Sachin Tendulkar wants change in ODI format

Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar has written a letter to International Cricket Council (ICC), suggesting future changes in the 50-50 format of the game.

In his letter ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat, Master Blaster has urged ICC to bring changes in the ODI format to keep the interest of the game intact.

Tendulkar wants that 50-over cricket should become a four innings game-- with 25 overs slots played alternately between the two sides.

Tendulkar feels that it will give equal opportunity to both the teams in case of due factor and rain. Sachin said that, in present format, Toss pays major role in deciding the result of the game. But in case of four innings game, it will give equal chance to both sides.

He further says, bowler should be allowed to bowl 12 overs each. He also wants fiddle with the Powerplays to give advantage to the fielding side.

With this letter, Tendulkar has stirred the ODI format row but it will be interesting to see whether ICC will accept his Idea or not.

Tendulkar is the maximum run getter in ODI games. He has the highest number of hundreds in ODI. He is the only cricketer in the world to score a double hundred in ODI. Tendulkar is the most capped player in ODIs.

No doubts that he has the tones of experience and his suggestion can be proved vital to add more spices in the game.

I walked because I was out: Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar explained what prompted him to walk in the Group 'B' game against the West Indies on Sunday; He was out.

The Little Master is surprised by the debate on his walking, after faintly nicking a delivery from seamer Ravi Rampaul in the first over of the match, has triggered.

Tendulkar didn't wait for a decision by umpire Steve Davis who actually turned down the appeal. "You think I am mad (to walk if he was not out)? Yes, I was out. That's why I walked to the pavilion. Of course, I was out," Tendulkar told.

"The ball first kissed my bat. That was like a feather touch, and then it kissed my gloves and went to the 'keeper. It was a genuine dismissal," the batting superstar described his dismissal.

Tendulkar's walk came a day after Australian captain Ricky Ponting stood his crease despite clearly edging offie Mohammad Hafeez in the tie against Pakistan in Colombo.

But the world's leading run-getter was untouched by all the talk about his walk.

Tendulkar has told people close to him that there was no point in standing his crease because the Decision Review System would have revealed the nick. And that's what happened in Ponting's case! The early dismissal meant that Tendulkar had to wait another day to get to the milestone
of 100 international centuries.

However, the 37-year-old Mumbaikar reached another landmark in his more than 21-year-long career: The match was against the West Indies was his 450th ODI appearance.

"I was not aware of that figure. Later on, I came to know that I had played in 450 one-day matches. It feels good," Tendulkar said.

Would like to take one series at a time: Tendulkar

Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar said on Friday that he would like to focus on one series at a time rather than thinking too far ahead including the World Cup that will be held in the sub-continent, next year.

"I am not yet thinking about the tour of South Africa and the 2011 Cricket World Cup. My immediate focus is on the upcoming New Zealand series and only when that is over, I will start talking about South Africa," Tendulkar said on the sidelines of a function that marked his association as a brand ambassador with a high-end watch manufacturer Audemars Piguet.

However, Tendulkar admitted that he would be happy if India can maintain the winning momentum in the coming series.

"The momentum is with us right now and we should not let it go. We are not taking anything for granted and want to be on our toes. We would be looking to keep on producing competitive cricket and stick to the basics."

When asked whether he is currently enjoying the form of his life, the iconic batsman who recently completed 14,000 Test runs said that although he is happy but he is still not satisfied.

"There is always room for improvement. I am happy with my current performance but not satisfied. I want to get better. In fact, in any profession one must strive to get better and better," said Tendulkar, adding, "I always want to remain a student of the game because that is when you grasp more and is always keen to improve."

The 37-year-old, who had one of the most fruitful years of his career in 2010 as he won his first ICC's Player of the Year Award and returned to the top of the world batting rankings for the first time since 2002.

In February, he scored centuries in successive Tests against South Africa before becoming the first man to reach 200 in an ODI against the same opponents.

When asked what all has remained in his wish list which he still want to achieve, Tendulkar said, "There is no wish list. I play because I always love playing cricket. The only thing I ever wanted to do was to play for my country.

