November 12, 2014
Sachin Tendulkar has been deified and termed the god of cricket by his millions of fans across the world, but the master batsman has insisted that he is as normal as anyone else, is grateful for the love and support of the fans, and that he has made plenty of mistakes on the field of play.
Crikcet Legend – Sachin Tendulkar
November 12, 2014
Sachin Tendulkar has been deified and termed the god of cricket by his millions of fans across the world, but the master batsman has insisted that he is as normal as anyone else, is grateful for the love and support of the fans, and that he has made plenty of mistakes on the field of play.
Crikcet Legend – Sachin Tendulkar
“I’m no cricketing god. I’ve made lots of mistakes on the field. I’ve loved playing cricket, but I’m normal Sachin and that’s how it should be,” he told BBC Sport in an interview released on Tuesday (November 11).
“I consider myself fortunate that people like me, people love me. It’s a special thing. I’m blessed, I think. God has been kind to me. I don’t want to take anything for granted. I am only thankful to everyone for being so kind to me,” he said, when asked about the hero worship he has received ever since making his international debut as a 16-year-old in 1989.
Tendulkar’s autobiography, Playing It My Way, was released in Mumbai last week and he was at Lord’s subsequently to promote the book. During an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live channel, Tendulkar said life after his retirement in November 2013 had been hectic.
“I’m getting to know a different side of life. For 24 years, I was focusing on cricket and nothing else,” he said. “I feel the first innings of my life was playing cricket and chasing my own dream – and the dream was to win the World Cup. The second innings of my life, the post-cricketing years, is to try and give back something to the people who have wished well for me.”
Of his 100 international centuries, Tendulkar pointed to his unbeaten, match-winning 103 against England in Chennai in 2008 as his most meaningful knock. England had returned home midway through a One-Day International series after terror attacks in Mumbai, but came back a fortnight later for a two-Test series. India chased down a steep target of 387 with six wickets standing to temporarily put a smile on the faces of a people traumatized by the attacks.
“It was a difficult period for all Indians across the globe,” said Tendulkar. “I felt really proud that I could do something to allow people to think about something else for a while. It allowed people to smile, which was an even greater satisfaction.”
While concerns have been raised over the sustainability of Test cricket, given the massive proliferation and popularity of the Twenty20 format, Tendulkar said he was confident Test cricket, which he called the main course, would hold its own against the ‘starters and desserts’. “Out of ten cricketers, if you asked, I wouldn’t be surprised if eight say that Test cricket is the top, then comes the rest.”
Courtesy: Wisden India
