Sachin laughs off 'emphatic 100th ton' theory

Sachin Tendulkar stated the reason for him opting out of June-July's three-Test series in the West Indies. "I just want to spend some time with my family. I have not had time with my children. If I don't spend time with them now (during their school holidays), I would have to wait for one more year to do so. The kids (daughter Sara and son Arjun) are very thrilled because we hadn't discussed this with them, so they didn't know anything. It was a surprise for them," he said on Monday"I could make out that they wanted me to be with them because of their school holidays coinciding."

Tendulkar was rested for the one-day series against the West Indies, but when it came to the Test series, he requested the Board to leave him out. He will be available for the tour of England involving four Tests and a one-day series.

No one can stop the theories though. The batting genius laughed at one about him not going to the West Indies because he wants to get his 100th international century at Lord's, a venue that will host the 100th India vs England Test (July 21-25) and the 2000th game in the history of Test cricket. "How can you plan such things?" he asked.

Respected West Indies writer Fazeer Mohammed connected Tendulkar's Caribbean absence to the state of the game in the region. "But there was obviously something missing that made India's batting maestro determine that a month in the Caribbean and the prospect of a couple really big innings was worth passing up. Maybe it was the challenge. Maybe it was the sense of occasion. Maybe it was both.

"To put it bluntly: milking our bowlers on the way to a 100th senior international hundred in a near-empty stadium would have been the equivalent of Barcelona defeating Manchester United on a Sunday morning at the Aranjuez Savannah with ten men and two dogs in attendance and two vagrants sleeping at the back of the pavilion," Mohammed wrote in the Trinidad Express.

Earlier, Tendulkar stated: "As I have been playing continuous cricket over the last 10 months which started during the Sri Lankan series in July 2010, I had requested the Cricket Board to allow me to spend some quality time with the family as it coincides with my children's holidays and hence will not be available for the series in the West Indies. I would appreciate everyone's understanding of my decision and look forward to be back shortly post the series."

Post 2000, Tendulkar has been part of Test series wins in England, Pakistan and New Zealand but when it came to the 2005-06 Test series victory in the West Indies, he was injured. So, in all probability, he will end his career without experiencing a Test series triumph in the Caribbean.

That could be a regret, but only just, considering what he said a few years ago: "Getting married and having kids nothing matches that."

Sachin - "THE INTERNATIONAL cricket calendar shouldn't be so packed with action that it drives spectators away. Also, there should be enough space between cricket events to help players recharge their batteries - not just physically but mentally, too."

The Sachin Tendulkar slap

This is a resounding slap across the face of West Indies cricket, the sting of which will linger for some time, certainly until July 10, the scheduled final day of India's tour of the Caribbean.

For more than two decades on the international scene, Sachin Tendulkar has let his bat do the talking. Indeed, it can be argued that his achievement of staying virtually free of major controversy for such a prolonged period in an environment where he has a god-like status and is the subject of attention for hundreds of millions - both in his private and public life – is as remarkable as the runs and records compiled since he first walked out to bat for his country almost 22 years ago.

Yet his decision to opt out entirely from the West Indies tour, citing a desire to spend some time with his family after more than three months of non-stop cricket (World Cup and then Indian Premier League), while not controversial, certainly reinforces how low is the regard for the regional side as reputable opponents and a team against whom notable achievements can stand up as worthy of being considered world-class.

Think about it for a moment. Tendulkar is 38 years old, so time isn't exactly on his side, even though his appetite for the game is undiminished on the evidence of his prolific form over the past 18 months. His last Test innings in the Caribbean was nine years ago as he also missed the 2006 campaign in the West Indies, when Rahul Dravid played two of his gutsiest innings to lead his team to a series-clinching victory in the final Test in Kingston. In ten Test matches in this part of the world, Tendulkar has just a single hundred to his credit, an innings of 117 at the Queen's Park Oval in 2002 which lifted his tally of Test centuries to 29, level then with the legendary Sir Donald Bradman. Of course, he has since raced along to establish a new and increasingly distant standard, both in Tests (51) and One-Day Internationals (48), which means that the next hundred he scores for India will be his 100th in senior international cricket, a phenomenal achievement by anyone's reckoning. 

