Sachin Tendulkar named official ambassador for World Cup 2011

Iconic Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who is set to become only the second player in the history of cricket to play six ODI World Cups, was today named the official ambassador of the event to be held in the sub-continent next year.

Tendulkar will be called upon to promote and support a variety of ICC initiatives for the tournament, which is the third biggest sporting event in the world and will take place in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka from February 19 to April 2 next year, the ICC said in a statement.

“There are just 100 days to go and I am really looking forward to playing in another Cricket World Cup,” said Tendulkar, who will join Pakistan’s Javed Miandad as the only other player to take part in six World Cups.

“In terms of limited-overs cricket, the ICC Cricket World Cup is the highest level you can play so it is always a thrill to take part in such an important and widely followed event.

“The fact that the 2011 event will be staged here in the sub-continent makes it even more special for me and I am keen to ensure we play well. As a team we would be doing everything we can to win the world cup on home soil,” he added.

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said the governing body was lucky to get the support of a player of Tendulkar’s stature.

“We are very lucky to have such an extraordinary player as Sachin supporting our flagship event.

“I don’t think any other player has inspired a nation like he has and the respect and affection he enjoys goes way beyond his native India. Many other athletes and sports fans around the globe admire what he consistently achieves and what he does for cricket,” Lorgat said.

Throughout his two-decade long career, Tendulkar has inspired millions of cricket lovers around the world with his skill, temperament and love for the game.

Since making his debut for India in 1989 at the tender age of 16, he has scored more international runs than anyone else in history while also adhering faithfully to the spirit of cricket.

Sachin's bat to go under auctioneer's hammer

Memorabilia belonging to 25 top sports persons from India and overseas, including tennis star Roger Federer, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and chess ace Viswanathan Anand, will go under the auctioneer's hammer in Mumbai on October 29.

Six of the precious memorabilia, including the gold medal won by Anand after beating Vladimir Kramnik in a World Championship match in Bonn in 2008, the bat used by Tendulkar when he scored an unbeaten 163 against New Zealand in a one-day international in Christchurch 2009, Federer signed tennis shoes (donated by Globosports), were unveiled at a function in Mumbai on Thursday.

Tennis racquets used by Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi to win the mixed doubles Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon (2010) and Australia (2009) respectively are also a part of 'Equation 2010 - An Auction for Equality', conducted by actor Rahul Bose's NGO 'The Foundation'.

Eleven sportspersons have confirmed their presence for the auction and Bose added that the event was likely to have representation from Bollywood as well.

The other donors are: Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Virender Sehwag, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi (all Cricket); Vijay Amritraj, Sania Mirza (both Tennis), Prakash Padukone and Saina Nehwal (both Badminton), Pankaj Advani and Geet Sethi (Billiards), Baichung Bhutia (Football), Viren Rasquinha and Ajit Pal Singh (both Hockey).

This is the greatest honour given to me: Sachin

Group Captain Sachin Tendulkar said that the honour conferred to him by the Indian Air Force was his greatest achievement and that he is indeed happy to be a part of the IAF family.

India’s legendary cricketer, Tendulkar, who is not new to awards and honours, was conferred with Indian Air Force’s honorary rank of Group Captain on Friday.

Looking crisp and dignified in his sky blue uniform, Tendulkar jokingly said that the least he could do to look like an Air Force officer was to wear the signature aviator glasses.

However, overwhelmed with the respect bestowed upon him, Sachin said, “I have become part of your (IAF) family and it is indeed a pleasure to be honoured by the Indian Air Force, which is regarded as the best Air Force in the world.”

“I will not say that it was a-dream-come-true. But is it is something which one can only wish for, and I am happy that it has come to me,” Sachin added.

Sachin also said that he was really scared during his aircraft training. “It was a frightening experience during the air craft lessons,” he said.

“However, this is the greatest honour bestowed on me. I also want to take this opportunity on behalf of the nation to salute the Indian Air Force,” he added.

“I also want to urge the youth of India to join the Indian Air Force as this is a great honour and opportunity to serve the country. Jai Hind,” he concluded.

