Be passionate about profession just like Sachin: Srikkanth

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BCCI chairman of selectors Krishmachari Srikkanth has said that one needs to be passionate about his or her profession just "like how Sachin Tendulkar is about cricket".

"Tendulkar, despite having scored 99 international centuries in his career spanning across two decades, almost never engaged a runner. At 37 years, he still exudes a passion as was seen during his last century against South Africa," Srikkanth said addressing students of Anna University of Technology in Madurai on Friday.

Srikkanth, who signed an agreement on behalf of his e-learning portal Career Strokes with the Anna University of Technology said he strongly believes India will win the ongoing World Cup.

He recalled that in 1983 during a meeting held a day before the match against the West Indies, the then captain Kapil Dev told his team-mates that Indian team had defeated the Caribbean side earlier in the tournament and they could repeat the feat again.

"The next day we won. Kapil provided inspirational leadership and made India win the World Cup though we have lost to the West Indies in 1975 and 1979 and even in practice matches in 1983," he said.

He said self confidence, passion fearlessness and positive approach were the 'mantras' for success in any field

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Sachin still works on his technique and where he feels an extra bit of effort, he does that:Dhoni.

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Chennai, March 19 (AFP): Sachin Tendulkar can complete another landmark on Sunday by hitting his 100th international hundred as India tackle West Indies in the World Cup's final group match.

India, as well as England, are already through to the quarter-finals along with South Africa after the Proteas' crushing 206 run-win over Bangladesh in Dhaka on Saturday.

It will now take a colossal India win for the West Indies to be denied a place in the last eight although Sunday's result will still have a bearing on the group standings and the teams' quarter-final opponents.

Meanwhile many fans in a 38,000 capacity Chidambaram Stadium crowd will be eager to see Tendulkar score his 100th international hundred.

The India star moved to 99 centuries (51 in Tests and 48 in one-day internationals) with a majestic innings of 111 in his side's previous group match against South Africa.

"He keeps it really simple," said India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. "He doesn't look at the milestones that are coming up for him.

"Playing for 20, 21 years, the kind of form he has been in throughout his career, he knows every game there is some kind of milestone around the corner. He keeps it really simple, practises well."

"He still works on his technique and where he feels an extra bit of effort, he does that. What really helps him is how he analyses the wicket and accordingly plans his innings."

"It has been really good to have him in the side, the amount of experience he has got. He always assists you as a senior player. If you are short of ideas, you can always walk up to him and he'll give you two or three."

West Indies captain Darren Sammy added: "Sachin, nobody can question what he's done in the game."

"He's a great player and we respect him. But we will have our plans against him and hopefully we execute them properly."

However, even a 'Sachin special' last week was not enough to prevent a three-wicket defeat by South Africa where India, on a belting batting pitch in Nagpur, contrived to lose their last nine wickets for just 29 runs as they slumped from 267 for one to 296 all out.

Runs are set to be harder to come by in Chennai, where no batsman managed a fifty on a typically bowler-friendly pitch during England's nailbiting 18-run win over the West Indies on Thursday.

India will do well not to under-estimate a youthful Windies attack that troubled England.

Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo took three wickets on his one-day international debut while lively seamer Andre Russell almost produced a match-winning all-round performance with four wickets and a dashing 49.

Had the West Indies, who lost their last four wickets for just three runs on Thursday, they would now be in the quarter-finals.

It is nearly two years since the West Indies beat a major nation in a one-day international with an eight-wicket win against India in Kingston in June 2009 and they would love to end that sequence on Sunday.

"We are coming closer," Sammy said. "In order to win, you must create an opportunity to win and we are doing that so the chances are that soon we will grab an opportunity."

Meanwhile Dhoni said India could play two spinners on a pitch that, despite being protected against the sun by a tent on Saturday, is still expected to take turn.

That could mean a tournament debut for off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on his home ground alongside Dhoni favourite Piyush Chawla.

India opener Virender Sehwag and West Indies counterpart Chris Gayle are injury doubts and, following Bangladesh's defeat, both batsmen may now be rested ahead of the quarter-finals.

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'He's 99.5 Per Cent Perfect. I'd Pay To See Him. '

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Outlook Magazine, Jan 04, 1999

ANIRUDDHA BAHAL INTERVIEWS VIV RICHARDS

In his time he was cricket’s king and emperor. His arrogance, vivacity, swagger enthralled a whole generation. Then, he quietly called it a day, and retreated into a shell as it were, rarely giving interviews. Outlook , however, caught up with Viv Richards in Mumbai, and got the master batsman talking on Sachin, the ‘dynamite’, his all- time best Sunny Gavaskar...

and his own glorious past. Excerpts from an exclusive interview:

What do you think of Sachin as a batsman?
I think he’s marvellous. I think he will fit in whatever category of cricket that’s been played or will be played, from the first ball that’s ever been bowled to the last ball that’s going to be. He can play in any era and at any level.