So here was the chance: three Test matches against generally inexperienced bowling on pitches in Jamaica, Barbados and Dominica that aren't exactly noted to be particularly challenging these days. It would have been like taking jelebi from a baby.

But there was obviously something missing that made India's batting maestro determine that a month in the Caribbean and the prospect of a couple really big innings was worth passing up. Maybe it was the challenge. Maybe it was the sense of occasion. Maybe it was both. To put it bluntly: milking our bowlers on the way to a 100th senior international hundred in a near-empty stadium would have been the equivalent of Barcelona defeating Manchester United on a Sunday morning at the Aranjuez Savannah with ten men and two dogs in attendance and two vagrants sleeping at the back of the pavilion.

Tendulkar's humility and soft-spoken nature should not be interpreted as evidence of the absence of an ego. Like anyone who excels to such levels and for so long, the little man from Mumbai is driven as much by an inward hunger as any flag-waving sense of patriotism. In that context, it surely does not profit him much (beyond the statistical significance, that is) to pile on the runs against the West Indies next month, in the same way that sealing a Test series victory in the second week of July will not be seen as one of the glittering achievements of the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Two weeks on from the final ball being bowled in Roseau though, and the picture will be very different. Full houses at Lord's, Trent Bridge, Edgbaston and The Oval, the crowds as much Indian as English, and the top-ranked Test-playing nation in the world in town to take on a home side that had vanquished Australia Down Under as never before.

Now that is motivation. That is the environment to get the pulses racing. To hear the roar of thousands as you emerge from the pavilion, to overcome the threat of Anderson, Broad, Tremlett and Swann on the way to yet another significant personal milestone while also putting your country in a strong position. Let's be honest. What is coming up over the next few weeks, as competitive as it might be, cannot compare with the sort of theatre that is being anticipated in the English summer just ahead.

It has been one of the more laudable traditions of Test cricket in the Caribbean over the decades to appreciate great deeds from visiting players as they clash with our own champions. Gupte versus Weekes, Roberts versus Gavaskar and Marshall versus Amarnath are just three of the many West Indies-India confrontations that rekindle memories of men at their very best on the field of play while the animated masses in the stands react excitedly to every thrust and parry.

That enjoyment of the contest has gradually been replaced by a narrow-minded cheering of your own, even when there has been precious little to cheer. Still, we could look forward to the doers of great deeds performing in our own backyards.
Now, as the Indians of 2011, led by their premier batsman and national icon, are showing, we're not even deserving of that privilege.

Sachin - "Early in the day, my kids woke me up and took me to their room, which they had decorated for the occasion. It was a pleasant surprise."

Tendulkar's Mumbai Indians bid for IPL final

Sachin Tendulkar's Mumbai Indians are hoping the momentum from back-to-back wins will carry them into the IPL final in Friday's qualifier against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Mumbai looked in danger of missing the play-offs but two victories against Kolkata Knight Riders have revived their campaign in the glitzy Twenty20 competition. 

A win against Bangalore will take Tendulkar's men into a Saturday's title clash against defending champions Chennai, and offer them a chance to avenge their defeat against the same rivals in last year's final.

"It's obviously a knockout game for us," said Mumbai coach Robin Singh Thursday. "We have done pretty well against Bangalore in the few outings we have had in the past.

"But this is a fresh game and we have to start from scratch. We have to refocus and regroup because the stakes are really high."

Bangalore will be counting once again on hard-hitting West Indies opener Chris Gayle to fire with the bat.

Gayle has been instrumental in guiding Bangalore to the play-offs, having scored 519 runs from 10 innings at a strike rate of 184 after joining the franchise as a replacement for the injured Dirk Nannes.

"You can't ignore the fact that Gayle is in terrific form," said Singh, a former India all-rounder.

"But we have been bowling exceptionally well. You have to back yourself to bowl well against anyone. We have thought about how we want to go about things. We have our own plans ready for what we would like to do."

Bangalore captain Daniel Vettori also praised Gayle but dismissed the suggestion that his side were too dependent on the muscular left-hander.

"We know Chris has played well and he has been the main scorer for us this season, winning so many games for us. But we have other batsmen like Virat Kohli who have stepped up and performed when needed," Vettori said.

"So if Gayle has an off-day, we are still confident that we can win games."