Sachin Tendulkar's blood used to prepare special edition of his memoirs

In a bizarre marketing strategy, a luxury book publisher is bringing out a special edition biography of Tendulkar with pages made from his blood.
The "blood edition", which also includes unpublished family pictures and Tendulkar's thoughts about his career, weighs 37kg and contains 852 pages all edged in gold leaf, the Guardian reports.

Due to be released next February, The Tendulkar Opus has a price tag of £49,000. Only 10 copies will ever be made and all have been pre-ordered.
"The signature page will be mixed with Sachin's blood – mixed into the paper pulp so it's a red resin. It is what it is – you will have Sachin's blood on the page," publisher Kraken Media's chief executive Karl Fowler told the paper.
"It's not everyone's cup of tea, it's not to everyone's taste and some may think it's a bit weird. But the key thing here is that Sachin Tendulkar to millions of people is a religious icon. And we thought how, in a publishing form, can you get as close to your god as possible?" The book also showcases the batsman's DNA profile, which was obtained from a swab of his DNA.
All proceeds from the sale of the books will go to Tendulkar's charitable foundation to help build a school in Mumbai.
One thousands cheaper copies will be made, selling for about £2,000 each.

Toshiba Signs Sachin Tendulkar as its Brand Ambassador for India

Toshiba Corporation has appointed the “Master Blaster” and “Living Legend”, Sachin Tendulkar as its brand ambassador across its product categories of laptops, LCD TVs and Home Appliances and for corporate branding in India. Sachin is a world-renowned Indian cricketer who has to his credit innumerable records and path-breaking achievements in the cricketing arena.

With Sachin as the new Brand Ambassador, Toshiba will be launching an extensive cross-product media campaign with the key message of “Quality・Technology・Design”.

As to why Sachin was chosen as Toshiba’s brand ambassador for India, Mr. Kenji Urai, Managing Director, Toshiba India Private Limited said, “Cricket is the most popular sport in India and Sachin, the most formidable and popular cricketer, is an influential figure. His cricketing achievements and constant quest for high performance is in line with Toshiba’s “Leading Innovation” tagline, where Toshiba aims to provide products with innovation in high Quality, leading-edge Technology and stylish Design.

Speaking of his endorsement for Toshiba, Sachin Tendulkar said, “Toshiba is all about excellence in Quality, Technology and Design. They believe in perfection and innovation which has also been the guiding force throughout my career. I am extremely happy to be a part of Toshiba family.”

As the brand ambassador for Toshiba, Sachin will be featured in Toshiba advertisements in major media for its laptops, LCD TVs and home appliances. It is hoped that Toshiba’s leading technology and quality, coupled with the image of Sachin’s prowess in cricket, will result in a positive effect for the brand.

Sachin Tendulkar named UN Goodwill Ambassador

India's cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar has been named a Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Tendulkar, the first player to score 10,000 runs in one-day internationals, will use his massive global popularity to raise awareness and harness support for environmental action in his home country of India and around the world, the UNEP announced here today.

"I have played and enjoyed my cricket across the planet. Now it's also time to do something for the planet, which is our only home," he said.

"Being part of the effort to save the planet is an immense undertaking but it is a challenge I am ready to undertake. Working with UNEP and cricket fans across the globe, I am in good company. Together we can do it."

The agency's Executive Director, Achim Steiner, voiced confidence that Tendulkar's "character, personal integrity, intellect and profile will catalyze widespread environmental action."

With 2010 being the UN's International Year of Biodiversity, the cricket legend will work with the agency to boost the global and grassroots response to the loss of animal and plant diversity worldwide.

Tendulkar is no stranger to the work of the UN, having lent his voice to a UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) campaign in India on the importance of personal hygiene.

As one of his first duties as Goodwill Ambassador, he will lead a Green Pledge to save the planet when the Indian Premier League (IPL) kicks off its third season tomorrow night in Mumbai.

