'Sachin was cognizant of Yuvraj's tumour'

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Cricketer Yuvraj Singh had informed master blaster Sachin Tendulkar about his 'serious illness', said the ailing player's mother Shabnam Singh on Sunday.

According to Shabnam, on being informed about Yuvi's health, Sachin had told him, "Don't worry Yuvi, things will be all right."

She also said that only a few family members and friends of the cricket player had the knowledge about a tumour in his left lung.

Talking to Bhaskar team, Shabnam said her son shares things and seeks advices from Sachin on several matters. "When he informed Sachin about his tumour, both Sachin and his wife Anjali motivated him. They had asked Yuvraj not to panic saying "You don't have a serious disease. You will be fine after the treatment."

Shabnam also said that she felt nervous being a mother whenever she thought about the tumour, but everytime his son came and boosted her confidence.

Yuvraj has always been like a fighter. Recuperating from his illness, flamboyant Indian batsman said today that he is "absolutely fine" and would be returning to cricket very soon.

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Lot of people are putting unnecessary pressure on Tendulkar: Kohli

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Middle-order batsman Virat Kohli on Friday said that star India batsman Sachin Tendulkar is being put under immense pressure of scoring his historic 100^th ton, but the Little Master can handle it successfully.

Kohli told reporters after the end of the fourth day’s play, “I think a lot of people have started putting unnecessary pressure [on him]. He has achieved so much. Like MS said, the milestone is going to happen; people are making such a fuss about it. I was still batting when he came back but he was pretty relaxed after that. It has happened to him a lot of times. Obviously he would be disappointed, but he is not one to be disappointed for too long and was pretty relaxed.”

Kohli said that it is a great pleasure to share the dressing room with the likes of Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid VVS Laxman and many more.

“It’s a privilege to be part of the same dressing room. I never thought I would even get to meet these people face to face; now I’m sharing the dressing room with them. It has been wonderful; you learn so many things from them, especially in practice sessions. And everyone has their own way of preparing before the match or on match days,” he said.

“In practice sessions you can learn a lot from them, the way they practice, their intensity, they will take a certain number of catches every day, they will hit a certain number of balls everyday. It is not something they are complacent about; it is more of a habit for them. That is what makes them great players,” Kohli added.

The right-handed Delhi batsman scored a fine 52, and was bit disappointed after missing out on maiden Test century.

“The way I was going, the way the situation was, I am not saying that I am guaranteeing I could get a hundred, but it was a perfect scenario for me to get a big score. I wanted to go with the turn, but did not get too much elevation; I middled the ball but it went it straight to the fielder. It was one of those days. Cricket is a game like that; if it had gone over the fielder, everyone would have been, ‘He went against the turn and got a six’. If it does not get executed, they say, ‘He could have waited’,” Kohli said.

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Sachin's tips helped me improve my bowling: Ojha

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Fresh from a hugely successful Test series against the West Indies, India's new spin hero Pragyan Ojha today revealed that he gained heavily from the tips of Sachin Tendulkar who helped him out with some finer points. "Sachin always gives you that energy on the field. He advises me all

the finer points like how to deceive a batsman. How to deceive in flight... His tips have helped me in getting at least 10-15 Test wickets," Ojha who is considered as a Test specialist told PTI today.


"I remembered one sentence by Sachin Tendulkar who would tell me if you love the game, you don't need anything to motivate you. I always wanted to play and that kept me going," Ojha said. "It was a very important series and a great comeback for me. The important thing was I could contribute to the team's win and played a major role. I knew it would be a very important series for me in a crucial phase of my career," he said. Ojha along with senior statemate VVS Laxman will be playing for Hyderabad in a Plate League match starting from November 29 as he is not playing ODIs. "I did not play international cricket for about one year.

But I never had that negative feeling. I always stayed positive which resulted in this performance." He termed his county stint as something that changed him as a bowler. "Even when I was not with the team and played county in England, I would practice with the Indian team touring at that point of time. In fact, Anilbhai played a key role in me getting a chance to play for Surrey. They were looking for an Indian spinner and Alec Stewart had got in touch with Anilbhai who had recommended my name. I'm really thankful to him," he recalled how his association with Surrey started.

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Tendulkar narrowly misses 100th international ton

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Sachin Tendulkar has fallen six runs short of becoming the first batsman to score 100 international centuries during the third and final Test against the West Indies.

Tendulkar, who resumed on 67 at his home ground of Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, was dismissed for 94 when he slashed at a delivery from pace bowler Ravi Rampaul and was caught by Darren Sammy at second slip early on the fourth day.

Tendulkar strode confidently to the crease to start the morning and drove a boundary in the very first over off Rampaul with a stylish flick to the leg side.

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The new ball, taken early in the morning, seemed to have no effect on Tendulkar as he straight drove Rampaul for a four and hit fellow paceman Fidel Edwards through the covers for his third four of the morning.

He then had the crowd up on its feet as he moved into the 90s with a slashed six to Edwards over third-man that took him from 87 to 93.

Tendulkar faced 20 deliveries in the morning session and smashed a total of eight fours and two sixes in a 153-ball knock. The 100th century has been tensely anticipated since he notched two 100s during this year's World Cup to reach a total of 99. He has scored 51 Test centuries and 48 in one-day internationals.