Mumbai are high on confidence following a spectacular last-ball victory against Kolkata in the final league game and another by four wickets with four balls to spare in the first play-off on Wednesday.

But Mumbai may bring in Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds to replace West Indies batsman Kieron Pollard, who has just 143 runs from 15 matches with a high score of 28.

Sachin - "It was an innings of great discipline."

Sachin Dominates Kolkata in Crucial Eliminator

Mumbai Indians repeated the game against the same Kolkata Knight Riders defeating twice in similar fashion. Master Blaster winning the toss elected to field first which turned the match for them. Batting first Kolkata Knight got a bad start.

J Kallis who is in great form for his side returned back in the 2^nd over of the innings for just 7 runs. Kolkata was unable to recover from the situation and lost skipper Gautam Gambhir. He was bowled by Harbhajan for just 4 runs. Shreevats Goswami also retuned back for a duck as the Mumbai bowler Munaf fired with the ball.

Manoj Tiwary was not in great form and returned back very soon leaving Kolkata in deep troubles. Later Yusuf Pathan and Ireland star batsman Ryan ten Doeschate took the charge for Kolkata. Both managed well and resisted the Mumbai Indians. Munaf Patel in his 2^nd spell fired again and removed Yusuf who scored 26 from 24 balls.

Ryan continued to hit the ball smashing three sixes and six fours in his innings. Shakib Al Hasan joining the Ryan party accelerated the Kolkata innings. Shakib who scored 24 from 16 balls with 4 fours was dismissed by L Malinga. Ryan completed his half century, playing until the end scored 70 from 49 balls. Munaf made the difference for Mumbai by picking early wickets and resisting the Kolkata Knight Riders for just 147.

Mumbai chasing a decent total dominated all the times. Aiden Blizzard and Sachin Tendulkar never looked nervous. Both played the ball to boundary whenever they got the chance and competing each other. Blizzard played more dangerous innings than Sachin and never allowed the Kolkata bowlers to explode. Blizzard who completed his half century went for big shot and caught by Abdulla.

Rohit Sharma once again disappointed and returned for a duck without facing a ball.  Sachin who seemed to be dangerous was removed by J Kallis for 36 from 28 balls. Ambati Rayudu returned back for 12 from 16 balls leaving the Mumbai Indians in more troubles. Pollard and Suman also retuned back scoring 3 and 2 giving an opportunity to Kolkata. Franklin rescued the Mumbai once again. 

Franklin scored 29 from 25 balls with Harbhajan scoring 11 from 5 balls with 1 four and 1 winning six. Mumbai showed an all round performance and won the game with four balls remaining.

Sachin - "The entire country looks up to me and they have expectations and that's why I have to work very hard."

Tendulkar conferred rank of IAF Group Captain

Batting ace Sachin Tendulkar was on Friday conferred the Indian Air Force's honorary rank of Group Captain in honour of his cricketing achievements and contribution to the nation. He is the first sportsperson to be conferred a rank by the IAF and the first personality with no aviation background to receive the honour.

In 2008, India's World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev had received the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the Territorial Army.

The 37-year-old Tendulkar was inducted into the Air Force as its brand ambassador, with IAF chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik doing the honours at a glittering ceremony at the Air Force auditorium in Delhi .

"It's a great pleasure and honour to be honoured by IAF. It was wishful thinking and it has come true today. I'm extremely proud to be a part of IAF. I want to urge the youth to join air force and serve the nation. So dream, because dreams do come true," Tendulkar said after receiving the honour.

Earlier, President Pratibha Patil had conferred the honorary rank of the IAF on the iconic batsman on June 23.

The rank was conferred on Tendulkar under the provision of granting honorary rank by Armed Forces to eminent personalities acknowledging their contribution towards the nation.

The IAF had, in January, mooted a proposal to confer the honorary rank of Group Captain on Tendulkar.

IAF feels that besides the recognition, his association with it would motivate the younger generation to join the Air Force to serve the country.

Naik said the batting legend's association with IAF will help in making the youth aware about the Air Force.

"Youth admires him (Master Blaster). I think the youth will get inclined towards the Air Force. What youth will do in future we can't say but the indications that we are getting from school students… we are hopeful.

"To take corrective measures in reforming the IAF is my duty and Sachin's association will help in spreading awareness (about the Air Force)," Naik said. 

