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."

Maken Wishes Tendulkar for His 100th International Ton

Sports Minister Ajay Maken wished Sachin Tendulkar luck as the iconic batsman gears up for his 100th international century when India take on England in the four Test series starting at the Lord's tomorrow. "I would like to wish Sachin Tendulkar all the best for his 100th international hundred," said Maken here today. "But not only Sachin, I would like also like to wish the other members of the Indian team all the very best," he added. Tendulkar has a chance to mark the 2,000th Test at the Mecca of Cricket. The 38-year-old veteran has scored 51 Test hundreds and 48 ODI centuries during his 21-year long illustrious career. 

Meanwhile, the Minister also informed that he had written to the Home Ministry to include sports excellence as an area of recognition for the Bharat Ratna. "I have written to the Home Minister  to give Bharat Ratna to all sportspersons. I have asked the Home Ministry to include sports as an area of recognition for the Bharat Ratna. I hope a sportsperson soon gets the Bharat Ratna," said Maken. In a recent communication to Home Minister, Maken wrote: "The undiluted binding effect of sports in our pluralistic society and nation, singularly surpasses any other idea that acts as a cohesive force and nurtures our national pride. It has indeed become one of the most potent tools of involving our youth and citizens away from divisive tendencies." "It indeed helps our younger generations work towards getting more laurels and medals for the country." 

Sachin - "I feel when somebody has been playing cricket for a long time, he creates a separate identity for himself."

TENDULKAR THE ENDURING MASTER

His slump in 2005-06 might have had something to do with injuries. I remember him ringing me up about tennis elbow in that period because he was struggling with that. That might have been wearing him down. Or he might have been just completely drained - it must be hard being Sachin Tendulkar. But he's evolving in mind – you keep giving yourself reasons to carry on. That's been the thing – the hunger and the dedication to the game. He could easily walk away from the game, he's a very wealthy man, but I don't think he does it for the money. He does it probably because he loves it so much, he doesn't want to do anything else and he's a bit worried about life after cricket.

Mentally he keeps having to challenge himself, whether it be through statistics or winning World Cups in Mumbai, or beating England or staying No1 in the world, or all of the above, so I think mentally he keeps challenging himself. He's a very hard worker technically anyway – he hasn't changed that much over the years. Occasionally he's gone into machine mode and at times he's gone back to the youth of being a bit more free-scoring and he's done that in the last couple of years. This is a lad who started against the Wasim Akrams and Waqar Younises and the Donalds and the McGraths, he's faced all the quick bowlers. On his first tour of Australia he got runs as a 16-17 year old. He can play the short ball, he can play the bouncy ball. It's just up to him if he wants to take it on.

He's a massive threat to England. He's arguably the best batsman of my generation and one of the best of all time. He's got 99 international hundreds, and he's been playing in the last few years the best cricket of his life. He understands English conditions, he's got runs over here before. He's mentally strong, he's technically strong, he has very few weaknesses and he's still hungry for more runs, he's not someone who's looking to end his career.

I don't think it [99 hundreds, 2000th Test etc] is in his mind. It's driven by India, driven by statistics by the love of  Sachin. All Sachin wants to do is bat. He's at his happiest when he's got a bat in his hands. But obviously he's only human – if he's on 99 hundreds and he's batting at Lord's in the 2,000th Test, it's a fairytale story. So he's only human, it will be on his mind at some stage, he'll want to get it out of the way, get it done and dusted so that he can carry on with his career.

Sachin - "I believe every era has its significance and the same holds true for players and coaches."

Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag Selected in ICC’s Dream Test Team

Indian batting ace Sachin Tendulkar & opener Virender Sehwag are in the list of the cricketers through which people can select the members of the best test team of all times through online voting. This historic match will be played between India & England from July 21 to 25. And the most interesting fact is that, ICC has included the whole world to select the dream team. 

Sehwag got selected in the team as an opener, whereas Sachin got into the team as a middle-order batsman. With these cricketers, the one of the greatest batsman of India, Sunil Gavaskar also got space in the team. In this team, no other Indian bowlers or wicketkeeper got selected. Only the 1983 world cup team winning captain, Kapil Dev got the opportunity to be the part of the team as an all-rounder. Legendary spinners Bishen Singh Bedi & Anil Kumble are also in the team. Sir Donald Bradman & West Indian star cricketer, Vivian Richards are in the team as the middle-order batsmen. With them the Australian attacking wicketkeeper cum batsman, Adam Gilchrist & South African wicketkeeper, Mark Boucher are the competitors.

