Revision as of 22:05, 15 August 2021

Sachin Tendulkar: As a 5-year-old

Meeting the Don on his 90th birthday in Adelaide after being specially flown in on Bradman’s request

15-year-old Sachin is the quintessence of poise and confidence at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium ahead of his debut in Pakistan in November 1989

Teams of 1989 and 2013 respectively. Chart: The Times of India

The Indpaedia page Sachin Tendulkar: 2 (records, factoids, tributes) has charts, statistics, and analyses of Tendulkar's technique

The authors of this article are...

Photographs, including those credited to AFP are from the archives of The Times of India

Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara

Sachin Tendulkar: South African President Nelson Mandela is introduced to Mohammad Azharudin by Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar during the lunch break on the third day of the Second Test between South Africa and India at Newlands, 4 January, 1997. (AFP Photo)

Sachin Tendulkar: Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar lifts the Sahara Cup after after winning the series against Pakistan in Toronto, Canada on September 21, 1997.

Sachin Tendulkar: Sachin Tendulkar shakes hands with Shane Warne after guiding India to victory against Australia in Sharjah on April 24, 1998, his 25th birthday. (AFP Photo)

Sachin Tendulkar: Sachin Tendulkar stands next to a replica of a gold medallion which was launched on March 26, 1999 to commemorate the World Cup in England.

Sachin Tendulkar: Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar lifts the Pepsi Challange trophy November 2, 1999 after winning the series against New Zealand at the Sardar Patel stadium in Ahmedabad. (AFP Photo)

Sachin Tendulkar: Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar acknowledges the applause after scoring a century against Australia on the third day of the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 28, 1999. (AFP Photo)

Sachin Tendulkar: Sachin Tendulkar acknowledges the crowd after scoring a double century on the second day of the second Test against Zimbabwe on November 26, 2000 in Nagpur. (AFP Photo)

The Making Of A Master The Times of India

IANS | Oct 10, 2013 The Times of India

Sachin's 20 glorious years The Times of India

Thank you for the memories, Master by Ehtesham Hasan and K Shriniwas Rao The Times of India

Sachin Tendulkar Timeline The Times of India [1]

Gaurav Gupta & Nalin Mehta, I didn't watch 2011 World Cup final after getting out, nor did Viru: Sachin TNN The Times of India Nov 06 2014

Unceremonious sacking as captain was humiliating: Sachin Tendulkar PTI | Nov 6, 2014

K Shriniwas Rao, `All I Have Done Is Spoken The Truth' The Times of India Nov 06 2014

When Anjali fell for 17-year-old Tendulkar The Times of India

When Anjali ran after a 17-year-old boy Mumbai TNN & AGENCIES The Times of India Nov 06 2014

'Were ready to call off tour over Monkeygate' Mumbai:IANS Nov 06 2014

Nalin Mehta `Ringmaster' Greg asked me to help oust Dravid: Sachin The Times of India Nov 04 2014

NDTV

CricBuzz

Kunal Pradhan, India Today

Nick Hoult, The Telegraph, UK

Hindustan Times

Nalin Mehta The Times of India Nov 08 2014/ 1.

Nalin Mehta, The Times of India Nov 08 2014/ 2.

Harbhajan, Yuvraj and Virat sang him a song when they won the 2011 World Cup: Sachin IndiaToday, November 6, 2014

Personal details

espncricinfo

Full name: Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

Height 5 ft 5 in

As a batsman: Right-hand bat

Top-order batsman

As a bowler: Right-arm offbreak, Legbreak googly

Guru Ramakant Achrekar

Hero Vivian Richards

Family

His father Ramesh was a poet.

Mother Rajni

Nick Hoult, The Telegraph, UK writes, In his autobiography (‘‘Playing It My Way,’’ by Sachin Tendulkar (2014) Hodder & Stoughton / Hachette India):

‘Sachin describes his mother as the “best cook in the world for me” who would make him “delicious fish and prawn curry, baigan bharta and varan bhaat (lentils and rice)”. He says he owes his “appetite and love of food” to her.

Wife Anjali

How Anjali met Sachin

1990: It was at an airport where medical student Anjali Mehta saw the wonder boy of Indian cricket and was floored by the "cute looks" of Sachin Tendukar. She ran after him screaming Sachin.....Sachin, much to the embarrassment of the 17-year-old Tendulkar. She even forgot about her mother whom she had to gone to pick with a friend.

“I ran after him and I forgot about my mother. Sachin was so embarrassed and did not even look at me,” she recalled.

Anjali said she managed to get the number of Tendulkar after that, called him and was lucky that he picked her call.

Anjali, a doctor was not just older than Sachin but also the daughter of a well-to-do businessman from a very different family background.

“I called him and said I am Anjali and I saw you at the airport. He said he remembers me. When I asked him what colour I was wearing at the airport, he remembered that it was an orange T-shirt.” Anjali, now a mother of two, said she was destined to meet him, since on two previous occasions she could have met Tendulkar but could not do so as she was not interested in the game of cricket. “He was there with Star cricket Club and I was also there in England my dad called me when Indian team was playing. He wanted me to meet the boy who had scored a century but I said I don’t want to meet this boy, I am not interested in cricket. Maybe if I had met, I would have chased him when he was 15,” she said.

Sachin's version

Sachin records his version in his autobiography (‘‘Playing It My Way,’’ by Sachin Tendulkar (2014) Hodder & Stoughton / Hachette India):

“I had just landed in Mumbai on our return from the 1990 tour of England and was waiting to pick up my bags when I first saw an extremely attractive woman looking down from the viewing gallery in the airport… when I was making my way out of the airport… I spotted Anjali, dressed in an orange T-shirt and blue jeans, running out of the gate, apparently chasing after me.

“That was not all, because she soon started yelling, 'He is sooooo cute!' I felt awkward and started to blush, as I knew both Ajit and Nitin were waiting outside to take me home…

“It was pure chance that I happened to pick up her call…. She said she was the girl from the airport and asked if we could meet. While not trying to sound too eager, I told her that I remembered her and could meet with her at the Cricket Club of India…. At first she did not believe me and asked if I could remember what she was wearing on the day I had first seen her. When I mentioned the orange T-shirt and blue jeans, she was impressed. Our first proper meeting finally happened at my house when we came up with the idea that Anjali should come over posing as a reporter…. A female reporter had never come to my home…and, in light of all the phone calls, my sister-in-law was particularly suspicious.”

Waiting forty minutes for Anjali

Sachin would later tell co-author Boria Majumdar, ‘Back when we were not married, those days there were no mobile phones, and you had to time exactly how to meet. I reached Anjali's house, and she wasn't there. So I had to drive back all the way to Bandra, make a phone call to tell her I would reach her house again in forty minutes, and then drive back to meet her.’

Telling his parents

He may have faced the world’s fiercest fast bowlers with total equanamity but Sachin Tendulkar was very nervous about introducing his then girlfriend Anjali to his parents. “When she first came to my house, I didn’t know what to say to my parents so I told her to pretend to be a journalist. When she came over I had two pieces of chocolate left from the England tour so I cut them up into pieces and served them to her,” he recalls .

Of course, Sachin eventually informed his parents about Anjali’s identity but after he proposed to her and she accepted, it was again left to her to inform his parents. “I had nicely planned it all, I was happily playing cricket in New Zealand and I spoke to her over phone and told her to tell my parents,” he said.

Brother Ajit

Sachin’s elder brother Ajit is his guide

No Peking Duck for the batsman!

Sachin’s usually reclusive brother, Ajit, recalls that he had worn the same T-shirt when Sachin scored two consecutive centuries — including the famous ‘Desert Storm’ ton at Sharjah. Later, when Sachin went through a slump in form, Ajit started wearing the same T-shirt while watching every match his brother was playing.

Another interesting anecdote concerned superstition about food. Just before the 1999 World Cup, Sachin went for dinner with Ajit and ordered his favourite Peking Duck. Ajit had read that three English players had eaten duck the previous day and got out for ducks. So he forbade it. The order was cancelled and Sachin went on to have a prolific World Cup.

Son Arjun

Nick Hoult, The Telegraph, UK writes, ‘During the final years of Sachin’s career, it was common place to see his son Arjun at Indian net sessions wearing his pads. He even cried when his father told him he was retiring. Sachin describes in his book how his wife had told their son not to rise to criticism of his father from school friends. It didn’t always work. When a school friend blamed Sachin for India losing “Arjun punched the boy and told him not to say anything bad about his father again”.’

Sachin’s other child is his daughter Sara.

Timeline

Timeline of Sachin Tendulkar's cricketing achievements

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar made his Test debut in Karachi against Pakistan at the age of 16.

Below is a comprehensive timeline of Sachin Tendulkar's 24-year-old illustrious career:

1973

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar was born on April 24, 1973, in Bombay

The early years

Pranks

As a child, Tendulkar writes in his autobiography (‘‘Playing It My Way,’’ by Sachin Tendulkar (2014) Hodder & Stoughton / Hachette India) that he was so naughty that he's embarrassed about the mischief he and his friends at Bandra's Sahitya Sahawas society, where he grew up, were up to. "One of our regular tricks was to dig a deep hole in the sand left behind by the contractors and cover it with newspapers before disguising it with sand. Then we'd deliberately lure people to walk over it. As they sank into the crater, we'd be in fits of laughter. My friends and I would take pride in locking people in their flats. It wasn't dangerous, but the resulting delay, which must have caused them immense frustration, seemed very funny at the time," he says in the book.

Practising with his aunt

When he was eleven years old he had a golf ball that was oval shaped. He made his aunt sit in a chair on one side of the room and throw the ball at him. The ball would fly off the bat and he realised that this played a part in how he learnt to use soft hands while batting.

Commute on four Mumbai buses and trains

Nick Hoult, The Telegraph, UK informs us, ‘In his first year at Shardashram cricket academy Sachin would commute on four Mumbai buses and trains from his family home. “Anyone who has been on a Mumbai bus at peak times will know just how difficult it is to get a seat.” Bus conductors would try and charge him for two tickets, one for Sachin, the other for his kit bag. “It could be embarrassing because the conductors were often rude.” He worked out a way round the problem. “With time I evolved a way of wrapping the kitbag around me. Just as the helmet and pads became a part of me while batting, so the kitbag became an extension of me on the bus.”’

The first time his name appeared in print

Sachin told The Times of India’s K Shriniwas Rao: The first time my name appeared in a newspaper, my score was 24. One of the guys who brought up the scoresheet told me, `If you add six more runs and make your score 30, your name will appear in the newspapers.' It was my first game ever, and I didn't know much. So I told him, `If you think that is fine then do it', and he did it. But my sir (coach Achrekar) caught me and that was a big lesson in life. Sir told me, `If you wish to see your name in the newspaper then you better score runs.' So that was a big lesson I learnt. Making sure facts are correct is something I learned long ago.

1987: makes `international' debut for Pakistan!

Sachin made `international' debut for Pak!

Sachin Tendulkar actually got his first taste of international cricket two years before his official debut in 1998: and he was playing not for India but for a Pakistan team -against India! During Pakistan's tour of India in 1987, Sachin was sent in as a substitute fielder for Imran Khan's team during a festival match with India at Mumbai's Brabourne stadium.

Javed Miandad and Abdul Qadir left the field at lunch time and Sachin was asked to field. Imran deployed him at long-on and soon Kapil Dev hit a skier in his direction. Despite running 15 metres, Sachin could not reach the ball.

Sachin complained to a friend later that he could have taken the catch had he been positioned at mid-on instead of long-on.

1988

Feb 23-25, 1988: Tendulkar (14) and Vinod Kambli (16) compile a 664-run unbroken partnership for Shardashram Vidya Mandir against St Xavier's at Azad Maidan, Mumbai. Kambli remains unbeaten on 349 not out and Tendulkar scores 326 not out. It remains the highest partnership recorded in any form of cricket, until November 2006. [Postscript: Tendulkar and Kambli were a formidable, legendary batting duo. They were good friends. However, something went wrong somewhere and in his farewell speech, Tendulkar did not so much as mention Kambli’s name.]

Dec 11, 1988: Makes first-class debut at the age of 15 and scores an unbeaten century against Gujarat at the Wankhede Stadium. Becomes Youngest Indian to make a hundred on first-class debut.

1988: Shardashram Vidyamandir

Skipping fielding to score a ton

Sudheendra Tripathi | TNN

The Times of India 2013/10/12

Mumbai: Everyone knows Ramakant Achrekar, coach at Shardashram Vidyamandir, was angry at Sahin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli for ignoring declaration calls during their historic Harris Shield quarterfinal stand against St Xavier’s High School. Few, though, know the reason why.

Shardashram were also scheduled to play a Giles Shield quarterfinal tie the next day (Feb 25, 1988) against a well-balanced Anjuman-e-Islam side. Shardashram should have beaten St Xavier’s on Feb 24 so that Tendulkar would be available to play the Giles Shield quarterfinal the following day. But the duo batted for that extra day and jeopardised Tendulkar’s participation in the quarters.

So, on the day when the ‘boy wonder’ was supposed to be fielding against St Xavier’s at the Sassanian Club, Azad Maidan, he was taking guard against Anjuman at Parsee Cyclist, a hundred yards away.

Tendulkar, who had scored a triple hundred against Xavier’s and had added a then- world record 664 with Kambli, scored 172 against Anjuman.

He was also involved in a 280-run partnership with Amol Muzumdar, who scored a hundred. “We were all wondering why Tendulkar didn’t take the field,” recalled Manish Walawalkar, Xavier’s fast bowler. “We realized only later that Sachin had gone on to score another century against a different opposition. We were all kids then and were amazed at how a boy, who was as old as us, could score a triple hundred and slam another big hundred the next day.

“Sachin had become the talking point, not only in our school, but across the maidans.”

1989

Sachin was picked by Mumbai captain Dilip Vengsarkar after seeing him negotiate Kapil Dev in the nets and was selected for the tour of Pakistan next year.

Nov 15, 1989: Makes his Test debut in Karachi against Pakistan at the age of 16. Makes 15 on debut. Bowled by Waqar Younis. M B 4s 6s SR= 28 24 2 0 62.50

Sachin was one of those who did not bat in the 2nd innings (It was a drawn match)

Dec 14, 1989: Suffers a bloody nose in the last Test in Sialkot after being hit by Waqar Younis. Makes 57 in the innings.

Dec 18, 1989 Makes his ODI debut at Gujranwala Pakistan. Not a memorable ODI debut. India lost by 7 runs. Sachin was c Wasim Akram b Waqar Younis R B 4s 6s SR = 0 2 0 0 0.00

Highlights of the year

Word was going around of this enormous batting talent emerging in Mumbai cricket. Sachin Tendulkar had made his Ranji debut against Gujarat in December 1988 at the age of 15 years 230 days and scored an unbeaten 100, becoming the youngest Indian to score a hundred on first-class debut.

To test his batting skills, Dilip Vengsarkar asked Kapil Dev to bowl at Sachin Tendulkar at full throttle. Kapil was in his prime at that time but Tendulkar had no trouble whatsoever in negotiating his deliveries.