The vow to be made in front of the millions of fans expected to be watching live on television, YouTube or at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai reads "the Earth is our home and together we must conserve our precious wildlife, forests and oceans. I am proud to pledge that I will play my part in caring for our natural heritage."

Along with Tendulkar, team captains from the Deccan Chargers to the Kolkata Knight Riders will sign a giant globe made out of recycled materials.

Noting that as a rapidly developing economy, India's consumption and production patterns could define the planet's future, Steiner said: "We need to make the right choices in terms of how best to manage energy and natural resources."

"To borrow a cricketing metaphor, these choices will define whether the world is running or soon will be run out."

Sachin Tendulkar signs first IPL theatre ticket

UFO Moviez will show DLF IPL 2010 matches live on gigantic screens in cinemas across India. The matches will be screened in High Definition Digital format without commercial interruptions. Live matches in theaters will enhance the revenues of multiplexes & single theatres and tax collection for the government.

The theatres will have cricket related merchandises, exciting gifts; multi cuisine food stalls etc to cater to the entire family. To add to this excitement, a number of screening places will have cheer leaders and live bands.

UFO Moviez has entered in a strategic alliance with multiplex chains like Cinemax, INOX, Fame, PVR and others and also have partnered with single screen theatres for screening the DLF IPL T-20 matches starting from March 12, 2010.

Sachin Tendulkar stated, "This is a brilliant initiative especially for interior regions of our country where cricket fans can not experience the stadium energy. I am happy to give away this first theatre ticket and wish all my fans a wonderful experience in theatres."

UFO which has more than 1750 digital screens across India has tied up with Crown Infotainment, who holds the distribution rights for IPL 2010-2019 seasons, to introduce IPL matches in theatres. Till date the company has signed over 650 screens, out of which close to 200 are multiplexes. UFO is targeting to showcase the DLF IPL 2010 matches across 1000 screens.

Tendulkar rewinds time at the Bombay Gymkhana

"Doesn't look likely," said a young mother over the phone. "I will be held back. Sachin is hitting six after six," she said, standing in Palm Court on the first floor of the Bombay Gymkhana. She was answering a caller, who was asking if she was ready to get the kids to tuition. But, once again, Sachin Tendulkar had stalled traffic, interrupted everyday life and forced thousands of pedestrians across Azad Maidan to stop, watch, and applaud.

It was a picture for the album. For more than a century, images depicting the neo-gothic structures of Victoria Terminus and the Bombay High Court, sitting grandly around maidans such as Azad and the Oval, which is near the Churchgate end, have stuck to the mind.

Maidans were an integral part of Bombay cricket even when the British arrived to make India their trade capital of the East. Legends have been formed on these red-dust pitches and passed on to subsequent generations. Most maidans gained prominence for housing famous clubs which produced talented cricketers, majority of whom were eligible to play for India. The pride associated with playing for a club was equivalent to playing for the country. Ask Madhav Mantri, India's oldest surviving Test cricketer, Ajit Wadekar, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sandeep Patil, or even the man of the moment, Tendulkar, and each one has a story about his respective club.

So to see Tendulkar return to the Bombay Gymkhana, even if only for a Mumbai Indians practice game, was to go back in time and wonder what it must have been like to watch cricket half a century ago. Pedestrians normally cross the crosswalk, which separates the Bombay Gymkhana from Azad Maidan, briskly on their way to Fashion Street or the train home.

Today the multitude halted as Tendulkar walked in to bat, adjusted his guard, and started hitting the bowlers willfully. As the shots streamed smoothly in various directions, both in the air and along the ground, those thousands, along with the hundreds of Gymkhana members, couldn't stop asking for more. Tendulkar satisfied every request during his 33-ball 78, which included five hits over the ropes and ten past it.

Incidentally it was at Azad Maidan, a stone's throw away, that Tendulkar the school kid had featured in a world-record partnership of 664 with Vinod Kambli in a Harris Shield match, in 1987. Not sure how many of those fans even were aware of that fact. Part of the Tendulkar one sees today was formed playing maidan cricket. Perhaps Tendulkar wouldn't be the player he is if it weren't for the rich history of the clubs.

