an important wicket. Abu Nechim has bowled really well. He has had a really good tournament. Generally, I would say, it was a team effort. Suryakumar [Yadav], [Rajagopal] Sathish… all the guys have chipped in. It was not that one individual blasted and the match got over. It was about the team and everyone chipped in,” said Tendulkar.

Finally, there can be no discounting how Tendulkar’s presence shaped MI’s destiny in this tournament. Even if it were only from the sidelines, the batting maestro’s words of wisdom surely spurred the side on. “I am part of Mumbai Indians whether I am fit or unfit, whether I’m playing or not. I’ve always enjoyed being around to share what I feel about the wicket, the ground and how one should approach the game.”

Sachin Tendulkar Moves into His 'Dream House'

Sachin Tendulkar is all set to shift into his new house located on Bandra's West Perry Cross Road. The ‘dream house’ has been designed keeping in mind the master blasters love for cars.

It is said that the second basement of the house can hold 45-50 cars at a time. The first basement includes the kitchen, master surveillance room and servant quarters.

The house has three other floors where the Tendulkar will live along with his wife and two kids.

The ground floor comprises of large drawing room with a separate dining space for the entire family and a temple of Lord Ganesha on the ground floor premises.

The floor will also house a special display area where Sachin's innumerable medals and trophies will be kept.

Earlier, UFO Moviez’s Club X presented their membership to Tendulkar after India’s World Cup win and are setting up a mini-theatre for the legendary batsman.

UFO Moviez Club X brings the first day first show of any movie from cinema halls to homes through their digital servers. Ameya Hete, who is also a close friend of Tendulkar and an integral part of UFO is currently setting up a mini-theatre at the cricket legend's home.

The members of this exclusive club are from the corporate world, socio-political sector and the Indian film fraternity such as Mukesh Ambani, Shah Rukh Khan, and Ajay Devgn.

"Sachin's theatre will be the best even amongst the Club X members because it will be able to house the entire cricket team (should the legend decide to extend an invitation) and even the management. It will have a minimum of 23-25 seats and is being equipped with the best sound system. One hears that work came to a slight standstill because Sachin was away in England for the Test season,” a source was quoted by Times of India.

“However now that he is back, Anjali Tendulkar, Ameya and India's cricketing pride are back to choosing upholstery, the projection system and other technical equipment,” the source added.

Child-like enthusiasm secret of Sachin's Endurance - Dravid

A child-like enthusiasm for the game is the reason why Sachin Tendulkar has completed over two decades in international cricket despite the pounding that his body has taken, feels his long-time teammate Rahul Dravid.

"Sachin's longevity comes down to the joy that he still gets from playing. After 20 years of international cricket he still has a child-like enthusiasm. That's not an easy thing to do when you have been travelling and playing so much and your body has taken a pounding," Dravid said in the latest edition of 'Wisden Cricketer' magazine. "He is great at preparing for games. Not only in terms of his skills but also getting his mind right. What he has achieved is mind-boggling. He is constantly setting the boundaries for the future generations. His batting has changed with time -- with his body and age. Dravid was not the only one paying tribute to the 38-year-old batting icon, who is just one short of his 100th international ton. Nasser Hussain, who captained England in the 2001-02 series against India, said Tendulkar has made some adjustments to his strategy over the years. "Technically and mentally Sachin has changed little over the years but he has changed his game plan. He began as flamboyant, extravagant stroke-maker who had all the shots and simply loved the game. Once the records and the hundreds started to be racked up, he turned into a run-machine," Hussain said. "There are two types of cricketers; there are guys like myself and Mike Atherton who played the game because that's what we did; there are players like Graham Gooch and Alec Stewart who have the game in their blood, who would be lost without the game. "Sachin  is in the second group and i suspect the dip in form he had a few years ago was because he became fearful of life after cricket. He is not driven by money, he is driven by batting," he added. Hussain recollected the incident when Tendulkar called him up to get advice on his tennis elbow problem. "It was bizarre; what was arguably the greatest batsman of all time ringing me about?" Another former England captain Michael Vaughan said Tendulkar has become more aggressive in his approach. "Sachin is a different player now from 2007. The best players in the world change little things about themselves to keep themselves in the game. In the last two years, he has become more aggressive, he's gone back to his old way of trying to score when for a period he tried to survive. "(Chris) Tremlett bowled well against him in 2007 and he is a miles better bowler now. But Sachin doesn't have any weaknesses although every batsman is vulnerable on and around the off stump early on. England might go aggressive at him, test him with a few short balls -- I have seen people do that over the last few years and it hasn't affected him," he said. Andrew Flintoff, the talismanic all-rounder who was instrumental in guiding England to the Ashes title in 2005, said he craved for Tendulkar's respect whenever he bowled at him. "...with Tendulkar, when I bowled to him, I actually wanted him to respect me. I hold him in such high esteem and he is such a good player, I want to make it hard for him. I want him to walk off that field thinking that Flintoff is a good player, he can bowl. I want to impress him," he said. Graham Gooch, who captained England in the series against India in 1990 and 1992-93, said even at the start of his career, Tendulkar came across as a seasoned player. "No one had ever seen him in 1990. As a 17-year-old it was evident that the lad had great skill, great balance, great timing, an eye for the ball. You could see he had all the attributes to make a top player," he said. Another former England captain Mike Atherton said Tendulkar's impeccable technique has remained the same over the years. "One of the most remarkable things is that he has hardly changed at all -- exactly the same set-up. He has trusted in his technique and power all this time. He has stayed true to his game." Sachin - "I have never believed in comparisons, whether they are about different eras, players or coaches."

Sachin A Step Closer To Bharat Ratna

Sachin Tendulkar could be one step closer to receiving India's highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna, as the Home Ministry has sent a recommendation to the Prime Minister's Office that sports too be made a category for conferring the Bharat Ratna.

Sources close to  the PMO say that the Office may accept the ministry’s recommendations. This move is being done to facilitate awarding the nation’s highest honour to Sachin Tendulkar. 

The demand for a Bharat Ratna for Sachin has been rising from all quarters after the World Cup victory and responding to this, Sports Minister Ajay Maken had written to the Home Ministry for pushing his name for the top award.  Now it could be just a matter of time before the nation honours the finest cricketer the world has ever seen.

If the PM’s office accepts this, then effectively it clears the way for Sachin to become the first sportsperson to receive the nation's highest civilian award.

Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of India and is awarded for the highest degree of national service. This service includes artistic, literary and scientific achievements, as well as public service of the highest order. Unlike knights, holders of the Bharat Ratna carry neither special title nor any other honorifics, but they do have a place in the Indian order of precedence.

Sachin -  "I find it difficult to sleep even after all these years because my mind is constantly working and that is the way I have always prepared."