Sachin never treated the game as source of income: Ranatunga

The glamour and glitz of Twenty20 has had its adverse affect on Test cricket and only someone of Sachin Tendulkar's stature can help restore the waning popularity of the traditional form of the game, feels former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga.

The Lankan captain lavished praise on Sachin for not treating the game as a source of income.

"Sachin is an iconic figure. We need cricketers like him to save Test cricket. As long as Sachin is playing, I am sure Test cricket is safe," Rantunga said from Colombo while congratulating the champion batsman on his 50th Test century.

"He has been playing for more than 20 years now. I think he is a rare cricketer who does not consider cricket as a source of income. This is the secret of his longevity and phenomenal success as well," the cricketer turned politician said.

The skipper of the 1996 World cup winning Lankan team also believes that some of the greatest attributes of Sachin like dedication, commitment and passion for the game is lacking in cricketers of modern era.

"Sachin has sacrificed a lot to reach the pinnacle. He has sacrificed playing T20 international cricket which is all about money and glamour.

"I have not seen Sir Don playing but Sachin is the best batman in modern era. It is not fair to compare two legends of different generation. Bradman was the best in his era and Sachin is the best in his era," said Ranatunga.

Rantunga also dismissed criticism that Sachin hasn't been a match-winner or a finisher of the game.

"I don't endorse these kind of media generated arguments. This man has scored so many runs, centuries and has played several crucial knocks. What else do you expect from him?" said the burly former Lankan captain.

He feels that it was privilege to compete with Sachin for more than a decade.

"Sachin is very humble. A real gentleman. He is very down to earth despite his stupendous achievements. I consider myself fortunate that I have played enough cricket against him," said Ranatunga who had retired after the 1999 World Cup.

Ranatunga feels that it's entirely upto Sachin as to how long he wants to continue playing.

"It is upto him as to how long he wants to play. As far as I am concerned, we are fortunate that we can watch him bat. Once he retires, the cricket fraternity will need him even more as he will remain the biggest ambassador of the game," Ranatunga concluded.

This ton is for my dad: Tendulkar

The mind went back to the 1999 World Cup in England. Sachin Tendulkar had to rush back to India after losing his father midway through the event. Tendulkar stayed in Mumbai for two days, then returned to England to do duty for the country and promptly score a century, against Kenya. Upon reaching three figures, Tendulkar looked heavenwards, stood still for a moment before acknowledging the cheers from the fans. He later said that he was looking upwards, hoping his father would have seen him do well and would be proud of his son.

On Sunday, as India celebrated his 50th Test century, Tendulkar again remembered his father. "Yesterday (Saturday) was my father's birthday. I dedicate this century to him. The first thing I thought of after reaching the hundred was my father."

Tendulkar, who thanked his fans for their 'fabulous' support over the years, said he was happy that the landmark is done with. Was he under any pressure because of the huge expectation? "You guys only created it," Tendulkar said pointing at the media, at the post-match PC. "You built the foundation on which I constructed my innings today."

Tendulkar was not sure how he should react when asked about his feelings. "Can't say how I'm feeling. I'm happy... Can't really express how I'm feeling."

But when a local journalist asked him if records meant a lot to him, Tendulkar reacted sharply. "I play for the love of the game. I have often requested for time out from cricket so that I can come back refreshed and fit. The Board has given me the rest. If I was after records, I won't ask for rest."

While reiterating that the toss played a crucial role in the Test, Tendulkar said that it could not be an excuse for the team. "The conditions were different on different days but we've to take that." He stressed that a good showing in the second innings was essential for India. "We needed to send a strong message that we're here to fight and I think we've done that."

What about his prolific batting in 2010 in which he has seven centuries in 13 Tests? Tendulkar's simple explanation was, "I've been playing well, been enjoying my batting. And in the last couple of years, I've been moving well."

Tendulkar also spoke to his fans back home in Hindi and Marathi before letting the TV cameras swarm all over him. Tough job, this man has. On the field, and off it.

Tendulkar Hits 50th Test Ton

He made his test debut as a 16-year-old in 1989, so Sachin Tendulkar has 21 years in international cricket to reflect on. This year has been one of his best.

Tendulkar, now 37, capped 2010 with an unprecedented 50th career test century for India on day four of the first test against South Africa on Sunday. He now has 11 more centuries and over 2,000 more runs than his nearest rival.

With a record 175 tests and more than two decades at the crease, he should be slowing down or winding up. Not the little master.

Mr. Tendulkar began this year by making 200 in a one-day international, also against South Africa, the only time a batsman has achieved the feat.

He became the first man to 13,000 and then 14,000 test runs. He already has over 3,000 more ODI runs than anyone else.

In 2010, he passed Steve Waugh's 168 test appearances to become the most capped player ever. And he won the International Cricket Council's player of the year award. Now he's scored test century No. 50.

The appetite for runs, and success, hasn't been sated.

"Every innings I want to go out and score runs," Mr. Tendulkar said after Sunday's century. "There has never been a match when I've said, "If I get out early, it's OK." I've never thought like that. So it's extremely important to have that hunger and it's the hunger that keeps one going.