"Now, my track is only cricket, where a lot of stations come and I cherish arriving at all of them. But I personally just want to do something for my country and go on playing. In this journey I want to achieve whatever I can till the time remains," said the man, who remains just one short of scoring 50 Test centuries.

"It was a fantastic win the Test series against Australia. In fact, it was great to see some guys produced special cricket. (VVS) Laxman is definitely one such special guy, who snatched the victory for us. He was struggling to even jog as he was injured but he went out there and produced such a brilliant innings.

"Even Ishant Sharma, who shared a valuable partnership with him must get a lot of credit. I am extremely glad that we stuck to our No 1 position in Tests."

Talking about the ICC award that he finally bagged this year by beating South African Hashim Amla, England's Graeme Swann and teammate Virender Sehwag, the Mumbaikar said, "Whenever an award comes it always feels good."

He further added, "But no one plays for awards. You always set goals and want to achieve those goals as individuals. And in cricket you always want to achieve goals as an individual and as a team.

"And when you succeed in achieving your goal and get appreciated for your efforts it always feels good."

The cricketer, who was conferred with the Indian Air Force's honorary rank of Group Captain to honour his sporting achievements and contribution to the nation last month, said that "it was a great honour."

"Becoming the group captain with the Indian Air Force was a great honour. It is extremely special because I am associated with a force who protect us. I salute them."

Sachin on ICC award: Better late than never!

Sachin Tendulkar has won his first ICC award, the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, by being named the Cricketer of the Year during the 2010 ICC Award ceremony in Bangalore. He also won the LG People's Choice Award for 2010.

Tendulkar spoke to NDTV in an exclusive interview after the ceremony. Here is the transcript.

NDTV: Well.. ICC cricketer of the year and of course people's choice also, Sachin many many congratulations. Of course it's very special coming as it does a day after the spectacular win coming from Mohali. Were you at any point nervous, like the rest of us chewing on our nails?

Sachin Tendulkar: Yes, we were actually sitting in the dressing room..I was sitting with MS, Sehwag.. Ya, I mean only three of us basically, and we had one topic going on and we didn't want to change that topic. We ran out of stories but we said no, we need to continue doing that, a bit of superstitious thing but it was fantastic victory and unbelievable what Laxman did for us and also not to forget what a tremendous character Ishant Sharma has shown.

NDTV: Sachin speaking of tremendous achievement, a huge achievement for you today, two awards, a surprise really for all of us who've followed your career that this is the first time you are actually getting the award.

Sachin Tendulkar: It's better late than never. You keep working hard for it and you know it's come in the 21st year of my international career. So, it's fantastic. As I said earlier, better late than never..so it feels great.

NDTV: And Sachin so many awards like the Padma Bhushan, the Khel Ratna..where does this rank in terms of the fact you have a glittering trophy cabinet and you're adding these trophies to it every year?

Sachin Tendulkar: This is wonderful but obviously I wouldn't want to compare this to Padma Vibhushan and the other awards. They have a different meaning altogether for me. It's the second highest civilian award, so I mean it's something really really special and I treasure all the awards, but well..the last thing I want to do is to compare them to one another as I've always maintained that the Padma Vibhushan award is always going to be special one.

NDTV: Right..you mentioned these awards, I'm sure you've got many many more to go and you've really got enough of them all over your house I'm sure but there are so many people, so many cricketers who say that they would pay to see you play. Who would you pay for Sachin..is there anyone out there?

Sachin Tendulkar: Two of my cricketing heroes obviously... Sunil Gavaskar and Vivian Richards. I've seen them, both of them play but I've never seen Sir Garfield Sobers or Sir Donald Bradman live. So, that's something I would have loved to do.

NDTV: Sachin, in your formative years, there was tremendous amount of competition from the bowlers that you faced, whether it was Curtley Ambrose, Courtney Walsh or Waqar, Wasim, Shane Warne. Somehow that seems to have changed. Do you miss the fact that you wish you had more competitive bowlers and really those legends bowling against you?

