Thursday, March 31, 2011
sachin-tendulkar-the-master-who-was-born-to-bat.
There are two kinds of batsmen in the world. One, Sachin Tendulkar. Two, all other batsmen. - Andy Flower
If one were to ask what is Indian Cricket Team’s most prized possession, the answer would be unanimous – Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. But he is not just Indian team’s most prized possession. He’s also Cricket's most prized possession.
The man has been playing astounding cricket for the last two decades and is still nothing short of a blitzkrieg! He refuses to age or get less aggressive with time. Still a bowler’s worst nightmare (bowlers like Shane Warne and Glen McGrath stand in testimony to this); Sachin is also known for his sportsmanship and gentlemanliness.
He has emerged as a source of inspiration to crores of Indians exhorting them to rise above mediocrity and can single-handedly elevate the mood of the nation.
Can Sachin Tendulkar Walk on Water?
Not difficult to make his fans believe that Sachin can walk on water who might also probably believe that he has X-Ray vision and can stop trains. The man has been elevated to a Godly status in India and his worshippers can be found almost everywhere.Born in Mumbai to Ramesh Tendulkar, a novelist and Rajni Tendulkar, who worked in the insurance sector Tendulkar was soon identified as a cricket prodigy. It didn’t take him much time to embark on his cricketing journey and he became a mentee of Ramakant Achrekar in his early years. There’s an interesting incident from his kid-years: When he was young, Tendulkar would practice for hours on end in the nets. If he became exhausted, Achrekar would put a one-Rupee-coin on the top of the stumps, and the bowler who dismissed Tendulkar would get the coin.
Young Sachin got thirteen Re 1 coins from his coach and he considers them his most prized possession.
Young Sachin got thirteen Re 1 coins from his coach and he considers them his most prized possession.
Tendulkar started to make his presence felt as he touched teenage. He was being talked about in the Mumbai cricketing circles. Many started predicting that the boy would be the next big thing in cricket. There’s a legend which goes around that Sachin would make bowlers shed tears while he played for his school, as he would refuse to get out.
The world came to know about Sachin in 1989 when a 16-year old ‘genius-in-making’ put on his batting gloves for his first international test match.
Despite a humble start in his first two series (against Pakistan and New Zealand respectively) he hit first test ton against England in 1990 (119 not out) and then there was no looking back. The little genius now has a plethora of records in his kitty; some are the ones which other players can only dream of achieving.
Sachin, Lord Rama of the world of Cricket.
As Lord Rama is to his devotees, Sachin is so to his fans. He’s taken to be an embodiment of righteousness in cricket. Known for his high personal integrity and honesty, every time he ‘walks’, it becomes ‘A Walk to Remember’.
Even though it took him 70 ODIs to get his first century in the limited-overs edition of the game, Sachin is just a hundred short from making a ‘century of the centuries’ in the International cricket (tests and ODIs combined). Sachin’s most memorable ODI inning (which is also the most memorable inning in the history of ODI cricket) came against South Africa.
The master scored an unbeaten 200 on 147 off 147 balls and Indian went on to maul the Proteas by 153 runs. Sachin’s greatness touched new heights and so did his humility.
One can safely assume that Sachin is the greatest batsmen to have ever walked on this planet.
Over the course of time it has been Tendulkar's rare combination of mastery and bravado that has enchanted aficionados and crowds alike. One of the most striking aspects of the master is his hunger for more. He has achieved numerous milestones in his journey but every time he makes a record he starts focusing on reaching the next level.
The master batsman has had his share of rough form. Several injuries have dotted his career line. Critics committed the misdemeanour of wiritng him off. But he remained undeterred. Like a true gentleman he let his action speak louder than his words. The way he regains his form has gagged the critics on several occasions. One can only marvel how he continues to march on against all odds.