ICC has chosen 60 players in five various categories like, openers, allrounders, middle-orders, wicketkeeper, fast bowlers & spinner. And ICC also wants the fans of cricket should come up to vote & select the dream team. The fans will be instructed to select two openers, three middle-order batsmen, one wicketkeeper, three fast bowlers & one spinner. The dream team will be announced during the India vs England test match in England.

Haroon Lorgat said in a statement that, “All the cricketers whom we have selected in the team has inspired us throughout the ages. 2,000^th test match will be the day when we can remember them. With so many legends of the game to choose from, it is a very difficult task & I’m sure one that will lead to plenty of fond recollection & great debate.” The ICC believes that test match is the best way to recollect those special cricket moments. And ICC also want to maintain the gravity of cricket for the next 2000 matches.

Sachin -  "I am not thinking too far ahead, just want to take it one thing at a time."

Sachin on Maken's Mind for Bharat Ratna

A day after reports emerged that Sports Minister Ajay Maken has written to the Home Ministry asking it to consider including sportspersons in the list of Bharat Ratna awardees, it is clear that Sachin Tendulkar is on his priority list for the honour.

In an exclusive chat with NDTV, Maken, when asked in a rapid fire round about what comes to his mind when he thinks of Bharat Ratna, the master-blasters name came the prompt reply.

While fans, players and eminent sports personalities have already expressed their opinion supporting the highest civilian award for Tendulkar, the Sports Minister's opinion is sure to hasten the process of including sportspersons in the gambit of personalities awarded with the Bharat Ratna, which is currently reserved for artistic, literary, and scientific achievements, as well as "recognition of public service of the highest order.

Sachin - "I always had a dream to play for India but I never let it put pressure on me."

India Get Tendulkar Boost for England Tests

Batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar, on the verge of an unprecedented 100th international century, returned Saturday to a strong Indian squad for the upcoming Test series in England.

Tendulkar, with 51 hundreds in Tests and 48 in one-day internationals, had opted out of the ongoing Test series in the West Indies. He is also the world's leading scorer in both Tests (14,692) and one-dayers (18,111).

Openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, pacemen Zaheer Khan and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, and all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who missed the West Indies tour, also returned to the squad after regaining fitness.

"Sehwag will join the team a fortnight later," the Indian cricket board said in a statement, meaning the opener will miss the first Test.

The four-Test series starts at Lord's on July 21, followed by a one-off Twenty20 match and five one-day internationals. The team for the limited-overs matches will be announced later.

The full-strength squad will be led by wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni, with Gambhir as his deputy.India named five fast bowlers as conditions are expected to favour them in England and two spinners in Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra.Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel are the other pacemen.Batsman Virat Kohli, part of the current squad in the West Indies, was dropped while Wriddhiman Saha was picked as a second wicket-keeper. India won their last Test series in England in 2007 under Rahul Dravid.

Sachin -  "Every individual has his own style, his own way of presenting himself on and off the field."

Sachin coaches son, runs biz in England

A new business venture and imparting batting tips to son Arjun are two things that Sachin Tendulkar is currently focussing on before he starts concentrating on the upcoming England series. The cricketer, who is in London with wife Anjali and children Arjun and Sara, has been regularly visiting the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) cricket academy to coach his 11-year-old son and passing on tips to other people using the indoor nets. 

An honorary life member of the club, Tendulkar, who has been staying at a property he owns near the Lord's, has been visiting the academy here for the past few days. "He (Tendulkar) has been a regular visitor at the Lord's in recent weeks," an MCC spokesman was quoted as saying in Sunday Telegraph. And when he is not coaching Arjun, Tendulkar is devoting time to his new business venture in Winchester, about 100 km from London. It's about cricket-themed entertainment centres where one will be able to bat against an image of Tendulkar (or other, better international bowlers) that runs in and delivers a semi-hard ball at you; or bowl against an image of him that deals with your delivery after calculating the trajectory and rotations of the delivery.  Tendulkar, who will be aiming for his 100th international century when India take on England at the Lord's Test, is expected to start training from this week for the four-match Test series.

Sachin -  "But eventually it is a game of cricket."