Where does his advantage lie?
His outlook. What he looks to do first is to attack. If it’s not there in the groove he waits for the line and defends. Most of the time batsmen, just because it could be a fearsome fast bowler they are facing, tend to defend. But Sachin’s always ready. He’s always in a position to take advantage of loose balls. It’s a mental preparedness thing. I prepared myself similarly. I used to stay focused on being aggressive. I don’t want to be technical beyond saying that he has a good eye. He has something special. He’s blessed.

He says he first met you in Australia. That Manjrekar introduced him to you and he was very nervous.
What I like about him is that he’s such a humble man. I was on a flight with him recently from Bombay to London this year on British Airways. He was going along with Azhar to play for a charity game. I was in club class and I thought he would disappear in first class. But he came and sat with me, possibly because children are not allowed in first class and he was travelling with his family.

What’s amazing about the kid, if I might call him that because he’s so tiny, is that he’s always willing to learn. I was quite flattered when he came and asked me this and that. Seeing the things that he has done till now. Things that I would like to be doing. And for him to be asking me what did you do in such and such situation, I felt totally flattered. To me he doesn’t need to achieve anything more. When he’s playing like that what tip can you give except encouragement? He laughed when I said I would pay to see him.

At Sharjah this year in April when he got India to the finals he said that he walked back to the pavilion with the swagger of a Richards.
(Laughs) Oh, he’s got his own little thing. In a game that I have loved so much and given so much, it’s nice to find an individual like him. He may look tiny but he has a large heart.

There has been much comparison between him and Brian Lara. Now Sachin seems to have shifted to a different mode.
You may say Lara hasn’t been as consistent as Sachin. If Sachin has had a phenomenal year, Lara a controversial one. But when Sachin became captain his performances fell too. Though he has a wonderful mind for captaincy and cricket you don’t like to bog your most talented player in that role. You need to put him loose. You need to tell him, ‘Go on, take them tiger’. Now, after captaincy we see this huge change in him. In the West Indies, however, we need Lara as captain more than anything else. I think he has suffered as a player because of that.

Did your batting suffer when you became captain?
I think it did. We never had this huge support staff. The captain had to be manager, father, everything. I would overlook myself in terms of getting adequate batting practice. I felt responsible for the team. I started playing responsibly. My aggressive style went a bit. Sachin also told me something along those lines. But now there are these huge entourages and captaincy can be a little easier. They can work on the captain as well.

How would you compare Sachin with Sunny?
I think if there hadn’t been a Sunny there would have been no Sachin. I would like to think that Sachin did see a lot of Sunny. There is no better person to learn from. In terms of being technically sound and having a wide array of shots, I think Sachin has taken all of what Sunny had a step further. You see great players don’t come in isolation. You have to have some kind of history.

During the 1992 World Cup you commented that Sunny was the best batsman of your generation?
I still say that. I picked Sunny because I saw him a lot. We had the best fast ball attack then. When everybody was complaining about us having 4- 5 best bowlers Sunny was seemingly enjoying them. He never complained. And the West Indies took the brunt of his batting. Sunny to me was the individual because there were a lot of people who had a big fear of the fast bowlers. He made it look so easy.

Can we really compare Sunny, an opener, with Sachin?
Well, they are totally different. Sunny was such a perfectionist. Even when he was playing forward defensive or leaving the ball there was a certain style in which he had to do that. I think if you had to pick a batsman to bat for your life you would pick Sunny. If you wanted an entertainer, a person who would give a money’s worth to the spectator, it would have to be Sachin.

And where would you slot yourself?
(Laughs) I am out of it at the moment. I will let someone else comment on that. But opening bats are always special. I always hold my hat for the likes of Greenidge, Haynes and Sunny. To face the new ball is not easy. To do it in such fine fashion against both quality and quantity as far as fast bowling went took an enormous effort. I always thought opening bats would lead the charge and clear the way for the middle order to take over.

Do you think the present generation of bowlers is a little wanting in quality?
I should think so. There was Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson, Imran Khan, Abdul Qadir, just to name a few. We had both quality and quantity. Also look at the batsmen they bowled to. Thomson was then the fastest and Imran was ‘the’ all- rounder of the ’70s and ’80s.

You never wore a helmet. Also Sunny. Do you think it takes away from current batting performances?
No. Guys want to be protected. With so much money around they want to stay protected. They also wouldn’t like someone to have a look at their conscience. The only thing I did detest is that some guys then thought that just because they had their suit of armour they could start pulling and hooking. They didn’t have those shots in them. Some guys got carried away. They started taking on the bowlers just because of their body armour.

Sachin says he sometimes psyches himself up by visualising what shots he’s going to play by standing behind the stumps? How did you psyche yourself?
I used to have a long mirror at home. I used to be batting all the time. Sometimes the whole night. I used to imagine bowlers running upto me and me playing the shots. All the thumping used to cheese the people off downstairs. I was never a great watcher of the game. Of course, I used to have a general idea of how a bowler bowled. In the old days when someone got out they would give advice to the batsman coming in. Pass some remark about the bowler. I didn’t like that. I didn’t like anybody to tell me anything when I was going in because that could put things in your head. Some guys would say the balls were swinging like mad. Someone might say that you need a bat as big as a building to play a particular bowler. The thing is they might have got out playing a rash shot. I liked to figure things out for myself and let others do that.