He had drawn them but the crowd did not disperse even after Tendulkar got out. They stayed till the end of the match and then till the players did some stretching exercises. Meanwhile the kids in the Palm Court dispersed downstairs to get Tendulkar's autograph, leaving their mother behind.

Tendulkar takes India to thumping win

Sachin Tendulkar played a match-winning knock in the third ODI at Cuttack on 21 Dec 2009.

There were predictions of runs aplenty, but the wicket at the Barabati Stadium followed its more traditional role of offering turn.

The Indian spinners exploited the conditions perfectly to trigger a collapse and restrict Sri Lanka to 239 in the third ODI at the Barabati Stadium here on Monday.

Sachin Tendulkar’s classy unbeaten 96 then helped India ease past the target in 42.4 overs.

Tendulkar began by dispatching Chanaka Welegedera with a superb cover drive. Virender Sehwag waited a brief while before belting the ball around to give India a sizzling start.

The Indians looked like overhauling the target in a blink before Sehwag’s dismissal — caught at backward point — slowed things slightly.

Stunning drives


Tendulkar produced more stunning drives apart from the streaky upper-cut and paddle scoop that also went for boundaries. He put on 72 with Gautam Gambhir, and after the latter’s dismissal, batted patiently with Yuvraj Singh.

The Indians finished the job with a flurry of boundaries from Tendulkar and Karthik.

Earlier, despite Tillakaratne Dilshan’s fearsome batting and Upul Tharanga’s steady half-century, India fought back splendidly.

Quality spin bowling stifled Sri Lanka in the middle overs. Ravindra Jadeja’s left-arm spin saw him finish with career-best figures of four for 32.

Terrific start


Sri Lanka had a rousing start after skipper Kumar Sangakkara chose to bat. The fielders watched motionless as Dilshan cracked the innings open with a full-blooded drive off Zaheer Khan. Ishant Sharma was immediately initiated into life’s cruelties when Dilshan used a good deal of his wrists to direct the ball straight down for a boundary.

The battering of Ishant reached its peak when Dilshan drove, pulled and then scooped, all in a frenzied pursuit of boundaries. Tharanga’s six over long-off went quietly unnoticed in the same over. Sri Lanka’s fifty came in just the fourth over.

Zaheer went for 26 in his first two overs, which quickly saw Ashish Nehra replacing him. The reward showed up just when it looked like it wasn’t going to be — after Dinesh Karthik missed a simple run out chance.

Dilshan made 41, a mere 40 of them coming from boundaries! But the adventure ended in a rather awkward top-edge off a delivery too short from Nehra. Karthik was fortunate redemption came very quickly. The wicketkeeper was under the ball and took the catch comfortably.The two left-handers — Tharanga and Sangakkara — maintained a more plausible run-rate thereafter with the odd cut and the harmless straight drive, but Sri Lanka still reached its hundred in the 12th over.

Both batsmen became quiet once Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh came on. Sehwag tossed it up, threw in a few flat ones and made it difficult for the batsmen to generate pace.

Offering turn


There was a doubt whether the turn on offer was an illusion created by Karthik’s baseball grill while keeping to the spinners. But, it turned out that the wicket did offer some turn. Harbhajan worked himself into a very good rhythm and got the ball to drift and turn.

Sangakkara looked promising during his 46, which included a six off Sehwag. However, the Indian skipper had his man soon. Sangakkara went for a similar shot but was beaten in the air. The Sri Lankan skipper had charged so much down the wicket that even a fumble by Karthik could not save him, the latter having enough time to make amends and knock the bails off. Before his departure, Sangakkara had added 100 with Tharanga off 97 balls.

After losing his captain, Tharanga went about quietly collecting singles and twos and looked set for a hundred. Jadeja brought about his fall with a well-flighted delivery that forced the opener into driving against the turn. However, the ball turned a great deal and went on to disturb the stumps.

Chamara Kapugedera departed to another turning delivery from Jadeja, who also got some drift.