Statistics of the year

Matches5

Runs 215

Centuries 0

Wickets 0

Average 30.71

BOY WONDER (1989)

Stories about his phenomenal talent and ability to play the best of strokes even before he turned 15 had already reached every cricket lover in the country, thanks to Mumbai's cricketing grapevine. So when he showed the typical teenage bravado while carting Pakistan leg-spinners Abdul Qadir and Mushtaq Ahmed in a 20-over friendly one-dayer in Peshawar and showed amazing power for a young boy while lofting the cricket ball, the world finally saw why Sachin Tendulkar was the most talked about 16-year-old in the world. While Peshawar saw the aggressive side of Tendulkar, the Test series saw his defensive side. His fifties in Faisalabad and Sialkot on greenish tracks were illustrative of his grit and temperament. That greatness was going to descend on him became obvious after he scored his maiden Test century in Old Trafford, Manchester, in what was a match-saving effort on a difficult fifth-day pitch.

That historic debut test

This day that year: Sachin Tendulkar makes Test debut for India, TNN | Nov 15, 2016, The Times of India

Nov 15, 2017: The Times of India

Tendulkar made his Test debut for India on November 15, 1989 at National Stadium, Karachi

In the first Test against Pakistan, Tendulkar scored 15 runs before being dismissed by Waqar Younis

Apart from Tendulkar, Younis, Indian fast bowler Salil Ankola and Pakistan's Shahid Saeed made their debuts in the match

NEW DELHI: November 15, 1989, National Stadium, Karachi. Test match number 1127. India v Pakistan 1st Test. Sachin Tendulkar debuts.

A shy 16 year-old boy from Mumbai. In his first Test, Tendulkar walked out to bat at number six with India tottering at 41 for four, in reply to Pakistan's first innings total of 409. Tendulkar faced 24 balls during his stay in the middle earning himself two boundaries en route 15 runs. His stay was cut short when he was castled by another debutant who later went on to become a legend of the game - Waqar Younis.

India rallied with handful contributions from the lower order and eventually earned a draw. Apart from batting in the first innings, Tendulkar rolled his arms over for one over, that was taken for ten runs. He did not get to bat again in the Test match. Both the teams had two debutants each with Tendulkar and Younis going on have illustrious careers. Indian fast bowler Salil Ankola never played a Test for India again and went on to pursue a successful career in acting. Pakistan's other debutant, Shahid Saeed, too could not find a place in the Test team after this match, but went on to play ten ODIs for Pakistan.

The eventual Man of the Match, Kapil Dev, was playing his 100th Test match, and he became the first fast bowler to reach the milestone and he also crossed the 350-wicket mark during the match, making him only the fourth bowler at that time to breach the 350 barrier.

Sachin on his test debut

PTI |

Tendulkar had made his Test debut as a 16-year-old in 1989 against Pakistan in Karachi, facing the fearsome bowling attack of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.

"I hadn't faced that kind of bowling, that kind of pace, that kind of hostility, that kind of skill to bowl late reverse swing," said Tendulkar.

"After my first Test, I thought it was too tough for me. I spent a lot of time talking to my seniors, Chandu Borde, Ravi Shastri and they advised me that I need not rush. You need to give yourself time.

"In the next innings, I realized that I could deal with it. But then Waqar hit me on my nose and in those days I did not wear a helmet with a grill. Post that I started wearing a grill. But I did not want to leave the battlefield as that would have put on tremendous pressure on us," he added.

Narrating an interesting anecdote, Tendulkar said: "Qadir challenged me because I hit Mushtaq (Ahmed) for a couple of sixes and a boundary. Qadir said, 'bacchon ko kyun mar raha hai (Why are you smashing runs off children). Hit me, I will bowl to you. And in the following over, I hit 27 or so runs on Qadir's bowling."

1990

August 14, 1990: At the age of 17 years and 112 days, becomes the then second-youngest to score a Test century. He scores 119 not out against England at Old Trafford which helped India to get a draw.

Sachin Tendulkar made his maiden Test century, an unbeaten 119, against England at Old Trafford in 1990. He was the second youngest cricketer to do so at the age of 17 years 112 days.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar made his maiden Test century, an unbeaten 119, against England at Old Trafford in August 1990. He was the second youngest cricketer to do so at the age of 17 years 112 days.

Sachin Tendulkar's maiden Test century enabled India to draw the Test against England and it also got him his first man of the match award in Test cricket.

Sachin Tendulkar made his maiden ODI half-century against Sri Lanka in Pune on December 5, 1990

Sachin Tendulkar's maiden ODI half-century powered India to a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka and Tendulkar was awarded the man of the match - his first in one-dayers.

Statistics of the year

Matches18

Runs 612

Centuries 1

Wickets 2

Average 32.21

First Test century

August 14, 2019: PTI

Test-saving centuries have seemingly become extinct now but Sachin Tendulkar carved out one such innings exactly 30 years ago in Manchester, the seeds of which were sown during one afternoon in Sialkot.

It was on August 14, 1990, that Tendulkar scored the first of his 100 international centuries, a majestic 119 not out on a fifth day track to save the game for India. “I scored that 100 on August 14 and next day was our Independence Day, so it was special. The headline was different and that hundred at least kept the series alive till next Test at the Oval,” Tendulkar told PTI on the eve of the 30th anniversary of his first century.

So what exactly was the feeling, apart from the pure joy of achieving the milestone? “The art of saving a Test match was a new experience for me,” Tendulkar said. He said he knew he could save a game when he batted with a “bloodied nose” and a blood-soaked jersey after being hit by Waqar Younis. “In Sialkot where I got hit and scored 57, we saved that Test match, too, from 38 for 4. Waqar’s bouncer and playing through pain defined me. After those kind of hits you are either stronger or you are nowhere to be seen.”

‘Quickest bowlers’

As scary as it may seem now, Tendulkar, in the first innings of that Manchester Test, was hit on the back of the head by one of the fastest pacers in the world back then, Devon Malcolm. “Devon and Waqar, during that phase, were easily the two quickest bowlers in the world bowling at 90 mph. Yes, I didn’t call the phsyio as I didn’t want to show them that I [was] in pain. My pain threshold was fairly high. Its O.K. to get hit. So what? You don’t show your pain to the bowler,” Tendulkar said. Coach Ramakant Acherkar prepared him for all sorts of pain by making him play on the same pitch for 25 days straight at the Shiva ji Park Gymkhana. “I was used to getting hit on my body from my days in Shiva ji Park as Achrekar sir would make us play on that and it would have enormous wear and tear. The same pitch we played a match on one day and next day we were back for nets. So balls would just jump off length and hit my nose. In fact, I would just throw the ball up and take it on my body to absorb the pain.”

Partnership with Prabhakar

The shots that he remembers are the exquisite backfoot cover drives off Chris Lewis deliveries that darted in. “Lewis bowled sharp inswing and throughout my career, backfoot cover drive had been my favourite shot. The bowler who was the best by far in that series was Angus Fraser. He had a beautiful late outswing, high-arm action, so ball would bounce and move so late that you had to play at it. It was a case of showing patience and credit to Manoj [Prabhakar] that we had a 160-run stand,” he said.

Did he feel in the last hour that the team had been able to save the match?

“No way, till the last over. We came together when we were six down (183 for 6) but me and Manoj together said ‘yeh hum kar sakte hain, match bacha lenge’ (We can do it, we can save the match). Also England had attacking field as they could only win from that position,” Tendulkar said.

And any special anecdote that he still remembers?

“Well I was 17 and the Man of the Match was presented with a bottle of champagne. Neither did I drink [nor had I] reached the legal age for drinking. My senior team-mates would tell me ‘what would you do with it’?,” he laughed.

But there is another thing that Tendulkar fondly remembers. “Sanjay Manjrekar presented me a white shirt which was a gift for scoring a hundred. I was really touched,” he concluded.

1990: vs Sri Lanka at Chandigarh

When Chandigarh flocked to watch his home debut

Alkesh Sharma | TNN

The Times of India 2013/10/12

Chandigarh: In 1990 the quaint Sector-16 ground in Chandigarh, with a ring of low, uncovered stands and a distant view of Kasauli hills, became the launchpad for a great cricketing career. It was here that Sachin Tendulkar, then 17, played his first international match on Indian soil. Before this match, he had played 10 Tests and seven One-dayers, all of them away from home, in England, New Zealand and Pakistan.

Tendulkar, who announced his retirement on Thursday, was all of 17 and had not yet opened the innings for India when he played his first home Test here. Incidentally, in his 11th Test, he also scored 11 runs in the first innings against Sri Lanka. India went on to win by an innings and eight runs. The Test was part of a one-match series against Sri Lanka from Nov 23-27, 1990.

Though local boy Kapil Dev was the fan favourite, there was already huge support for Sachin. “All the spectators were mad for Kapil but I still remember the continuous shouting of ‘buck-up Sachin’ from the stands when he was at the crease. My college group was also among these fans. Sachin’s technique was very sound and he batted for over 90 minutes,” said Sanjay, a resident of Sector 47 here who was a Class-12 student then.

People even bought tickets in black to watch Sachin. In 1990, the sector-16 stadium had a capacity of more than 5000 spectators, and black marketing of tickets too hit a peak.Everyone wanted a ticket for the match, by hook or by crook.

Heartbreak in New Zealand

Nick Hoult, The Telegraph, UK tells us that ‘Sachin reveals [in his autobiography] how he cried in New Zealand in 1990 when he fell just 12 runs short of his first century for India and in turn missed out on becoming the youngest ever centurion in Test history. He walked back to the pavilion unable to “control my tears” and cried for several minutes in the bathroom. He had been caught at mid on by John Wright, who would later coach India. Sachin later told him he “really shouldn’t have taken that catch”.’

1991

Highlights of the year

In one of the best Ranji Trophy finals ever played, Sachin Tendulkar bludgeoned his way to a smashing knock and threatened to take the game away from Kapil Dev's side at the Wankhede Stadium.

Chasing 355 runs in 190 minutes and 20 mandatory overs on a fifth day track against Kapil Dev and Chetan Sharma, Bombay were 34/3 when Sachin Tendulkar arrived at the crease.

After lunch, an 18-year-old Sachin Tendulkar launched such a ferocious assault that the stadium began to fill up as the word of the onslaught spread.

In a stand of 134 runs for the fourth wicket with captain Dilip Vengsarkar, Sachin Tendulkar had contributed 96 runs off 75 balls, but Bombay still fell short by 2 runs and Haryana won their first, and till date their last Ranji Trophy title.

Statistics of the year

Matches16

Runs 495

Centuries 0

Wickets 6

Average 30.93

ODIs

Gaurav Gupta, April 24, 2020: The Times of India

VS WEST INDIES, TRI-SERIES, PERTH: 1991, A TIE-TANIC AFFAIR

Defending 126 on a bouncy WACA, India ran out of all their four pace bowlers’ quota by the 40th over. In desperation, skipper Mohammad Azharuddin threw the ball to Tendulkar to bowl the 41st over. Anderson Cummins and Patrick Patterson were the last pair. The 18-yearold had Cummins caught by Azhar at first slip of the last ball of the over. Windies finished at 126, and the match was tied.

“Patterson had played an on-drive off the previous ball. Subroto was standing at mid on and Pravin Amre was at midwicket. The batsmen could’ve taken the fourth run, because both Amre and Banerjee were cramping. I was screaming: ‘Save one run..you never know. They managed to save that run. Next ball, I got Cummins out,” he said.

1992

April, 1992: Signs up for Yorkshire and becomes the first overseas signing for the English county.

Nov 27-28, 1992: Becomes the youngest player to score 1000 Test runs at the age of 19 years and 217 days after he scores 111 in India's 227 in Johannesburg.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar smashed an unbeaten 148 on Shane Warne's Test debut to enable India to draw the third Test of the series against Australia in Sydney.

Overcoming the challenges of a fast WACA pitch, Sachin Tendulkar played arguably one of his best innings when he made 114 in the fifth Test in Perth. No other Indian batsman touched 50 in both the innings of the Test.

Played his first World Cup. In the match against Pakistan, Sachin Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 54 and India won by 43 runs

Sachin Tendulkar became Yorkshire County Cricket Club's first overseas batsman before becoming the youngest batsman to reach 1000 Test runs and hitting a century against South Africa at the Wanderers.

Statistics of the year

Matches28

Runs 1123

Centuries 3

Wickets 8

Average 40.1

CHARMING THE DON (1992)

Perhaps it was the first time the world saw what a punch off the back foot meant. On the bouncy pitches of Australia, he looked completely at ease and stroked wonderful centuries in Sydney and Perth. The time he got to play his strokes was the talk of the world. Seldom has an 18-year-old batted with such authority in alien conditions and that tour was the start of Tendulkar's love affair with the Australian bowling and pitches.

Yorkshire: salads at Pizza Hut

Tendulkar would later recall that when he first played for Yorkshire he did not have “enough money when playing county cricket. Quite a few friends were with me. We used to go to Pizza Hut, where if you ordered buffet you could have as much you wanted but you could fill the salad bowl only once. We figured out a technique where we would create a huge wall of lettuce in the small bowl, and then you could fill much more inside! We mastered that technique.”

1992: 114 at Perth

Cracker at Waca: Sachin’s journey from boy to man

Anand Sachar, Hindustan Times October 11, 2013

One innings that will stand the test of time is his sublime 114 he crafted in the 1992 Perth Test, that announced his arrival on the big stage.

After making his Test debut in Pakistan at the tender age of 16, a little more than two years later, Tendulkar went on to his first tour to Australia. The then 19-year-old had scored a memorable maiden hundred in Manchester, England but Australia was considered more hostile.

Tendulkar’s hundred in Sydney notwithstanding, not many gave him a chance to succeed on the fastest pitch in the world at the WACA. The four consecutive losses the team had suffered prior to the game could not have helped matters.

But Tendulkar defied the fiery Australian pace attack and was the only batsman in the team to cross fifty on his way to a defining 114. While Mike Whitney was busy ripping apart the Indian batting line-up, Tendulkar offered resistance at the other end.

Tendulkar, too, fell too Whitney but only after the little man had negotiated the extra pace and extra bounce with a gutsy century.

He was able pick up the bounce and pace of the wicket in such a short time, which proved that he was always going to be a special player for the future.

Around a decade later, Whitney had to say this: “He came with a bit of a reputation, being so young. To have him among my wickets, I’m pretty happy about it.”

For former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar, who was Tendulkar’s teammate in that Test match, the century scored against the odds lists amongst the greatest ever. “The hundred he scored that day is one of the finest century in Test cricket ever,” recalls Vengsarkar to HT. “Against a strong attack and a pitch like the one at Perth, it was outstanding for someone of his age.”

Kiran More, who was at the crease with Tendulkar on February 3, 1992 when he scaled the three-figure mark, remembers the look of bemusement on the Australians face during the course of the innings.

“There were questions about how a boy with his height and Australian wickets would do, but he went on to play one of the best knocks,” More told HT.

1992: vs. Australia

Sachin feels that Michael Clarke was the best Australian captain he played against. He would later recall, ‘In 1992, I was about to pick up a ball to toss back to the bowler when Allan Border told me, “Don't you dare touch the ball.” It was an early lesson in how competitive Australians are. But I was too young to judge him as a captain.’

1992: Perth century changed his game

Before that Perth hundred the Indians had already spent two months in Australia, played four Tests and a triangular series. He counts the Perth innings as among his best because he made certain adjustments. He was making his debut at No. 4 and by that stage had mastered the backfoot punch. People had told him about Perth being helpful for fast bowlers but he felt that once a batsman got his eye in, Perth can also make a fast bowler's life difficult. ‘If a batsman knows how to use the length, then the bowler has a very small area as far as the good length spot is concerned. Because of bounce, if he falters on the shorter side you can cut or pull and if he is marginally fuller, then naturally you have to read the length and hit him on the rise. Perth is the kind of wicket where if you are in a positive frame of mind, it's a beautiful track to bat on. If you are not very positive then it's tough,’ Tendulkar later told The Times of India’s Nalin Mehta.