It seems Sachin gets even more determined when sledged. What did you do when you were sledged?
I gave it back. You see a batsman’s job is so much easier. If a bowler gets you out he can maybe come up to you and say ‘get off’ or whatever. That doesn’t last too long. But I knew when my time came it was going to be pretty painful for the other party because it would be a time- consuming thing. Seeing the bowler’s face after hitting them was the most beautiful sight. Of course, the Indians didn’t sledge. If they did it was in Hindi. When people got personal about me I got 100 per cent concentration. I never felt like I had to have a hole to hide. My better innings were when I was being sledged.

Any example?
Well, once in a Somerset- Glamorgan match Greg Thomas, who was a fast bowler, beat me a couple of times and had the cheek to come up and ask what was wrong with the edges of my bat. He followed that up by telling me what the ball was like in case I wasn’t seeing it. He said it was red, round and weighed four- and- a- half ounces. I said ‘thank you my friend for letting me know that’. The next delivery I faced was right in the slot so I smashed it out of the ground and into a river. He basically died then watching it go. I got a little witty as well. I told him since everybody was searching for the ball and that he knew the size, shape and colour so why didn’t he go help them find it. Of course, we had a beer afterwards. But I also scored 140 runs in 75 minutes because of that.

Do you see any weakness in Sachin’s batting? Anything you want corrected?
Weakness ? (incredulous). Corrected? When a guy is playing like that you don’t have a look at his batting for faults. I would say he’s 99.5 per cent perfect.

Do you have any advice for him?
What can I say? Who needs to tell him about motivation? The sky is the limit if you take chances. This guy takes them. He has a stout heart as well, though it might not look it.

Some players have commented that when he finishes he would be in the top two- three players who ever played the game?
Easy. I think he’s already there. Even if he retires tomorrow and doesn’t achieve anything more he is right there. And he’s still young. I have never seen Bradman but heard people talk about him. But I tell you what, if Bradman could bat like this man does then he was dynamite. I have seen only Sachin. Players like Sachin deserve to be preserved in cotton wool. I first saw him when he was touring England. I saw two of his innings. When you start hitting respectable fast bowlers for sixes over their heads then you are serving notice.

Between Sachin and you— who has the edge?
Come on, you are not getting me on that.

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Thankfully, I don't bowl to Sachin now. I don't see myself being as effective against him now," De Villiers

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South Africa were among the rare international bowling attacks who could claim to have kept Sachin Tendulkar quiet in one-day cricket. The Indian maestro has turned that tide too. In the 1990s, as a young, explosive opener, Tendulkar plundered attacks all around the world except for the disciplined Proteas bowlers, who somehow managed to come up with a strategy to rein him.

The striking feature of the final phase of Tendulkar's glorious career is the way he has taken upon himself in correcting the few things gone wrong in his career. His record against South Africa is one. His overall average is 45-plus, versus SA it is 34.94 - the lowest of all Test-playing nations. However, he's worked that out too.

Saturday fever
Tendulkar's Saturday special (111 off 101 balls) is another proof of that. It comes at the back of his unbeaten double-hundred in the last ODI against the Proteas in India.

Every time Tendulkar walks out to bat, the pressure is now on the SA bowlers, admitted their former pace ace Fanie de Villiers, who was among the SA bowlers who were effective at checking Tendulkar's march during the early part of his career, claiming his wicket four times in 17 ODIs.

"He was a stroke player and would sometimes be too aggressive for his own good. When he used to bat, they wanted to bring me on to bowl for the variations I had, especially slow balls. Away swingers are always dangerous, and I would mix them up with slower ones. He's been a scholar of the game and he's learnt from experience. Thankfully, I don't bowl to him now. I don't see myself being as effective against him now," De Villiers told HT in Jamtha.

Tightening game
De Villiers said Tendulkar has nullified South Africa's bowling plan by tightening his game against the away swingers and reading the variations. "Time works wonder; overall he's learned that away swingers are the ones that can get him out."

For De Villiers, Tendulkar is as aggressive as he was when he played against him between 1992 and 1997. "He is very much the same; he's still an aggressive player. His bat is wider than anybody else's. He's just going on; he's the sort of guy who really stands out for guts and determination, not only on but also off the field. My respect for the guy is more for the fact that he's survived 20 years of cricket; 20 years of pressure. You need extraordinary skills for that. Most people leave cricket after 10 years because they have the money; they don't want the rest of the things that come with it.

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‘I’m sure it’s very difficult being Sachin Tendulkar’ - Harbhajan singh doffs his hat to The Master

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Nagpur: Having spent 13 years with Sachin Tendulkar in the Team India dressing room, Harbhajan Singh has an insider’s take on The Master.

Harbhajan recently spoke to The Telegraph, exclusively on Sachin, who has become the first to scale the 2,000 runs peak in the 36-year history of the World Cup.