India’s bowling momentum was such that even Ishant, who could’ve been scarred by his early figures of 46 in three overs, returned to bowl with a new-found confidence.

He got a full one to straighten and castle Thilina Kandamby. Off the next ball, Suraj Randiv edged behind.

India made two changes with Yuvraj and Ishant replacing Virat Kohli and Praveen Kumar. For Lanka, Nuwan Kulasekara replaced the injured Angelo Mathews and Lasith Malinga came in for Suranga Lakmal.


SCOREBOARD

 Sri Lanka: U. Tharanga b Jadeja 73 (81b, 6x4, 1x6), T. Dilshan c Karthik b Nehra 41 (18b, 10x4), K. Sangakkara st. Karthik b Sehwag 46 (41b, 3x4, 1x6), M. Jayawardene c Raina b Harbhajan 2 (12b), T. Kandamby b Ishant 22 (29b, 3x4), C. Kapugedera b Jadeja 15 (28b), N. Kulasekara lbw b Jadeja 10 (14b, 1x4), S. Randiv c Karthik b Ishant 0 (1b), L. Malinga b Nehra 13 (24b, 1x4, 1x6), A. Mendis b Jadeja 6 (14b), C. Welegedara (not out) 2 (4b); Extras (b-1, lb-2, w-6): 9; Total (in 44.2 overs): 239.

Fall of wickets: 1-65 (Dilshan), 2-165 (Sangakkara), 3-169 (Tharanga), 4-173 (Jayawardene), 5-204 (Kapugedera), 6-210 (Kandamby), 7-210 (Randiv), 8-218 (Kulasekara), 9-236 (Mendis).

India bowling: Zaheer 7-0-49-0, Ishant 7-0-63-2, Nehra 6.2-0-32-2, Harbhajan 9-0-29-1, Sehwag 4-0-26-1, Jadeja 10-0-32-4, Yuvraj 1-0-5-0.

Powerplays: One (Overs 1-10): 86/1; Bowling (11-15): 36/0; Batting (44-45.2): 3/1.

India: V. Sehwag c Dilshan b Welegedara 44 (28b, 9x4), S. Tendulkar (not out) 96 (104b, 13x4), G. Gambhir c & b Randiv 32 (52b, 3x4), Yuvraj c Sangakkara b Welegedara 23 (40b, 3x4), D. Karthik (not out) 36 (32b, 5x4, 1x6); Extras (lb-5, w-6): 11, Total (for three wkts. in 42.4 overs) 242.

Fall of wickets: 1-55 (Sehwag), 2-127 (Gambhir), 3-169 (Yuvraj).

Sri Lanka bowling: Welegedara 8-1-35-2, Kulasekara 8-0-47-0, Malinga 9.4-1-55-0, Mendis 9-0-67-0, Randiv 8-1-33-1.

Powerplays : One (Overs 1-10): 66/1; Bowling (Overs 11-15): 35/0.

Tendulkar loves fried Bombil fish

Celebrating Sachin Tendulkar’s 20 glorious years is such a joy for me. It reminds me of my own early days too. Now that I look back, I am reminded of the time when we were both kids. While Sachin was a star even then, having scored a century on his Ranji Trophy debut, I had taken a few wickets myself. But he played for Mumbai while I played for Maharashtra.

Having heard so much about him, I was eager to meet Sachin, and finally came across him during a match in Aurangabad . He was so gentle, yet such a solid player when it came to batting. Nothing seemed to trouble him. Soon, we would be travelling together, on a trip to the West Indies with the U-22 team.

The real connect, however, was made when we attended a training camp and spent close to a month together. We shared a common passion for good food. Off the field, we used to get together and with a few others and talk about nothing but food! Sachin loves to have the fried bombil fish.

The one incident that made me understand his level of commitment and focus came 20 years ago, during Sachin’s debut tour to Pakistan in 1989. At Sialkot, Sachin was caught sleepwalking at the team hotel. He had been very anxious about some new bats which he had ordered, which were to be delivered the next day.