Sachin Tendulkar: See you're talking about Shane Warne, Muralitharan, Mc Grath, Wasim all these bowlers, they didn't become great bowlers overnight. It took them good 15 years to become what they are today and similarly there are many talented bowlers playing...to name a few, I mean obviously Milstein then so many bowlers, I mean I wouldn't want to single them out but there are world class bowlers playing at the moment. In time to come, like in ten years from now, they'll all be in the same league. Most of them would have 400 to 500 plus wickets. So you know it doesn't happen overnight and you've just got to wait for 10-15 years to allow a player to showcase the talent that he has and so that the whole world appreciates what his contribution to cricket is.

NDTV: We'll of course wait to see where you are Sachin at that much time 10 years, 20 years. What if you compare yourself to what you were 15 years ago? Sehwag, for instance, says the hair on his head has got thinner, what for you has changed?

Sachin Tendulkar: Maybe my hair are greyer now! So Ya I think plenty has changed since then, the cricket itself has changed, the way the whole team is managed has changed, the pre match preparations have changed, the post match recovery has changed All these things have changed in the last 15 years, 15 years is a long time and it'll continue to change.

NDTV: What about you personally? I would imagine with time things do slow down, body slows down physically it gets a little more challenging, so how do you really make up? You just seem to be growing from strength to strength.

Sachin Tendulkar: It's a challenge which you just have to take it in the stride, and work harder. I've enjoyed my game, it's but natural that when you're a 20-21 year old, your body is different and when you are 37, your body is different. But it's a challenge that I really enjoy..

NDTV: You managed to fool us really well there Really.

Sachin Tendulkar: And it has been wonderful working hard. I'd like to thank all my team mates for having supported me and also the support staff.. .our coach Garry, he has really really worked hard. He has thrown millions and millions of balls at us in the nets, and that's what keeps us going and it allows us to be in good space, good frame of mind and I spoke earlier of pre match preparations it has really helped.

NDTV: Sachin the last time we spoke to you, you spoke about how it would be a dream to play the World Cup that seems a very real possibility now since its only 4-5 months away.

Sachin Tendulkar: Yes, the World Cup is round the corner we are 5-6 months away from the Cup, the tournament. I would want to be in top condition to play the tournament and not only me but the whole team will do everything possible to make sure we are in the right frame of mind and top condition to play.

NDTV: And how do you see India's chances? They're doing wonderfully number one test team , how do you see it going into the World Cup, the way the team is shaping up?

Sachin Tendulkar: Well I don't want to put any pressure on the team mates or rather on myself, just take it in the stride and as I said earlier. Prepare to the best of your ability and before the tournament, one should not feel that no we weren't well prepared enough to participate in the tournament. So, that is what our first goal will be to make sure that the preparations are there to the fullest.

NDTV: Sachin, besides the on field action, it's all the off field controversies that have been dominating cricket this year also we saw the unfortunate episodes with fixing, etc. You're perhaps cricket's biggest playing ambassador at the moment, how do you suggest it be handled because the temptation is enormous for the youngsters?

Sachin Tendulkar: I'm not an expert to give advice on this but the simple fact is I take lot of pride in playing for India. I should be able to sleep well at night and wake up the next morning and feel proud of the fact that I've been able to this for the last 20 years -21 years and for me it's simple, I'll continue to do that. I know I'm on the right track I need not worry about anything else and as an individual I can say that I'll continue to do whatever I've done for the past 21 years and it is as simple as that for me.

NDTV: That is all that we really ask of you Sachin On a lighter note and our final question really What is Arjun going to say when he sees the awards, he always keeps advising you "Papa should do this." So, what'll he say when he sees that piece of metal and these two awards really?

Sachin Tendulkar: Well I'm sure he'll be thrilled, I don't know if he's watching this program or not but he had his birthday on the 24th of last month and my daughter's birthday, Sarah will be on 12th of October so this is for both of them It is a wonderful gift to give!

