Q: You have been a bridge between the seniors and junior generations. You have been the constant. How has it been adjusting for you, not so much for them, with the new generation?
Sachin Tendulkar: The difference has been only the choice of music. That has where the problem is. Otherwise we do the same things. I spoke about aggression, which need not be always vocal. There are youngsters who want to react to things immediately. I keep telling them don’t worry, after sometime you will have a different opinion about that. With age your thoughts change, the way you react changes. It is part of growing — what you do when you are 17, you don’t do at 35. It is a time-consuming process. It happens to everyone.
Q: Can you specify on the music being played in the dressing room?
Tendulkar: I find difficult to pronounce…Pitbull and what not, I don’t know. It is because of my children how I know these names. It is good, it is fun. It is not about just me and my music. It is about what everyone is enjoying. In the dressing room you can’t have everyone happy — you play one song, there will be four guys saying ‘kya chal raha hain’ [what is happening] there are another five guys saying brilliant. So you have to go with the flow.
Q: There are questions about your retirement. You have not answered it completely?
Tendulkar: I have answered. May be you guys have not understood properly. I have always said that when I decided to retire I will let you know. Where is the question of not answering?
Q: Do you see yourself playing Test cricket in four years’ time?
Tendulkar: I don’t know. When I started playing cricket I didn’t see myself playing for 22 years either. I don’t know what is in store. It is in God’s hands.
Q: In future who do you think may be able to play for 20 years?
Tendulkar: I don’t know really. 20-22 years of playing is a long time. You can literally count one hand how many guys have done in the history of cricket. It is definitely not easy. To make that prediction that somebody is going to play for 20 years, I don’t think I am good enough to answer that.
Q: What about someone like Virat Kohli?
Tendulkar: Again, that would amount to speculation on my part. It is too early.
Q: Not looking at your past or history. You are in a phase where there is a huge legacy that you have created and going forward, how do you look at it? I draw parallel to Roger Federer, where once he won the French Open, the whole set was completed and for you pretty much the same is with the 100 hundreds. Looking ahead how do you see yourself connecting with the brands, and as a player. And also is there something on your mind like creating like a Sachin Tendulkar foundation?
Tendulkar: While playing cricket, I don’t think I would be able to do all those things like creating a foundation but there would be a stage in life where I can start thinking about those things. At this moment, I am honestly not thinking of that and whatever I do, I do it at my level privately and I don’t disclose all those things. But I feel when I stop playing cricket I will have more time on hand and I will look at doing those things and react to those things.
WSG look after my brands and they come to me and ask me do you think you want to associate yourself with a particular brand. They also study a particular brand and there also certain things that I have stated I will not promote and I am glad I have not promoted tobacco and alcohol. There were offers but I have stuck to my promise and whatever the offers I have said no.
Q: Have you been approached by hospitals, doctors or other players to talk about the tennis elbow and how you can treat it?
Tendulkar: Not really. That is something which I would all the sportsperson to stay away from… I hope they don’t get injuries. There is something about the brand itself that I had done, I was associated with CARE, they used my name and in return all I had asked for is that all the state-level sportsmen and sportswomen should be treated free of cost and they have done that. That is my only association.
Q: As you have said winning the World Cup was your dream. Any fulfilled dream?
Tendulkar: I don’t have any other dream now. There were two big dreams — one was playing for India and the second was to lift the World Cup. That was my biggest dream.
After the 99th century, there were a few occasions when you got really close to the hundred mark. One knock that stood out was the Mumbai Test match, against the West Indies last year. What was going on in your mind when you actually got out then?
Tendulkar: In the morning when I walked in, the new ball was taken. We lost a wicket in the first over itself. So obviously when they took the new ball, I told myself ‘you need to see what is happening.’ There was a bit of movement off the wicket. And I said to myself ‘you need to try and play the ball close to the body as possible. But if there are scoring opportunities, you need to put the ball away.’ And while doing so I played some really good shots and that sort of changed my mindset and I wanted to attack after that. And attack — not carelessly attack — but I felt wherever I expected the bowler to bowl, I felt the ball was there. I played those shots. I remember the ball before I got out, I was at the other end and [Fidel] Edwards was bowling, he had a thirdman and a sort of defensive field. I knew they wanted to keep me on 93 or something.
I guided a ball to thirdman, I picked a single and the next over when Ravi Rampaul was bowling, the ball was coming a bit slow off the wicket. I felt there was a little bit of stickiness in the wicket early in the morning and all I said that again I am not going to go out reaching for the ball and convert those length balls into half volley, I am just going to wait for the ball to come. One ball just seamed from the wicket and I said it is still moving around even though I have scored quick runs, overnight I was batting on 67 or 68, and I had scored those 24 or 25 runs quickly.
I said I still need to keep watching the ball and the ball that I got out to, it bounced a bit more than I expected and it also went quicker off the wicket than what it was coming for the first six overs. By the time I realised I could see that I sort of slashed the ball and it wasn’t a pre-planned shot, I just reacted. I had decided that I am just going to react, whatever I see I am going to react with an open mind. I had reacted and then the ball was in the air and it flew to [Darren] Sami.
It was a disappointment but it had happened so quickly that all of a sudden I am out and I am walking back to the pavilion and I am passing Virat. I was in that zone where I didn’t know what was happening around and I realised I had lost my wicket.
ThatsCricket
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Many people are misinterpreting the headline and Tendulkar's statement. First of all don't get offended, this statement was not directed at the citizens or fans of cricket. It was directed at the critics and media, whom he has a love hate relationship with....... Secondly and more importantly, his statement simply means that he is not ready to hang his boots, but it does not mean that selectors cannot exclude him. He is not commanding a place in the playing eleven, but just expressing his availability for selection. He is only expressing his desire to play cricket and as long he is performing and contributing the selectors will include him in the playing eleven......You'd have to agree that its extremely annoying to answer questions to critics, most of whom were not even half as talented as Sachin is and most of the who are probably just a few years away from their own retirements (death bed!)... Just relax people, the guy loves playing for the country, let him be. If he cannot keep up and does not contribute, he will surely leave the scene himself.
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