Before being felicitated with the honorary rank, Tendulkar had gone through a process of familiarisation with the IAF and training in basic military practices and drills.

Till date, 21 eminent personalities have been granted honorary ranks by the IAF, the first being the Raja of Jawhar Yashwant Rao, who was conferred the Flight Lieutenant's rank in 1944.

Industrialist J R D Tata  was made an honorary Air Vice Marshal in 1974 and the last one to get such an honour in 1990 was industrialist-cum-aviator Vijaypat Singhania, who is now an honorary Air Commodore.

In a career spanning more than two decades, Tendulkar has crossed many milestones and holds almost every batting record.

He is the most-capped Test cricketer in the world with 169 matches to his name.

Tendulkar has played 442 one-day internationals, just a couple of matches less than Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya's record of 444.

The veteran right-hander has scored 13,742 runs in 168 Tests at an average of 56.08, notching up 48 hundreds and 55 half-centuries in the process.

He has 17,598 runs, including 46 centuries, in his 442 one-dayers. The Mumbaikar also holds the distinction of being the first batsman to score a double hundred in ODIs. 

Sachin - "We used to call him the 'Shadow Man' for this habit of his."

Sachin strokes revive Howrah school’s dream

A pen stroke by Sachin Tendulkar has brought almost as much joy to some of his young fans as his cricket strokes have over the years. 

Five bats signed by the master will be auctioned to fund the expansion of a primary school for underprivileged students in Howrah’s Tikiapara. 

Sachin signed the bats on Wednesday in a Mumbai hotel where he was staying with his Mumbai Indian team-mates before their IPL match against the Rajasthan Royals.

“He took no more than five minutes to agree to help the slum school, once he heard that it needed money to build a floor to house the classroom for standard VI, a library and a staff room,” said Prashant Desai, an investment banker from Mumbai who corresponded with the cricketer regarding the project. 

Samaritan Mission, the school, set up in 2001 with six students, now has 800. It needs Rs 15 lakh to offer education till Class VI. 

With two companies picking up two of the signed bats for Rs 3 lakh each, the dream that school founder Mamoon Akhtar nurtures of adding classes each year and eventually affiliating the school to the ICSE board has received a shot in the arm.

“We had been looking for expansion funds for a year without success and I was beginning to worry that we would have to put the plan on the back burner, when my friend Mudar Patherya came up with the idea of getting help from Sachin Tendulkar. In the end, everything happened smoothly,” said Akhtar, who had dropped out of St Thomas Church School, Howrah, in Class VII because his parents could not fund his education. He cleared Class XII as a private candidate.

Patherya, who runs Trisys Communication in Calcutta, was working on a book called Sachindia, on Team India’s recent World Cup win, that Sachin was to launch. 

“Initially, we had planned to get 200 copies of the book signed by Sachin. I had also got a well-known bookstore chain to display them for free and give away the sales proceeds to the school. But Sachin made it simple when he said that he would sign five bats which we could simply sell or auction on eBay,” Patherya told Metro.

On Wednesday, Sachin not only signed the bats but also a few of the books. He asked for two of his photographs published in the book to be mailed to him.

“The book is a collage of images and statistics along with reports published in various newspapers after the World Cup victory. He asked for two photographs to be mailed to him — one in which he is raising his bat to the heavens and the other of Yusuf Pathan and other team-mates lifting him during a victory lap,” said Patherya.

Sachin did not say much about the charity except that he was proud to be a part of the event and that he liked the book immensely, added Patherya.

Sachin - "He always used to look at his shadow and run his fingers through his     hair."

Anything possible - Sachin Tendulkar

With a thrilling win over the Kolkata Knight Riders, the Mumbai Indians not only put themselves at the third position on the points table, but also put an end to their losing streak. 

Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar felt anything was possible in T20.

“It is T20 cricket and anything is possible in this format. 

“Sometimes, when the bowlers don’t get it right, batsmen can have a couple of edges which go for boundaries,” said Sachin.

“It was a wonderful match and it was a wonderful crowd. It is always a pleasure playing at Eden Gardens.”

Sachin was all praise for Ambati Rayudu.

“Rayudu was fantastic. He showed great character.

“We had lost the momentum after three wins on the trot, but what is more  important is to get the momentum back.”