NDTV: Thank you Sachin

Sachin Tendulkar: Thankyou

Sachin: I’ll continue to play as long as I'm enjoying

Sachin Tendulkar will play his 170th Test at Mohali on Friday, 01 Oct 2010 but even after over 20 years in international cricket the senior India batsman says he never takes anything for granted and his success is a reflection of his constant hard work.

“There are ups and downs when you complete a circle of life, its not always about being on the top and in life there are ups and downs but it’s important to complete that circle and that’s what has happened in my career,” Sachin said.

Tendulkar said there are no short cuts to success.

“I don’t want to take anything for granted. I have worked hard over the years to be part of the Indian team. The key thing is to continue to work hard and try and get better each day of the life and make sure that you enjoy every moment and that’s what I try to do,” he said.

Asked how old was he when he started playing cricket, Tendulkar said, “I don’t want to talk about that, but as long as I am enjoying, it’s wonderful to be here (I will continue to play).”

Asked about the five-Test match series that used to be played earlier, Tendulkar said, “I think given the current schedule, it’s going to be difficult to accommodate that… it will take a mega effort to organise it (such a series).”

“It requires a different temperament altogether. Sometimes you start the series brilliantly, but don’t end up that well. Sometimes, you start badly, but end up becoming man of the series. It’s a great learning curve,” he said.

Tendulkar holds most batting records under his belt and is on the verge of reaching 14,000 runs in Test cricket. Closely following him is Australian skipper Ricky Ponting with 12,026 runs but Tendulkar said he doesn’t want to talk about records.

“I don’t like to talk about records, let others talk about it. I will keep scoring runs.”

Tendulkar unhappy with idea of fresh player auction in IPL

Rules stipulate that only four players can be retained, and not for nothing is Sachin Tendulkar bristling. Tendulkar rarely reacts strongly but the issue of the new IPL auction, it seems, is a sore point.

"That part (about player retention) is quite difficult (to accept)," were his opening remarks on the subject in Durban on Sunday night. "We have really worked hard to build this team and have got together brilliantly. In the third year (they finished runners-up) we held a couple of camps, which had nothing to do with cricket. "It was just to know each other well," said a by-now emotional Mumbai Indians skipper.

"We just got together, played table tennis, (did some) swimming and (indulged) in other sports. It was just about getting together and building team spirit," added Tendulkar. "Right from the management and the owners, Mr and Mrs Ambani, they have all put in a lot of effort along with the players and then you realize that the team has to change. It's tough to accept that."

What he said next could set the BCCI and the IPL governing council thinking. "I feel it is about building teams, not breaking teams," thundered the usually reticent Tendulkar, without exactly raising his voice at any point. On earlier occasions too, Tendulkar has spoken out against the upcoming IPL auction and he was one of the first to have pleaded for player retention.

"I don't know, it's not my job to figure what's right or wrong but I feel if a player is happy to play for a particular team, it's good he stays with that team," was Tendulkar's reply when asked if he was happy with the retention formula announced sometime earlier by the IPL, wherein a team can retain a maximum of four players, not more than three being Indian and all subject to a player's consent. "There's some sort of identity with that team. We have a huge following now (something obvious in South Africa where they have been supported more than the home teams) and it's also an attachment with a particular team," he said.

Of course, not everyone feels or thinks like him and Rahul Dravid holds a different view. He had spoken on the issue a few days earlier and said: "One has to understand that two more teams are entering the IPL, and the beauty of the IPL is that it's very competitive, anyone can win."

I care about playing quality cricket: Tendulkar

He has been playing cricket for over 20 years now, but Sachin Tendulkar says he remains as passionate about the game as he was in his initial days in the sport.

"I always wanted to go out and compete hard," the Mumbai Indians skipper told ESPN-Star ahead of the Champions League Twenty20 match against Highveld Lions in Johannesburg.

"Playing for Mumbai has always meant something special for me and playing for India also has been extremely special. It was a dream and I am living that dream...and when Mumbai and India are combined together it becomes Mumbai Indians," he added.