Critics and media have tried hard to find skeletons in his cupboard only to fail miserably. Tendulkar is a man of impeccable integrity and would always be one. Few can match his off-the-field stature, let alone his on-the-field stature. A mere request from him on Twitter could generate Rs 1 crore for the ‘Crusade Against Cancer’ foundation he is associated with. For his fans (the number runs into millions and they don’t give a damn about the critics and the media), he’s a demi-god, a colossal figure capable of pulling of miracles.
Sachin is known to live a cagey life due to the cult following he has attained. He is known to put on disguises to move about on streets, drive his cars in the dead of the night for the fear of a crowd following him like mad and take his family to Iceland for holidaying. As Peter Roebuck observes, “The runs, the majesty, the thrills, do not capture his achievement. Reflect upon his circumstances and then marvel at his feat. He is a person whose entire adult life has been lived in the eye of a storm."
There’s something singularly special in the master blaster. Beneath the helmet, under the disorderly curly hair, inside the skull, there’s something beyond our interpretation. There’s something which enables him to rise and shine above others and reach those territories of the sport that, forget us, even those fortunate enough to play on the same pitch as him cannot even fathom. The man is the embodiment of endurance and true grit.
We fail to fully decipher his recipe for success. We can’t figure out how a 37-year old cricketer stays at the top of the game for 20 years and continues to be a bowler's worst nightmare. All we know that he is a man who pulls off a jaw-dropping feat every now and then.
No ton of tons for Tendulkar against Pakistan
India's Sachin Tendulkar was made to wait for his 100th international hundred when, after being dropped four times, he was out for 85 against Pakistan in the World Cup semifinal on Wednesday.
The 'Little Master' - who has 51 Test centuries and 48 in one-day internationals - led a charmed life, seeing an lbw decision overturned in his favour when he was on 23 before poor Pakistan fielding saw him reprieved on 27, 45, 70 and 81.
He was finally out, caught by Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi off Saeed Ajmal in the 37th over.
Ajmal nearly had him out twice in successive balls for 23, seeing an lbw decision overturned on review before Kamran Akmal's stumping appeal failed to convince the third umpire.
Then, on 27, Tendulkar pulled leg-spinner Afridi hard to short mid-wicket only for Misbah-ul-Haq to drop the two-handed catch.
He was dropped again, on 45, when he mistimed a drive off Afridi and Younus Khan at mid-off, after juggling the ball, failed to hold a relatively straightforward chance.
The 37-year-old Tendulkar completed a 67-ball fifty when he struck Afridi through extra-cover for his eighth four.
He was given a third reprieve by Pakistan on 70 when Kamran Akmal failed to hold a tough chance after the ball deviated sharply following his edge off an Afridi leg-break.
And he was on 81 when a leaping Umar Akmal at short mid-wicket got both hands to a checked drive against off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez but could not cling on.
However, Afridi - who had vowed Tendulkar would not reach the landmark score in this match - ended his innings when he took a sharp catch at short extra-cover off a hard-hit drive against Ajmal.
Tendulkar faced 115 balls with 11 fours.
He was appearing in his 452nd ODI and has also played in 177 Tests since making his debut as a 16-year-old against Pakistan in Karachi in 1989.
This tournament represents Tendulkar's last realistic chance to win the World Cup - the only time India have lifted the trophy was back in 1983 when he was still a schoolboy.
He was finally out, caught by Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi off Saeed Ajmal in the 37th over.
Ajmal nearly had him out twice in successive balls for 23, seeing an lbw decision overturned on review before Kamran Akmal's stumping appeal failed to convince the third umpire.
Then, on 27, Tendulkar pulled leg-spinner Afridi hard to short mid-wicket only for Misbah-ul-Haq to drop the two-handed catch.
He was dropped again, on 45, when he mistimed a drive off Afridi and Younus Khan at mid-off, after juggling the ball, failed to hold a relatively straightforward chance.
The 37-year-old Tendulkar completed a 67-ball fifty when he struck Afridi through extra-cover for his eighth four.
He was given a third reprieve by Pakistan on 70 when Kamran Akmal failed to hold a tough chance after the ball deviated sharply following his edge off an Afridi leg-break.