The following are excerpts:

Q Some words on Sachin...

A (Grins) Difficult to find the most appropriate words... He is a very humble person. I’ve not seen many guys who can actually stay that humble and be so simple even after achieving so much... Plus, he’s very supportive and is just one phone call away... If you need advice, he’s there.

What’s the influence he has had on you?

Just by being with him, you can learn a lot... I’ve made mistakes in life, but one learns from them... One learns from watching a Sachin... His career has been without any drama at all. Why? Because he has stayed so humble and kept things simple.

How long did it take you to be comfortable in Sachin’s presence? To not be overwhelmed by the aura around him?

Three years, perhaps... I think I was pretty comfortable with him after that remarkable series against Australia (2000-01).

Is there some advice you recall which made a difference to you as a person and/or as a cricketer?

I remember Sachin telling me that ‘your focus should only be on what you want to do.’ That having played and achieved a bit, I shouldn’t get distracted, for there would be distractions left and right... That I should keep going forward instead of going this way or that... That my dream wasn’t just to play for India, but to also consistently do well... That it was up to me alone to decide how far I wanted to go... I’ve kept that in mind.

Are you amazed at how he has been able to handle the pressure?

Yes. I don’t know how he does it. I’m sure it’s very difficult being Sachin Tendulkar... I don’t know what goes on in his mind. All I’ll say is hats off to him.

What can today’s generation learn from Sachin?

Oh, a lot... To start with, staying simple. You won’t become a superman by doing anything... Even if you set records, you will still remain a human being... I mean, you can’t become God. So, just be humble, like Sachin... And, thank God for giving you the opportunity to do well and the opportunity to be recognised.

Finally... Your thoughts on Sachin’s records...

(Smiles) They say records are meant to be broken, let’s see... But what a collection he has!

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Dhoni would like to have Sachin's autograph.

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BANGALORE: As a cricket fan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni could never get an autograph of a celebrated player and there's only one cricketer whose signature, the India skipper would like to treasure - his own teammate and legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar.

"It is not hard to guess.. it is one and only Sachin Tendulkar," Dhoni replied when asked his choice of player to obtain an autograph at a book launch function.

Dhoni launched a book containing pictures, caricatures and autographs of his World Cup teammates.

The book, titled 'Stumped', has been brought out by cricketcaricatures.com and would be up for sale, only through website purchase, in a week's time.

India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh received the first copy of the book from Dhoni in the presence of Virat Kohli and Piyush Chawla, who were present at the function at the team hotel.

The caricatures have been made by Shijo Varghese of Bangalore and Andy Zaltzman, an acclaimed stand-up comedian since 1999 and also Britain's most infantile satirists, has written the text for the caricatures.

"The idea came seeing people taking autographs on their school note pages and all kinds of papers. That time he was carrying big size caricatures. He suggested that he wanted to come up with a book so that people could treasure it for long years, if it is done in a proper way," Dhoni said.

"We are quite happy doing it. It was real quick job done by them. It is a pleasing thing to see the whole book in stock in less than ten days time. I am sure the players will first have a hearty laugh seeing their caricatures before signing on it. Hopefully, I am sure people will like this innovative way of collecting autographs and having them secured for years."

For Harbhajan his favourite caricature on the book is Gautam Gambhir while Dhoni said Yuvraj Singh's is a nice one.



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Tendulkar is one of mammoths of world cricket: Strauss

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Many an adjective has been used to describe Sachin Tendulkar in a career spanning more than two decades and England skipper Andrew Strauss on Saturday added another one, calling him a mammoth of world cricket.

Tendulkar remains a thorn in the flesh for the rival teams globally and Strauss said his consistency for the last 22 years showed how prepared he is going into their Group B match of the World Cup here on Sunday.

"He is one of the mammoths of world cricket for the last two decades," Strauss told reporters ahead of England's clash with India on Sunday.

"The fact that he has been doing that for so long and so consistently is a great testament to his preparations," he added.

For a man, who holds virtually every key batting record and is dreaded by bowlers world over, Tendulkar remains a big threat and England will be trying to find ways to contain the iconic batsman.

Tendulkar could add only 64 runs in three matches in the 2007 World Cup, where India were knocked out in the first round and the senior batsman would look to make amends as it probably is his last World Cup.

Strauss also acknowledged that there is hardly any negative point in Tendulkar and said he is a true legend.

"There are normally no negative words that you can say about Tendulkar. He is absolutely a great legend," Strauss said.

Tendulkar made 50s on 17 occasions including seven times in the 2003 World Cup and was honoured for making most runs (673) in 2003. He also remains at the top for making most consecutive 50s in World Cups -- four each in successive matches in 1996 and 2003.

Tendulkar has also scored 50 plus runs in most consecutive innings in two world cups.

Tendulkar holds the record of most career runs at 17,657, highest individual score of 200, most matches (444), most 100s (46), most 100s against any one team -- nine against Australia, most 50s (93) and most boundaries (1,929).

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‘Sachin is my Indian idol’:Ravi Bopara.