Talking about the disappointment of losing the IPL final to Chennai Super Kings after being almost unbeatable in the league stages, Tendulkar said, "You know, I was determined like every other time I was determined. My preparations were exactly the same.

"Sometimes you score runs sometimes you don't but I can assure you the efforts put in was always the same," he added.

Cricket should head in the right direction: Tendulkar

Senior India batsman Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday said that people bringing disgrace to the game makes him sad as it leaves a bad impression on cricket, which should always head in the right direction.

"Yes. It doesn't leave a good impression about cricket and cricketers. It is something one would like to erase and make sure cricket heads in the right direction so that it helps cricket to grow across the globe," Tendulkar said.

World Cricket has recently being marred by a spot-fixing scandal after a British tabloid exposed a fixer predicting no-balls bowled by Pakistani bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir for taking cash on camera.

In an interview to a TV channel on the occasion of 'joy of giving', Tendulkar said his father has always been the most influential figure in his life.

"My biggest influence has been my father. He has left a huge impact on my life. As a child I learnt a lot just by observing him. The culture and values of my family have made me what I am," he said.

Tendulkar said the 1999 cricket World Cup, when his father Ramesh Tendulkar died, was the most difficult phase of his life but it was the strength of his family that helped him to ride over that emotional crisis.

"It was the most difficult moment of my life. I come back from England midway through the World Cup. But my mom, wife, brother, everybody told me that my father would have wanted me to go back and play and so I did," Tendulkar said.

Asked about his retirement plans, Tendulkar said he has not thought of it yet.

"I have not thought about it. There are no retirement plans, I will tell you when I decide," he said.

Tendulkar said cricket has always been the centrestage of his life right from the childhood days as he had always dreamt of playing for India.

"Right from school days, I had the love and passion for the game. Playing for India was the ultimate dream. Whatever happened in my life happened around cricket. It has always been at the centrestage. Cricket helped me to grow," he said.

Asked about how his mentor Ramakant Achrekar, who used to place a coin on his stumps while coaching, Tendulkar said those coins are as good as gold medals for him.

"Those coins are gold medals for me. It was a huge challenge for me to survive when he used to make me bat after playing the whole day. He used to play coins on stumps and I had to survive with around 40-50 fielders around.

"Any one caught the ball and I was out, so I had to play carefully. At that time I was feeling tired but today when I look back I realise how those things made me what I am," he said.

I am living my dream: Tendulkar

Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar said he was still receiving congratulatory messages for becoming first batsman in the history of One-day cricket to score a double hundred and he was enjoying the good time.

"It has taken many years for a batsman to get a double-hundred (in ODIs). I am still getting great feedback. It feels terrific," he said on the sidelines of a function here.

Asked when his fans would get to see a triple century from him in Test cricket, the master blaster said, "whenever it comes. It will be never late, I don't make big statements."

"I wanted to play cricket whole-heartedly for the country. I am living my dream and have played with two-three generations. I wanted to be a special member of the team and I have done it," he added.

Sir Don Bradman remains the best cricketer, says Sachin

Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar said statements elevating him to the top of the world’s all-time cricket greats was a bit off the mark.

In a press conference in Mumbai, Sachin said that despite his achievements, Sir Don Bradman remains the best batsman in the annals of world cricket.

Among those who paid him compliments was former England captain Nasir Hussain, who was quoted to have said that Sachin was greater than Bradman.

Sachin said he disagreed.

“Even though the records in test cricket and one day matches stands in my name, still I cannot definitely be compared with the great Sir Don Bradman,” he said.

“The period during the time when Sir Bradman batted against world famous bowlers at that time was different and indeed very remarkable. No doubt he was a great cricketer. In present time test and one day matches are played in large numbers and therefore runs are being scored in plenty. During the time of Sir Bradman, the frequency of test matches was limited, and hence the records he created in those times, were bigger than mine,” he added.

Because of Sachin's latest feat, State Chief Minister Ashok Chavan recommended that the federal government confers the country’s highest civilian Bharat Ratna award on him. The proposal was seconded by Shiv Sena working president Uddhav Thackeray.