Tendulkar has another chance to score the landmark century in the five-match one day international series against the West Indies starting next week. If not, he will get the chance during the four test series against Australia starting in Melbourne on Boxing Day.

In contrast to the previous three days, when crowds were thin on the ground, supporters flocked to the Wankhede Stadium to see if the master batsman could achieve the unprecedented landmark.

As Tendulkar pushed on with confidence into the nineties with a string of stylish boundaries, late arrivals clutching tickets ran frantically towards the ground, desperate not to miss the occasion.

Others without tickets swarmed around the television cameras set up on the sweeping Marine Drive promenade, waving the saffron, white and green flag of India and listening to radio commentary on their mobile phones.

But as news emerged that Tendulkar had edged Ravi Rampaul to second slip, fans clutched their heads in disbelief. Instead of cheers there was only the sound of heavy rush-hour traffic.

"I didn't have a ticket but I came here on the off-chance of getting one," said Ramesh Chauhan, a 43-year-old civil servant from Mumbai. "I couldn't get one so I'm doubly disappointed."

Late-comers who had not heard news of Tendulkar's exit were still sprinting to make it to the venue on time. But they were stopped in their tracks by passers-by who shook their heads as they told them the news.

"I'm depressed actually," said Chinmay Kurve, a 24-year-old software industry worker, as he walked away from the stadium.

Mumbai had been in a state of expectation about the record, with Tendulkar one of the city's favourite sons as well as a sporting icon for millions of cricket fans across India.

The 38-year-old was born in the city and cut his cricketing teeth on Mumbai's packed public playing fields, before making his international debut at the precocious age of 16.

The downbeat mood outside the Wankhede Stadium was in sharp contrast to the jubilant scenes back in March, when India lifted the one-day international World Cup after beating South Asian rivals Sri Lanka.

Fans of Tendulkar were still confident he will achieve the feat either in the forthcoming one-day internationals against the West Indies or the next Test series in Australia.

"There's no doubt he can do it," said Chauhan.

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Cummins waits for duel with 'Rockstar' Sachin Tendulkar

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PAT CUMMINS was a mere twinkle in his father's eye when Sachin Tendulkar made his Test debut but, in a promoter's dream, the men representing the past and future of the game are set to clash later this year.

Tendulkar made his Test debut three-and-a-half years before Cummins was born, and the duel between Australia's newest sporting sensation and the biggest name in international cricket will, barring injuries to either party, be a massive drawcard for this summer's marquee series against India.

The Penrith product was aged just seven when Steve Waugh's team lost that epic series to India in 2001 but he was in the stands for the former Australian captain's final Test three years later. On that occasion, Tendulkar carved a breathless 241 but in January he could be on the other side of the fence forming memories for tomorrow's budding stars.


''He's one of the greats of all time, I've grown up watching him,'' Cummins said yesterday of Tendulkar. ''For someone who is a bit of a pocket rocket, he's not too tall, even against the fastest bowlers he seems to stand up and lift another gear.

''To get a game, even here in Australia, would be unbelievable. To be versing the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid - it's going to be a massive challenge. He's someone hopefully all the bowlers don't get too overawed versing him and I guess you've got to still imagine him like any other batsmen.''

The problem, however, is Tendulkar is not like any other player. That the incomparable Don Bradman once said the Indian maestro reminded him more of himself than any other batsman is indication of the lofty standing Tendulkar holds in the game.

Cummins said he would not ''waste time'' thinking about how to bowl to Tendulkar ''because he's too good everywhere''. ''It's more imagining the moment of playing people like him, it'd be a massive thrill.''

Not that Cummins is afraid of taking on the very best. On debut last week in Johannesburg, the seemingly nerveless speedster claimed the wicket of another of the game's modern greats Jacques Kallis, who sits fourth on the all-time Test run-scorers' list - behind only Tendulkar, Dravid and Ricky Ponting. ''Sachin Tendulkar has got a massive following in India and is a rock star over there,'' Cummins said. ''Someone like him, all the fame, it'd be on a whole new different level versing him.''

But Cummins is no stranger to climbing the ladder multiple rungs at a time. Twelve months ago, the teenager was adjusting to his debut season of first grade before a stunning tournament in last summer's Big Bash catapulted him to stardom.

''Even the last year, to get the NSW game when I was kind of looking back at grade cricket, I thought 'gee, I've come up here pretty quickly, maybe too quickly', but to come up here it's a whole new different level,'' Cummins said. ''To get here it's just unbelievable, it's happened so quickly it's all a bit of a blur.''

Another major decision will come next year when the cashed-up franchises of the Indian Premier League come knocking, trying to entice Cummins with huge six-figure sums after his starring role in NSW's Champions League campaign two months ago.

''I haven't really thought about it at the moment, it's still a fair while away,'' Cummins said.

''You definitely don't want it to impact on any cricket back here. It will be a big compliment if they did [show interest] but I haven't heard anything about it yet so we'll see what happens.''

Although he is likely to be on Test duty during the Big Bash, Cummins was unveiled yesterday by the Sydney Sixers in a promotion to mark the start of Cricket Australia's revamped Twenty20 tournament.

''Last year, Twenty20 gave me the opportunity to play for NSW and that opened up the other forms as well,'' Cummins said. ''It's really exciting to be part of it again. I love playing Twenty20 cricket. It's going to be a great atmosphere and bring a lot of media attention and public attention to domestic cricket.''

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