Sachin Tendulkar – Soul that inspired a generation of young people

We know it’s always been country first for Sachin Tendulkar, yet his gesture of pointing to the Indian flag on reaching his 100th international hundred brought tears to my eyes.

I still can't come to terms with the enormity of the impact of Sachin Tendulkar's decision to bid farewell to One-Day Internationals (ODIs). It had to come some day, but never thought it would end in the way it did. One-day cricket has to grapple with an irreplaceable void. I wonder what will attract fans to the ground now when there will be no divine straight drives or effortless back-foot punches anymore. For me, ODIs are over.

That’s surprising, because my generation has grown up inspired by ODI cricket only. T20s arrived only recently. And Tendulkar was the soul of that inspiration. Everything from our stance, to the MRF sticker we pasted on the Rs 40 bat, to the follow through of our drive and the light-weight pads had his presence. As teenagers, we would watch in awe his strokes during that unbelievable 1998 season against the world's best team and try to emulate the same in local gully matches. It was an inspiration watching him battle the Desert Storm in Sharjah, when he blitzed to 98 at Centurion or the manner in which he destroyed Dale Steyn and Company to score 200. Those memories are vivid because they bought a smile on the faces of his countrymen – young and old alike; an unadulterated smile that is becoming a rarity in our lives.

We were lucky to be born in the Sachin Tendulkar Era. Lucky to have seen someone wield the willow as Sachin Tendulkar did. Lucky to have seen a sportsman as supremely talented Sachin Tendulkar is. Proud that the coming generation would only be able to read and hear a first-hand account from us of the man who was worshiped as God. I know they won't believe us when we would tell our kids that life for people from all of walks of life – in a nation of a billion strong – stood still when Sachin Tendulkar took guard.

I know the kids would dismiss some of our memories and say it’s impossible as cricket is just a game. But then, instead of arguing, we would know you had to be born in the Sachin Tendulkar Era to appreciate the fact that when the maestro was at the crease cricket, for the billions in India, was more than a game. The nation found solace while he was fighting those battles on the field, alone and mostly wounded, but never defeated.

My heart aches to think that we would not have those butterflies in the belly anymore when he steps out to open the innings, when he faces the first few balls, our hands clasped in silent prayer. It’s all over.

Thanks for the awesome memories, Sachin.

Sachin Tendulkar is best batsman I have seen in my life, says Pakistan's Hanif Muhammad

Pakistan batting great, Hanif Muhammad today rated Sachin Tendulkar better than the legendary Australian Sir Donald Bradman and described him as the best batsman he has seen in my life.

"I am one of those fortune people who have seen Bradman and Tendulkar bat in my lifetime and in my opinion Tendulkar is the best batsman I have seen in my life," Hanif said today.

Hanif, who had earned the sobriquet of "little master" like Tendulkar for his batting feats in the 50s and 60s, said he had not seen a better player than Tendulkar.

"I am very sad to hear that Tendulkar has decided to retire from One-day cricket. I hope he continues to play Test matches. Because to my mind he could have played on even in ODIs for another two years," Hanif said.

"He remains to my mind still the best player in the world. I have never seen a more complete player than Tendulkar and I have always been a great admirer of his batting," Hanif said.

The former Pakistan captain is due to leave for India as a goodwill ambassador for the Pakistan cricket Board during the current one-day series.

"If possible I will definitely like to meet Tendulkar and have a chat with him in India. It has been a great experience watching him bat all these years," he added.

Overall the Pakistan cricket community has paid rich tributes to Tendulkar but also expressed surprise at the timing of his retirement from ODIs.

"It is a bit surprising considering he was always such a fierce competitor against us and wanted to do well against us. His last two innings against us have been half centuries. I would have thought he would chosen this series as his farewell ODI series," former captain, Wasim Bari said.

The 22 yards seemed to belong to Tendulkar: Ganguly

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who forged a terrific opening combination with Sachin Tendulkar in ODIs, spoke to The Telegraph from Calcutta on Sunday evening.

Sourav quit international cricket in November 2008.

Has Sachin’s decision surprised you? Did he get the timing right?

A I think it’s fine as far as the timing goes... I’m not surprised as Sachin hardly played ODIs after the 2011 World Cup... Now, he’s got people off his back, for many had been telling him to quit.

What would you have done in Sachin’s place?

Look, every individual deals with situations differently. Nobody plays for records... You play because you’re passionate about the game and it’s the passion that counts.

Should Sachin have quit ODIs after the 2011 World Cup?

But there’s more to cricket than playing for a World Cup... There’s more to life than wanting to be a member of a World Cup-winning team. It’s not about looking from one World Cup to the next.

What made Sachin such a destructive batsman, particularly in ODIs?

Moving up as an opener is the best thing to have happened to Sachin... He had the maximum overs and made the most of his boundary-hitting abilities... He paced his innings very well... That he’s technically so correct helped in making him so destructive.

It was Sachin’s idea to open, on the 1994 tour of New Zealand, when Navjot Sidhu had an injury...

(Laughs) Interesting... So, Sidhu’s made quite a few careers!