And he was on 81 when a leaping Umar Akmal at short mid-wicket got both hands to a checked drive against off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez but could not cling on.
However, Afridi - who had vowed Tendulkar would not reach the landmark score in this match - ended his innings when he took a sharp catch at short extra-cover off a hard-hit drive against Ajmal.
Tendulkar faced 115 balls with 11 fours.
He was appearing in his 452nd ODI and has also played in 177 Tests since making his debut as a 16-year-old against Pakistan in Karachi in 1989.
This tournament represents Tendulkar's last realistic chance to win the World Cup - the only time India have lifted the trophy was back in 1983 when he was still a schoolboy.
Ind vs Pak: India beat Pakistan to reach World Cup final
MOHALI: India vanquished Pakistan to storm into the final of the World Cup in a high-voltage match watched by the Prime Ministers of the two countries and millions of passionate fans across the sub-continent.
The 29-run victory, which enabled India to maintain its unbeaten record against the arch-rivals in 36 years of World Cup history, was the result of some brilliant bowling and fielding show by the home side after its much-vaunted batting line-up had posted a modest 260/9 to which man-of-the match Sachin Tendulkar made a lucky 85-run contribution.
India now meet Sri Lanka in the final in Mumbai on Saturday in a bid to win the coveted Cup for the second time since it first stunned the cricketing world by beating West Indies in 1983 at the Lords.
Batting first after winning the toss, India was restricted to 260/9 largely due to brilliant bowling by fast medium bowler Wahab Riaz who took 5/46.
Given an even chance to overhaul this total, Pakistani batting crumbled before some brilliant bowling by three Indian seamers -- Ashish Nehra (2/33), Zaheer Khan (2/58) and Munaf Patel (2/40) as well as two spinners Harbhajan Singh (2/43) and Yuvraj Singh (2/57).
Pakistan were all out for 231 runs in 49.5 overs to leave India deserved winners before a boisterous crowd that included power personalities such as Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, union ministers, glamour from Bollywood besides Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani who were present when the final ball was bowled.
Zaheer Khan took the last wicket of Misbah-ul Haq to send a capacity crowd at the PCA stadium into a frenzy.
The jubilant Indian team members hugged each other and took the stumps as souvenirs and the support staff at the dressing room also broke into celebration to cherish the moment of triumph which brought hopes of India regaining the coveted trophy after a gap of 28 years.
Tendulkar turned out to be India's batting hero though he got as many as six 'lives' during his innings. However, he could not make the most of the Pakistani fielding lapses as he missed his 100th international ton.
Virender Sehwag (38) and Suresh Raina (36 not out) were the other notable scorers as many of the Indian batsmen got the starts but could not translate them into big knocks.
For Pakistan, pacer Wahab Riaz was the pick of the bowlers with a career best 5/46, eclipsing his previous best of 3/22 against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2008.
The Indians then came up with a disciplined bowling show and some brilliant fielding to choke the Pakistanis who got a good start but lost their way in the middle overs.
Misbah-ul Haq (56) Mohammad Hafeez (43), Asad Shafiq (30) and Umar Akmal (29) were the notable scorers.
The two Pakistani openers Mohammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal gave a decent start to the run chase and chose to attack pace spearhead Zaheer Khan who gave away 16 runs in his first two overs.
The openers put on 44 runs for the first wicket before Zaheer provided the breakthrough by scalping Akmal with a slower delivery. Kamran went for the cut and Yuvraj Singh held on to a smart catch at point.
Harbhajan Singh was introduced into the attack in the 11th over and the off-spinner immediately got some turn in his very first over. But, in the subsequent overs, he was able to make impression.
Hafeez (43), who was shaping for a long innings, got out to a horrendous shot to give India the second wicket and send the capacity crowd into a frenzy. He attempted a strange paddle sweep like stroke off Munaf Patel and edged the ball to Dhoni behind the stumps.