"I'm glad that it's still there."

So is India.

Mr. Tendulkar has been a key part of its recent rise to the top of the test rankings. He is the world's most worshipped cricketer, the biggest sporting star in India, and the game's most successful batsman.

His post-match news conference on Sunday was carried live on TV back in India. Indian reporters said the 50th hundred was what the entire nation was waiting for, what all Indians were hoping for.

They weren't exaggerating.

Mr. Tendulkar has carried the expectations of a country of cricket fans for the best part of two decades. It hasn't appeared to affect his run-making, and certainly didn't in 2010.

In tests, he has powered to seven centuries this year, two of them double hundreds, for the second-highest return in a calendar year after Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf's nine 100s in 2006. Mr. Tendulkar still has one test to play this year.

"I've just been batting, and enjoying my batting," he said. "Sometimes you are striking the ball really well and that is the time you need to cash in as much as possible. I've tried to do that.

"Every time I go out, the country needs me .. it's never, If I don't score it doesn't matter."

None can come anywhere close to Sachin's record: Richards

Sachin Tendulkar's career longevity and his remarkable achievements make him a class apart, according to the legendary Sir Vivian Richards who reckons that the Indian maestro has set benchmarks that no other contemporary cricketer can come anywhere close to.

Richards said Tendulkar has survived for so long in international cricket because of his "amazing dedication" and it was only a matter of time when he scripts history by becoming the first cricketer to score 50 Test centuries.

"He can certainly achieve that (scoring 50 Test centuries). I think the way the games are going at present, it would be very difficult for anyone to break that record. He is way ahead of others," Richards said in an interview here today.

Richards, one of the most destructive batsman of his era, said only Australian captain Ricky Ponting had a slim chance of coming anywhere near Tendulkar's records among contemporary cricketers.

"I can't see any individual, the closest guy who would come to that may be Ricky (Ponting). But the way things are going on in Australia, they are calling for his head, so I don't know really know how long he will be around. He is the only individual I think who could be close to Sachin's record. But I think it would be hard to surpass," he said.

The West Indian batting great attributed Tendulkar's longevity to the way he has conducted himself right through his career and his discipline among other things.

"Tendulkar is 37, still going great. It's all about how you have conducted yourself. I guess there were times when it looked pretty doubtful with injuries, starting with the back, would have most certainly affected his career but it's due to persistence, dedication, discipline and confidence that you survive for so long," he explained.

Mumbai Indians retain Tendulkar, Harbhajan, Pollard and Malinga

Mumbai Indians have informed the BCCI-owned Indian Premier League that they were retaining four players Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, West Indian Kieron Pollard and Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga for the next two seasons.

"Mumbai Indians have confirmed that we are retaining two players - Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh - among Indians and two foreign players - Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga," a MI spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The MI official also claimed that the franchisees have the option of retaining more than one foreigner in their squad as per the decision of the IPL governing council on retention of players.

A media release issued by the BCCI over player retention after the meeting of the IPL GC on September 5 stated: "Up to including four players per franchise may be signed for retention of which only up to three shall be Indian players. The Player must have been included in the franchise's registered squad for the 2010 season.

"The franchise and player must mutually agree to be retained and the player fee to be paid by the franchise to the player for the 2011 and 2012 Seasons."

As a result of MI's decision to retain all four players as permitted, the franchise will have only $4.5 million at their disposal for buying the remaining members for 2011 and 2012 at next month's player auction as its salary cap has been halved.

The player contract will be for a period of two years plus one year right of extension by franchise, as per the decision of the IPL's governing council.

Tendulkar is today's Bradman, says Brian Lara

The comparisons between Sachin Tendulkar and Don Bradman started almost as soon as the Indian batting genius hit the field as a precocious teenager.

Yet, as long as Brian Lara was on the field, there was always a nagging doubt, whether the great West Indian was somehow better. The tongues had really started wagging when Sachin suffered the tennis elbow injury and some had the temerity to question whether he deserved to retain his place in Team India.

However, now we are getting the news from the horse's mouth himself - Lara has said that Sachin is the Bradman of today.

While Lara may have bowed out from any comparisons involving himself he did however, put them (Sachin and Bradman) in different categories -to keep the fans guessing!

Saluting the longevity of Sachin Tendulkar, West Indies great Brian Lara has described the Indian batting legend as the 'Don Bradman' of modern era but refused to compare the icons of different eras.

There's lot more than my 50th Test ton: Sachin

The entire world is waiting with bated breath in anticipation of his coveted 50th Test ton but Sachin Tendulkar feels that in his illustrious career spanning over 21 years, there is lot more to talk about the game than a particular milestone.

"There is much more to Test cricket than my 50th Test ton. This is not the only thing. I always focus on playing well for my country and presently I am focusing on winning the series against the New Zealand," Sachin said on the penultimate day of the second cricket Test against New Zealand here.

"I don't open the newspapers (to see what's written about me). I don't read them and you can see them hanging at the stand outside my hotel room. I focus on my game only. Last 21 years have been really special for me and I throughly enjoyed my joyful journey," said Tendulkar, who managed to score 13 runs in the first innings.

