Sachin Tendulkar's son Arjun exhibits all-round skills for school team

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By CricketCountry Staff



Mumbai: Oct 18, 2011



Arjun Tendulkar shows glimpses of his father's style in a school-level cricket match in Mumbai. He scored an unbeaten 45 & also took four wickets to guide his team to victory in a T20 match.


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Sachin Tendulkar's recovery on track as he begins training

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By CricketCountry Staff

Mumbai: Oct 15, 2011

India’s star batsman Sachin Tendulkar has begun training a month after he was ruled out of action due to a toe injury during the One-Day International series in England.

Tendulkar visited the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai on Friday, where he was seen joggling lightly on the sidelines of a C. K. Nayudu Under-22 game between Mumbai and Gujarat, Hindustan Times reported.

Tendulkar also trained at the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) Recreation Centre at Bandra.

The Little Master suffered recurrence of an inflammation to the bone in his big toe on the right foot, ahead of the first ODI against England at Cardiff, due to which he had to return to India.

The same injury kept him out of the Champions League Twenty20 tournament, which was won by his team Mumbai Indians.

Tendulkar could be aiming to get fit before the home series against the West Indies in November, which would help him prepare better for the Australia tour starting December 26.

The report also said Tendulkar might comeback for the fourth ODI against England, which will be played in Mumbai.

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I am not in a race with Anna Hazare: Sachin Tendulkar

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Interview: Sachin Tendulkar

On the morning of September 28, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, the world's most feted batsman, walked into his new Rs 76 crore, three-storey home on Perry Cross Road in Mumbai's Bandra suburb. Accompanied by his mother, wife and two children, Tendulkar distributed sweets to slum children who waited outside the seven-foot-high walls to pay homage to their cricket god. A home of his own has been one of Tendulkar's special dreams. And he was thrilled to have it finally come true.But there is one dream the nation has been waiting for to come true ever since Tendulkar scored his 99th hundred during the World Cup at Nagpur against South Africa on March 12: his 100th century. It will be the crowning glory of a career that has spanned 22 years and 33,076 runs (Tests and ODIs) and 199 wickets (Tests and ODIs).And there is another that the master blaster doesn't speak of much: To help provide quality, affordable education to the eight million children who are out of school. At Mumbai's Yash Raj Studios on September 18, he spent six hours offering cricketing tips to underprivileged students from across India via satellite, raising Rs 7 crore in donations to be spent on an estimated 140 schools in India that lack facilities like libraries, drinking water, specialised teachers and toilets. The organisers, Coca-Cola India and Charities Aid Foundation, hope to replicate the project every year to include more schools across the country. Next year, the figure could double.At 38, after 22 years in the game in which he has smashed most batting records, he is not done with cricket. Excerpts from an interview with Deputy Editor Shantanu Guha Ray of India Today.

Q: Will anyone in India talk cricket after the whitewash in England? Perhaps not the best time to start this school project?Tendulkar: I have said this before, defeats do not depress me. They motivate me. I know I did not get too many runs in the series and had to return hurt. But one series does not impact my game. One loss does not take away my fans.

You are raising cash for 140 schools this year. Next year the figure is set to double. This could mean a lot of time away from the game. In India, these efforts often get politicised.It all depends on you. If it's selfless, then no one will point fingers. If efforts to do social work are couched in selfish motives, then they will die a premature death. Why would my efforts get politicised? I have values I inherited from my father. He helped many. Anyone, even a postman knocking on our door would get a glass of water and some sweets. I want students to rush to school every day. They should feel happy going to school. I must ensure that they have facilities.

So you want to do in education what Anna Hazare is doing to eradicate corruption?He's doing his work, I am doing mine. I don't think our efforts should be compared. This isn't a I versus him race.

Will social work take up most of your time after cricket?I have not announced my retirement. I am doing something along with my career as a cricketer.

What prompted your sudden focus on children's education?This is not a recent thing with me. In fact, I have been thinking about it for some time. I think more than corruption, ensuring quality education, drinking water and proper sanitation to millions in India is a bigger challenge. We have set a high goal of a corruption-free nation but are resigned to lower expectations when it comes to education. We have the world's largest number of children who do not have access to education. I don't understand why. Schools across India do not have teachers, libraries, playing grounds and even toilets. I do not want to see empty classrooms, empty libraries. I do not want to see cattle grazing on fields meant to be cricket or football grounds.

And the girl child...We have one of the lowest female literacy rates in Asia. There are over 200 million illiterate women in India. This low literacy negatively impacts not just their lives but also their families' and the country's economic development. A girl's lack of education also has a negative impact on the health and well-being of her children. Tell me, why should a girl return home after the first class because there are no proper toilets in her school?