A summer at Headingley

Tribal rituals

Nick Hoult, The Telegraph, UK writes, ‘During his summer at Headingley in 1992 Sachin loved Yorkshire’s team bonding sessions known as the Sunday Club. He describes one in which it was agreed everyone would wear “towels and a tie without a shirt” and meet in the hotel lobby. He thought it was a wind up. “I kept a close eye on the lobby and only when I saw a number of my team-mates sporting a towel and tie did I do the same.” He writes it turned out to be an “eccentric and hilarious” evening. Indeed.’

Maximising the salad bar

Nick Hoult, The Telegraph, UK adds, Sachin ‘reveals how he dined in KFC and fish and chips while playing for Yorkshire and became an expert in how to maximise the salad bar in Pizza Hut. He writes he learned how to use “lettuce leaves to construct a wall, so that the size of the bowl, which was normally just two to three inches tall, increased to five or six inches. We could then fill it with as much salad as we wanted.”

He even won an award for his eating

‘At the famous Harry Ramsden’s café in Guisely, West Yorkshire, Sachin conquered the Harry’s Challenge as easily as making a hundred on a flat deck in Ahmedabad. It entailed eating a “giant portion” of fish, chips, bread and butter with two side dishes. He polished off the fish “fairly comfortably” plus the salad and side dishes. But being a true pro Sachin left the chips. “I thought they might be too fattening”. He was given his certificate anyway as the chef was “impressed with my performance”.’

1993

Feb 11-12, 1993: Gets his first Test century (165) at home against England.

Nov 24, 1993: The world saw the first glimpse of Tendulkar as a match-winning bowler. Bowls India to sensational last-ball win against South Africa in the Hero Cup semi-final. South Africa needing six runs to win off the last over, Tendulkar gave them just three, and India a victory.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar hit his fifth century, first Test century on home soil, in the second Test against England at the Chepauk.

Sachin Tendulkar's 165 enabled India to beat England by an innings and 22 runs.

Sachin Tendulkar hit his sixth century, his first century against Sri Lanka - an unbeaten 104 - in the second innings as India beat Sri Lanka by 235 runs at the SSC in Colombo.

South Africa needed six runs to win when Sachin Tendulkar snatched the ball out of captain Mohammad Azharuddin's hands to bowl the last over and conceded just three runs in the first semifinal of Hero Cup at the Eden Gardens on November 24, 1993. India won by two runs.

Statistics of the year

Matches26

Runs 959

Centuries 2

Wickets 4

Average 47.95

HERO CUP SEMIFINAL 1993

Kolkata’s historic venue the Eden Gardens was packed to the rafters. South Africa needed six runs off the last over. Captain Mohammad Azharuddin didn’t know whom to throw the bowl to even as coach Ajit Wadekar dispatched the 12th man with water and a message “bowl Kapil.” The great all-rounder however was a bit reluctant given that there was hardly anything to defend. That is when Tendulkar did the impossible. He grabbed the ball from Azhar and pulled the choke on South Africa.

ODIs

Gaurav Gupta, April 24, 2020: The Times of India

LAST-OVER HEROICS IN HERO CUP SEMIS VS SA, KOLKATA, 1993

India made 195, before restricting South Africa to 193 for nine, to sneak a two-run win. With the Proteas needing just six, Tendulkar bowled the last over of the match. “I started the over by bowling to (Brian) McMillan. There was a run out. Then, I bowled three dot balls to Allan Donald. Then, the next ball he hit to long on for a single. Then, the last ball I ended up bowling to McMillan,” remembers Tendulkar. Bowling the 50th over of the match all of a sudden wasn’t easy. “It was a cold November night in Kolkata. Since I hadn’t bowled at all, my hands were freezing. I took a good two-three minutes to warm-up. And then, it was about mind games — reading each other’s mind, what they’re looking to do. I didn’t want to give Donald any pace at all. I knew that McMillan was their main striker. Donald was never going to hit a boundary. He would try for a single. And if I bowl seamup, then it would be easier for him to hit me. So, I tried to keep the ball slow and mix my pace,” he recalled.

Tendulkar would contribute in the final too, castling Brian Lara (33).

1994

March 27, 1994: Opens the innings for the first time in an ODI against the New Zealand. Scores 82 off 49 balls.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar opened in ODIs for the first time in the second ODI against New Zealand on March 27, 1994, as regular opener Navjot Singh Sidhu was unwell.

Sachin Tendulkar smashed the Kiwi bowlers to all parts of the ground by notching up 82 runs off 49 balls with the help of 2 sixes and 15 fours, as India cantered to a seven-wicket victory.

At the age of 21, Sachin Tendulkar scored his first ODI century against Australia in Colombo - 110 off 130 balls. India emerged victorious by 31 runs.

Sachin Tendulkar got his first national honour when he was bestowed with the Arjuna Award by the Government of India in recognition of his outstanding achievement in sports.

Maiden ODI century

This day that year: Sachin Tendulkar hits maiden ODI hundred TNN | Sep 9, 2016 The Times of India

• Tendulkar scored 110 off 130 balls against Australia in the Singer World Series

• It took Tendulkar 78 ODI to reach the triple-figure mark for the first time

• Before the century, Tendulkar had scored 2126 ODI runs with the help 17 half-centuries

September 9, 1994, Colombo is where it all started. The first of 49 ODI hundreds the great Sachin Tendulkar would go on to score in his legendary career. Add to that the fact that it took 78 ODIs for the 'Little Master' to reach the triple-figure mark for the first time. After languishing in the middle-order early in his career, Tendulkar was made to open for the first time earlier in the year against New Zealand and scored 82 off 49 balls. And on September 9, Tendulkar reached the milestone in the third match of the Singer World Series against Australia at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.

He cut a short ball from Shane Warne towards sweeper cover and took two runs to raise his bat. Ironically, at the other end was his childhood friend Vinod Kambli who did not waste much time to congratulate Tendulkar with a warm hug. Tendulkar went on to make 110 off 130 balls that included eight fours and two sixes.

India ended up with 246 for eight in 50 overs, before bowling out Australia for 215 in 47.4 overs courtesy Tendulkar's opening partner Manoj Prabhakar's 3 for 34 and Rajesh Chauhan's 2 for 41. India went on to win the series in a rain-truncated final beating hosts Sri Lanka by six wickets. Tendulkar was the second highest run-getter in the series (127 runs in four matches) behind Arjuna Ranatunga (195). Before the century, Tendulkar had scored 2126 ODI runs with the help 17 half-centuries.

At the same point in his career, Australia's Ricky Ponting had five centuries to his name in 78 ODIs. By the time Virat Kohli played his 78 th ODI, he had smacked eight centuries and incidentally, Joe Root, who [in 2016 had] 78 ODIs to his name has also scored eight centuries [by 2016].

Statistics of the year

Matches32

Runs 1789

Centuries 5

Wickets 14

Average 54.21

ONE-DAY SUPERSTAR (1994)

While he was a reasonably successful player in ODIs, he didn't quite get the big scores regularly as a result of batting too low in the line-up. An injury to Navjot Sidhu just before the second ODI in Auckland meant that Tendulkar went out to open and his 82 in 49 balls started another chapter. The field restrictions and his ability to clear the ball with ease, thanks to his incredible power and ability to pick up length early, meant that Tendulkar's address in the batting lineup in ODIs had permanently changed. The one stroke that regularly comes to mind is the pick up shot over mid-wicket where he cleared his front leg and used his wrists to send the ball to the fence.

1995

October 1995: Becomes the richest cricketer in the world after he signs up a five-year contract worth Rs.31.5 crore with WorldTel.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar hit his first century in Sharjah on April 9, 1995.

India chased down 203 runs in 33.1 overs against Sri Lanka riding on his unbeaten 112 at the desert venue.

Sachin Tendulkar signed a five-year contract for 300 million rupees with with WorldTel to become the most paid player in the history of cricket.

Sachin Tendulkar married Anjali.

Statistics of the year

Matches15

Runs 502

Centuries 1

Wickets 4

Average 38.61

1996

Feb-March, 1996: Plays his first World Cup at home and scores 523 runs at an average 87.16 and becomes the highest scorer.

Aug 8, 1996: Becomes the Indian captain at the age of 23.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar started the 1996 World Cup with a bang smashing an unbeaten 127 against Kenya as India chased down a 200-run target in 41.5 overs in Cuttack on February 18, 1996.

Sachin Tendulkar's 137 in India's World Cup encounter against Sri Lanka in Delhi on March 2, 1996, was at that time his personal best ODI score, the fourth highest score by any player in India and the highest ever in Delhi.

Sachin Tendulkar was the highest run scorer in the 1996 World Cup.

Sachin Tendulkar smashed his first ODI century against Pakistan on April 5, 1996 in Singapore.

Sachin Tendulkar scored his 10th Test century, fourth against England in the third Test in Nottingham. His 177 was his highest Test score on foreign soil at that time.

Sachin Tendulkar was handed the Indian team's captaincy for the first time in 1996 and led India to seven-wicket victory against Australia in the one-off Test in Delhi.

Statistics of the year

Matches40

Runs 2234

Centuries 8

Wickets 9

Average 49.64

1996: South Africa

Captaincy left him bruised. He always wanted the best team but many times the selectors wanted to promote zonal quotas.

In South Africa in 1996, Sachin wanted Abey Kuruvilla to play with Venkatesh Prasad and Srinath but he didn't get him. Tendulkar later told The Times of India’s Nalin Mehta, ‘He [Kuruvilla] did very well later in West Indies and not taking him to SA was a mistake.’

1996 WC+: Spurning commerce

Rising above commerce

In the 1996 World Cup, he was the only batsman in the team who didn't have a sticker on his bat. Most others had `Four Square' or `Wills' but he didn't want to endorse a tobacco brand. Then in the middle of a game, the manager of an MNC came to him and suggested that if he put his company's sticker they would pay any amount he wanted. He turned it down because he didn't want any distractions in the middle of the tournament. He did not want any alien element on his bat which could catch his eye on the pitch. He had done well without a sticker till then and didn't want to risk his rhythm. They decided to wait till the tournament ended to fix the sticker.

Pressures of Captaincy (1996-97)

After being named captain, he felt the pressure of carrying the team on his shoulders and cut out some of the strokes from his game. The strokes that went away were the lofted inside out shot over extra cover which he played regularly against the left-arm-spinners. He seldom stepped out to the spinners and that is why he often was perturbed by the left-arm-over spin angle.

1997

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar started 1997 with a bang by smashing 169 in the second Test against South Africa in Newlands.

Sachin Tendulkar hit two consecutive hundreds against Sri Lanka as India drew the two-Test series in Sri Lanka.

As captain, Sachin Tendulkar led India to a 4-1 ODI series victory against Pakistan in Toronto.

Sachin Tendulkar went past 4000-run mark in Test cricket.

Statistics of the year

Matches51

Runs 2011

Centuries 6

Wickets 6

Average 41.04

Overcoming the language barrier

Amit Mishra, When Sachin Tendulkar overcame language barrier with Dodda Ganesh, May 3, 2017: The Times of India

HIGHLIGHTS

Tendulkar said that he still knows how many times he got out and in exactly which manner.

Tendulkar still adores the challenges of Test cricket in the modern era of Twenty20.

"In T20s, the only challenge is to hit the ball as hard as you can," Sachin said.

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar has many anecdotes from his illustrious 24-year international career to share and he chose a rather interesting one during an event.

Tendulkar shared a unique tale from his playing days when he had to overcome language barrier to play alongside one of his former India teammate Dodda Ganesh, who could hardly speak Hindi or English during Ganesh's Test debut against South Africa at Cape Town in 1997. "Whatever I made him understand, all he used to reply to me at the time was 'Ok sir'," said Tendulkar.

"One day when I got fed up and told him not to call me Sir, but I still got the same reply," Tendulkar added. "Both of us weren't able to understand each other and suddenly I found Ganesh taking on Porteas paceman Allan Donald. I immediately went up to Ganesh and asked him whatever you said to Donald, first make me understand that and then I will explain it to Donald."

Tendulkar fans across the globe still remember the Master's each and every stupendous knock but the legend himself recalled his dismissals more than his greatest of innings. Tendulkar told the gathering that he still knows how many times he got out and in exactly which manner and that is the reason why he could improve his game over the years. "As a cricketer, I have a chip in my mind which stores the data on a regular basis and whenever it was needed I used them," quipped Tendulkar. "When someone used to talk about my dismissal during the team meetings, I used to tell them the way I got out without watching the video of that particular knock," Tendulkar revealed.

Talking about the format of the game, Tendulkar still adores the challenges of Test cricket in the modern era of Twenty20. Tendulkar said that he practiced to play Test cricket right from his childhood days. He didn't even forget to point out that the real character of a cricketer comes out when tested in the longer format of the game, in which one needs to make lot of strategic calculations and get the chance to exhibit the best of technique. "In T20s, the only challenge is to hit the ball as hard as you can," Sachin signed off.

1997: captaincy

If there was an unflattering record in Sachin's career it was his tenure as captain, wining 4 and losing 9 of the 25 Tests he led India in. He recounts his frustration at that low in his career, saying ,“I hated losing and as captain of the team I felt responsible for the string of miserable performances. More worryingly, I did not know how I could turn it around, as I was already trying my absolute best.“

On March 30, 1997, on the night before his team was bundled out by Brian Lara's West Indians for a miserable 81, chasing 119 for victory in Barbados, Sachin had been so confident that he had even asked a restaurant waiter to keep a bottle of champagne chilled for the victory celebrations. But India's batting collapsed and Sachin was so devastated that he even contemplated quitting.

He shut himself up in his room for “two days“ and though his wife Anjali helped him out of the crisis he says he still feels the “pangs of that defeat“.

1997: vs. the West Indies

This period of disillusionment dates back to 1997 when the Indian team was touring the West Indies. After drawing the opening two Tests, the Indians seemed to be heading for a victory in the third, chasing a mere 120. But in an inexplicable disaster, the tourists were bowled out for 81 with only VVS Laxman managing a double-digit score.

"Monday 31 March 1997 was a dark day in the history of Indian cricket and definitely the worst of my captaincy career. And yet it had promised so much. In fact, over dinner at a restaurant in St Lawrence Gap in Barbados the night before, I remember having a joke with the waiter, who was predicting a West Indian win. He was confident that Ambrose would bounce India out the next morning," Tendulkar writes.

"Now, in the first innings of this match, Franklyn Rose had bowled me a bouncer and I had pulled him into the stands for six. So I reminded the waiter of the shot and jokingly said to him that if Ambrose tried to bowl me a bouncer, I would hit him all the way to Antigua.

"I was so confident of our chances that I pointed to the fridge and said he should immediately chill a bottle of champagne and I would come and open it the next day and pour him a glass to celebrate winning the match," Tendulkar says in the book.

"Instead, we collapsed for a miserable 81 all out, handing the West Indies a 38-run victory. Frankly, there can be no excuses for such a poor batting effort, even though it was a difficult track. I certainly don't want to point fingers at anyone for the defeat, as that's not my way. In any case, I was part of that team and as captain it was my responsibility to steer us to victory. I did not get the feeling that we were over-confident, yet none of the batsmen apart from Laxman even reached double figures in the second innings and it was one of the worst batting displays I have been part of," he adds.