After Hafeez's dismissal, the run rate dropped down quite a bit as Younis Khan could not force the pace of scoring and that allowed the Indians to apply more pressure.
Yuvraj, who has been having a dream run with both the bat and ball in the tournament, then got into the act by evicting Asad Shafiq (30). Shafiq went for a cut but the ball skidded through to knock down his middle stump to leave the visitors at 103 for three.
Yuvraj then scalped the prized wicket of Younis (13 off 32 balls) with a good length ball inviting the batsman to drive. Younis could not time his shot properly and spooned a catch to Raina.
With the required run rate continuing to mount, Umar Akmal, who came to the crease after Younis' dismissal, went after Yuvraj clobbering him for a four and six in one over and later lifting him over the bowler's head for a mighty six.
Harbhajan cut short Akmal's belligerence in the very first ball after the drinks break by dislodging his stumps to pick up his first wicket. Munaf then accounted for Abdul Razzaq with a gem of a delivery to tilt the game in India's favour.
Earlier, electing to bat, the Indian innings began with a flourish as Virender Sehwag unleashed a flurry of strokes against the Pakistan pacers, picking up Umar Gul for special treatment by clobbering him for five boundaries in his second over.
The Delhi dasher slammed the third ball of the innings to the cover boundary to complete 1000 runs against Pakistan in his 29th match, thus becoming the fifth Indian batsman to achieve the milestone.
Sehwag's belligerence was shortlived as Wahab Riaz, who was introduced in place of Abdul Razzaq, struck in his very first over by trapping him leg before. His breezy 38 came off just 25 balls and contained nine boundaries.
Sehwag attempted to flick the ball to an incoming ball and was rapped on the pads. The Indians asked for a review of umpire Simon Taufel's decision and television replays showed that the ball would have indeed hit the middle stump.
After Sehwag's dismissal, Tendulkar took upon himself the responsibility of scoring the runs quickly and an exquisite glance of Gul to the fine leg region stood out.
Tendulkar then produced another stunning shot off Riaz as he crouched on one knee and played the square drive to the point boundary, in the process completing 400 runs in the World Cup for the third time.
With runs coming easily, Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi introduced spinner Saeed Ajmal in the ninth over of the contest and the off-spinner conceded just three runs.
There was a lot of drama in Ajmal's third over as Tendulkar survived two appeals of consecutive deliveries.
Umpire Ian Gould first upheld a leg before wicket appeal against Tendulkar who asked for a review. Television replays showed that the ball would have missed the leg stump and the decision was overturned.
The very next ball, the Pakistanis appealed for a stumping chance and again the verdict went in Tendulkar's favour, drawing thunderous cheers from the crowd.
A few minutes later, Tendulkar got a reprieve when he was on 28 as a diving Misbah-ul Haq dropped a catch at the mid-wicket region with Shahid Afridi being the unlucky bowler.
Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir put on 68 runs for the second wicket in 13 overs before Mohammad Hafeez stuck for his team by evicting the left-hander with a lovely flighted delivery.
Gambhir stepped out to drive the ball through the gap but was deceived by the flight and Kamran Akmal whipped off the bails in a flash to leave India on 116 for two.
The Pakistanis gave Tendulkar another 'life' when he was on 45 with Younis Khan dropping a catch at the extra cover region with Afridi being the unlucky bowler again.
Virat Kohli, who joined the action after Gambhir's departure, never looked comfortable in the middle and Wahab Riaz brought an end to his vigil soon. Kohli played a strange shot and offered a simple catch to Umar Akmal at backward point.
A hushed silence descended at the stadium when local boy Yuvraj Singh was dismissed for a first ball duck, leaving India in a spot of bother at 141/4.
Tendulkar and Dhoni then tried to steady the innings by curbing their strokeplay and playing cautiously. They were quite content to keep the scoreboard moving with gentle pushes and nudges while dispatching the loose deliveries to the boundary.
Tendulkar, who was having a charmed life, was dropped for the fourth time by Umar Akmal at wide midwicket as the champion batsman attempted to pull the ball. It was Hafeez who was the unfortunate bowler.