A little after midnight, he sleepwalked, eyes closed, into Maninder Singh’s room to ask, ‘‘ Mere bats aaye kya? Maine mangaye the (Have my bats come? I had asked for them).’’ The young genius was put back to sleep and the next morning we all laughed off the incident . Today, this story is part of cricket folklore. Something that tells us about what it takes to be a genius!

Sachin in a class of his own

One of my great dreams is to possess a picture of four cricketers together, the four legends of Bombay. The first is Polly Umrigar, tall, gangling, hitting a century with quiet competence, retiring with equal quietness. He was paid Rs 25 for a day’s cricket. The second is Dilip Sardesai. Equally competent, equally understated, Sardesai epitomized the middleclass competence of the India of the sixties. He was outstanding, but there are no monuments to him; he would have been surprised if there were.

These men just did their job. They produced heroism without heroics. When you watched them play, you realized the odds they had mastered. They were Indians of another time for whom honesty, national pride, teamwork were the building blocks of everyday imagination. These were virtues one could not live without. There was an as-is-where-is quality to their life and cricket, which made them seem deceptively prosaic, disguising their achievements by making them appear almost dutiful.

They were outstanding individuals and personalities, but there was nothing individualistic about them. They challenged no paradigms, led no trade unions. Their only answer to racism was good manners. They were content to live within and with themselves.

The third figure is different. He is larger than life. To competence, he adds defiance. A legend in his lifetime, Sunil Gavaskar demands more for he created more. Gavaskar created a collective mindset. He demanded a different form of respect. He looked the white man in the eye, could stand alongside a Viv Richards or a Garfield Sobers with assurance. He oozed professionalism, and an impersonal competence that demanded more in recognition. There was a toughness about Gavaskar (and Bedi) which was pathbreaking.

They used their competence in sport to demand a wider dignity. They were great players who demanded more from sport, and demanded more for sport. There was nothing understated about either. Their competence broke through colonial obsequiousness. Indians began getting used to victory. There was a touch of Bombay about each of them, and an urbanity, a middle class that captured the Bombay of each period. Gavaskar represented a middle class-ness ready to take on the world. He exemplified an attitude that defied the nonsense of authority. There was something industrial about him.

He rewrote record books to show India had arrived, that the team was no longer invertebrate, that the tenor had changed. The language was no longer of survival; it now spoke a dialect of victory. Gavaskar was exemplar and paradigm of a new Indian cricket where we were no longer also-rans . You don’t write Calypso songs for the defeated.
In a predictable way, Umrigar, Sardesai, Gavaskar created the cultural humus for a Sachin. They were a prelude to his genius, the the ancestors of his competence bred on middleclass values, the ritual protocols of urban life which sought dominance through professionalism. I began with this long-winded sociology of cricket personae, because I want to see cricket as a metaphor and look at Sachin Tendulkar in a wider sense. Genius for all its individualism reeks of sociology. Cricket is one game that belongs to the oral imagination and commentary for cricket is as important as hermeneutics for the Bible. Retelling is reliving, and both religion and cricket have that in common.

School and street are an integral part of the urban imagination. They are models of life and frameworks of mobility. Here, exam and game create two parallel worlds. The legend of Sachin begins in the playing fields of Shivaji Park. There is a Drona of the cricket field, Ramakant Achrekar. There are no Ekalavyas on the scene. But there is a Kambli.
Vinod Kambli is important not just for his talent but for his zest for life. Kambli is talent that refuses to discipline itself. He is the exuberance of the street that refuses to yield to the school. Kambli is desire without discipline. He is the exuberance of the here and now that the middle class envies and despises. Kambli is the shortlived Sachin; the cameo of exuberance unlimited. Sachin and Kambli are a middle class fable that needs more attention. Kambli treats cricket as a site for desire, for the shortlived joy of politics, of cinema, of TV.
He is the middle class boy who lacks a centre. Intensely appealing, he is the other, the friend who humanizes Sachin, creates other rhythms which would otherwise render Sachin as a metronome. Kambli and Sachin are foils from school. Kambli is the other who burns out, because he burns too fast. He is the Sivakasi cracker to Sachin’s blowtorch. He is the partnership that went wrong between exuberant talent and focused genius. Kambli is the child who forgot to drink Boost, who did not have Aviva insurance, who forgot school creates a timetable for life, who happily jumped on an escalator of life without realizing that it was speeding down.