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In Bangalore for the World Cup match against India, Ravi says that there is a different feeling when he plays on the Indian ground. “Growing up, the only two teams I have watched closely are the Indian and the England teams. I remember how excited I would get when both these teams played against each other. I feel so proud and privileged that I am playing with them today,” says Ravi and coyly adds that even his family which lives in India is sure to catch the match.

Many young aspiring cricketers will be watching Ravi play on Sunday and he has an advice for them, “Dream big and never give up on your goals.” So who has Ravi always admired? “It has to be Sachin Tendulkar. He has been my Indian idol since my childhood. When Sachin enters the field one can watch him play all day and yet you wouldn’t know what he is going to do next,” he says.

Quiz him about the recent Bollywood film Patiala House which is about an Indian boy getting into the England Cricket Team just like him and he laughs, “I haven’t seen much movies of late. I have heard about it but not seen it yet.”

Ravi is well aware of the Indian crowd and knows how much their cricket team means to them. He was part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and played for Kings XI Punjab. He says that he can never forget the charged atmosphere in the stadium during the matches. Seeing the huge commotion for tickets outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday, Ravi says that it will give him and his team an incentive to perform better.

“As players we are used to this kind of atmosphere. It is so encouraging that people are ready to go to such extent to come and see us play. Ultimately, they come to get entertained and we will surely not disappoint them,” he adds.

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South Africa bowling coach: Sachin is a superman and is capable of anything.

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NEW DELHI: South Africa bowling coach Vincent Barnes admitted on Tuesday he's missing Sachin - his dog Sachin that is, not the Indian batting superstar in whose honour he's named.

"Sachin is not here, I am missing him already," Barnes told a newspaper.

"Obviously I couldn't bring him along, what with all the travelling but there are enough people back home to take care of him."

Barnes named his dog after Sachin Tendulkar, his favourite batsman.

"He's a superman and is capable of anything."



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Lalit Pandit: I have dedicated World Cup song to Sachin

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Just a couple of days back, famous composer Lalit Pandit released a song for the ICC World Cup Cricket, currently on in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Since Lalit is still rocking the country with his chart scorcher "Munni Badnam" (from DABANGG) we were curious to ask him why he decided to change course and come up with the mentioned inspirational sports track.

As per the composer, "I have done this song for Sachin Tendulkar, Dhoni and the rest of the Indian players. I especially dedicate it to Sachin as this is the last World Cup of the legend." Ask him what his message for the Indian cricket team is, and Lalit says, "Go out there and play with your heart and win the cup for India!"

Well, we, like the rest of India, are with Lalit Pandit and have the same message for the Indian team.
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Sehwag explained The mix-up with Sachin Tendulkar, which resulted in the latter's run-out.

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Virender Sehwag might have taken extra care to make sure he batted deep into India's innings at Mirpur, but when it comes to his press conferences, middle overs continue to remain conspicuous in their absence. He talks like he bats, and after his 175 - his longest one-day innings in terms of runs, balls faced, and overs elapsed - his reaction was: "I am happy that at least once in my career I have batted 47 overs." That was followed by a warning: "I was planning to bat 50 overs. I couldn't do that, but hopefully I will do so in coming games."

That came moments after a similarly forthright show at the presentation ceremony, where he said, "Everyone did well, other than Sreesanth." He also said this was a grudge match after India's defeat to Bangladesh in the 2007 World Cup, something not many like to admit. He also maintained that Bangladesh are not a good Test side. "They can compete in ODIs, but today they could not."

Inside the press-conference room, the fun continued. The mix-up with Sachin Tendulkar, which resulted in the latter's run-out, was delightfully explained. "We discussed we will take it easy on singles," Sehwag said. "He was calling, and I was not listening, and I was looking at the ball, yeah. For a fraction of a second I thought I had made a mistake, but you know when I went to the dressing room, he said, 'It's okay. What's important is to win the game for the country. It's not important who is performing.'"

In Christchurch, in 2009, when Tendulkar retired hurt on 163 at the end of the 45th over, Sehwag told him he had missed out on a double-century. At 175 in the 47th over, Sehwag said he himself didn't think of that mark. "Not at all. When he came back not out, eight or nine overs were left. When I came back, three overs were left, and I still had 25 to get. I would have had to play 15 out of those 18 balls, so I wasn't thinking of the double-hundred. My target was to bat 50 overs, no matter how much I score."

His own innings, Sehwag termed the most satisfactory "as far as overs are concerned". It was obviously a conscious effort to play a longer innings, and take fewer chances. One of the bigger challenges of such innings is the middle overs, when fields are spread. Sehwag said his plan was to concentrate on taking singles. "It was easy for me to rotate the strike. I think I hit a six on 49, and after that till 75 or 80 I was just rotating the strike because I knew I had to play 30-40 overs, and if I do that I would get a hundred. Still my strike rate was more than 100."