Sachin was happy that the move to promote Harbhajan Singh clicked.

“Before we started to bat, we discussed keeping the focus on maintaining the run rate. 

“I think, sending Harbhajan (Singh) at ‘one down’ was a good move as he got us some vital runs. 

“Knowing the Knight Riders, we know that they are going to come back and come back hard. 

“We have to meet them in the play-offs in a couple of days, and I am sure we will face a stiff challenge.”

Sachin - "Anyone would want to play like him, he was completely at a different level as far as mental toughness is concerned."

Sachin Tendulkar - The Billionaire Batsman from India

One of the greatest players to have ever played the game of Cricket, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has been lies in his ability to play his master strokes and dominate the crease on all types of surfaces, against all opponents and proving to be a master batsman for whom there the most admired icon of the cricket world for more than two decades now.

Ever since his debut way back in 1989, Sachin Tendulkar has consistently displayed extraordinary skills at the crease that has baffled even some of the greatest players and critics of the game. Tendulkar's genius is no good ball.
Tendulkar is a prodigious run-getter and holds the record for most runs in Tests and ODIs and most centuries in both forms of the game.

His statistics are unassailable and will remain unbroken for a long, long time to come. Here is a Sachin Tendulkar – when comes another? Immensely gifted and blessed with an impeccable batting technique, Tendulkar's innings is a feast, combining timing, elegance, grace and power.

Sachin - "It has been frustrating. The last game I played was on April 17."

Sachin best player I have played against: Warne

Australian spin legend Shane Warne on Thursday lavished praise on his long-time tormentor Sachin Tendulkar, declaring the iconic Indian batsman as the greatest cricketer he has ever played against.

Rajasthan Royals skipper Warne, who will play his last Indian Premier League match against the Mumbai Indians on Friday, said it was only appropriate to end his IPL stint as a player against Tendulkar.

"Sachin is the greatest player I have played against. It's appropriate that my last game is versus Sachin," Warne said.

"Sachin has been my friend for a long period of time. We have bit of laugh with each other, crack jokes. I hope Sachin does not smash me all around the park tomorrow," he said. 

Warne was fined a hefty $50,000 following his public spat with Rajasthan Cricket Association secretary Sanjay Dixit and the 41-year-old Australian said that he failed to understand why nothing happened to the RCA secretary.

"Unfair that I get fined while Sanjay Dixit gets away with saying whatever he feels like," Warne said.

"My fight with Dixit was immature on both our parts," he added.

Warne escaped a ban but was fined heavily by the IPL's disciplinary panel for calling Dixit a "liar and egoistic" after an IPL match in Jaipur, forcing RR owner Shilpa Shetty to intervene and apologise for the incident.

Dixit, who is also an IAS officer, had blasted Warne and Tendulkar on Twitter and trashed Warne in a website article.

"I had to face the consequences but he got away simply. I don't think it's fair. It should be something same for both of us. But the story is this way and one can't do much.

"I had 7 days to decide on a counter claim but I did nothing. It was a silly incident and pity that it got way too much attention," he said.

Despite his spat with the RCA secretary, Warne remained positive about being associated with the Rajasthan team in the future. 

Sachin - "New Zealand's Daniel Vettori is a very good bowler."

Tendulkar May Wish You To Donate Eyes

Health department has prepared a proposal to make the Master Blaster the state eye donation ambassador

HAVING featured in a water conservation campaign for the BMC last year, Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar may now be seen taking up the cause of eye donations in the state on behalf of the health department.

"We have already drafted a proposal which we will present to Tendulkar, asking him to be the ambassador for eye donations in the state.

At any given time, there are 10,000 people in the state who require corneal transplants and we are getting less than 6,000 eye donations annually.

If relatives of accident victims come forward and donate the eyeballs of the deceased, the problem of paucity will be solved.

We want this message to reach every individual in Maharashtra and who better then Sachin to get the message across?" said Dr Ashok Podar, joint director, National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB).

Senior officials in the health department are, in fact, already excited about the proposal and have agreed to make monetary allocations for the campaign to get visibility through the television and print mediums.

"Sachin has always supported causes which are in public interest and we are sure that he will not deny our request," said a senior health official.

Last year, Mumbai was second only to Chennai in terms of eye donations. 1,737 of the 4,947 eye donations in the state were from the city.