But in the very next over, the maestro finally ran out of luck with spinner Ajmal getting the prized scalp and captain Afridi holding the catch.
He went for a stinging drive but could not really time the ball well and Afridi, unlike his teammates, did not make a mistake at short extra cover. His knock of 85 came off 115 balls and was laced with 11 boundaries.
Dhoni, who was dropped by wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal on 24, could not capitalise on the reprieve as he became Riaz's fourth wicket, trapped leg before to a sharp incoming ball. Dhoni went for the referral but without any luck.
India now meet Sri Lanka in the final in Mumbai on Saturday in a bid to win the coveted Cup for the second time since it first stunned the cricketing world by beating West Indies in 1983 at the Lords.
Batting first after winning the toss, India was restricted to 260/9 largely due to brilliant bowling by fast medium bowler Wahab Riaz who took 5/46.
Given an even chance to overhaul this total, Pakistani batting crumbled before some brilliant bowling by three Indian seamers -- Ashish Nehra (2/33), Zaheer Khan (2/58) and Munaf Patel (2/40) as well as two spinners Harbhajan Singh (2/43) and Yuvraj Singh (2/57).
Pakistan were all out for 231 runs in 49.5 overs to leave India deserved winners before a boisterous crowd that included power personalities such as Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, union ministers, glamour from Bollywood besides Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani who were present when the final ball was bowled.
Zaheer Khan took the last wicket of Misbah-ul Haq to send a capacity crowd at the PCA stadium into a frenzy.
The jubilant Indian team members hugged each other and took the stumps as souvenirs and the support staff at the dressing room also broke into celebration to cherish the moment of triumph which brought hopes of India regaining the coveted trophy after a gap of 28 years.
Tendulkar turned out to be India's batting hero though he got as many as six 'lives' during his innings. However, he could not make the most of the Pakistani fielding lapses as he missed his 100th international ton.
Virender Sehwag (38) and Suresh Raina (36 not out) were the other notable scorers as many of the Indian batsmen got the starts but could not translate them into big knocks.
For Pakistan, pacer Wahab Riaz was the pick of the bowlers with a career best 5/46, eclipsing his previous best of 3/22 against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2008.
The Indians then came up with a disciplined bowling show and some brilliant fielding to choke the Pakistanis who got a good start but lost their way in the middle overs.
Misbah-ul Haq (56) Mohammad Hafeez (43), Asad Shafiq (30) and Umar Akmal (29) were the notable scorers.
The two Pakistani openers Mohammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal gave a decent start to the run chase and chose to attack pace spearhead Zaheer Khan who gave away 16 runs in his first two overs.
The openers put on 44 runs for the first wicket before Zaheer provided the breakthrough by scalping Akmal with a slower delivery. Kamran went for the cut and Yuvraj Singh held on to a smart catch at point.
Harbhajan Singh was introduced into the attack in the 11th over and the off-spinner immediately got some turn in his very first over. But, in the subsequent overs, he was able to make impression.
Hafeez (43), who was shaping for a long innings, got out to a horrendous shot to give India the second wicket and send the capacity crowd into a frenzy. He attempted a strange paddle sweep like stroke off Munaf Patel and edged the ball to Dhoni behind the stumps.
After Hafeez's dismissal, the run rate dropped down quite a bit as Younis Khan could not force the pace of scoring and that allowed the Indians to apply more pressure.
Yuvraj, who has been having a dream run with both the bat and ball in the tournament, then got into the act by evicting Asad Shafiq (30). Shafiq went for a cut but the ball skidded through to knock down his middle stump to leave the visitors at 103 for three.
Yuvraj then scalped the prized wicket of Younis (13 off 32 balls) with a good length ball inviting the batsman to drive. Younis could not time his shot properly and spooned a catch to Raina.