On Harbhajan Singh's fairytale run with the bat in the ongoing three-Test series against the Kiwis, where the feisty off-spinner became the first number eight batsman in Test cricket to slam back-to-back centuries in a match, the maestro said, "I have always maintained that Harbhajan can score century and it was long due."

"When he scored his first century in Test cricket at Ahmedabad, I told him what took you so long to score a hundred. You have the gifted power as when you hit the ball, it covers a long distance. He is good with the bat," said the iconic batsman, who has 46 ODI hundreds to his name.

Harbhajan slammed unbeaten 111 and was involved in a record 105-run partnership for the 10th wicket with S Sreesanth to help the hosts take a first innings lead of 122 runs here at the Rajiv Gandhi international stadium.

In the first Test at Ahmadabad, the 'Turbanator' scored his maiden century and a fifty.

Tendulkar said, on the fifth and final day on Tuesday, India would look to get New Zealand's remaining six wickets as early as possible.

"Today, towards the end, we needed couple of New Zealand's wickets to develop pressure on them before the final day tomorrow. We managed to get one (Jesse Ryder) but another wicket would have been good. Nevertheless, we are in a good situation. There will be some pressure on the visitors tomorrow specially in the morning session.

"Our focus would be to get remaining six New Zealand wickets as early as possible before we start our chase. We had a crucial partnership between Harbhajan and Sreesanth which helped us a lot," said Tendulkar.

Tendulkar, the highest run-getter in both Test and ODI cricket, also praised New Zealand's fighting abilities and said they are performing like a unit.

"They have really played well. At the international level, you expect competition from the opponent and they are competing like a unit."

When asked about the Test opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, Tendulkar said, "both are world class players and performed consistently with the bat."

"They have on many occasions made things easier for middle-order. Everybody is chipping in and doing their bit whether it's the batsmen or bowlers," he said.

Tendulkar also praised chief coach Gary Kirsten,who has proved to be a great man-manager and motivator and whose calmness in the dressing room has worked wonders for the team.

"I am enjoying my time with Gary. His practice sessions are just fabulous as he gives you plenty of balls to play during nets. He has great amount of impact on the team," said the ICC cricketer of the year.

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 stupendous run inspires me: Ponting

Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting is inspired by the way Sachin Tendulkar is playing late in his career, and said he hopes to get better with age like the 'little master'.

Ponting said the thought of retirement has not crossed his mind but it would depend a lot on how he fares in the upcoming Ashes series and World Cup early next year.

"Even at my age we can find ways to improve and I think Sachin has been a great example of that," Ponting was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.

"I think he made nine international hundreds in the last year at 37 years of age, so hopefully I can do something similar in the coming years."

"If I play well through the Ashes and well through the World Cup, then I will continue to play."

Sachin is a batting professor, says Kirsten

Sachin Tendulkar has not missed out an opportunity to shower praise on Team India coach Gary Kirsten, who became India's next foreign coach after the departure of Australian Greg Chappell.

Now, it's Kirsten's turn to use the praise brush. I think he (Tendulkar) is a professor in his batting. He has got incredible knowledge about his own batting and basically uses me as a sounding board.

After 21 years of playing the game he still wants to learn about his batting and still feels he needs someone to bounce ideas off. It has been a real privilege to have had that opportunity. I absolutely love it.

Every now and again we have had lengthy conversations about his batting, and other times we have had very little. It does vary according to how he is feeling about his batting.

One great example for young batsmen around the world I use is: Tendulkar studies the whole book for the exam. He does not leave anything to chance.

He will never finish a net session till he has made sure he has done everything that he feels is required to get him ready for the next match.

Sometimes it is 300 balls, other times it is 1500 balls, in the week leading up to the match. He has to leave the net feeling comfortable.

Young cricketers, are you all listening?

Tendulkar greatest batsman of all time: Zaheer Abbas

Pakistan's famous Test batsman Zaheer Abbas rates Sachin Tendulkar higher than Don Bradman and believes that the Indian master is the greatest batsman of all time.

"People keep calling him the greatest," said Zaheer referring to Bradman, the Aussie legend. "I never saw him (Bradman) bat but I know, somehow, that he couldn't have been better than Tendulkar. This boy has certainly gone a step ahead of the Don," Zaheer said.

"Tendulkar is so good and so lucky to be born at just the right time. It's a great combination."

Zaheer believes that Pakistan's erratic batsmen should learn a thing or two from Tendulkar.

"Just look at that guy; I mean he has been playing for 21 years, has scored thousands of runs, dozens of centuries but is still as hungry for more as a debutant. It's such an inspiring sight to see him go out there and still bat like he batted as a teenager. Our batsmen should learn from him," he said.

Tendulkar wins Cricketer of the Year award: Sahara Awards

Capping a splendid season in which he scored the first-ever double century in ODIs and crossed 14,000 runs in Test cricket, iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar was on Saturday named the Indian Cricketer of the Year at the second Sahara India Sports Awards function here.

37-year-old Tendulkar, who was earlier named the ICC Cricketer of the Year for his superb show in both Tests and ODIs, beat back the challenge of India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina to be given the honour by the eminent 14-member jury headed by another cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar.