According to a review by the NPCB, Pune and Nashik also had good numbers with 1,432 and 1,506 corneas being donated respectively. That, however, is still not enough for meeting the requirement.

"More people are coming forward to pledge their eyes, but that is not of immediate help. We need eye donations to reduce the cases of corneal blindness in the state, and if a person like Sachin becomes the ambassador, the number is bound to rise as people idolise him," said renowned ophthalmologist Dr T P Lahane.

Explaining how the procedure works, Dr Podar said, "Corneal opacity or corneal tear can be corrected by a corneal transplant, but every donated eyeball cannot be used for a transplant. Eyeballs retrieved from the dead body within six hours are usually healthy for transplantation," said Dr Podar.

Donation law

The government is sitting on a proposal for drafting a law similar to that in western countries, wherein the eyes of the deceased are removed for donation during the postmortem.

When a person expires in neighbouring Sri Lanka, the eyes become national property and the island country is known to export 10,000 corneas to 65 countries each year.

Students too

In a bid to increase donations from rural areas, the NPCB has decided to rope in school volunteers. "We will make students from Std X certified volunteers, who can reach spots where accidents have taken place and convince the relatives to donate the eyes of the deceased. We will train them and give them brochures to aid them in this task. In villages, news of such accidents spreads quickly and our volunteers can reach the spot easily," said Dr Podar.

Campaign

HEALTH department officials said the following messages would be put across through the campaign:

- Everyone should come forward and pledge their eyes
- Relatives of those who die in road accidents should readily donate the eyes of the deceased by calling doctors from the nearest eye bank
- Relatives of those who meet a natural death should also come forward to donate the eyes of the deceased to give the gift of sight to others. Even if the deceased had not pledged his eyes while alive, the immediate family has the authority to take the decision of donating his eyes
- Only those people suffering from HIV, diabetes, cancer and hepatitis are not eligible for eye donations

Sachin - "He's bowling well at the moment and looks in good form. But we're not thinking about what they will do to us. We're more interested in what we can do to them."

Polly Umrigar award for Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar will receive the Polly Umrigar award for being India’s best cricketer in 2009-10, according to a BCCI media release on Saturday. The fourth annual BCCI awards ceremony will be held on May 31 in Mumbai.

During the 12-month period, Tendulkar scored 1064 runs from ten Tests, inclusive of one double hundred and five hundreds. He also scored 695 runs from 12 ODIs 69.5, inclusive of the first double hundred in ODIs, against South Africa in Gwalior in February 2010. He will receive a trophy and cheque for Rs. 5 lakhs.

The highlight of the ceremony will be the felicitation of the Indian team that won the World Cup in Mumbai. 

Another highlight will be the presentation of the C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award. The recipient will be announced on May 27. The winner will receive a trophy and cheque for Rs. 15 lakh. 

Sachin - "A long-term plan is more important so I will not be worried if it takes a couple of weeks more,"

Age - Just a number for Sachin Tendulkar

It’s as if time has stood still for the little Mumbaikar, who turns 38 on Sunday. At an age when post-retirement plans are well in their implementation phase, Tendulkar is still hard at work, devising his own plans of continuing to entertain and enthrall with the bat.Like good wine, the master has got better with each passing year. The doomsday-sayers who had concluded five years ago that he was on the last legs of his international career all have egg on their faces now.

The last year and more has been productive for the toast of the nation. A stirring run that began with the first ever international 50-over double century has culminated in a maiden Twenty20 hundred too, in the IPL last week. Remarkably, he wasn’t dismissed in IPL IV until his fourth innings! Sachin Tendulkar has emphatically proved that even in the supposed young man’s format, there is no substitute for class, experience and expertise.

His 200 not out against South Africa in the Gwalior one-dayer in February last year set off an extraordinary chain of events that has seen the runs cascade in a torrent off his scything willow. Between then and now, he has made nine international hundreds in the most productive phase of an incredibly consistent career.

Between August and October last year, he made two double centuries in Test cricket, capping it off with a staggering 50th Test hundred in Centurion in December. In 13 Tests since his 37th birthday, he has amassed 1458 runs at an average of 76.73, nearly 20 runs more than his career average!

