Never got five 'lives' in one innings: Sachin

Sachin Tendulkar was honest in admitting that never in his 21-year career has he got reprieve as many as five times in one innings.

"Five lives! God has been kind to me. It is not something which has happened to me earlier," Tendulkar said during a post match interview.

About the upcoming final against Sri Lanka, Tendulkar said, "Hopefully, we will put our best performance in all three departments. Sri Lanka are a great team. They play well and know the conditions well. It will be a wonderful occasion to play the final in Mumbai. All we would like is to remain calm and focussed and get the job done."
For someone who has been a member of the side that has won all its five World Cup matches against Pakistan, the legendary batsman was quick to admit that it would be a "memory that he would always cherish."

Someone who has always put the team before individual performance, Tendulkar lavished praise on young Suresh Raina whose unbeaten 36 provided necessary impetus during the death overs.

"Raina played a special knock. When we started batting, I felt that 310-315 was par-score. But as the spinners came on the ball was stopping and coming. Then I thought that 265-270 will be a good score to defend," Tendulkar stated.
For him Virender Sehwag's blitzkrieg at the onset gave him and others that extra bit of time to check out on how to proceed with the innings.

"Viru got us off to a flier but then we needed to assess the situation. It was a difficult wicket to bat on and we needed to put up a good score. Full credit to our bowlers as they put up a fabulous show."

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.

Learn from Tendulkar: Akram tells Pak openers

Former captain Wasim Akram has called on the Pakistani openers to seek inspiration and learn from the exploits of Indian senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar.

Wasim, who is in Sri Lanka commentating on the World Cup matches, also expressed his frustration over Pakistan's performance against Zimbabwe on Monday.

The former fast bowler called on openers, Muhammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shahzad to learn the art of batting and building an innings from Tendulkar.

The two openers have failed to provide a single decent start to the Pakistan team in five matches of the World Cup and Wasim felt both needed to rethink their approach to batting.

"They should learn from Tendulkar, look at him he is 38 plus and yet he is still going strong. He just plays normal cricket in the first ten overs and does not gift his wicket," Akram said.

"Tendulkar is a role model for many others and the Pakistani openers should learn from him how to build an innings and how to tackle dicey conditions. Look at Shahzad he is immensely talented but the moment the ball does a little movement he either starts shuffling across the line or moving in his crease and is gifting his wicket. Hafeez is also getting out constantly shuffling across," he explained.

Wasim said the Pakistani openers need to learn from Tendulkar that even in one-day cricket one needs to build an innings.

"Even if you have scored 50 odds runs in the first 12 or 15 overs and have wickets in hand you are in a good position. And Pakistan's strength is that if they have wickets in hand they can go for quick runs in the final overs," he said.

He pointed out that Tendulkar was still going strong as he stuck to the basics well and didn't try anything extraordinary.

Tendulkar scores record fifth World Cup hundred

Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday reached another milestone as he became the highest century-maker in World Cup history by scoring his fifth hundred in the prestigious event.

The 37-year-old Tendulkar reached the landmark during the group B clash against England when he glanced burly paceman Tim Bresnan for a boundary towards the fine leg region in the first ball of the 35th over. It was his 47th ODI century and his 98th overall.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, current Australia captain Ricky Ponting and his former teammate Mark Waugh have all scored four World Cup hundreds.

With Ganguly and Waugh retired, it is only Ponting who has a chance to match or surpass Tendulkar.

Tendulkar scored 120 runs from 115 balls and the knock was adorned with five sixes and 10 fours.

Tendulkar, playing his sixth World Cup, also holds the records for most runs and most half-centuries in the flagship event of the ICC.

He has accumulated 1944 runs in 38 matches and has scored 13 fifties so far, followed by Ponting with 1577 runs in 41 matches.

Unplugging the genius called Sachin

So much has been written about Sachin Tendulkar the cricketer and Sachin Tendulkar the human being that it’s almost impossible to come up with a novel venture.

Distinguished sportswriter Suresh Menon has found a way out, putting together a series of essays on the Little Master -- the editor himself has penned one of them -- by distinguished sportswriters and two of his former skippers.

‘Sachin -- Genius Unplugged’, a work of art and passion, was launched in the City on Wednesday afternoon, Rahul Dravid releasing the first copy and handing it over to Anil Kumble. It was in the fitness of things that the two Karnataka gentlemen, who have both played under and led Tendulkar, should be so initimately involved, not only because both have eulogised the Mumbaikar in print but also because each of them has played more than 100 Tests alongside Tendulkar.

“I haven’t had the time to read this book fully, but the wide range of writers who have contributed is a reflection of the respect Suresh has among his writing colleagues,” Dravid remarked.

“It is not easy to write about Sachin, about whom so much is already written. I am sure this book will inspire a lot of youngsters, especially young cricketers.”

Including Menon and the two former Indian skippers, 16 writers have given expression to their impressions of the 37-year-old, among them Bishan Singh Bedi, Sanjay Manjrekar, Peter Roebuck and Mike Marqusee of ‘War Minus The Shooting’ fame, with the foreword coming from Muttiah Muralitharan.

“I was fortunate to be at Old Trafford when Sachin scored his first Test century,” Kumble said of his great mate, with whom he has a wonderful relationship based on mutual respect and admiration. “Superstition is rife in cricket. I was on the dressing room balcony and Kiran More told me, `Sachin is batting well, so you better keep standing’. I stood all the while, getting a small break for tea, and I stood all along till he scored his century and the match was saved!

“I was a bit envious of Sachin -- he would just roll his arm over and bowl a perfect leg-break or a googly while I was struggling to turn the ball! It was an honour to play alongside Sachin for more than 100 Tests. For 21 years, he has played with the same passion and intensity because he still enjoys the game. That’s a good lesson for youngsters.”

Priced at Rs 599, the book will hit retail stores on February 14.