Tendulkar scored 1,064 runs, from August, 2009, to September, 2010, in 10 Tests with six centuries and three fifties. In 17 ODIs, he scored 914 runs with three hundreds, including a world record 200 not out against South Africa at Gwalior on February 24 this year and two fifties during the period under consideration.

"This is the first time I am getting the opportunity to congratulate all sportspersons who have made the country proud. So, congratulations to all of you. I also thank all my colleagues. Without you, this award would not have been possible", the batting maestro said while receiving the award.

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 honoured at Asian Awards

Awards and accolades continue to follow Sachin Tendulkar who added the ‘Lebara People’s Choice’ honour at the inaugural Asian Awards to his trophy cabinet.

Presenting the award to the iconic batsman, Ratheesan Yoganathan, CEO Lebara, said, “Tendulkar is one of the greatest cricketers of all time. Sachin is a hero and a role model to many young Indians.”

“His skill on the pitch is remarkable, but his influence goes beyond just cricket — he has become an inspiration for future generations,” he added.

Tendulkar said getting popular choice awards is the ultimate honour. “To receive an accolade from your peers is one thing, but to receive acknowledgment from the public is the ultimate honour. Thank you to all those who voted for me,” he said.

Sachin still gets nervous before a match: Anjali Tendulkar

Whenever cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has a big match coming up, there are two scenes that gets played out, almost like a routine, at the Tendulkar household — a tense Sachin the night before the match, and a tense wife Anjali on the day of the match.

“He (Sachin) still gets tense before every match after so many years, he won’t eat properly, and gets up early in the morning on the day of the match. I think he performs best that way. It is a kind of a process, so I never try to console or relax him before a match,” says the reclusive Anjali Tendulkar

When the whole nation is agog as Sachin enters the crease, Anjali says that she’s busy switching off her cell phone. “When Sachin is batting, I just switch off entirely. There are no phone calls for me or leaving the television set. I even try not to take food breaks or water breaks as long as possible,” adds Anjali. But why before the television set? Isn’t she supposed to be in the stadium? “I prefer not to watch him live. Television is better,” she says, indicating the huge pressure that builds up inside her head.

Anjali admits that Sachin is very particular about his practice that he think twice about stepping out for it even on a hot Mumbai afternoon. “When I ask him as to why he’s going for practice in the heat, he says, ‘I have a match to play and I need to practice at this time’.”

Anjali reveals that Sachin is foodie too, but indulges in it once in a while. Anjali admits candidly that she’s not a great cook. “He is a foodie. But I’m not that great a cook like his mom, my mom and our cook. They are allfabulous, so there’s no complains about that. He indulges himself once in a while (on food), but always makes sure to work out the next day,” she adds.

British media urges Wayne Rooney to learn from Tendulkar

The British media has lavished praise on iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar and according to a column written by former England cricketer Ed Smith, Manchester United star Wayne Rooney should learn how to turn expectations into inspiration.

In an article headlined 'Sanctuary of crease lets Tendulkar reveal genius,' Smith had written, "Twice last week, sportsmen have proved me spectacularly wrong. First, Sachin Tendulkar reached 14,000 Test-match runs. And that's not the amazing part.


"It took him fewer innings to get from 13,000 to 14,000 than any other 1,000-run chunk of his career. A case could be made that he is at his best now, at 37," the newspaper noted.

The article said Tendulkar and Rooney were destined for rare greatness, even from teenage. Tendulkar has gone on and done it.

A year ago, Rooney looked placed to do the same. But now, as never before, there are real doubts that he will become the player we once assumed he would be.

"Make no mistake, Tendulkar's career has not been as serene as it might look, there have been arguments with coaches and match referees, an unsatisfactory spell as captain and long phases when the muse has deserted him.

"Tendulkar has had countless moments when frustration could have overwhelmed him. He has never blown his top, never lost his dignity. Instead,frustration has inpired him."

"Above all, his career has been played out under the shadow of phenomenal expectation. Footballers in England have to deal with being heroes. In India it is even worse: they are meant to be Gods."

"According to the report 'Tendulkar has come to the conclusion that there is one place where he is free from the hassles of fame. There is one realm where he cannot be pestered. It is called the crease.

"With the bat in his hands, Tendulkar is the conductor of his own life, not just a participant in a soap opera. There, out in the middle, no one can stop him being himself - not a restless media, not overly demanding fans, not intering coaches or greedy agents."

"It is the ultimate irony: the greatest actors are never freer than when they're on the stage. That is the way for Rooney to find the way out of his present difficulties - he must have the bravery to express himself on the pitch, to make it his sanctuary."

"If he allows himself to become embittered and resentful, he will not only become estranged from his fans, but also from his talent. No wonder the ball is bouncing off him at the moment; he probably would like to repel the whole game.

"Instead, he must learn to love it again. Shamed by alleged events off the pitch and embarrassed by events on it, Rooney could be forgiven for feeling sorry for himself," the report said.