In fact, for Tendulkar, who retired with a mammoth 15,921 from 200 Tests and 18,426 runs from 463 ODIs, the defeat was so painful that it still rankles whenever he travels down memory lane.

"I myself got out for just four. In my anxiety to get a feel for the ball I got a tentative edge. I should either have left the ball alone or tried to counter-attack. The defeat left me totally devastated and I shut myself in my room for two whole days trying to come to terms with the loss. I still feel the pangs of that defeat when I look back at the series," he says.

Dwelling further on the Caribbean catastrophe, Tendulkar said the ODI series which followed the five-day games added to his misery as the team lost 1-4, leaving him in a state of fury, which he just could not control in a dressing room meeting.

"After eventually losing the five-Test series 0-1, we went on to lose the ODI series as well. The good start to the tour had given way to a complete lack of application and that proved catastrophic in the end. The best example of this ineptitude was the third one-day game, at St Vincent, where we needed 47 runs to win off the last ten overs with six wickets in hand. Rahul and Sourav had set up the platform and we should have strolled to victory," Tendulkar recalls.

"Again and again I instructed the batsmen not to go for big shots and to play along the ground, saying there was no need for any risk-taking with the asking rate under five runs an over. However, all our middle- and lower-order batsmen kept playing the ball in the air. The loss of a few wickets resulted in panic, which in turn led to a number of suicidal run-outs. It was infuriating to see the team lose from a winning situation," he said.

"At the end of the match I called a team meeting and lost my cool with the boys in the dressing room. I spoke from my heart and said the performance was unacceptable. I said that losing matches in which the opposition play better cricket is one thing - I had no problem with such defeats - but losing a match that we had completely under control suggested there was something seriously wrong with the team."

It took some combined words of encouragement from the legendary bowling duo of leg-spinner Anil Kumble and medium-pacer Javagal Srinath to calm a devastated and disillusioned Tendulkar.

"I was extremely upset with the way we were playing and both Anil and Srinath came to my room in the evening to try and calm me down. Anil said that I should not blame myself for the defeats and that we would learn from the mistakes we had made in South Africa and the West Indies. However, things were really starting to get on top of me," he writes.

Ultimately it was Anjali, who helped Tendulkar deal with the debacles during his reign as captain and carry on.

"Anjali, as usual, managed to put things in perspective and assured me that things would surely get better in the months to come. Looking back, it was just frustration getting the better of me," he said.

Tendulkar almost sent Ganguly home

When Tendulkar almost sent Sourav Ganguly home midway from the 1997 Caribbean tour

Avijit Ghosh,TNN | Feb 24, 2014

The Times of India

Captain Sachin Tendulkar almost sent an errant Sourav Ganguly home midway from the Caribbean tour of 1997 for not doing what he had been told to - go for a morning run - after a humiliating Test defeat, the latter reveals in a new book.

The incident happened immediately after the third Test in Barbados which India lost narrowly by 38 runs. Set to chase 120 on a wearing track with uneven bounce, the visitors collapsed for a paltry 81. The Windies pace trio - Ian Bishop four for 22, Curtley Ambrose three for 36 and Franklyn Rose three for 19 -- shared the spoils.

Ganguly begins the anecdote with an admission: "My fault, actually." Then he goes on write, "Sachin was utterly dejected and very angry with us. To get him to think positive and stop beating himself and us up so much, I asked him to tell me what to do. "Go for a run tomorrow morning," he said.

"It's a story to tell now, but when he found out that I had missed the morning run the next day, his face was almost purple with anger. He told me, in language that cannot be printed, that he was going to send me home and I should sort myself out because my career could be ending. The thought of being sent home was enough to light a fire under my shoes. I wouldn't have broken any records, never have, never will, but from the next morning, I was up and running."

Ganguly's recollection is part of a write-up titled, Gifts, appetite, game sense and very little Bengali, from the book, Sachin Tendulkar: The man cricket loved back. Put together by a website, the anthology comprises 41 reminiscences and essays on the game's greatest ever star.

1997+: Bad performances as captain

In Tendulkar’s entire career as captain, India won only four out of 24 Tests, while there were 23 victories in 73 ODIs.

Devastated as captain, Tendulkar wanted to quit: Autobiography

PTI | Nov 2, 2014

He might be revered as the 'God of Cricket' but there was a phase in Sachin Tendulkar's awe-inspiring career when the batting maestro felt so "scarred" and "devastated" by the Indian team's ineptitude under his captaincy that he wanted to completely move away from the sport.

The batsman, who claimed almost every record that is there to be taken in international cricket before calling it quits in 2013, has finally opened up about the dark days he survived in a career which spanned over two decades.

In his autobiography 'Playing it My Way', the much-admired but reticent batting legend has dwelled on the frustrations he faced during his reign as captain -- a phase which is considered the biggest debacle of his otherwise enduring love affair with cricket.

"I hated losing and as captain of the team I felt responsible for the string of miserable performances. More worryingly, I did not know how I could turn it around, as I was already trying my absolute best," recalls Tendulkar in the book.

"I confided in (wife) Anjali that I feared there was nothing more that I could do to stem the tide of defeats. Losing a string of very close matches had left me badly scarred. I had given it everything and was not sure that I could give even 0.1 per cent more.

"...It was hurting me badly and it took me a long time to come to terms with these failures. I even contemplated moving away from the sport completely, as it seemed nothing was going my way," reveals the diminutive right-hander in the much-awaited book co-authored by noted sports journalist and historian Boria Majumdar.

1997: loss of captaincy

Sharing his anger and pain after being stripped of the captaincy in 1997, batting legend Sachin Tendulkar has revealed that the "unceremonious" sacking was very "embarrassing" and "humiliating".

Writing in his autobiography 'Playing It My Way', published by Hachette India, Tendulkar recalled the drawn three-match series against Sri Lanka, which preceded his sacking.

"At the end of the series, I was unceremoniously sacked as skipper. No one from the BCCI managed to call me or inform me of my removal as captain before someone from the media called to say I was no longer captain," Tendulkar has written.

Tendulkar said that being removed from the position made him more determined to play better cricket.

"I was actually with my friends in Sahitya Sahawas. I felt extremely humiliated to hear this, but the manner in which the whole thing was handled strengthened my resolve to be a better cricketer in the years to come.

"I told myself that the BCCI mandarins might be able to take the captaincy away from me, but no one could do the same as far as my own cricket was concerned," he wrote.

Even as he vowed to do better, Tendulkar said the "sense of ignominy and the pain were still there".

"During my tenure as captain some of the players used to call me 'skip', so when one of the players shouted out 'skipper' in our next engagement in Dhaka, I automatically turned around to answer the call. That's when it really hit me that I was no longer the captain of the Indian cricket team.

"Now I simply had to focus on my batting and win some matches for the team. So that's what I did," he writes.

On why he quit the captaincy

Sachin told The Times of India’s K Shriniwas Rao: Things didn't go according to plan when I was captain. It had started affecting me as a person. Even when I was back with my family, I couldn't switch off. I would constantly be thinking about it. It started disturbing me and affecting me personally . I then realized if I am not the captain, it does not mean cricket is tak en away from me. Someone else is going to come and captain the side. If I still score runs and win matches, I will be happy .

1997 Sahara Cup

Gaurav Gupta, When Saqlain Mushtaq sledged Sachin Tendulkar only to never sledge him again, April 22, 2020: The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Sachin Tendulkar and Saqlain Mushtaq were involved in umpteen intense battles in the '90s but one such duel left the star Pakistan off-spinner deeply embarrassed.

In one of his early battles with Tendulkar during the Sahara Cup in Canada, Saqlain thought it would be a good idea to sledge the champion batsman. As it panned out, the wily off-spinner sledged to never sledge the then Indian captain again.

"I was new when I sledged him for the first time. If I recall correctly, it was the 1997 edition. Sachin quietly came up to me and said 'I never misbehaved with you, why are you misbehaving with me'? I got so embarrassed that I did not know what to say to him," Saqlain told PTI over phone on Tendulkar's 47th birthday.

"He said to me 'I rate you high as a person and player'. I was so embarrassed that I never sledged him again. I can't tell you what I said to him but I apologised to him after the game.

"Thereafter, even when he was smashing me all over, I never thought of sledging him," recalled the 43-year-old, describing Tendulkar as one of the most humble human beings he met.

After the Sahara Cup, which ran from 1996-98, both were in the middle of arguably their most memorable battle during the Chennai Test of 1999, when Pakistan eked out a 12-run win despite an "unbelievable" 136 from Tendulkar.

Saqlain got the better of Tendulkar in both the innings and his match haul of 10 wickets made all the difference.

Tempers were running high in that high stakes game but even then Saqlain said he never tried to engage Tendulkar verbally.

"In that 1999 Test, no words were exchanged. We both were determined and focused to win the game for our countries. We put our heart and soul in it (on day four).

"I consider myself lucky that my name was attached to Sachin's cricketing career with that match. The only difference that day was that god was on my side.

"Otherwise, the way he was playing, it was unbelievable. The ball was reversing but he played Wasim Akram with such confidence," said the inventor of 'Doosra'.

Saqlain was expected to play a lot more than the 49 Tests and 169 ODIs he eventually did.

Asked how he would rate his rivalry with Tendulkar, the Saqlain said: "I would say it was 50-50. I dismissed him multiple times but he also took me to the cleaners. Even on that day four in Chennai, he scored a hundred in a difficult situation. It was like a dangal going on between us."

Many failed to read Saqlain's 'Doosra' but he feels Tendulkar was probably the best when it came to reading from hands.

"The eye is god gifted. Every batsman sees things differently, some pick faster than others. Sachin's eye was razor sharp.

"Many times, even before I took my stride, he knew what I was going to ball, whether it was a Doosra, top spin or conventional off-spin, his foot positioning was just flawless. Rahul (Dravid) too was very good, Azhar paaji also."

Wishing the very best to Tendulkar on his birthday, Saqlain fondly recalled the times spent with the maestro off the field.

"We have had so many fond memories off the field. Had gone out many times, spent a lot of time in Mushy's house (Mushtaq Ahmed) in the UK. He is such a decent and humble human being, that is what stands out in his personality.

"He was not among the ones who would pull someone's leg. Just by spending time with him, you could learn so much," added Saqlain.

1997 Sharjah series

Sachin also shared his frustration on how some of his moves as captain did not pay off but the same strategy clicked when other captains employed it.

Tendulkar talked about the 1997 Sharjah series where he promoted Robin Singh to bat at number three but the southpaw failed and he had to cop heavy criticism from the media.

"The match against Pakistan on 14 December highlights how things were just not going my way. I was batting at number four in this competition, at the selectors' request. Sourav and Navjot Sidhu had given us a good start against Pakistan, and when Sidhu got out at 143-2, I sent in Robin Singh, the all-rounder, to accelerate the innings. It was a strategy I had given considerable thought to.

"Manzoor Akhtar, the leg-spinner, was at one end bowling around the wicket to the right-handed batsmen. The theory was that Robin, a left-hander, would be able to negotiate his leg-spin better and also hit some big shots. However, Robin got out without scoring after just three balls from Azhar Mahmood, the medium-pacer, and the experiment proved a disaster. In the press I was criticised for sending in Robin ahead of me and the move was blamed for our defeat," Tendulkar recalled.

Operation Desert Storm: 1997-98

India stood to qualify for the final against Australia in the Coca Cola Cup Triseries in Sharjah only if they bettered New Zealand’s run-rate. The target was reduced from 285 in 50 overs to 276 in 46 because of a sand storm. India, though, needed 237 — even in case of a defeat — to oust the Kiwis. In walked Tendulkar, to play an innings that is now etched in the memories forever. Smashing nine fours and five sixes, Tendulkar belted 143 off 131 balls to singlehandedly steer India through. In the final, he belted another hundred.

Elbow injury aggravates

Nick Hoult, The Telegraph, UK writes, ‘You don’t play as long as Tendulkar without help from medical science. It started in 1993 when a painful wrist injury required a cortisone injection. “The injection, which was pretty painful, was the first of a hundred or more cortisone injections over the course of my career.” He even had three in one lunch break during a Test in South Africa in 1997.’

1998

Jan 2, 1998: Sacked from captaincy after a 15-month stint during which India won just three of 17 Tests.

Feb-March, 1998: In the best of his form against Australia in a home Test series and also gets his maiden double hundred. He also scored two hundreds and a fifty in the three-Test series that India won 2-1.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar won the battle against Shane Warne around which Australia's 1998 tour to India was build around by slamming two centuries in the three-Test series and another hundred in the one-dayers.

Sachin Tendulkar played two of the most destructive ODI knocks ever by single-handedly tormenting Australia in Sharjah. The first knock (143) took India to the final and then his 134 won the final for India.

Sachin Tendulkar completed 7000 ODI runs, became the first batsman to score 20 ODI hundreds.

Sachin Tendulkar was conferred the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India's highest honour given for achievement in sports, 1997–98.

Statistics of the year

Matches39

Runs 2541

Centuries 12

Wickets 27

Average 68.67

GLORIOUS YEAR (1998)

The moment the captaincy was taken away from him, he got the freedom to play all the strokes again. Out came the lofted stroke, the slog sweep from the rough against Shane Warne, the lofted stroke over the bowler's head which he played almost entirely with the top hand. It was his most productive year in cricket. The free approach saw him slam four Test hundreds and nine ODI tons, earning him praise even from the great Don Bradman.

WARNE-BASHING 1998

The series was build as Tendulkar vs Warne and it lived up to the hype with the master blaster taking on the legendary legspinner who was in his pomp. Tendulkar, known for his attention to detail, trained hard for the series asking former India leg-spinner and L Shivaramakrishnan and Sairaj Bahutule to bowl in the rough outside the leg-stump. As it turned out, in the first match of the tour against Mumbai, Tendulkar hit a double hundred - his first-ever in first class cricket - and in the process sent Warne to the cleaners. It set the tone for the series. === January 1998: Silver Jubilee Independence Cup in Dhaka "A month [after the 1997 Sharjah series: see above], in January 1998, Azhar, back as captain, repeated the very same move [see above] in the final of the Silver Jubilee Independence Cup in Dhaka against Pakistan. Robin was sent in at three to keep up the momentum after Sourav and I had got off to a flier and this time Robin played a terrific hand, scoring 82 and setting up the run chase.

"This was arguably a bigger gamble, because he was pitted against the off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq and it is no secret that left-handers find it more difficult against off-spinners.

"The same experiment was now hailed as a master stroke. Not without reason is it said that success has many fathers while defeat is an orphan," he wrote.

Bangladesh: 1998

Tendulkar has revealed that he was "so focused on doing well" that after losing his wicket in one of the matches in Bangladesh due to distraction caused by movement around the sight-screen, he yelled at the then Bangladesh Cricket Board President Ashraful Haq on his way back to pavilion.

"I ended up shouting at someone who has since become a good friend. This incident, which has caused us both much embarrassment, took place in the second of the three finals of the Silver Jubilee Independence Cup in Dhaka in 1998.

"There was a lot of movement in front of and around the sight-screen and, despite my repeated complaints, things did not improve. I was distracted and lost my wicket soon after.

"On my way back to the pavilion I was livid and, when someone came across to apologise, I just screamed at him, saying Bangladesh did not deserve to host international cricket if the basic fundamentals were not in place.