There was praise for the other centurion, Virat Kohli, and not just hollow praise, but analytical appreciation. "Whenever we spoke in the middle, we told each other to not throw our wickets away. I still remember against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy [in Centurion, in 2009], he was playing well, but he played a shot straight to long-off. After that he has scored six hundreds. Sometimes a little nudge is enough for some people. He is a quick learner, and a mature batsman."

The last question to him was if he feels any pressure from the pundits that he is most crucial to India's prospects in the World Cup. Sehwag's dead-pan reply was, "My job is to play and make runs."

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I am a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar: Sonu Nigam

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Sonu Nigam was on cloud nine when he spoke to us just as he was boarding his flight from Delhi airport to Bangladesh.

He was to perform at the opening ceremony of 2011 World Cup Cricket in Dhaka, that happened on Thursday evening. "As a child I always had a passion for cricket. I grew up playing the game in my school and college days. Frankly, I never got the opportunity to watch any match in a stadium –till now, that is," he laughed. "But now, I shall try to watch at least the final in Mumbai. It is a great pride for our nation to be hosting such a mega sporting event for the first time. As an Indian, I feel immensely proud to be associated with this event. And as a singer, I thought it was high time that I did something more creative and innovative besides doing regular Bollywood numbers in films. Hence, I decided to write and compose a special song dedicated to the Cricket World Cup," he lets in.

"This will be one of the most prestigious moments for me – to be singing before such eminent international cricketers. It will be awesome. But the message in my song is not only for the cricketers, but for people from all walks of life. Whatever you are – an actor, singer or painter – whoever is struggling and striving hard to make a name for himself and is trying to attain glory will identify with the song," said the singer. It definitely did, Sonu.

So does he think India will win the CWC? He promptly said, "Yes, surely. The team is good and they have been performing very well. There are a lot of young, talented players in the team and they have proved themselves for the team. I am sure they will perform well and win the cup. I am a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar and will be looking forward to watching him play during the World Cup."

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Richardson amazed at Tendulkar's longevity as cricketer

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DHAKA: Richie Richardson, the West Indies batting great who captained the side in two World Cups, marvels at Sachin Tendulkar's longevity as a topflight cricketer and staying at peak form.

Richardson, here as manager of the West Indies World Cup team, feels the 37-year-old Tendulkar still has some more years of international cricket left in him.

"I find it simply unbelievable ... unbelievable, the way he keeps going, he is a great guy," Richardson said in an interview.

Asked if Tendulkar will be playing his last World Cup, Richardson was not sure: "I am not very sure, he could go on for some more years the way he is playing."

"And when he is at the crease, it seems he has it in him to play four-five more World Cups," he quipped.

"Sachin is a great ambassador for the game," said Richardson, who captained the World Cup teams in 1992 and 1996.

Richardson, 49, lavishly praised Virender Sehwag, saying India would stand a bright chance of winning every match if he stays at the wicket for long.

"He is destructive, he can toy with any bowling attack on his day. If he spends more time at the wicket, the chances of India winning a game are high. And if he can sustain his form, India can win the cup, too".

Born in Five Islands, Antigua, Richardson made his Test debut in India in 1983 under Clive Lloyd and his international career ended in 1996.

The right-handed batsman said he was also impressed by the current crop of Indian spinners, including young leggie Piyush Chawla and greenhorn off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

"Harbhajan (Singh) is a seasoned performer. Chawla is good, but I am highly impressed with Ashwin.

"I have seen them bowl in the warm-up games. I feel spinners will have a big role to play in this World Cup as they will get assistance from the sub-continental pitches.

"A bowler does well when he has variation and both Chawla and Ashwin have it."

Richardson, however, said there are no clear-cut favourites in this World Cup.

"Australia are the defending champions who have some talented players. India are certainly doing well. South Africa also have a number of top players and England are a strong team.

"But, if you ask me I will say a dark horses is going to surprise you," he said.

Who did he thinks were the dark horses? Pat came the reply: "Well, you can look at me," clearly indicating that West Indies could be the team.

Richardson, who played 86 Test matches scoring 5,949 runs, also turned out in 224 one-day international matches aggregating 6,248.

He said though the West Indies no more wore the tag of favourites, the team was confident of doing well.

"We are trying very hard. We have lot of good players, though we may not have stars or superstars".

Richardson did not agree that the team's fortunes depended heavily on Chris Gayle.

"We play a team game."



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"Sachin should bat at least 40 overs":Akram

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Former Pakistani cricketer Wasim Akram says the Little Master Sachin Tendulkar must play a sheet-anchor role for India.

By Faisal Kamal

Not MS Dhoni, not Virender Sehwag and not Yusuf Pathan, Wasim Akram feels Sachin Tendulkar is the man for Team India as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 beckons. He missed the first warm-up match against Australia and made a scratchy 17 against New Zealand on Wednesday in Chennai. Akram feels all is well with the Little Master.

"Sachin is key to India's chances. The team has to rally around him to get a big score on board. Tendulkar likes batting for a long period of time. He should stay in the middle for a minimum of 40-45 overs," said Akram, speaking to Mobile ESPN from Karachi on Thursday.