"It would be a normal thing to feel. But he doesn't aspire to normality, but to greatness. And greatness, as Tendulkar has showed demands a superhuman degree of resilience and emotional dexterity. Rooney must locate his inner Tendulkar, a genius who got even with his critics by scoring hundreds."

"For Rooney, in every sense, it's time to turn the pressure into goals."

Anjali Tendulkar expresses happiness over Sachin's double century against Australia

Anjali Tendulkar, wife of master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, expressed happiness over Sachin's phenomenal performance in 2-0 series win over Australia.

India defeated Australia by seven wickets to sweep the two-match Test series 2-0 and consolidate their world number one status in the International Cricket Council (ICC) test rankings.

Master-blaster Tendulkar was awarded the Man-of the-match and Man-of-the-Series trophies for the test series. He scored 214 in the first innings and 53 in the second innings in the Bangalore Test match.

Speaking on the occasion of a book release here on Wednesday, Anjali said that like any other countrymen she was equally thrilled to see India beating Australia 2-0 in the test series.

"Obviously, like any other Indian I am thrilled. I know for Sachin, winning is very important but beating Australia in India, that too by 2-0 is a very important thing. I am thrilled for him and for the whole India," said Anjali.

She further added that the 53 runs scored by Sachin in the second innings of the match was also crucial.

"I am always excited. Whatever Sachin does, I am very excited. If he makes a double century I am all the more excited and if it is against Australia I am very excited. For me whatever he does I am very happy. Today, according to me his 53 was also very important, so I feel equally happy with that as long as we win," said Anjali.

Tendulkar claims top spot in ICC Test ratings

Sachin Tendulkar has surged to the top spot in the ICC Test rankings for batsmen, for the first time since 2002. Tendulkar’s heroics in the Test series against Australia earned him 82 rating points, taking him to 891, 17 clear of Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara in the second spot. Virender Sehwag, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Mahela Jayawardene completed the top five.

This is the tenth time Tendulkar has become the top-ranked Test batsman in the world, and the first since the new ratings system came into place. He held the position for the first time in 1994, ahead of consistent runs at the top in the late 90s and early 2000s. His ascension comes close on the heels of his inning the ICC Cricketer of the Year award. Tendulkar has enjoyed a windfall 2010, topping the run charts with 1270 runs, inclusive of four centuries and two double-hundreds. With India set to play three Tests against New Zealand at home and three Tests in South Africa in the immediate future, Tendulkar has the opportunity to better his career-best rating of 898 and become the 26th batsman to cross the 900-point mark.


List of dates when Sachin Tendulkar claimed top spot:

01. Nov 18, 1994 (34 & 85 v WI in Mumbai)

02. Mar 6, 1998 (4 & 155 v Aus in Chennai)

03. Oct 15, 1998 (By default, above Steve Waugh)

04. Dec 26, 1998 (47 &113 v NZ in Wellington)

05. Jan 28, 1998 (0 & 136 v Pak in Chennai)

06. May 18, 2000 (By default, above Brian Lara)

07. Feb 21, 2002 (176 v Zimbabwe in Nagpur)

08. Aug 22, 2002 (193 v England in Leeds)

09. Oct 13, 2010 (212 & 53* v Aus in Bangalore)

It was a great team effort: Tendulkar

After playing the role of a sheet-anchor in India's 2-0 whitewash of Australia, Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday said the fabulous Test series win was the result of a great team effort.

India beat Australia in the Mohali Test by one wicket and registered a comprehensive seven-wicket win today to complete their first ever series whitewash of Australia.

Tendulkar was adjudged both Man-of-the-Match and Man-of-the-Series for scoring 403 runs, highest in the series.

"It was a fantastic series. I would like to congratulate the whole team. (VVS) Laxman helped us win the first Test at Mohali with Ishant Sharma. And in this match, Murali Vijay, Pragyan Ojha, Harbhajan and S Sreesanth put up great efforts.

It was a great team effort," Tendulkar said after India's win.

Asked if his side had doubts chasing 207 for a win on the last day, Tendulkar said youngsters played well under trying situations and singled out Pujara for special praise.

"It was going to be difficult. Chasing a 200-plus on a track where the ball is going up and down, it was tough.

Cheteshwar Pujara showed a lot of character. His partnership with Murali Vijay was crucial. The team was determined," he said.

Pujara made a fluent 72 on debut and shared two crucial partnerships with Vijay and Tendulkar in India's comfortable win.

Tendulkar is in red-hot form these days as runs continue to flow from his bat, but he was not interested in speaking much about that and prefers that his bat does all the talking.

"I don't like to count, I am just happy to score. Let others count. There are still some niggle but you forget once you cross the rope. Generally working hard. The trainers are keeping me fit," he said.

Sachin Tendulkar's records during his 171st Test Match

- Became the first batsman, when on 27, to surpass 14, 000 runs in Test cricket in what was his 171st match.

- His 49th Test century, scored a day earlier, was also his 11th against Australia. That put him second on the all time list behind Jack Hobbs. It was also his first century at the Chinnaswamy in 12 years -- after his 177 against Australia in 1998.

- When on 116, he also completed 3000 Test runs against Australia, thereby becoming only the third batsman -- after Hobbs (3636) and David Gower (3269) to achieve the feat.