With the required run rate continuing to mount, Umar Akmal, who came to the crease after Younis' dismissal, went after Yuvraj clobbering him for a four and six in one over and later lifting him over the bowler's head for a mighty six.
Harbhajan cut short Akmal's belligerence in the very first ball after the drinks break by dislodging his stumps to pick up his first wicket. Munaf then accounted for Abdul Razzaq with a gem of a delivery to tilt the game in India's favour.
Earlier, electing to bat, the Indian innings began with a flourish as Virender Sehwag unleashed a flurry of strokes against the Pakistan pacers, picking up Umar Gul for special treatment by clobbering him for five boundaries in his second over.
The Delhi dasher slammed the third ball of the innings to the cover boundary to complete 1000 runs against Pakistan in his 29th match, thus becoming the fifth Indian batsman to achieve the milestone.
Sehwag's belligerence was shortlived as Wahab Riaz, who was introduced in place of Abdul Razzaq, struck in his very first over by trapping him leg before. His breezy 38 came off just 25 balls and contained nine boundaries.
Sehwag attempted to flick the ball to an incoming ball and was rapped on the pads. The Indians asked for a review of umpire Simon Taufel's decision and television replays showed that the ball would have indeed hit the middle stump.
After Sehwag's dismissal, Tendulkar took upon himself the responsibility of scoring the runs quickly and an exquisite glance of Gul to the fine leg region stood out.
Tendulkar then produced another stunning shot off Riaz as he crouched on one knee and played the square drive to the point boundary, in the process completing 400 runs in the World Cup for the third time.
With runs coming easily, Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi introduced spinner Saeed Ajmal in the ninth over of the contest and the off-spinner conceded just three runs.
There was a lot of drama in Ajmal's third over as Tendulkar survived two appeals of consecutive deliveries.
Umpire Ian Gould first upheld a leg before wicket appeal against Tendulkar who asked for a review. Television replays showed that the ball would have missed the leg stump and the decision was overturned.
The very next ball, the Pakistanis appealed for a stumping chance and again the verdict went in Tendulkar's favour, drawing thunderous cheers from the crowd.
A few minutes later, Tendulkar got a reprieve when he was on 28 as a diving Misbah-ul Haq dropped a catch at the mid-wicket region with Shahid Afridi being the unlucky bowler.
Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir put on 68 runs for the second wicket in 13 overs before Mohammad Hafeez stuck for his team by evicting the left-hander with a lovely flighted delivery.
Gambhir stepped out to drive the ball through the gap but was deceived by the flight and Kamran Akmal whipped off the bails in a flash to leave India on 116 for two.
The Pakistanis gave Tendulkar another 'life' when he was on 45 with Younis Khan dropping a catch at the extra cover region with Afridi being the unlucky bowler again.
Virat Kohli, who joined the action after Gambhir's departure, never looked comfortable in the middle and Wahab Riaz brought an end to his vigil soon. Kohli played a strange shot and offered a simple catch to Umar Akmal at backward point.
A hushed silence descended at the stadium when local boy Yuvraj Singh was dismissed for a first ball duck, leaving India in a spot of bother at 141/4.
Tendulkar and Dhoni then tried to steady the innings by curbing their strokeplay and playing cautiously. They were quite content to keep the scoreboard moving with gentle pushes and nudges while dispatching the loose deliveries to the boundary.
Tendulkar, who was having a charmed life, was dropped for the fourth time by Umar Akmal at wide midwicket as the champion batsman attempted to pull the ball. It was Hafeez who was the unfortunate bowler.
But in the very next over, the maestro finally ran out of luck with spinner Ajmal getting the prized scalp and captain Afridi holding the catch.
He went for a stinging drive but could not really time the ball well and Afridi, unlike his teammates, did not make a mistake at short extra cover. His knock of 85 came off 115 balls and was laced with 11 boundaries.
Dhoni, who was dropped by wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal on 24, could not capitalise on the reprieve as he became Riaz's fourth wicket, trapped leg before to a sharp incoming ball. Dhoni went for the referral but without any luck.
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