"Only later did I realise that the man I had yelled at was Ashraful Haq, then president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board and currently chief executive of the Asian Cricket Council. Ever since, whenever we meet, we start by saying sorry to each other for what happened!," he said

ODIs

Gaurav Gupta, April 24, 2020: The Times of India

LEG-SPIN TO RIGHTIES, OFF-SPIN TO LEFTIES IN KOCHI VS AUS, 1998

Chasing 310, Australia were cruising at one stage, before Tendulkar took 5-32 to help India win by 41 runs. “They were well-placed at 180 for two in the 28th over when I came into bowl. At that time, a left and a right-hander were at the crease. I decided to bowl leg spin to right-handers and off spin to left handers. I had planned it with Nayan Mongia (wk).

“Since Michael Bevan was stepping out even before the ball was bowled, I indicated to Mongia that ‘if he steps out, I’ll bowl outside leg stump.’ And it actually happened that way. It was one of those days when my leg spin was landing at the right spot and I got the ball to turn and bounce quite a bit,” he said .

Tendulkar made me improve as a bowler: Fleming

Ruchir Mishra, April 24, 2020: The Times of India

Pacer Damien Fleming, was loudly jeered during the famous final in Sharjah in 1998 as he tried to prise Tendulkar out. That was also April 24. “I remember halfway through the innings, they put ‘Happy 25th Birthday Sachin Tendulkar’ on the scoreboard.

It drew a massive roar from the crowd and he seemed to kick on from there, taking more control. As he brought up his hundred, there was another massive cheer. The game drifted away from us. As we were losing, they put up ‘Happy 27th Birthday Damien Fleming.’ And it was booed by 15 thousand people,” Fleming told TOI.

Fleming has enjoyed his battles with Tendulkar whom he dismissed five times in 20 One-dayers and twice in four Tests. “In a way, he not only helped me improve but also other Australian bowlers, because when we first bowled to him we had no idea (where to bowl). Obviously, you started bowling better and better because the margin of error got smaller and smaller. He forced you to be more accurate. If there’s any swing, you had to make most of it. If you bowled a bouncer, you needed to be right on the money,” he said.

Tendulkar was at his best in 1998. “I am not sure how Sachin looked at his batting at that stage but that was the best batsman I bowled during the 1998 tour of India. He carried his form to Sharjah, scoring big hundreds. The final itself was amazing. We had a great team and scored a lot of runs in final. It was weird because despite India’s good batting line-up, we seemed to have everyone in check, except for Sachin, who was probably doing it by himself. We had a handy attack led by Shane Warne. It was great to watch the battle between one of the greatest batsmen of all time and one of the greatest bowlers,” he said.

1999

July 28, 1999: Gets back his captaincy after Mohammad Azharuddin is sacked for India's failure to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup in England.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar flew back to India from the 1999 World Cup following the death of his father. Missed the match against Zimbabwe that India lost and that loss became instrumental in India's exit from the tournament.

Sachin Tendulkar hit a century in the first match after his return from his father's funeral. His unbeaten 140 gave India a 94-run victory.

Back as captain, Sachin Tendulkar scored his first Test double century - 217 runs against New Zealand in the third Test in Ahmedabad.

Sachin Tendulkar was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award in 1999.

Sachin Tendulkar hit a century in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG - one of the bright spots of the otherwise dismal tour to Australia.

Statistics of the year

Matches32

Runs 1931

Centuries 8

Wickets 11

Average 53.63

1999: first Test against Australia

Sachin wrote in his autobiography that he always batted best when he was thinking about the opposite end, rather than his end.

He later told The Times of India’s Nalin Mehta, ‘Cricket is played best when you are thinking about what the guy against you is thinking, not about yourself or your technique. In 1999 in the first Test against Australia, when I went in to bat in the evening of the second day, McGrath bowled almost five maiden overs to me, bowling fairly outside the off-stump. I kept leaving the ball because I knew I had to stay on for the next day and they were just playing with my patience. So I said okay , let's play with your patience and see who wins. Next morning, McGrath bowled the same line and length but I hit a couple of boundaries in his first over and started playing my normal game.Shane Warne told me later, “You ruined our strategy because our strategy was to not make you play 70% of deliveries, frustrate you and take wickets from the other end.“ When you play against such great bowlers you have to play mind games and this was my way of retaliating to their strategy.’

vs New Zealand: Ahmedabad

A controversial decision was taken not to enforce the follow on. This match is seen as an example of match-fixing.

Sachin Tendulkar wrote in his autobiography (‘‘Playing It My Way,’’ by Sachin Tendulkar (2014) Hodder & Stoughton / Hachette India):

"At Ahmedabad we scored a mammoth 583 runs in the first innings and, despite bowling the opposition out for 308, did not enforce the follow-on. This was a unanimous decision taken in consultation with the fast bowlers, who were tired after an exhausting first-innings effort and needed some rest before bowling again. We won the series 1-0 and then went on to win the ODI series 3-2. It may not have been ideal preparation for the tour to Australia that started at the end of the month, but a series win never does any harm."

1999-2000: Kapil Dev as coach

Tendulkar has written that he had high expectations from Kapil

Kapil as coach disappointed Tendulkar

One of the finest Indian all-rounders of all time, Kapil Dev was a "disappointment" when it came to coaching, reveals batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar in his autobiography 'Playing It My Way'.

Tendulkar has claimed that he was left disappointed by Kapil during one of the Australia tours since the coach never involved himself in strategic discussions.

In the chapter – Tumultuous Times: India in Australia, November 1999-January 2000 -- Tendulkar has written that he had high expectations from Kapil.

"During my second stint as captain, we had Kapil Dev as our coach. He is one of the finest cricketers to have played for India and one of the best all-rounders of all time, and I had great expectations of him in Australia.

"I have always maintained that the coach's job is an important one, for he is in a position to play a key role in formulating team strategy. Who better than Kapil to come up with options for me during a tough tour of Australia?

"However, his method of involvement and his thought process was limited to leaving the running of the team to the captain, and hence he did not involve himself in strategic discussions that would help us on the field," Tendulkar writes.

Tests

Gaurav Gupta, April 24, 2020: The Times of India

SOME CHEER IN A HEARTBREAK VS PAKISTAN, CHENNAI, 1999

While everyone remembers Tendulkar’s masterly 136 against Pakistan in the fourth innings at Chennai in January 1999 in a futile chase, the great man reminds you of what else he did in that game. “I dismissed Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf in the second innings. Inzamam actually got out a few times to me,” Tendulkar said, beaming proudly.

Milestones, Heartbreaks (1999-2007)

The most tumultuous phase of his career was also, in parts, the most enervating. A heartbreaking 136, played with an injured back against Pakistan in Chennai in a Test which India lost by 13 runs, was followed by another unremarkable stint as captain before he finally found himself part of a team with the talent and gumption to take on stronger opposition. As India blossomed under Sourav Ganguly, Sachin became the first player to score 10,000 runs in ODIs, sizzled in the 2003 World Cup only to see India lose in the final, overcame a career-threatening tennis elbow injury and scored a gritty 241* in Sydney in 2003-04. Also had a shoulder operation in 2006.

Australian series, most difficult

Tendulkar rates 1999 Australia series as toughest of his career, May 16, 2017: The Times of India

HIGHLIGHTS

"The toughest series without any doubt was in 1999 when we went to Australia and they had a great side," Tendulkar said.

The Steve Waugh-led side dominated the three-match series, handing India a 3-0 whitewash.

MUMBAI: Legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar rated the Australian series of 1999 as the toughest in his 24-year long glorious international cricket career. "The toughest series without any doubt was in 1999 when we went to Australia and they had a great side. In a team of 11, you had literally seven to eight match winners and the rest were also very good. That was a team which dominated world cricket for a number of years. They had their own style of playing, very aggressive," he said at a promotional event.

The Steve Waugh-led side dominated the three-match series, handing India a 3-0 whitewash. The batting legend added that other teams admired the Australian style of play and wanted to emulate them. "I still remember in Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney, the brand of cricket they played, impressed the whole world. Everyone wanted to play that brand of cricket. Though we all respect our styles of playing, but everyone felt that the brand of cricket they played was special. "They were able to do that consistently. It was a world class team," he said.

Picking the longest format of the game as his favourite, Tendulkar said, "If I have to compare Test cricket and ODI cricket, without any doubt, the greatest satisfaction is when you do well in Test cricket and you do something special for the team." Having had many encounters against world class bowlers in his over two-decade long career, the 44-year-old said that he did not relish facing former Proteas captain Hansie Cronje.

"From 1989 when I started playing there would be at least 25 world class bowlers. But someone I didn't enjoy batting against was Hansie Cronje. For some reason I got out and over a period of time I realised that I am better off being at the non-striker's end.

"I would talk to whoever was (the other batsman) on pitch I would say if (Allan) Donald or (Shaun) Pollock is bowling from other end I will manage but take more strike of Hansie," he said. The former India captain said he realised the importance of nutrition as a 13-year-old when he got out after lunch because he didn't have enough energy to carry on playing.

"It was the biggest lesson of my life. When I got back to the dressing room, the first thing I asked was I need something to eat. I decided from that day that this should not be the reason for me to get out," Tendulkar said.

"Invariably, when you don't focus on nutrition, before losing the game, the first thing you lose is concentration. I started focusing on my nutritional intake along with my mental preparation and physical preparation," he added.

2000

Highlights of the year

Relived from captaincy, Sachin Tendulkar hit 122 in the fourth ODI against South Africa in the fourth ODI in Vadodara as India chased down 283 runs with one ball to spare.

Sachin Tendulkar hit another hundred in Sharjah smashing 101 against Sri Lanka on October 20, 2000.

Sachin Tendulkar slammed 122 in the first Test against Zimbabwe in Delhi.

Sachin Tendulkar became the first batsman to score 50 international hundreds with his unbeaten 201 against Zimbabwe in Nagpur.

Statistics of the year

Matches40

Runs 1903

Centuries 5

Wickets 26

Average 44.25

2001

March 20, 2001: Scores a thrilling century in the deciding Test in Chennai and denies Australia the "final frontier".

March 31, 2001: Becomes the first payer to score 10,000 runs in ODIs en route to his 139 against Australia in Indore.

Nov 19, 2001: Fined by match referee Mike Denness for ball tampering. The decision was later overturned after an outcry by the Indian cricket board.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar smashed 126 in the third Test against Australia in Chennai as India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Sachin Tendulkar became the first player to aggregate 10,000 ODI career runs.

Sachin Tendulkar hit an unbeaten 122 against the West Indies as India chased down 230 runs in 48.1 overs in Harare.

On the day of attack on the Indian parliament, Sachin Tendulkar hit his 58th hundred in the second Test against England in Ahmedabad.

Statistics of the year

Matches27

Runs 1907

Centuries 7

Wickets 11

Average 65.75

S Guruprasad’s elbow advice

Dec 17, 2019 Times of India

Sachin Tendulkar’s search for the hotel employee whose advice led him to tweaking his elbow guard seems to have reached fruition. S Guruprasad, who lives in Perambur, Chennai, reportedly got a call from his nephew in France on Friday that the cricket legend had been tweeting about him.

“I am not on Twitter. However, my nephew, who saw the tweet, immediately knew it was me as I had shared the incident with him when it happened,” Guruprasad said.

Sachin had tweeted a video of him recounting an incident when an employee of the Taj Coromandel hotel in Chennai had given him a suggestion during a Test match when he had come to the former Indian captain’s room to serve coffee. “A chance encounter can be memorable! I had met a staffer at Taj Coromandel, Chennai during a Test series with whom I had a discussion about my elbow guard, after which I redesigned it. I wonder where he is now & wish to catch up with him. Hey netizens, can you help me find him?” he had said in the tweet.

Guruprasad, however, remembers a slightly different sequence of events. He says that in 2001, he was working at the hotel as part of the security detail through a contractor. “I saw Sachin when he was about to take the lift. I wanted his autograph, but I did not have paper. I got it in my security beat notebook,” he said. IANS

2000-01: Match-fixing

The controversy led to major tension between Sachin and former captain Mohammad Azharuddin

Sachin Tendulkar has only hinted to the matter in his autobiography (‘‘Playing It My Way,’’ by Sachin Tendulkar (2014) Hodder & Stoughton / Hachette India), without giving details:

"India started well under Sourav, winning the ODI series 3-2 against South Africa in March 2000. But soon afterwards cricket plummeted to a low in the wake of the match-fixing scandal. The credibility of the game had been compromised and I found the revelations about matches being thrown for money distasteful and disgusting. The whole thing was repulsive and what was seriously worrying was that fans had started to lose faith and the integrity of our sport was in doubt. We desperately needed to bring credibility back to the game and we hoped that we could do so in the course of playing the Australians at home in a much-anticipated Test series in February-March 2001. It would allow fans to move away from the sordid tales of corruption and focus on the real thing: quality Test cricket."

The Mike Denness controversy

Nov 2001

Sachin told The Times of India’s K Shriniwas Rao: I remember after the game (Nov 2001, vs South Africa), somebody told me match officials had asked 7-8 guys to come and my name was there. It was for ball tampering so I was shocked. I asked the umpires if they had found any change in the ball and they said no. They had also not complained to the referee. I went to the match referee and told him that I was just cleaning the seam. And he said I should have told the umpires. One lesson I learnt was that after that, whenever I cleaned the seam, I would tell the umpires. The umpires would smile at me but I thought I better do it.

Sachin wrote in his autobiography: “I wasn’t prepared to let it pass. I informed Mike Denness that I would complain about the allegation and would not keep quiet about.” Nick Hoult, The Telegraph, UK added: The tour was nearly cancelled before Sachin was cleared and Denness’s career as a match referee was soon over.

Tests

Gaurav Gupta, April 24, 2020: The Times of India

TRIPLE STRIKE VS AUSTRALIA AT EDEN GARDENS, KOLKATA, 2001

While VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Harbhajan Singh are rightly recognized as the heroes of that famous victory in the second Test against the Aussies, few remember that Tendulkar had pitched in with 3-31 in the second innings as the Aussies were all out for 212 and India recorded a famous 171-run win. The little genius’ victims were a well-set Mathew Hayden (67), Adam Gilchrist (0) and Shane Warne (0) — all three of them plumb lbw! “You know, I wasn’t supposed to bowl, because we had limited overs to bowl the Aussies out. Hayden was batting well. We needed to change Bhajji’s end. I came on purely for that. That’s when I picked a wicket, and another wicket, and then another wicket! So, I continued bowling,” he said.

2002

Aug 22-23, 2002: Surpassed Don Bradman's tally of 29 Test centuries. Misses double-century by seven at Headingley, but India win by an innings and 46 runs.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar smashed 176 in the first Test against Zimbabwe in Nagpur as India won by an innings and 101 runs.

Sachin Tendulkar hit his first century in the West Indies in the second Test in Trinidad. India won by 37 runs.

Batting at number four, Sachin Tendulkar hit his 33rd ODI century against Sri Lanka in the NatWest Series ODI in Bristol. India won by 63 runs.

Sachin Tendulkar surpassed Sir Don Bradman's record of 29 Test centuries by scoring 193 against England in Leeds. India won by an innings and 46 runs.