Kambli is the noise of part-success facing the silence of success; he is the friend who remains though he got left behind. But he is still Kambli, the only hyphen in the Sachin legend. The fable of Shivaji Park would be incomplete without Kambli; the shade of regret in a saga of success. The middle-class history of Shivaji Park is less ruthless. It has a place for him too.

As the legend grows, the fables diversify. Sachin appears relentless. He looks perennial at thirty, which is old age in cricket. While others move to graceful retirement, turn from heroes to storytellers, our legend grows. Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman are virtually gone. At 36, Sachin is naturally the grandfather of the team. He commands respect and the young ones sense he might still be playing when they are gone. What makes Sachin a legend is the way he has mastered time.

A cricketing career occurs in escalated time. It represents speed. It is demanding. Wounds recur and the body screams. A middle-class , middle age stodginess is tempting. Even the perennial Sachin realizes he is no longer young. His brilliance lies in the way he reconstructs himself.

The middle class suffers from the mid-life crisis of nostalgia. Sachin is a twice born genius who reconstructs his game, reinvents himself for a new era. The Dhonis and the Harbhajans know his body is a match for theirs. The discipline is almost spiritual. It cannot be reduced to diet, or exercise, or to any technique. It is a mindset which refuses nostalgia, the hypochondria of the middle class.

It is not a hunger for runs; it is a hunger for perfection. Sachin challenges the mental arthritis in every middle-class Indian, the urge to settle down and be slow. A mindset where success turns into the fatty tissue of contentment. Sachin is Indian cricket’s only perpetual mobile. He is the body fantastic.

Sachin might be a millionaire many times over, but he represents middle-class values. In fact, the advertisements provide the cultural frame for him in the public domain. The advertisements almost seem to provide a prosthetic of speech for him. Boost, Pepsi and Aviva emphasize energy, mobility, prudence, skill, a social framework for middle-class success. It is an ode to children growing right, whose dreams come true.

He is a childhood dream incarnate. Sachin, the name sounds right for desi values, desi competence, for success in a global world. Boost plus Shivaji Park propels you into a world beyond what IIT and IIM can prepare you for - the leap of fame. To blue-chip security, which the middle class dream and advertisers can only offer as scenarios. There is a seriousness to cricket. Even laughter is embroidered only as a second thought. It substitutes for music, medicine or science as a profession. It is less erratic than Bollywood, more secure than crime.

Advertisements create the substitute sociology of family life, professional knowledge and financial prudence that accompanies this genius, banalizing him through middle-class ambitions. A genius is caught like a fly in a third-rate sociology. But it is only such banality scented with consumerist romance that allows us to reclaim
him. This is the sadness of genius and the irony of sociology.

Sachin holds the One-day record for the most number of scores (17) in the 90s. He is the only player to be dismissed on 99 thrice - once each against South Africa, England and Pakistan. Grant Flower, Nathan Astle and Aravinda de Silva share the second spot with nine 90-plus scores each.

Sachin's mind is still strong

On a couple of balmy nights in Sharjah in 1998, Sachin Tendulkar carved out successive scintillating centuries against Australia to convince those of the men in gold who weren't believers that he was the best batsman in the world.

More than a decade later Tendulkar has converted a whole new set of Australian non-believers with a mercurial ODI century in Hyderabad. Well, that's actually not quite true. Ricky Ponting was in attendance in Sharjah, and for him Tendulkar just reconfirmed his great skill and tenacity.

As the opposing captain, Ponting was constantly plotting Tendulkar's downfall in Hyderabad, and it came in the nick of time to seal an Australian victory that for a time looked like it would be snatched away by one man. As the third, along with West Indies' champion Brian Lara, in what was a three-way battle for the batting crown, Ponting would've appreciated, if not welcomed, Tendulkar's mastery.