Does this bother you because your daughter enjoys certain privileges at school?She does and so did I. That's how we both know what others miss out on. It's not just about education. It's about bringing the underprivileged into the mainstream. I want to do it. I call it a new chapter in my life.

As a student, did you enjoy any special facilities?The only facility I enjoyed as a student was when I was allowed to represent Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy and granted permission for special classes.

Your celebrity status will lead to chaos if you were to visit a slum.I could visit when the city sleeps. I would like to visit them unannounced.

What if the Prime Minister calls upon you to perform a bigger role for the country?He hasn't called me yet (laughs). Maybe he wants to see me playing some more cricket. I will see when the call does come.

[Reproduced From India Today. © 2011. LMIL. All rights reserved]
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Harbhajan led from the front: Sachin Tendulkar

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Sachin Tendulkar felt starting the tournament as underdogs helped the team as there was no pressure on the players to deliver © AFP

By CricketCountry Staff

Chennai: Oct 10, 2011

Sachin Tendulkar heaped praises on skipper Harbhajan Singh, who, he felt played a key role in Mumbai Indians victory in the Champions League final against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday.

“I think it was fantastic. He led from the front. Today was an important day because he got crucial wickets at the crucial moment. So, his role was really, really big,” Sachin said of Harbhajan’s performance, “said Tendulkar.

The batting legend also heaped praises on his team, Mumbai Indians for winning the Champions League T20 finals against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday despite starting the tournament as underdogs.

He said, “We started the tournament as underdogs. In a way, it was wonderful because there was no pressure on the players to deliver and live up to expectations. When everyone is already running you down, it becomes a challenge to prove everyone wrong.”

Tendulkar felt the secret behind team’s success was a display of team effort by the younger players who were picked in the team due to injuries to many seniors.

“[Yuzvendra] Chahal really bowled well today. He got us an important wicket. Abu Nechim has bowled really well. He has had a really good tournament. Generally, I would say, it was a team effort. Suryakumar [Yadav], [Rajagopal] Sathish… all the guys have chipped in. It was not that one individual blasted and the match got over. It was about the team and everyone chipped in,” said Tendulkar.

Finally, there can be no discounting how Tendulkar’s presence shaped MI’s destiny in this tournament. Even if it were only from the sidelines, the batting maestro’s words of wisdom surely spurred the side on. “I am part of Mumbai Indians whether I am fit or unfit, whether I’m playing or not. I’ve always enjoyed being around to share what I feel about the wicket, the ground and how one should approach the game.”

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Sachin Tendulkar plays back-room role for Mumbai Indians

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Mumbai Indians' Sachin Tendulkar and team owner Nita Ambani (left) during the Champions League Twenty20 second semifinal between Mumbai Indians and Somerset at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. (AFP Photo)

CHENNAI: The Mumbai team management believes that their success in the Champions League had a lot to with the Sachin Tendulkar -influence.

The Master Blaster, recuperating from an injury, opted out of the tournament, but his presence in the Mumbai Indians nets and the dressing-room played a huge role, feels skipper Harbhajan Singh.

"He was very involved in everything...He is great role model to have in the dressing room," Harbhajan said, talking about Tendulkar's role in the Mumbai Indians scheme of things.

He has led Mumbai Indians in all four editions of the IPL and everyone close to him knows how dearly he wants to win that tournament.

That hasn't happened as yet, but this time around, he ensured that Mumbai Indians made the Champions League cut with some inspiring batting performances and from there, it was the turn of the Harbhajans and Pollards to take the team to the coveted title.

"He was always supportive and helped guys like Ambati Rayudu and (Tirumalasetti) Suman in the dressing room. We owe a lot to him," Harbhajan added.

Tendulkar had backed a number of youngsters in the IPL as well and the stand-in skipper felt that they were reaping the harvest of that.

"We always wanted to give them chances and not make them feel left out. Even in the IPL, we had tried a lot of youngsters and in this tournament they really raised their performances. That augurs well for us in IPL 5," he said.

Mumbai's trainer Ramji Srinivasan, too, talked about the Little Master's influence. "He was so involved in everything. You must have seen how keenly he was following every game...This wouldn't have been possible without him," Srinivasan said.

Even when the chips were down on Sunday with Mumbai Indians managing a total of 139, Tendulkar had a word with the boys which played a big role. "He told the boys not to give up at any cost and fight till the last moment...He has this great ability to motivate players and the younger lot really felt charged up. It was as if they wanted to do it for Tendulkar," Srinivasan added.

Harbhajan also talked about the contribution of the coaching staff, who played a big role in the Mumbai Indians victory.

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