Statistics of the year

Matches36

Runs 2133

Centuries 6

Wickets 9

Average 54.69

Headingley: Test against England

Tendulkar's light-hearted banter with Saurav Ganguly is best reflected in an incident from the third Test against England in Headingley in 2002. "Andrew Flintoff produced another really probing spell. He was bowling into Sourav's body and it was decided that I would face up to him while Sourav, a left-hander, took as much strike as possible against Ashley Giles, who was once again bowling a defensive line to me outside my leg stump," Tendulkar writes. "When we went back for tea to the dressing room, Sourav said, ' Woh beech wale Flintoff ka spell humne kya jhela yaar.' (We did really well to see off Flintoff's spell.) I couldn't resist pulling his leg and jokingly said to him, ' Humne jhela? Saala maine jhela hai! ' (Did we? I was the one who negotiated Flintoff!) The whole dressing room burst out laughing."

Acting like gentlemen, not Lords

Rajeev Shukla, who was the manager of the Indian cricket team during its memorable Natwest Trophy triumph over England at Lord's in 2002 revealed that Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman refused then skipper Sourav Ganguly's request of taking off their shirts and wave it.

"I remember Sourav wanted to give it back to Andrew Flintoff, who had taken off his jersey and waved at the crowd in Mumbai. Actually Sourav wanted the whole team to take off their jerseys and wave it. But Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman all had politely declined Sourav's request of doing the same," Shukla said. PTI

2003

February-March, 2003: Scores 673 runs at 61.18 in the World Cup and also takes India to sniffing distance of winning the crown. His 98 against Pakistan was one of the best knocks played by Indians at World Cup. Australia are the champions, but Tendulkar is named the Man of the Series.

Aug, 2003: Is presented with a Ferrari 360 Modena for going past Bradman's 29 Test centuries.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar hit 50 against England in their World Cup encounter as India won by 82 runs in Durban.

Sachin Tendulkar gave the world a lesson in batting by spanking Pakistan's bowlers to all parts of the ground in their World Cup encounter in Centurion. His 75-ball 98 powered India to a six-wicket victory.

Sachin Tendulkar hit 97 against Sri Lanka in their World Cup clash in Johannesburg as India won by 183 runs.

Sachin Tendulkar finished the 2003 World Cup with 673 runs in 11 at an average of 61.18 - most by any batsman in a single World Cup.

Tendulkar didn't face a ball in nets

Dravid: Tendulkar didn't face a ball in nets in 2003 World Cup

5 Aug 2014, PTI

Sachin Tendulkar was the leading run-scorer in the 2003 World Cup.

New Delhi: Sachin Tendulkar produced a fairytale run in the 2003 World Cup, which, in his own words, included the biggest match of his career, without facing a single ball in the nets, according to former team-mate Rahul Dravid, who says the iconic cricketer "defied imagination".

No cricketer ever has scored more runs than the 673 recorded then by the Indian legend in a single edition of a World Cup. The highlight was the 98-run knock that saw him take on the likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar with aplomb.

"It (his preparation) changes from time to time. In the 2003 World Cup, Sachin Tendulkar didn't bat a single ball in the nets, right through the tournament. He only got throw-downs. He just received hundreds of throw-downs through the whole tournament," Dravid said.

"All of us were wondering 'Why is he doing that?' When I asked him, he said, 'I'm feeling good. I don't want to go into the nets and waste the touch. I want to feel good about my batting. If I have that sort of feeling, I will score runs when I go in.' And that's what happened!"

Calling the Mumbaikar the greatest player he has played with, Dravid said Tendulkar changed the landscape of Indian cricket.

Statistics of the year

Matches26

Runs 1294

Centuries 3

Wickets 7

Average 44.62

AGAINST PAK, WC 2003

In an electrifying atmosphere at the Centurion, Tendulkar left the Pakistanis shellshocked with an innings which he rates as one of his best. Pakistan had a lethal bowling attack in Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar and they had their tails up after their batsmen rattled up 274. Tendulkar braved cramps to score 98 off 75 deliveries. The upper cut off Akhtar that sailed over point for six, is still remembered.

’My best WC match’

PTI | Feb 14, 2015

Talking about the 2003 World Cup match against Pakistan, Tendulkar said: "I don't think there was a better World Cup match that I have been a part of."

Talking about his mouth-watering clash with Shoaib Akhtar during the 2003 World Cup match, where he had blasted 18 runs off the pacer's over, Tendulkar said: "We knew that we had won the first round against Pakistan and we had put them on the backfoot."

Asked about that particular shot where he had sent Akhtar soaring over backward point for a six, Tendulkar said that it was an instinctive shot.

"That ball was released at 150 kms and a batsman does not have enough time to plan and play a shot like that," said Tendulkar, who had scored 98 to help India chase down the target in 45.4 overs.

Ferrari ki bimari

Nick Hoult, The Telegraph, UK informs us that Sachin ‘has a huge bungalow in Bandra West… and owns almost as many sports cars as he scored international hundreds.’

This love for cars got Tendulkar lots of negative publicity, over a car he had neither purchased not won on the cricket field.

Sachin Tendulkar was gifted a Ferrari car by Fiat automobiles after he equalled Don Bradman's record of centuries in Test cricket. He applied for a waiver of the customs duty (almost 120% the value of the car) and was granted the same by the government. The issue was that the government did not have the power to waive the duty because the car had not been given as a prize for playing a match or a series. So, the government had to change the law and gave itself the power to allow such waivers of customs duty on a case by case basis.

Tests

Gaurav Gupta, April 24, 2020: The Times of India

TRAPPING STEVE WAUGH AND MARTYN, ADELAIDE, 2003

While Rahul Dravid (233 & 72*) rightly got all the accolades for winning that Test for India, Tendulkar chipped in with the crucial wickets of Australian Steve Waugh and Damien Martyn in the second innings as Australia were bowled out for 196. Coincidentally, both were brilliantly caught by Dravid in the lone slip. “In the second innings, we had got four early wickets, and there was a 65-run partnership between Waugh and Martyn for the fifth wicket. Then, I was able to get both of them. Because I was able to get turn, I wanted to tempt them into driving. If Anil (Kumble) was bowling, they’d have possibly blocked the ball, but with a part-time bowler, there’s a temptation to do that. Since I don’t bowl long spells, I’ve a license to experiment.”

2004

Jan 2-4, 2004: Scores 241 in Sydney, one of his best, even as Australia manage to hold on for a draw, and the series ends 1-1.

Aug, 2004: Suffers from tennis elbow during the Videocon Cup in Holland. Misses the Champions Trophy in England, and then the first two home Tests against Australia.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar started 2004 with a bang by smashing an unbeaten 241 in the fourth Test against Australia as India notched up a mammoth 705/7. Tendulkar did not play a single shot through the covers during that innings.

Sachin Tendulkar became the first Indian to hit a ODI century on Pakistan soil in the second one-dayer of the series in Rawalpindi and in the process crossed 13,000 ODI runs.

Sachin Tendulkar hit an unbeaten 194 in the first Test against Pakistan in Multan as India won by an innings and 52 runs - their first Test win in Pakistan.

Sachin Tendulkar equalled Sunil Gavaskar's record 34 Test centuries with a career best 248* against Bangladesh at Dhaka.

Statistics of the year

Matches31

Runs 1727

Centuries 4

Wickets 24

Average 57.56

2004: The Monkeygate controversy

The Monkeygate controversy Down Under when India threatened to leave the tour mid-way when Harbhajan Singh was punished for using perceived racist language towards Andrew Symonds during the Sydney Test. Tendulkar was batting with Harbhajan at the time when after a long-running sledging battle with Symonds the off-spinner shouted at him in Hindi “'Teri maa ki” (your mother's….). Symonds thought he had called him a monkey and a controversy that still rages today was born..

Sachin Tendulkar has said that he defended teammate Harbhajan Singh staunchly during the infamous “Monkeygate“ dispute in Australia and his stance “almost caused the tour to be called off“. Tendulkar said that the Indian team was willing to abandon the 2007-08 Australia tour over the incident and was ready to accept the consequences of such a dramatic move.

Harbhajan was banned for three matches by match referee Mike Procter following an altercation with Andrew Symonds during the second Test in Sydney which the hosts won.

Tendulkar maintains all through his book that “Harbhajan had not racially abused“ Symonds. “I must reiterate we were very serious about the boycott and we were fully prepared to accept the consequences of walking out on the tour, knowing that such an action might have resulted in the ICC banning the Indian team,“ Tendulkar writes in the book.

Details:

Sachin Tendulkar wrote in his autobiography (‘‘Playing It My Way,’’ by Sachin Tendulkar (2014) Hodder & Stoughton / Hachette India):

"Anil Kumble (the then captain) and I took the lead and it was unanimously decided that we would boycott the tour if Bhajji's ban was upheld.

“... Bhajji had gone past 50 when it all started. For a number of overs he had been telling me that Andrew Symonds was trying to get him riled. …Bhajji had playfully tapped Lee on the back after completing a run and Symonds at mid off took exception to this. He apparently did not want an opposition player meddling with Lee and once again hurled abuse at Bhajji.

“Bhajji is an impulsive and passionate individual and it was only a matter of time before he would retaliate, which he soon did. That was the start of the controversy that almost caused the tour to be called off.

“I want to state very clearly that the incident arose because Andrew Symonds had been continually trying to provoke Bhajji and it was inevitable that the two would have an altercation at some point. While walking up to Bhajji to try to calm things down, I heard him say Teri maa ki (Your mother) to Symonds. It is an expression we often use in North India to vent our anger and to me it was all part of the game. That was the start of the controversy that almost caused the tour to be called off.

“In fact, I was surprised to see umpire Mark Benson go up to Bhajji and speak to him. While the umpire was talking to Bhajji, some of the Australian players started to warn him of the dire consequences of his words, presumably to rattle him and disturb his concentration. The ploy paid off when a few overs later Bhajji was out for 63.

“I thought the matter had ended with Bhajji's dismissal and later I was surprised when I was told that the Australians had lodged a formal complaint at the end of that day's play, apparently alleging that Bhajji had called Symonds a 'monkey', which was being treated as a racial insult.

“What surprised me most was the haste with which the Australians had lodged their complaint. I was later informed that it had apparently been agreed between the Australian and Indian boards during their tour of India in October 2007, following an incident in Mumbai, that the respective captains were to report to the match referee any incident with a racial element. Even so, I still believe that the matter would not have been blown so out of proportion if Ponting had discussed it with the captain Anil Kumble, Harbhajan and the Indian team management before reporting the incident to Mike Procter, the match referee. In turn, Mike Procter could also have handled the matter with a little more sensitivity…

“Mind you, there is little doubt in my mind that we would have drawn had it not been for what seemed to us to be mistakes by the umpires and some rather unsportsmanlike conduct by a few of the Australian players. While it was distressing to hear that Symonds felt he had been racially abused, it was equally distressing to observe what Bhajji was going through. As far as we were concerned, he had retaliated in the face of provocation, which was par for the course in an Australia-India cricket match.

“The hearing was conducted rather strangely, it seemed to me, with the Australians and Indians asked to testify separately, without the other side being present in the room. This certainly didn't improve the trust between the Indian and Australian players. I was the principal witness because I was batting at the other end with Bhajji and I recounted the incident to the match referee in detail. Mike Procter did not look very convinced by our version of events and we found it surprising that he asked us to wait in our dressing room till well past midnight. The controversy had started to cast a pall over the series.

“After the hearing, there was serious ill-feeling between the two teams and we felt betrayed by the turn of events.

“I stated exactly what I had heard and seen and also said that I had taken exception to us being labelled 'liars' by the match referee, Mike Procter, who had mentioned in his statement that 'I believe one group is telling the truth'. That he banned Bhajji for three Test matches seemed to us to show which group, in his opinion, was lying. It is never a pleasant thing to be called a liar and I was extremely angry.

“I must reiterate that we were very serious about the boycott. If Bhajji's ban was upheld, it would mean an acceptance of guilt and imply that Bhajji had racially abused Symonds, which he most certainly had not.

“We were fully prepared to accept the consequences of walking out of a tour, knowing that such an action might have resulted in the ICC banning the Indian team. The issue was now bigger than just Bhajji. Indians all over the world felt slighted and we felt it was our responsibility to stand up for our cause. After the game a number of bottles of champagne were opened in the dressing room and one was also sent across to the touring Indian media contingent, who had played a very important role in standing behind us during the Sydney controversy.”

Three years later in India...

“…In the fourth season of the IPL in 2011, Symonds and Bhajji played for the Mumbai Indians. I clearly remember our first meeting with Andrew when he joined the team. I told him that the Sydney controversy of 2008 was in the past and that neither I nor Harbhajan would ever refer to the incident... Andrew, on his part, reciprocated the camaraderie and we became good friends.”

Sydney: Dravid is allowed to try for a century

Tendulkar's comparatively strained relationship with Dravid can perhaps be ascertained through how in his autobiography he has linked two declarations—one when Tendulkar was batting on 194 in Multan in 2004 and another when Dravid was close to a century in Sydney earlier that year.

"(In Sydney) we were ahead by 231 and now we needed quick runs to give our bowlers time to close out the match," he writes. "Yet again we batted well and Rahul and I were in the middle of a good partnership when Sourav sent two or three messages out to check when we should declare. Rahul was the vice captain of the team and I said to him that it was his decision as much as Sourav's. I was ready to go off whenever they wanted. Rahul was keen to bat on for a little longer and we finally declared just after he was hit on the head by a Brett Lee bouncer when he was on 91 and I was on 60 not out. In hindsight I must say we delayed the declaration too long."

Multan: Dravid denies Sachin a double century

Stand-in captain Rahul Dravid's decision to declare the innings when Sachin was on 194 gave rise to rumours about tensions between Dravid and Sachin.

In his autobiography (‘‘Playing It My Way,’’ by Sachin Tendulkar (2014) Hodder & Stoughton / Hachette India):

Sachin recreates the circumstances of how he had been taken by surprise when stand-in captain Dravid decided to declare, with Tendulkar close to a double-century, even though it had been agreed during the tea break that he would have a couple more overs.

Sachin wrote in his autobiography (‘‘Playing It My Way,’’ by Sachin Tendulkar (2014) Hodder & Stoughton / Hachette India):

“…Disappointed and upset, I made my way back to the dressing room and could sense that the whole team was surprised at the decision (Rahul Dravid declaring with me stranded at 194). Some of my team-mates perhaps expected me to throw my gear about in the dressing room in disgust and create a scene. However, such things are not in me and I decided not to say a word to anyone about the incident. I calmly put my batting gear away and asked John Wright for a little time before I went out to field because I was feeling a little tight after batting for so long. Inside I was fuming.

“Just as I was washing my face in the bathroom, John walked up to me and apologized. He was sorry about what had happened and said he had not been party to the decision. I was surprised and said to him that as coach he was one of the decision-makers and there was no reason for him to be sorry if he believed in what had been done. I also said that what was done could not be reversed and it was best to leave it alone.

“Finally, I couldn't help reminding him that the declaration was contrary to what had been discussed at tea and it was strange that I was not given even one ball to get to my double hundred after a message had been sent out asking me to get there as quickly as possible.

"The following morning, Rahul finally came to me and said he heard I was upset and wanted to have a chat. I informed him that I was indeed upset and there was no way I would pretend otherwise. I asked him what the thinking was behind declaring at the time he did. It wasn't as if we were pressing for a win, and one over wouldn't have made much difference. We had agreed to a plan at tea and I was doing exactly as I had been told.

Rahul said that the call was taken with the interests of the team in mind. It was important to demonstrate to the Pakistanis that we meant business and were keen to win.

I wasn't convinced.

First, I said to him that I was batting for the team as well. Yes, I had scored 194 , but the 194 was meant to help the team and it was my individual contribution to the team's cause. so to say that the decision was taken in the best interests of the team wasn't altogether correct.