One of the more amazing things about Lara was his remarkable feat in recapturing the world record 10 years after he first established the high-water mark. Longevity isn't the hallmark of greatness but it's a requirement.

Not that Tendulkar needed another century to convince anyone of his prowess, but a masterful knock like the Hyderabad one was a timely reminder that he still has a few great innings left. That's the main difference between the Tendulkar of today and a decade ago.

In Sharjah he belted the Australian bowlers all over the park to get his team into the final, and then followed it up two days later with an equally dynamic showing to win the big prize. Now the hard part will be reprising his starring role in Guwahati when his body is still recovering from Hyderabad.

Tendulkar did prove one thing in Hyderabad: the mind is still willing. He displayed the same fighting spirit that was evident in Sharjah, the same desire to trump the opposition, and amazingly, his strike rate was better than in both of those 1998 gems. "I can't concentrate like I used to," I recall Greg Chappell saying near the end of his illustrious career. "I can still apply myself occasionally, but other days it's just a battle." And he was a strong-minded batsman.

Tendulkar is a strong-minded person but that isn't what defines his batting. His is more a mercurial attitude that allows him to sense the moment when to let loose his full array of shots and leave the bowlers clutching at straws. Straws that in his pomp were whisked away by a whirlwind of shots.

In recent times Tendulkar's batting has gained a mortal quality. He often has to battle and graft for runs, like a 40-average batsman. The fact that even in that mode he still churns out centuries, like a press printing 10-rupee notes, is a testament to his greatness. However, occasionally all the magic returns and on that day he can light up a cricket ground, the way he did in Hyderabad. The cover drive flows, the flick off the pads races to the boundary and the short-of-a-length delivery is punched off the back foot, while fieldsmen are left grasping at fresh air.

In batting maturity Tendulkar resorts to more deft deflections and little glides to third man but they are as much about resting tiring muscles at the non-striker's end as any concession to the bowlers' ability. He's also moved with the times and is now more likely to upper-cut a short-pitched delivery rather than employ the hook shot. He even indulges in the premeditated shovel shot over the short fine-leg fielder's head. It was one of those that ended his epic innings in Hyderabad, just short of him achieving deity and a thrilling Indian victory.

There will be nit-pickers who say, "There he goes again. Tendulkar succeeds but India fails to claim victory. That's the difference between him and Lara." The difference appears to be that Lara had a ruthless streak when it came to winning the match, while for Tendulkar one more risk is never too many.

To me the only disappointment is that 11 years after Sharjah, the Indian batting is still so heavily dependent on Tendulkar. After all his magical displays you'd think some of the next-generation batsmen would be clamouring to imitate Tendulkar's starring roles rather than being content to play the bit part in the shadow of the little master.

Tendulkar: World's envy, India's pride

The cricket fraternity lavished praise on India's batting icon Sachin Tendulkar for becoming the first player in the game's history to cross the 17,000-run mark.

Tendulkar, who was chasing the milestone from the onset of the series against Australia, achieved the feat when he, requiring seven runs coming into Thursday's match, played an on-drive to fetch three off pacer Ben Hilfenhaus during the fifth one-dayer in Hyderabad.

"It's really a remarkable achievement. He is one of the best cricketers of the world cricket. I have had some good memories with him, having partnering him for years in one-day cricket," said former India skipper Sourav Ganguly.

The southpaw also wished the little master for the 2011 World Cup, to be co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

"I wish he scores another 2000 runs by 2011 World Cup. Sachin knows best how to accumulate runs. Once he gets going he becomes unstoppable," Ganguly said.

Meanwhile, Mumbai batsman Wasim Jaffer hoped that Tendulkar would also achieve 20,000-run mark.


"He has achieved several records. I hope that he reached 20,000-run mark. Whatever he has achieved, it is nearly impossible to achieve for anyone else. I just wish that he keeps on going and gets more and more runs for India," Jaffer said.