Throughout that period, however, the focus was on the World Cup. Determined to keep himself fresh and eager for the one laurel that had eluded him, Sachin picked and chose his one-day matches with care. By the time the World Cup came around, he was well and truly ready.

In a further shot for genius and longevity, Sachin Tendulkar finished the second highest run-getter in the competition, and made stirring centuries against England and South Africa to leave himself within one hundred of a hundred international centuries. The 482 runs he made in India’s Cup of Joy came at a frenetic pace; Tendulkar scored 91.98 runs per 100 deliveries faced, taking on far younger, fitter, more athletic men and stamping his authority repeatedly.

Typically, Tendulkar will celebrate his 38th birthday with little fanfare, on a cricket ground in Hyderabad. Genius, needless to say, is timeless!

Sachin -  "Moment there is contact your sub conscious mind knows whether it's a single or more. It's that fraction of contact that matters."

I am trying to learn by watching Tendulkar - Kieron Pollard

After sitting in the dugout in the initial phase, Kieron Pollard was happy to strike when the opportunity presented itself at the Wankhede Stadium. 

“I enjoy watching Sachin Tendulkar bat when not playing. I am a team-man so as long as my team is winning, you use the time outside to learn and deliver when the team decides to give you a chance.”

The bat was a weapon in his hands, two huge sixes marked a quickfire 20 off 11 balls. Pollard followed it up with two good catches and the vital wicket of Dinesh Karthik. 

“The challenge is to perform when you get a chance in pressure situations. T20 is a game where momentum swings in the short space of say three overs. You should deliver when the team wants.”

Breakthrough

The West Indian's catch on the fence to sent back Paul Valthaty was a breakthrough for Mumbai Indians. 

Pollard explains: “The batsman had hit a six the previous ball, so I worked it out and positioned myself a little straighter.” 

He uses time at the nets to pick up tips from experienced internationals in the squad. “We have Sachin, Andrew Symonds, Harbhajan Singh who have a lot of experience in ODI cricket. 

“I try to learn by watching and talking to them at the nets and incorporate those things in my game.”

Playing the IPL instead of turning out for the West Indies, at a time when some key players and the Board are at loggerheads, is a tricky time for the all-rounder. 

“Sometimes you have to agree to disagree. I hope the players and board sit down and discuss things out for the betterment of West Indies cricket.” 

Pollard and Chris Gayle are the two frontline players turning out to be match-winners for Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore respectively.

Domestic tournament

Kings XI captain Adam Gilchrist, when asked about the possibility of five foreign players in the future, he said: “it's a domestic tournament aimed at giving lesser-known Indians players the chance to go far. 

“I wonder if it will serve the purpose if the event gets top-heavy with international players. Look at the English Premier League. 

“I know it is highly entertaining, but is it doing enough for English football the way IPL should be assisting development of Indian cricket?” the Aussie great pondered. 

Referring to the loss to Mumbai Indians, he said: “Mumbai Indians have big players who keep firing away from match to match. 

“Defeating Mumbai is very tough, but possible if all aspects of your game are working. Our bowlers did their part well to restrict them, we only fell about 20 runs short, which is pretty close.”

Sachin - "From the spinners, Anil and I have been together for a long time and I respect him a lot."

Maharashtra decides to build grand sports museum to honour Sachin Tendulkar

The Maharashtra government has decided to build a grand sports museum to honour Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said.

“Sachin has made the state proud by his achievements in cricket. His contribution in the recent World Cup was immense,” Chavan said at the Shiv Chhatrapati State Sports Awards function on Tuesday evening.

The government is also planning to introduce a new youth and sports policy and there is a proposal to set up 54 sports complexes at the tehsil level, Chavan informed. Earlier this month, the CM had informed the legislative assembly that the government is going to recommend to the Centre that Tendulkar, who turned 38 on Sunday, should be given the Bharat Ratna in view of his outstanding contribution to the game of cricket.

Chavan also announced a monument in the memory of the wrestler Maruti Mane, who did the state proud with his stupendous performances at national and international competitions. He said that the monument would be constructed at his village, Kavathepiran. Mane had won the Hind Kesari title in 1964. Prior to that, he had won gold medal in the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta. He was also won the Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar and the Dhyanchand Award. He passed away in July last year.

Sachin - "At this moment he is bowling well.... but I would like to focus more on what we have to do rather than what they will do to us."