I reminded him of what had happened in Sydney less than a month earlier, when we had both been batting on the fourth evening and Sourav had sent out two or three messages asking when we should declare and Rahul had carried on batting. The two situations were comparable and, if anything, the Sydney declaration was far more significant and may have cost us a Test match and series victory. If Rahul was so keen to show intent here in Multan, he should have done the same in Sydney. Rahul didn't say anything to this and stated that I would surely get another opportunity to score a double hundred. I disagreed, saying it would not be the same. I would have to bat from zero to score a double century and would not be starting my innings at 194. Before I brought the conversation to a close, I assured Rahul that the incident would have no bearing on my involvement on the field, but off the field I would prefer to be left alone for a while to come to terms with what had happened."

But Tendulkar then makes it a point to stress that his relationship with Dravid remained cordial despite that incident and the two went on to strike several key partnerships in later years.

“Despite the incident, I am glad to say Rahul and I remain good friends, and even on the field our camaraderie remained intact until the end of our careers. We continued to have some good partnerships and neither our cricket nor our friendship was affected."

Rahul Dravid has repeatedly been asked about the infamous declaration when Sachin was unbeaten on 194. He replied in 2014: “My greatest memory of that Test is asking Sachin to bowl the last over of the day after the declaration. He got Moin Khan out and he was visibly overjoyed because he was again doing what he did so many times -helping India win. We walked off as a team.” [Meaning, Dravid dodged the main question about why he declared the innings.]

Fondly referred to as ‘Jam’ by Tendulkar, Dravid said, “When I first started playing for India, I was startled because [Sachin] would always ask ‘kya ho raha hai’. He was Sachin Tendulkar, had already played for seven years and was captain. What could I tell him about the pitch or conditions? I thought he was taking the mickey out of me. Later I realised that is how he is: always interested in knowing what is happening on the pitch and what the bowlers are doing.”

SYDNEY SHOW

Tendulkar calls the Sydney Cricket Ground a home away from home. His effort of 241 in 2004 was a lesson in self-restraint. He didn’t score a boundary on the off side, didn’t hit a cover drive. He waited for the ball to come to him, picked it off and clipped it to midwicket all the way not just to three figures, but a double hundred. In 2008 Tendulkar had forgotten how an international hundred tastes like after getting out seven times in the 90s. His undefeated innings of 154 had driven India ahead in the Test but for umpires Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson.

2004: 241 at Sydney Cricket Ground

Sachin's 241 at SCG was his best innings, says Brian Lara

PTI hindustantimes

New Delhi, October 02, 2013

Brian Lara recalled Sachin Tendulkar's masterpiece at the Sydney Cricket Ground even as the Indian walked back to the time the Trinidadian would have the best of bowlers at his mercy.

It was a sight any cricket fan would die for as the two masters of modern-day cricket stood together for a few moments, literally leaving the the crowd at the Kotla in a state of ecstasy.

"I remember the series against Australia when Sachin didn't play a single cover drive till the time he reached the double century," Lara said when he was asked about one Tendulkar moment he just couldn't forget.

Tendulkar went on to score 241 as the Test, which was Steve Waugh's last, ended in a tame draw at the historic Sydney Cricket Ground a little over a decade ago.

"Sachin was always different... the Indian team had many great batsmen like (Rahul) Dravid and (VVS) Laxman," the 44-year-old Trinidadian who still holds the record for the highest score in Test and first-class cricket said, amid huge cheers from the packed stadium.

Tendulkar was not left behind as he too, recalled the days when Lara would literally toy with the opposition bowling, saying they (opposition) would be left thinking which was the best place to land the ball while bowling to the left-handed batsman.

The two greats met just before the Champions League Twenty20 match between Chennai Super Kings and Trinidad and Tobago.

Lara also had a word of praise for young Sanju Samson, who has been a revelation of sorts for the Rajasthan Royals in the Champions League Twenty20.

The West Indian legend made no bones about the fact that Twenty20 is not a format he would have fancied.

"I don't think I would have been too successful in T20 cricket as I was a batsman who needed time to settle down. I believe guys like Sachin, Ricky (Ponting) were suited to this format."

All in all, after the barrage of fours and sixes they witness from the blades of Rohit Sharma and Dwayne Smith, the coming together of the two legends on the same platform meant the Delhi crowd couldn't have asked for more.

Sydney: 241 not out

VVS Laxman spoke with awe about Sachin’s 241 not out at Sydney. “At the end of the Melbourne Test, we were seeing the TV graphics on how Sachin was getting out.

He said he was playing brilliantly but kept getting out freakishly. So he said he won’t play the cover drive. I have never seen any batsman play with more control. I have never seen a more controlled innings.”

Tests

Gaurav Gupta, April 24, 2020: The Times of India

WHEN A GOOGLY FOXED MOIN KHAN IN MULTAN, 2004

Replying to India’s mammoth total of 675-5 declared, Pakistan were cruising when Tendulkar came to bowl the last over of Day Three. He bowled a flummoxed Moin Khan with a superb googly. “There were a lot of mind games played before that. I kept telling him that I’m going to toss the ball up. He responded by saying, ‘If you do that, I’m going to hit you for a six.’ I said: ‘I challenge you to hit me for a six.’ It wasn’t abusive stuff. I knew that he was preparing himself to pad the ball or leave it, because I was getting the ball to turn. I had two catching fielders at slip and gully. I thought I’ll bluff him by bowling a googly and kept an extra slip. He wasn’t expecting it and was bowled.”

2005

March 16, 2005: Scores 52 against Pakistan and becomes the fifth man to score 10,000 Test runs.

May, 2005: Goes for the surgery for the tennis elbow.

Dec 10, 2005: Becomes the highest centurion in Test cricket as he overtakes Sunil Gavaskar's 34 en route to his 109 against Sri Lanka in Delhi.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar became the fifth batsman in the history of cricket to complete 10,000 Test runs, achieveing the feat during the second Test against Pakistan in Kolkata.

Sachin Tendulkar hit his 72nd international century in the fourth ODI against Pakistan in Ahmedabad.

Sachin Tendulkar scored his 35th Test century to go past Sunil Gavaskar's world record tally of 34 centuries, achieving the feat in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Delhi.

Sachin Tendulkar won the Rajiv Gandhi award for sports in 2005.

Statistics of the year

Matches22

Runs 856

Centuries 2

Wickets 9

Average 34.24

Tennis elbow surgery

Tendulkar feared career was over after tennis elbow surgery

[Reuters | Nov 17, 2013

MUMBAI: Recovering from a tennis elbow injury was the most difficult phase in Sachin Tendulkar's illustrious cricket career with the master batsman fearing he would never be able to hold a bat again after surgery in 2005.

Tendulkar was first diagnosed with the career-threatening injury in 2004 but continued to play through pain before being operated on a year later in London.

"There used to be different goals every time I made a comeback. It's not possible to recover earlier than scheduled by just working harder in the gym."

The thought of giving up the sport for good crossed Tendulkar's mind as he tried to get back on the field after the surgery.

"It took four-and-a half months to recover after the surgery on my tennis elbow. The doctor asked if I would be able to play competitive cricket at all," he said.

"I could not even lift my son Arjun's plastic bat. Kids aged 10-12 years had come to the ground for fielding the day I went to bat for the first time against a season (leather) ball.

"I hit the balls hard but the kids were able to stop them within 10-15 yards. I thought 'I can not play anymore'."

ODIs

Gaurav Gupta, April 24, 2020: The Times of India

ANOTHER FIVE-FOR IN KOCHI: THIS TIME VS PAK, 2005

Kochi proved to be second-time lucky for ‘spinner’ Tendulkar. On April 2, 2005, he took 5-50 to bowl India to an 87-run win over Pakistan in the first ODI of the series. Chasing 282, Pakistan had slumped to 64-4.

“My spell was crucial. I thought I should experiment. So, I went round the wicket to bowl all my overs to the righthanders. Because I was getting the ball to turn quite a bit, I thought I would bowl wide and make them sweep. A wrist spinner always gets bounce on the Kochi wicket. So, I knew that if I could get bounce, there was a good chance that the batsmen might top-edge the ball while looking to sweep. I was able to do that.”

2006

March 19, 2006: Is booed at the Wankhede Stadium after he was dismissed for duck in 33 minutes against England in Mumbai.

March, 2006: Again goes under the knife. This time for surgery on his right shoulder in England.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar scorned his critics with a fine hundred - his 39th ODI century in the first ODI against Pakistan in Peshawar.

Sachin Tendulkar's hundred after coming under much criticism for his failure in the Test series against Pakistan.

Sachin Tendulkar hit his 75th international century - an unbeaten 141 against the West Indies in Kuala Lumpur.

Sachin's lone T20 International

Sachin Tendulkar played his only T20 International against South Africa in Johannesburg and became the oldest Indian to appear in T20Is.

India won by 6 wickets (with 1 ball to spare). Tendulkar performed fairly well in all three spheres: batting, bowling and fielding.

Fielding

LE Bosman c Tendulkar b Khan when he had scored 1 run

Bowling

Tendulkar O M R W Econ== 2.3 0 12 1 4.80

JM Kemp lbw b Tendulkar

Batting

Tendulkar b Langeveldt R M B 4s 6s SR== 10 18 12 2 0 83.33

Statistics of the year

Matches25

Runs 905

Centuries 2

Wickets 4

Average 34.8

2007

May, 2007: For the first time in his career, Tendulkar is rested for the three-ODI series in Bangladesh.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar hit an unbeaten hundred off 76 balls as India beat West Indies by 160 runs in Vadodara. Tendulkar brought up his 41st century off the last ball of the innings.

Sachin Tendulkar played in his fourth World Cup tournament that was held in the West Indies in 2007.

Sachin Tendulkar hit his 77th international century in the first Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong.

Sachin Tendulkar hit his 78th international century in the second Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka.

Sachin Tendulkar hit his 78th international century in the second Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka.

Statistics of the year

Matches42

Runs 2201

Centuries 3

Wickets 16

Average 50.02

2007: Chappell before the World Cup debacle

`CHAPPELL DAMAGED THE HARMONY OF THE SIDE'

The Times of India Nov 04 2014

Chart: The Times of India

Chart: The Times of India

Chart: The Times of India

`Greg Publicly Questioned Our Commitment And Made Matters Worse For Team'

In his autobiography (‘‘Playing It My Way,’’ by Sachin Tendulkar (2014) Hodder & Stoughton / Hachette India), co-written with sport historian Boria Majumdar, Sachin Tendulkar has likened former coach Greg Chappell to a ringmaster and sensationally revealed that Chappell sought Sachin's help in getting Rahul Dravid sacked as captain just a few months before the 2007 World Cup.

“Chappell had come to see me at home and, to my dismay , suggested that I should take over the captaincy from Rahul. Anjali (Sachin's wife) who was sitting with me was equally shocked to hear him say that `together, we could control Indian cricket for years'. I was surprised to hear the coach not showing the slightest amount of respect for the captain, with cricket's biggest tournament just months away ,“ writes Sachin.

“I suggested to the BCCI that the best option would be to keep Greg back in India and not send him with the team to the World Cup...That's not what happened, of course, and the 2007 campaign ended in disaster.“ India crashed out of the tournament in the first round. “Unlike John Wright and Gary Kirsten, Greg (Chappell) was like a ringmaster who imposed his ideas on us,“ says Sachin Tendulkar in his forthcoming autobiography, `Playing It My Way'.

India's humiliating exit in the very first round of the World Cup led to Chappell's tumultuous reign finally coming to an end. Tendulkar was glad to see his back, concluding that “Indian cricket benefitted significantly when the BCCI decided to end Chappell's tenure in April 2007.“ He adds that “several of our senior players were relieved to see him go, which was hardly surprising because he had not treated them well.“

The statement confirms how unhappy India's seniormost players were with the methods of the Australian batting legend who had previously only coached South Australia with little distinction.

For Sachin, Chappell failed to win respect in the dressing room. As he put it, “every time India won, Greg would be seen leading the team, but every time India lost, he would thrust the senior players in front.“

Sourav Ganguly, who lost his captaincy under Chappell, said on television that he “feels vindicated“ by these revelations and that he is glad Sachin has spoken out. Dravid said, “I don't have a comment to make, because it's a private conversation between two people, and I am not privy to it.“

Excerpts

The following is the relevant excerpt from Tendulkar’s autobiography,

Tendulkar writes: ‘After we returned to India, the media followed me back home and it hurt when I heard my own people doubting the commitment of the players. The media had every right to criticize us for failing, but to say we were not focused on the job was not fair. We had failed to fulfil the expectations of the fans, but that did not mean we should be labelled traitors. At times the reaction was surprisingly hostile and some of the players were worried about their safety .

‘Headlines like `Endulkar' hurt deeply. After eighteen years in international cricket, it was tough to see things come to this and retirement crossed my mind. My family and friends like Sanjay Nayak did all they could to cheer me up and after a week I decided to do something about it. I started to do some running, to try to sweat the World Cup out of my head.

‘On top of all this our coach, Greg Chappell, was publicly questioning our commitment and instead of asking us to take fresh guard, was making matters worse. It seems to me that Greg Chappell must take a lot of responsibility for the mess. I don't think I would be far off the mark if I said that most of us felt that Indian cricket was going nowhere under Chappell.

‘In my opinion, Indian cricket benefited significantly when the BCCI decided to end Chappell's tenure in April 2007. Several of our senior players were relieved to see him go, which was hardly surprising because, for reasons hard to comprehend, he had not treated them particularly fairly. His attitude towards Sourav, for example, was astonishing. Chappell is on record as saying that he may have got the job because of Sourav but that did not mean he was going to do favours to Sourav for the rest of his life.Frankly, Sourav is one of the best cricketers India has produced and he did not need favours from Chappell to be part of the team.

‘Chappell seemed intent on dropping all the older players and in the process damaged the harmony of the side. On one occasion, he asked VVS Laxman to consider opening the batting. Laxman politely turned him down, saying he had tried opening in the first half of his career because he was confused, but now he was settled in the middle order and Greg should consider him as a middle-order batsman. He told Laxman he should be careful, because making a comeback at the age of thirtytwo might not be easy .

‘Unlike John Wright and Gary Kirsten, who coached India before and after Greg and made a priority of keeping the players happy, Greg was like a ringmaster who imposed his ideas on the players without showing any signs of being concerned about whether they felt comfortable or not. In fact, I later found out that Greg had spoken to the BCCI about the need to remove the senior players, no doubt hoping to refresh the team.

‘I also remember that every time India won, Greg could be seen leading the team to the hotel or into the team bus, but every time India lost he would thrust the players in front. In general John and Gary always preferred to stay in the background, but Greg liked to be prominent in the media.

‘Just months before the World Cup, Chappell had come to see me at home and, to my dismay , suggested that I should take over the captaincy from Rahul Dravid. Anjali, who was sitting with me, was equally shocked to hear him say that `together, we could control Indian cricket for years', and that he would help me in taking over the reins of the side.' [The Telegraph, UK, aptly commented: '”. It seems Chappell failed to realise that was the case anyway.']

Sachin adds, ‘I was surprised to hear the coach not showing the slightest amount of respect for the captain, with cricket's biggest tournament just months away .I rejected his proposition outright. He stayed for a couple of hours, trying to convince me, before finally leaving.

‘A few days after Greg had come to my house, I suggested to the BCCI that the best option would be to keep Greg back in India and not send him with the team to the World Cup. I also said that we as senior players could take control of the side and keep the team together. That's not what happened, of course, and the 2007 campaign ended in disaster.’