It was not a pleasant sight for an Indian fan when Tendulkar was cleaned up by a slower delivery from Kiwi pacer Tim Southee. Akram believes that the 37-year-old batsman - probably playing his last ICC CWC - should make the best use of his assets.

"If Tendulkar bats for long, India will get over 300 runs every time. With Sachin in the middle, it gives players like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh opportunity to play their natural game," said Akram.

Apart from Sachin, even Yuvraj Singh's form is a cause of concern for Team India. The southpaw scored just one against Australia in the 1st warm-up tie before being caught behind off Mitchell Johnson. Akram, though, still backs the talented Punjabi.

"Yuvraj is a very dangerous player. His fielding has certainly improved and is looking a lot fitter after a spate of injuries. He comes from my part of the world - Punjab. We Punjabis are always 'hot and cold'. I know his form is a bit cold right now but with his talent, he needs one good inning," says Akram.

With just hours to go before the meg event kicks off in Mirpur, Akram feels that this is India's best chance to capture the trophy one more time.

"India have really been playing good cricket. I was the first one to say that India are favourites to win the Cup and then everybody joined the chorus. They have the right combination, confidence and have defeated every good team in world cricket. According to me, they are the No.1 team in the world," concluded the Sultan of Swing.

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Tendulkar most accomplished World Cup player: Imran

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New Delhi, Feb 15 (PTI) Legendary Pakistani fast bowlerImran Khan today refused to compare Sachin Tendulkar with DonBradman but said the Indian maestro was the "most accomplishedplayer in the World Cup".

Buzz up!

Imran declined to compare Tendulkar with Bradman as hehad not seen the Australian playing.

"Sachin is the most accomplished player in the World Cup.

He should open Indian innings and with Virender Sehwag. Theycan give solid start to the team which will be difficult forother teams to match," Imran said.

He said Mahendra Singh Dhoni''s squad is the best everIndian World Cup side and it has the most formidablebatting line-up among the teams participating in this editionstarting in the sub-continent on Saturday.

"I played the first World Cup in 1975 and have beenfollowing it since then. According to me this is the best everIndian side playing in a World Cup," said Pakistan''s 1992World Cup-winning captain.

"This is the best batting line-up in the world. You haveSachin, Sehwag, MS Dhoni, Yusuf Pathan and the batting depthwill play a crucial role," he told ''IBN7''.

He predicted that Harbhajan Singh will be the key bowlerfor India given the conditions, and if he were the captain hewould have asked the off-spinner to play the attackingbowler''s role.

Asked about the Indian pace battery, the formerall-rounder said, "When I saw Ishant Sharma bowling initially,I felt that at last India has got a genuine pace bowler whocan run through any batting order. But two years since thenwhen I saw him, I could see flaw in his bowling action." PTIPDS AH
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Sachin should win World Cup for us: Kapil

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KOLKATA: World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev feels comments of Indian cricketers that they want to win the Cup for Sachin Tendulkar is just media hype. Kapil hoped it is the batting maestro who would win the World Cup for India.

"'We want to win for Sachin. We want to win for Sachin.' It's the media which is saying again and again. We all want to win. Of course Sachin wants to win. But if you keep on asking everybody if Sachin's dream will come true what will they say? Everybody's dream is same," said Kapil while addressing an event, Power Play, which was also attended by former cricket legends Sourav Ganguly, Vivian Richards and Steve Waugh.

Kapil felt depending on one individual will have an adverse effect on the team.

"I as a cricketer would not like to depend on one person. At the end of the day it's a team game and the team has to win together," Kapil said.

"When you start depending on one player and if anything goes wrong with him your team chokes. I think he has to do it for us. He has to perform for us so that we can cheer for him," he added.



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Kirsten: I wanted to impress Sachin

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Gary Kirsten has revealed how he tried to impress Sachin Tendulkar before taking up the role of India’s coach.

Kirsten, one of the most popular coaches India have had, is on the last leg of his tenure as he will be stepping down after the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.

“I still remember in Adelaide (during India’s 2007-08 tour of Australia), Sachin came up to me and said ‘Can you throw a few balls at me?’

“I said to myself, I need to impress him. I threw from 16-17 yards and he missed a few balls. Next moment, he came to me and said, “Gary do you mind going a few yards back?” Kirsten recollected during the release of journalist Gautam Bhattacharya’s book ‘Sach’ on Thursday.

“After that, lovely cover drives flowed from Sachin’s bat. It was a good learning experience for me. I am fortunate to have had many net sessions with him and played alongside him.”

“It has been a humble privilege to have worked with him and the rest of the Indian team,” he continued.

Kirsten feels that it’s Sachin’s modesty that makes him the champion he is.

“Whenever Sachin comes out to bat, he does so with absolute humility. He is undoubtedly the greatest sporting role model.”

Tendulkar himself was present during the release of his biography, along with teammates Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan and Rahul Dravid. Former captain Anil Kumble was at the venue as well.

“I have never really got tired of watching Sachin bat. He has inspired so many generation of kids,” Dravid said.

Kumble echoed the sentiments of his erstwhile teammate.