But to Sachin, it's still too early to rest on his laurels.

“I am aware that Bharat Ratna is the nation’s highest civilian award. It’s everyone’s desire to bag this award. Therefore it's but natural that I too feel the same way. But at the moment I would like to concentrate fully on cricket only,” he said.

Sachin Tendulkar says record ODI score is 'breakable'

India batsman Sachin Tendulkar believes his record score of 200 not out in a one-day international is beatable.

Tendulkar, 36, became the first player to hit a double century in a 50-over international in India's victory over South Africa in Gwalior on Wednesday.

"No record is unbreakable. But I would be happy if an Indian breaks my record," he said.

"I do not play for records. I enjoy my cricket and I play with passion. I have done this for 20 years."

Pakistan's Saeed Anwar and Zimbabwe's Charles Coventry held the previous record of the highest individual score in an ODI with 194 before Tendulkar's innings.

The Indian legend reached 200 in the final over of his side's innings and he achieved it off 147 balls.

"I knew I would get my chance in the over," said Tendulkar. "I will remember this innings. But I will not compare it with my other efforts."

He added: "I do not play for records. I enjoy my cricket and I play with passion. I have done this for 20 years.

"I thought about the 200 mark for the first time when I was probably 175-plus and only 42 overs had been bowled.

"I felt I had a chance, but I didn't think of it seriously until I got really close. Only then I thought there was an opportunity to be had."

Tendulkar holds the record for most runs in ODI's and Tests and is planning to continue revelling in the kind of form which helped him reach his 200 landmark.

"I'm enjoying my cricket and I'm playing the way I want to play," he said.

"I've done whatever I thought was best for the team.

"I have made a few bad decisions as a batsman, but I think as long as I know in my heart that what I think is right for the team, I'm going to do just that."

Tendulkar hails best ever India: Teamwork key to India's success says legendary batsman

Sachin Tendulkar insists he is playing in the best India side ever after their rise to the top of the world rankings.

The legendary batsman's claim comes after Sunday's victory over Sri Lanka which saw India clinch the three-Test series and dislodge South Africa at the summit of the International Cricket Council's rankings.

The Mumbai result sees Tendulkar's side leap two places into top spot and the 36-year-old believes the current crop of players are the best India has produced of his 20 years in international cricket.

"It's been a long wait and I'm extremely delighted," Tendulkar said on ending the year as the ICC's world number one team. "I would not hesitate to say that this is the best team I have ever played with.

"If you look at the batting line-up, right from the number one batsman to the number seven batsman which is Mahendra Singh Dhoni spot, it's a solid line-up."


Teamwork

Bowling coach Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh were relieved of their duties in October this year which left the team without their services for the Test series against Sri Lanka.

But Tendulkar was keen to praise the duo, along with the other backroom staff for their role on India's success.

He added: "I think the process of getting to the number one spot really started when Gary Kirsten and Paddy Upton took over along with Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh.

"The aim of the whole team then was to get to be the top in the world.

"All credit to Kirsten, he handled the team brilliantly and credit also to the other players who have been a part of this team over the last 18-20 months.

"They have all worked very hard and have been very focused."



Retirement?

Virender Sehwag, who set up India's victory with a blistering knock of 293, was named man of the match and man of the series and he, too, paid tribute to India's all-round team effort.

"This is a very good team and it's a team effort which has got us to the top," he said.

"I'm very lucky to be a part of this team and I hope we stay at the number one spot for a long time to come."

Meanwhile, Tendulkar insists he is not thinking about retiring from the game with the all-time leading run scorer maintaining his appetite for the sport has yet to diminish.

He added: "I've enjoyed playing the game and although a lot of people have been asking me about retirement, I haven't thought about it at all.

"I will continue to play as long as I enjoy the game."

I am not playing cricket to prove anything: Sachin

Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday said he is not playing cricket to prove anything to anybody but because of the sheer love of the game and he is still enjoying the game.