Which of Sachin’s innings come to mind instantly?

Lots... Sachin’s innings in Sharjah (April 1998)... The 143 and 134 against Australia... Then, his 99 and 93 in Belfast, versus South Africa, in 2007... Those were on wickets which did everything. I know, for I was at the other end. In between, how can one forget the way Sachin batted in the 2003 World Cup? He was brilliant.

There was a period when Sachin took batting in limited overs cricket to quite another level...

He did, yes, but in Test cricket too. The 22 yards seemed to belong to Sachin.

The two of you had 26 century partnerships in ODIs, which remains a record. What went into the making of such a successful pair?

One, that it was a left-right combination... We understood each other well and one could anticipate what the other would do... Both of us could hit boundaries almost at will... That we could play in all conditions also made us successful.

Did the two of you only talk cricket during the mid-pitch ‘conferences’?

(Laughs) Largely cricket... Who was bowling well, if one of us needed to change our approach... The situation we were in.

What was it like watching Sachin from the other end?

Would be fun... If he was going great guns, I’d curb my instincts... If we had 300-plus to chase, then both of us had to go for it. We didn’t have a choice then.

Sachin hasn’t spelt it out, but it’s assumed he’s available for Test cricket. Your take?

Doesn’t surprise me. Sachin will surely continue playing Test cricket, but can’t be for long. Only Sachin can decide when to call it a day... He should go when he wants to... Left to me, I’d quit all formats at the same time.

Have you spoken to Sachin in recent days?

Not a lengthy conversation.

What will you tell Sachin if you do get to talk to him in the near future?

Enjoy this break!

The final one... As a nation, do we treat our heroes the way they should be treated?

We don’t, we should treat them better.

Sachin Tendulkar retires from ODIs

One of the game's all-time greats, Sachin Tendulkar, on Sunday announced his retirement from one-day cricket, bringing to an end a glorious 23-year-old career in the format during which he rewrote numerous batting records.

"I have decided to retire from the One-Day format of the game. I feel blessed to have fulfilled the dream of being part of a World Cup wining Indian team. The preparatory process to defend the World Cup in 2015 should begin early and in right earnest," the 39-year-old said in a statement released by the BCCI today.

"I would like to wish the team all the very best for the future. I am eternally grateful to all my well wishers for their unconditional support and love over the years," he added.

Tendulkar, considered the most complete batsman in modern cricket and one who was considered next only to the legendary Sir Donald Bradman, retires from the ODI format at the top of the run-getters' list.

Tendulkar goes out after amassing 18,426 runs in 463 one-dayers at an average of 44.83. The diminutive right-hander has an astonishing 49 hundreds in the format, including a double hundred -- the first in this form of the game.

Tendulkar made his ODI debut against Pakistan way back in 1989 and interestingly he is quitting the scene just ahead of another series against the arch-rivals.

The Mumbaikar, who made himself unavailable for Twenty20 after playing just one game in 2006, will now remain active in only the Test arena.

The brightest moment of his ODI career came last year when he finally became part of a World Cup winning Indian team after five previous appearances.

Only Sachin Tendulkar can decide when to retire - Sir Viv Richards

India's record run scorer has struggled in the series against England, failing to reach double figures four times, prompting suggestions he should retire.

"Nobody is qualified enough to tell him when they think he should go," Richards told BBC Radio Shropshire.

Tendulkar is the highest-scoring batsman of all time and holds the records for the most centuries in both Tests and one-day internationals. Earlier this year, one month short of his 39th birthday, he became the first player to score 100 international centuries .
In October, Tendulkar admitted for the first time he was considering retirement, saying he would decide his future on a "series-by-series" basis.

And Richards believes a player of his achievements should be able to continue as long as he wants.
"When you're retired, you're retired for a very, very long time," said Richards.
"It's like being dead to some degree, so while you're alive and still up for it and still enjoying what you're doing, to me that's what it's all about."

Richards says he understands why Tendulkar might want to play on, recalling his own decision to retire, three years after returning to county cricket with Glamorgan in 1990.
"I wanted to go out with a bang," said Richards, who helped Glamorgan win the Sunday League in 1993 and has fond memories of his swansong.

"To have gone to Glamorgan at that time and to have helped to generate that spirit about what collective competition is all about and having success at the very end of it, it was a proper send-off."

Wrong to speculate on Sachin Tendulkar's future: MS Dhoni

As calls for Sachin Tendulkar's retirement got stronger, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Wednesday that it was wrong to speculate on the batting maestro's future.

"When it comes to Sachin, I feel the best thing to do is not to speculate. He has proved everybody wrong throughout his career. But I am not Sachin Tendulkar, maybe when he comes for press conference you will have to ask him," Dhoni said on the eve of the fourth and the final Test here against England.

As India gear up to prevent a series defeat, Dhoni said Tendulkar's presence in the dressing room in such a situation means a lot to the team.

"He's the best man to have in the side in a game like this. The kind of experience he has and the kind of performances he has come up with over the years... he is someone we all look up to," Dhoni said.