“He has touched the lives of more people than anyone in the world. It’s been a privilege to have witnessed Sachin’s achievements.

The leg-spinner ended by giving his best to the Indian team for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup.

“The World Cup is one tournament that requires team effort. I wish Sachin, MS (Dhoni) and the rest of the boys all the best in their endeavour to win the Cup,” Kumble said.

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Kumble marvelled at Tendulkar's ability to master every aspect of the game.

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BANGALORE: A book on Sachin Tendulkar, 'Sachin - Genius Unplugged', which features write-ups by Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, was launched on Wednesday just nine days ahead of the forthcoming World Cup.

The book, edited by veteran cricket journalist Suresh Menon, comprises 18 essays by writers who have watched Tendulkar's career from close quarters, including Sanjay Manjrekar, Kumble and Dravid.

Other contributors include Peter Roebuck, Greg Baum, Harsha Bhogle and Barney Ronay.

Fittingly, it includes a foreword by Test cricket's highest wicket-taker Muttiah Muralitharan, the man who is to bowling what Tendulkar is to batting.

Dravid launched the book and Kumble received the first copy.

Kumble marvelled at Tendulkar's ability to master every aspect of the game he set his mind to.

"Sachin just rolled his arm over, and turned the leg-spinner and the googly by the same huge width, while I was struggling to spin the ball," he said.

He also remembered his debut at Old Trafford in 1990, in which Tendulkar scored his first international century.

"Kiran More had ordered me to keep standing on the balcony, since Tendulkar was batting well when I was there. I was allowed to sit down only after he reached his hundred, and the match was saved," Kumble said.

Dravid said the book "is a great reflection on Tendulkar's accomplishments, and is something youngsters taking to cricket will enjoy reading."
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Sachin is the greatest role model: Kirsten

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BANGALORE: Indian coach Gary Kirsten on Thursday termed batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar as the "...greatest sporting role model" he has ever met.
"I have played fair amount of cricket with Sachin and it has been a humble privilege to have worked with him and the rest of the Indian team," Kirsten said.

Kirsten, by far the most popular among the foreign coaches is on the last leg of his tenure as India coach admitted that he was apprehensive in the beginning when offered the role of coaching India.

"When I got the offer of coaching the Indian team. I was little bit nervous and apprehensive as to how I will start the proceedings.

"I still remember in Adelaide (tour of Australia 2007-08), Sachin came up to me and said "Can you throw a few balls at me? I said to myself, I need to impress him. I threw from 16-17 yards and he missed a few balls. Next moment, he came to me and said, "Gary do you mind going a few yards back?" Kirsten recollected during the release of journalist Gautam Bhattacharya's book 'Sach'.

"After that, lovely cover drives flowed from Sachin's bat. It was a good learning experience for me. I am fortunate to have had many net sessions with him and played alongside him," one could gauge the admiration in the former South African opener's voice.

Kirsten feels that it's his humility towards the game that makes Sachin the true champion that he is.

"Whenever Sachin comes out to bat, he treats his batting with absolute humility."

While the legend himself was present on the occasion of the release of his biography, also present were current Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, along with former India captains Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble.

"I have never really got tired of watching Sachin bat. He inspired so many generation of kids," Dravid said.

For Kumble, Sachin is someone whom is not just followed by Indians but also by the entire sub-continent.

"He has touched the lives of more people than anyone in the world. It's been a privilege that I have been a witness to Sachin's achievements. World Cup is one tournament which requires team effort. I wish Sachin, MS (Dhoni) and the rest of the boys in their endeavour to win the Cup," Kumble said.



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Sachin has big role to play this World Cup: Bedi

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With present Indian cricketers hoping to win the forthcoming World Cup in the sub-continent for Sachin Tendulkar, former captain Bishan Singh Bedi said the milestone man has a big role to play in the marquee event, calling him "the finest ever sportsman the country has produced".

Bedi, one of the great quartet of spinners who graced the Indian team of the '70s, said the batting maestro has handled the pressure for 21 long years and this is the right time that he should see his team regaining the cup after 28 years.

"I want the Indian team to win the World Cup this time for (Sachin) Tendulkar. Unfortunately, he was not in the Indian team which won the Cup in 1983.

"This time, he would have a big role to play," Bedi told UNI on the sidelines of the launch of "Women's Cricket World", co-authored by former Indian women's teamcaptain Anjum Chopra here last night.

The ex-captain said, "We should rather salute Sachin's mom - Rajni Tendulkar - for giving birth to such a legend."

On giving any advice to Tendulkar for the World Cup, Bedi refused to have any for "the giant"

"He is India's finest ever sportsman. He hasn't given a single opportunity to be linked in any controversy." he said.

The World Cup title is the only missing feat from Tendulkar's cap, and Bedi feels that the batting icon, who has brought many laurels to the country, deserves it.

On the Indian squad for the February 19-April 2 extravaganza, Bedi said it was a balanced side."I believe its a balanced side. And the team has the best chance to win in the sub-continent...I am sure the team will deliver," he said.

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