- When he went past 150 for the 20th time in Tests, he surpassed Brian Lara's record of 19 150-plus scores. It was also his sixth score of 150-plus against Australia, going past Wally Hammond and Lara who have five each.

- In scoring his sixth double, he joined Virender Sehwag as the Indians with the most double hundreds in Tests.

- Amidst all these, Tendulkar also became the highest scorer at the M Chinnaswamy stadium -- with 772 runs in eight Tests.

- And he remains the batsman with most runs in 2010 -- 1217 runs in nine Tests

Tendulkar better than ever

Sachin Tendulkar has been in awesome form in 2010, and the journey from 13,000 to 14,000 runs has taken him the fewest number of innings

Sachin Tendulkar is getting older, and his skills are getting better and better. At the ripe age of 37 years and 169 days, Tendulkar has become the first batsman to get to 14,000 Test runs. Even better than the fact that he got there was the manner in which he raced from 13,000 to 14,000. If the question were asked, "Is Tendulkar playing the best he ever has?", the answer could well be, "Yes, he is."

Tendulkar reached 13,000 early this year, against Bangladesh in Chittagong. At the end of that match, he had 13,091 runs; since then, he has required only 12 more innings to crack the 14,000 mark, averaging more than 84 during this period, which is the highest he has ever averaged to get from one 1000-run mark to the next. Twelve innings is the least he has needed ever, and he has scored an amazing four hundreds and three fifties - including a 98 in the previous Test - during this period.

Tendulkar's career in 1000-run intervals

Runs	Innings	Average	50s	100s
1,000	29	39.96	4	4
2,000	16	72.61	6	3
3,000	23	50.66	5	3
4,000	19	56.61	3	4
5,000	16	59.60	2	4
6,000	18	69.06	4	4
7,000	16	75.21	4	4
8,000	17	57.18	4	3
9,000	26	54.82	5	3
10,000	16	62.46	4	2
11,000	28	38.07	3	3
12,000	24	46.19	2	6
13,000	19	65.87	4	5
14,000	12	84.18	3	4

The year 2010 has been a spectacular one for Tendulkar. He has already passed 1000 runs for the year for a record sixth time (Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting and Mathew Hayden have done it five times), and given India's calendar for the rest of the year, he has a chance to go much further. After this Test in Bangalore, India have five more coming up before the end of the year - three at home against New Zealand, and two in South Africa. That should give Tendulkar ample opportunity to make 2010 his most prolific one ever - the highest he has scored in a year so far is 1392 in 16 Tests in 2002. He played 26 innings that year, averaged 55.68 and scored four hundreds. In 14 innings in 2010, he has already scored five hundreds and averages 87.25. At this rate, he is certainly within reach of the record for most hundreds in a calendar year - Mohammad Yousuf's nine in 2006 - though the record for most runs - Yousuf's 1788 the same year - might be a bit of a stretch.

Tendulkar's awesome run over the last four years has just increased the distance between him and Ponting in the race for the highest all-time run-getter. At the end of 2006, Tendulkar, with an aggregate of 10,590 runs, was 1267 ahead of Ponting's 9323. More importantly, Ponting seemed to have all the momentum - he averaged 88.86 in 2006 and scored seven centuries from ten matches, while Tendulkar averaged 24.27, with no centuries in eight Tests. In that year alone, Ponting scored 1066 runs more than Tendulkar. Since then, though, it's been all Tendulkar, and the gap between him and Ponting has increased to 1839.

Sachin Tendulkar completes 14,000 runs in Test cricket

Having been the first one to reach quite a few landmarks, the legendary Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday became the first person in the history of Test cricket to complete 14,000 runs. Tendulkar cut off-spinner Nathan Hauritz's delivery through coverpoint to hit a boundary and accomplished the feat.

It was the fourth delivery of the 27th over of the Indian innings.

Incidentally, it was during Australia's last tour of India, Sachin crossed Brian Lara's record of most number of runs in Test cricket.

Tendulkar best cricketer in world: Ganguly

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Saturday said Sachin Tendulkar is the best cricketer in the world.

Having played together for years till he retired from international cricket, Ganguly said: "I haven't seen Sir Donald Bradman playing, but I have seen Sachin. To me, he himself is a milestone, and the best cricketer in the world."

The Bengal ace said Tendulkar, who has been bestowed with the the ICC Cricketer of the Year, is the role model for many.

"He is 37 now and is still going strong. He has proved that performance is the last word in cricket," Ganguly said.

The Big Three of Indian cricket - Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman - are difficult to replace.

"After they retire, the gap can be filled in. But it would be difficult to replace them. These players are a class apart," he said.

No award can scale Sachin's greatness: Kapil

India's only World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev on Thursday said no award could actually determine the greatness of Sachin Tendulkar, who has been named as the ICC Cricketer of the Year.

Reacting to the batting maestro's winning his first ICC award on Wednesday, the legendary all-rounder said: "He doesn't require any award. Sachin is so great that no award can measure him."

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

Tendulkar named cricketer of the year

Veteran batsman Sachin Tendulkar has won the ICC's prestigious cricketer of the year award for the first time, reflecting the Indian's continued assault on the record books.