"I have not started playing cricket to prove anything to anybody and I don't think even Rahul (Dravid) or any other does that. We started playing because of the love of the game and while doing that at times we perform and at times we don't," Tendulkar said.

"People say you should do this and that but the important thing is the enjoyment and your contribution to the team. It need not be about big runs or wickets, even making a small contribution to the team it matters. It's all about contribution and satisfaction," he added.

Tendulkar, who holds the record of scoring most runs in both Tests (12,773) and ODIs (16,684), said for him it's not about statistic but enjoyment and satisfaction.

There's a long way to go: Sachin Tendulkar

They might have made a resounding start to their IPL campaign with a convincing win over last year's runners-up Chennai Super Kings, but Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar is not ready to take things for granted and wants to build on the good start.

Tendulkar, who scored an unbeaten 59 to script his team's victory in the opening match of the second edition of the Twenty20 extravaganza, said, "The start is good but it is still a long way to go. I won't take anything for granted."

Tendulkar, who was adjudged Man of the Match, said the initial overs were difficult for batting and lavished praise on Sanath Jayasuriya and Abhishek Nayar for adjusting well.

"When I lost the toss, I realised there was a dampness in the wicket. The first 6-7 overs were difficult and later on Abhishek Nayar came and played a terrific innings and my job basically was to just be there and play till the end and guys on the other end played their strokes," he said.

On being asked what could be a decent total on the South African wickets, Tendulkar said anything around 150 would make a good fight.

"Looking at about 145-150 would be a decent total. Don't look at 180 plus but if you can get into 150-160 then it could be a good total," he said.

Hadlee compliment a pleasant surprise: Sachin

Rated the greatest batsman ever by legendary all-rounder Richard Hadlee, star Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar said the accolade was a pleasant surprise for him, coming from a player of such unquestionable credentials. Hadlee recently rated Tendulkar even higher than Don Bradman, considering the Indian's staggering success in both the long and short formats of the game.

Tendulkar said it was a rare honour, especially coming from Hadlee, one of the greatest all-rounders to have played the game ever. "Nobody has ever said like that before. I am happy and satisfied," an elated Tendulkar said. "This comes as a pleasant surprise and it comes from a personality whose credentials cannot be questioned. I am happy that I played with him on my first tour to New Zealand in 1989," the Indian told a website. Hadlee had earlier pointed to Tendulkar's mind-boggling achievements while rating him the greatest batsman ever.
"Sir Donald Bradman has been regarded as the greatest player ever. He played just Test cricket. He hasn't played any other forms of the game. Clearly that is understandable. "But to see Sachin and other players actually adjust to different forms of the game and different conditions all around the world, even though the average is fractionally more than half of the Don's is in itself incredible. You got to respect it," Hadlee had said.

Tendulkar recalled his first encounter with the star Kiwi player and said, "I also cherish that memory. I still remember one moment after the Napier Test. He was giving an interview in a television in which I found he made his debut in 1973. I was born in the same year, which means when he made his debut in Tests, I was just born. Yet I got the opportunity to play against him." Even the ongoing tour, in which India won the ODI series and is on the verge of clinching the Test rubber as well, has been memorable for him, said Tendulkar. "This is really a memorable tour for me. We won the series and got an excellent accolade from Sir Richard Hadlee," he added. Tendulkar had no doubt that the squad under Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a "special" side which was winning regularly abroad. "No doubt, it's a special team.
The most important factor of the team is that we are winning matches regularly in foreign countries", he said. "Previously we won only at home. Now we have started winning in Australia, West Indies, England, South Africa, Pakistan, almost in every country", Tendulkar said. "We did not win a Test series in New Zealand in the last 41 years and the whole team had one ambition before coming here. We are happy that we are going back as winners," he said. Asked if this would be his most memorable win, Tendulkar said, "Not really. But I am enjoying every moment of it. One gets special pleasure for anything he would get for the first time.

I would be able to say proudly for the next generation that I was also a part of a team which won a Test in New Zealand."