The 37-year-old became the first man to score 200 in a one-day international, in February against South Africa, and has extended his record of Test runs and centuries to 13,973 and 48.

He headed off teammate Virender Sehwag, South Africa batsman Hashim Amla and England spinner Graeme Swann to claim the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy -- his first International Cricket Council award of any type -- along with the People's Choice prize.

"I'm really excited to have won two awards, and this last season for the entire team has been really special," he said at the ceremony in the Indian city of Bangalore on Wednesday.

"To win both of these awards tonight is special, and it's the game's way of appreciating someone's performance. It feels great to have two trophies in front of me and I am feeling very proud and happy."

In the period the award covers, Tendulkar scored 1,064 runs at an average of 81.84 in 10 Tests and 914 runs in 17 ODIs at 65.28.

He has risen to third in the Test rankings, his highest position since 2002, following scores of 98 and 38 in Tuesday's one-wicket win over Australia in the opening match in Mohali.

Tendulkar is the first Indian to win the award since Rahul Dravid in 2004, while opening batsman Sehwag was named Test player of the year.

India's ranking as No. 1 Test side in the world was reflected by the presence of Sehwag, Tendulkar and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the ICC team of the year, which also features Amla, Swann, South Africa's Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn, Australia's Simon Katich and Doug Bollinger, England's James Anderson and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara.

Tendulkar was also named in the one-day team of the year, which includes ODI award winner AB de Villiers of South Africa, Dhoni and five Australians: captain Ricky Ponting, Bollinger, Ryan Harris, Mike Hussey and Shane Watson. English all-rounders Paul Collingwood and Stuart Broad were also selected along with New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori.

Brendon McCullum won the Twenty20 performance of the year for his 116 not out off 56 balls against Australia in February, while his New Zealand team took the Spirit of Cricket award for the second year in a row.

Young England fast bowler Steve Finn won the emerging player award, with the tall 21-year-old having taken 21 wickets in six Tests in the qualifying period.

Shelley Nitschke became the second Australian to win the women's cricketer of the year award, following Karen Rolton in 2006, while Aleem Dar of the Emirates retained his umpire of the year prize.

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.”

Ponting should look to Tendulkar - Taylor

Ricky Ponting should seek inspiration from Sachin Tendulkar's batting renaissance, according to the former captain of Australia, Mark Taylor. Tendulkar and Ponting are the two leading run scorers in Test history and they will be key men in the upcoming two-Test series in India.

But whereas Tendulkar, 37, has shone over the past year with six Test hundreds and an average of 81.84, it hasn't been as easy for Ponting, 35, who has scored one century and averaged 40.05. Taylor, who endured a memorable lean period during his final years of Test cricket, said life would not get any easier for Ponting.

"He is not getting any better," Taylor told DNA. "He may no longer be the batsman he was in his late 20s but he is still a very good batsman. Honestly, Ponting's best is behind him but he is still capable of scoring big hundreds."

Ponting's form is not unlike that of Tendulkar during 2006 and 2007; during those years Tendulkar averaged 41.72 with two centuries in 17 Tests. Taylor said he was impressed by Tendulkar's return to form, which has also included the first double-century in one-day internationals.

"I think Sachin has had a rebirth," Taylor said. "He is really batting at his best and that can be a sort of inspiration for Ponting. It might be difficult for him to overhaul Sachin's number of centuries because the Indian master is lengthening the gap between them.

"But Ponting has this job of rebuilding the Australian side. The current Australian side is very much his. Seniors like Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Matthew Hayden have all gone. It is a much younger side.

"I think Ponting's focus has moved a little bit away from his personal milestones. In that sense, Sachin is fortunate. He does not have to worry about captaincy. That is probably the reason why he is making hundreds."

"Ponting's is a young Australian side which plays very good cricket but is not consistent," he said. "I'm sure Ponting would be working on this area to reduce the number of bad sessions. They tend to lose five or six wickets in a session when they could do well by losing just two or three."

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).

ICC awards don't matter if you are Tendulkar: Yuvraj

Sachin Tendulkar's greatness cannot be measured by the number of awards he has won in his career, feels Yuvraj Singh.

Despite scaling almost every cricketing records, Tendulkar has never won any ICC award, but Yuvraj said, "It doesn't make any difference because he is Sachin Tendulkar".

"Whether he has won any ICC award or not it doesn't matter, because Sachin Tendulkar is Sachin Tendulkar, and there is no comparison," the dashing left-hander said.

The iconic batsman from Mumbai has been short-listed for the ICC Cricketer of the Year award and will be hoping to break the jinx on October 6 at the ICC awards night in Bangalore. Tendulkar is also in running for both the Test and ODI Player of the Year awards.

Asked about the series against the Aussies, Yuvraj said "like any India-Australia series it will be competitive again".

" India is the No. 1 Test team in the world and Australia is also not far behind. Both teams have players who have played a lot of competitive cricket, so it should be very competitive," Yuvraj said.

While the selection committee blamed Yuvraj's fitness and form for failing to find a berth in the Test squad, the Punjab batsman reiterated that he is "totally fit but there have been lots of issues over my fitness".

Sachin Tendulkar congratulates boxer Mary Kom

Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar has praised boxer Mary Kom after the Manipuri won the gold medal at the World Boxing Championships in Bridgetown.

"Got 2 knw abt Mary Kom's stupendous achievement when I got back frm South Africa. Simply amazing!All the more remarkable aft taking break n havin 2 kids"

Sachin said on micro-blogging site Twitter on Wednesday, 22 Sep 2010.

Mary Kom won her fifth successive World Championship title, after beating Steluta Duta of Romania 16-6 in the final of the 48kg category. The 27-year old, a mother-of-two has won a medal in each edition of the World Boxing Championship. Her first medal at the AIBA World Boxing Championships came in 2001. Then 18, Mary had to settle for silver after she was beaten in the final by Hullya Sahin of Turkey.

Nicknamed 'Magnificent Mary', the pint-sized pugilist has been winning laurels consistently for the country. She was given the Arjuna Award in 2004, and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2009. Mary Kom was also given the Padma Shri for excellence in Sports in 2006. She is now supported by the Olympic Gold Quest and her aim now is to win a medal at the London Olympics in 2012.

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."

We have to win the next two games convincingly: Tendulkar

DURBAN: The Mumbai Indians are not out of the Champions League T20, at least not yet, but they sure are down. It's not the results alone that tell the story, one look at skipper Sachin Tendulkar, addressing a rare post-match press conference on Tuesday night, and the agony was clear.

Put yourselves in Tendulkar's shoes. Here is one of the greatest ever cricketers that have graced the earth, captaining the richest (the two new IPL teams are yet to get going) cricket club in the world, owned by a man who in a few years from now is expected to become the richest person in the world and who flies in on match days in his private Boeing 737. And here he is, Tendulkar, not knowing what else he can do to get his side to win against provincial sides, one of whom has had even forced to part with its professional player ( Kieron Pollard).

It is not the money alone that is a factor, yes when you get paid exorbitant amounts you want to justify it with your performance - at least someone like Tendulkar thinks that way - but it is also about representing the cricket-mad city of Mumbai, the winner of as many as 39 Ranji Trophy titles.

Poor fielding combined with ordinary bowling was what did the Mumbai Indians in at Kingsmead on Tuesday and Tendulkar was offering no excuses. "Yes you do get upset at the full tosses and the fielding lapses but you also know that these things happen at times. It shouldn't but it does," said Tendulkar.

He was quite harsh at the catch he dropped himself, the first of at least four let offs by the team. "I thought I had it covered but then it got away. Again these things happen but we have to adjust accordingly," Tendulkar said.

He didn't use the cliché 'catches win matches' but did say: "It is always important to get breakthroughs for that is the only way to stop a side. But with both openers being dropped ( Michael Klinger and Daniel Harris), the breakthroughs didn't come. This nullified the fantastic bowling opening we were given (by Lasith Malinga and Zaheer who conceded just 27 from the first five overs).

Perhaps the dew played its part but it was a factor Tendulkar talked about only on being asked. "Yes, perhaps it didn't allow the bowlers to get the yorkers right as they would have liked, some resulting in full tosses but even then until the 18th over, we still had things in control. We have to win the next two games, win them convincingly and then see," Tendulkar explained.

Sachin a great motivator for all of us: Harbhajan

When it comes to taking inspiration, Sachin Tendulkar is the only name that comes to off-spinner Harbhajan Singh’s mind.

Harbhajan says he was amazed to see the deep passion with which Sachin still approaches the game even after 20 successful years in international cricket and considers himself lucky to have played under the leadership of the legendary batsman.

“Sachin, to me he’s not 37, he still looks 25. The way he bats, the way he runs around and the way he does all the work or whatever that is required to be there where he’s today and I think he is tremendous,” Harbhajan said.

“He’s god of not just Indian cricket, he’s god of (world) cricket and he’s just someone who’s always there for you.

Obviously it is great to have him as a leader of Mumbai Indians and he’s been a great motivator for all of us.

He has been a great role model for all of us,” he added.

Harbhajan also do not have any hesitation in admitting that Sachin played an important role in their final appearance in the third edition of the IPL earlier this year.

“I think he played a lot of good innings during the IPL III and if I have to pick one innings, it would be that knock against Rajasthan (Royals) in Jaipur. That was fantastic and set up the game for us in the last three overs,” Harbhajan told ESPN.

“I think he scored about 50 odd runs in the last three overs after we were just 110 in the 17th over. That’s where he changed the game. Scoring, I think 15-20 runs, in an over that was the best I have seen of him in IPL III, that was my favourite innings,” he added.

Harbhajan said that the Mumbai Indians players were gearing up to put their best foot forward in the Champions League T20 in South Africa.

“Our team is very excited about this competition in South Africa because this is a tournament in which we would like to play well. We are very happy that we have qualified for this tournament and we are up for it.

“I’m sure it is going to be very challenging and very tough out there but I’m sure we have got players who can play in any kind of condition and take on any kind of challenges. We are really up for and looking forward to this event to begin,” he said.