(Excerpted by The Times of India with permission from Hachette India. Sachin Tendulkar's autobiography `Playing It My Way' released worldwide on November 6, 2014)

Ganguly on Chappell’s stratagem

On How things turned out under Greg Chappell

Sachin: I missed the first two tours after Chappell came on board. There were controversies in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe and I wasn't there. Later we played the Challenger Trophy . I was driving back from Mohali with Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan and a couple of guys. That is when the players said they don't feel comfortable with Greg. I clearly told them he has just joined us and we should accommodate him and give him a chance. I said we should let him settle down. I said, `I feel you guys are rushing and it is unfair.' I sided with Greg then. But along the way I came to know the players were right.

`What Greg did was unpardonable'

Kolkata: TIMES NEWS NETWORK

The Times of India Nov 04 2014

Hours after an explosive excerpt from Sachin Tendulkar's autobiography claimed that that former Team India coach Greg Chappell had suggested to the Little master that he should take over India's captaincy from Rahul Dravid before the 2007 World Cup, Sourav Ganguly claimed on Monday that the Australian had wanted to throw out all the senior players from the team.

“He wanted to get rid of all senior players like Tendulkar, Laxman, Sehwag, Harbhajan, Zaheer and me. I am happy that someone of Sachin's credibility has spoken about it. It will do a lot of good to Indian cricket,“ Sourav told a news channel. Sachin's disclosure on Chappell's captaincy offer. “I hadn't heard that before. This must have been closed-door discussion between Chappell and Sachin. But I presume it is true and I think it is absolutely ridiculous.“

Ganguly, who not only lost the captaincy but also his place in the side under Chappell, said “I lost my captaincy in 2005 November-December and Rahul became the captain. Now it seems, in eight months' time Chappell needed another captain (Sachin). It only goes to show the thought process and character of the man. He is someone who cannot be trusted.“ by his teammates for not speaking up against Chappell when he was thrown out of the team, Ganguly said: “No, I don't blame the players.They had seen how I had been dumped after win ning the Test series 2-0 in Zimbabwe.“

Terming what Chappell had done dur ing his reign as coach as “unpardonable“, Ganguly said Indian cricket had bene fitted more under the likes of John Wright and Gary Kirsten than the Aus tralian “under whom we won nothing“.

On why he Didn't inform Dravid when Chappell asked him to take over the captaincy

Sachin: I didn't want to do that. The matter was over because I didn't accept it. I didn't want to create that atmosphere because it was just the beginning of Greg's stint. I hadn't played a single game with Greg till then.

[Greg reacted by saying that Tendulkar was lying about the incident]

Sachin’s reply: Anjali was with me then when Greg met me, so I need not say more.

Harbhajan on Chappell

He was a double-faced man, says Harbhajan

Gaurav Gupta, Mumbai: The Times of India Nov 04 2014

A prominent member of the team that faced a World Cup debacle in 2007 was off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who has taken 413 Test wickets. He had major issues with the former Australian captain whose stint with Team India lasted from 2005-07. Harbhajan alleged that Chappell caused rifts in the team by `creating misunderstanding'.

“He had spoiled the atmosphere…[and] implement[ed] a `divide and rule policy'. He would instigate fights between us so that he would be able to do what he wanted. He would trigger misunderstanding between us by telling us `this player was saying this against you', when in fact, that player wouldn't have said anything,“ Harbhajan told TOI.

Harbhajan felt Chappell lost the confidence of the players also because of the fact that he would betray them in the media. “He hated it if we asked him questions. He would say something to us, and then say something entirely different to the media.He was a double-faced man. What Sachin has written about him is absolutely true."

2007: Viv Richards’ pep talk

Sachin was extremely depressed after India’s disastrous performance in the 2007 World Cup but cheered up after he got a call from his childhood hero, Viv Richards. He recalled, “We spoke for a good 45 minutes and he told me there was still a lot of cricket left in me. At that juncture, that helped.”

2008

Jan 4, 2008: Scores an unbeaten 154, against a major Test playing nation in two years and 19 Tests, against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

March 2, 2008: Sachin scores his first ODI century in Australia, in first of the CB Series final.

Oct 17, 2008: Surpasses Brian Lara's record of most Test runs against Australia at Mohali.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar hit his 38th Test century in the second Test against Australia in Sydney.

Sachin Tendulkar hit his 39th Test hundred in the fourth Test against Australia in Adelaide.

Sachin Tendulkar hit an unbeaten 117 and a 91 in the CB Series finals as India won their maiden ODI series in Australia.

Sachin Tendulkar surpassed Brian Lara's run record of 11,953 runs to become the leading run-scorer in Test cricket achieving the milestone in the second Test against Australia in Mohali.

Sachin Tendulkar was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award in 2008.

Sachin Tendulkar hit an unbeaten century as India chased down 387 runs on Day 5 to win the first Test against England in Chennai. Tendulkar dedicated the victory to the victims of Mumbai terror attacks.

Statistics of the year

Matches25

Runs 1523

Centuries 5

Wickets 0

Average 46.15

CHENNAI WIN POST 26/11

After losing to India badly in the ODIS, England flew back home because of the November 26 terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008. They returned to play the Test series later in December, only to lose the Chennai Test to Tendulkar’s clinical fourth-innings ton at Chepauk. Chasing 386 for victory, India were three down for 183 when Tendulkar walked in. A short 41-run stand with VVS Laxman, followed by a massive 162-run partnership with Yuvraj Singh for the fifth wicket gave India a six-wicket win.

Vs. England at Mohali

Sachin wrote in his autobiography (‘‘Playing It My Way,’’ by Sachin Tendulkar (2014) Hodder & Stoughton / Hachette India):

“A situation [similar to the declaration of the Indian innings at Multan in 2004] arose in December 2008 when we were playing England at Mohali. It was the last day of the Test and Gambhir and Yuvraj were both in the seventies... It was being argued that we needed to declare immediately and put the English in for some thirty overs so that we could try and force a win. I intervened. Dhoni was our captain and Gary Kirsten our coach. I said that I had been in this situation before and did not want a repeat of what had happened to me.

Sydney Test

Mind you, there is little doubt in my mind that we would have drawn had it not been for what seemed to us to be mistakes by the umpires and some rather unsportsmanlike conduct by a few of the Australian players. Sachin Tendulkar

Consistency personified (2008-12)

Refashioned himself into a less flamboyant but hugely consistent run-machine following India's disastrous 2007 World Cup sojourn and the exit of coach Greg Chappell. Scored an unbeaten, masterful 154 in Sydney, his first century in more than two years and 19 Tests against opposition other Bangladesh. Followed it up by his first ODI century in Australia in the CB Series before breaking Brian Lara's record of most Test runs in Mohali, all in 2008. Scored the first ODI double century in 2010 before realizing his dream of being part of a World Cup-winning squad in 2011.

2009

Nov 5, 2009: Gets to 17,000 runs during his 175 off 141 balls in a 351-run chase against Australia in Hyderabad. India fell short by 19 runs.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar smashed 163 before retiring hurt in the third ODI against New Zealand in Christchurch.

Sachin Tendulkar hit his 42nd Test century in the first Test against New Zealand in Hamilton.

Sachin Tendulkar's wax statue was unveiled created by Madame Tussauds at the Hotel Taj Lands End on April 13, 2009 in Mumbai.

Sachin Tendulkar hit a century during the Tri-Nation Championship Trophy final against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Sachin Tendulkar became the first batsman ever to score 17,000 ODI runs during his 175-run knock in the fifth ODI against Australia in Hyderabad.

Sachin Tendulkar saved the Test for India by hitting an unbeaten century on the fifth day of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad.

Statistics of the year

Matches27

Runs 1513

Centuries 5

Wickets 2

Average 58.19

2010

Feb 24, 2010: Becomes the first player in the history of the game to score 200 in a single innings in a one-day international. He took 147 deliveries to power India to 401 and a 153-run win against South Africa.

Oct 2010: Tendulkar bags his first ICC award, the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.

Dec 19, 2010: Gets his 50th Test hundred against a difficult South African attack in Centurion.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar hit successive centuries in the first and second Tests against Bangladesh in Chittagong and Dhaka.

Sachin Tendulkar hit successive hundreds in the first and second Tests against South Africa in Nagpur and Kolkata and India retained their number one Test spot after winning the second Test.

Sachin Tendulkar became the first player to score a double century in ODIs, achieveing the milestone in the second ODI against South Africa in Gwalior.

Sachin Tendulkar hit his fifth double century in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Sachin Tendulkar won the ICC Cricketer of the Year and Peoples Choice award in 2010.

Sachin Tendulkar hit a double century in the second Test against Australia in Bangalore. Tendulkar also completed 14,000 runs of his career in that Test.

Sachin Tendulkar hit his 50th Test century in the first Test against South Africa in Centurion.

Statistics of the year

Matches16

Runs 1766

Centuries 8

Wickets 0

Average 84.09

2011

April 2, 2011: Realises his childhood dream of winning the World Cup that too at his home town of Mumbai and at the Wankhede. India beat Sri Lanka to win the World Cup for the second time.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar started 2011 with a bang by hitting his 51st century in the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.

Sachin Tendulkar hit a century against England in their 2011 World Cup clash in Bangalore. This was Tendulkar's fifth World Cup tournament.

Sachin Tendulkar completed his 18,000 ODI runs in the World Cup quarterfinal match against Australia in Ahmedabad.

Sachin Tendulkar top scored for India with a 85-run knock in the World Cup semifinal match against Pakistan in Mohali.

Sachin Tendulkar achieved his dream of being part of a World Cup-winning team as India beat Sri Lanka in the World Cup final in Mumbai.

Sachin Tendulkar reached the milestone of 15,000 Test runs in the first Test against the West Indies in New Delhi.

Statistics of the year

Matches20

Runs 1269

Centuries 3

Wickets 1

Average 47

2011 World Cup semi-final vs Pakistan

Nick Hoult, The Telegraph, UK notes that Sachin ‘listened to Bade Achhe Lagte Hain on his iPod for seven hours before the match in Mohali, which he describes as “one of the most pressurised games of my career”.’

2011: World Cup finals

"It (Mohali World Cup semifinal 2011) was definitely the most high-pressured game of my life. It was a different kind of a feeling, hard to explain what it is," said Tendulkar, whose 85-run knock set up India's 29-run win. (PTI |)

Sachin has revealed that he did not watch any part of the 2011 World Cup final after his dismissal and didn't allow his opening partner, Virender Sehwag, to watch either.

“In an earlier game in Ah medabad, I had been getting a massage with my head down and Viru was sitting next to me and we did well. So in the final, I stayed on the massage table and kept Viru with me. He said, `Let me see the game a little bit'. I said, `No, you see as much as you want on TV later'.And we won,“ said Tendulkar.

Winning the World Cup in his home city made Sachin feel complete

Tendulkar describes the crazy celebrations after the 2011 World Cup win, including Anjali and him dancing in their hotel room with flowers tucked behind their ears.

World Cup celebrations, a night to remember

“Marine Drive was quite a sight. Although I remember dancing and celebrating as a kid after India's first World Cup win in 1983, the memory is a bit of a blur.

“This was our moment. It was liberation. I had finally scaled cricket's Everest and each and every soul on the streets of Mumbai was celebrating. We had brought joy to their faces and that's all we could have asked for as Indian cricketers.

“In the confines of my room, Anjali and I poured each other a drink and let our hair down. We plucked flowers out of the bouquets that were piled everywhere and put them behind our ears and started dancing to the music.

“This was the night of a World Cup triumph, so why should we restrain ourselves? In an instant all that time away from my family, missing out on seeing my children grow up, seemed worthwhile. Their father had finally become part of a World Cup-winning team, something he had strived for all his life.”

Nick Hoult, The Telegraph, UK adds, ‘After an all-night party at the team hotel, Sachin returned to the family home. His mother performed aarti (a ritual for good luck) and put a tika (vermilion blessing) on his forehead. “I felt I had performed my duties as a son and deserved her welcome.” He concludes that winning the World Cup “still feels like a dream”.’

Tendulkar later told Boria Majumdar, “Once we got back to the hotel floor that was booked for players, all the room doors were open, there was champagne flowing everywhere and loud music being played. I walked to my room with Anjali and we both started dancing, we both even had flowers sticking out from above our ears. We then went up to the seventeenth or eighteenth floor where the party continued and one room was booked for us. That is where Harbhajan, Yuvraj and Virat Kohli sang the song 'Tujh Me Rab Dikhta Hai' for me, and I was very embarrassed. I said, "What are you guys doing?", and they said, "Nahin aaj gaane do, aaj mouqa hai gaane ka, hamein gaana hai tumhare liye". It was a very special moment for me.”

2012

March 16, 2012: Gets the 100th international century, scoring 114 in an Asia Cup match against Bangladesh in Mirpur. But India lost the match. The century came after 34 innings and more than a year after scoring his 99th international hundred.

Dec 23, 2012: Just minutes before the selectors were set to name the squad for the ODI series against Pakistan, Tendulkar announces his retirement from the format. Tendulkar finished with 18,426 ODI runs and 49 hundreds in 463 matches, well clear of any other batsman.

There has been much speculation about this. FirstPost writes, ‘Tendulkar’s one-day retirement came suddenly and without warning, despite his being arguably the greatest ever one-day player. <> Did the BCCI force his hand? Did he just decide he didn’t have it in him to play 50-overs anymore? What made him want to keep playing Tests but not limited overs cricket?’

Highlights of the year

Off the field

Sachin Tendulkar was sworn in as Rajya Sabha member at the Parliament House in New Delhi on June 4, 2012.

Sachin Tendulkar was conferred with the membership of The Order of Australia in Mumbai on November 6, 2012.

Cricket

Sachin Tendulkar added another milestone in his record-breaking career when he became the first batsman in history to score 100 international centuries, achieving the feat in the Asia Cup match against Bangladesh in Dhaka.

Sachin Tendulkar's last ODI

This was India's Asia Cup match against Pakistan in Dhaka on March 18, 2012, as he announced his retirement from ODIs on December 23, 2012.

Bowling

Tendulkar O M R W Econ 1.4 0 12 0 7.20

Batting

Tendulkar c Younis Khan b Saeed Ajmal R M B 4s 6s SR 52 93 48 5 1 108.33

India won by 6 wickets (with 13 balls to spare)

Statistics of the year

Matches19

Runs 672

Centuries 1

Wickets 0

Average 26.88

2013

Oct 10, 2013: Tendulkar announces his retirement from Test cricket.

Highlights of the year

Sachin Tendulkar's wax figure was unveiled at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney on April 20, 2013. The new wax figure of Tendulkar was placed in the sports zone of Madame Tussauds in Sydney

Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement from IPL after Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super Kings in Kolkata on May 26 to win the Indian Premier League 2013 title.

Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement from CLT20 before Mumbai Indians beat Rajasthan Royals in the final to win the title.

Sachin Tendulkar became the only Indian cricketer to be named in an all-time Test World XI to mark the 150th anniversary of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.

Sachin Tendulkar became the 16th player and the first from the sub-continent to aggregate 50,000 runs in all recognised cricket (First-class cricket, List A cricket and Twenty20 combined).

Sachin Tendulkar announced on October 10, 2013 that the second Test against the West Indies would be his last ending a glittering career after playing 200 Test matches.

Awarded the Bharat Ratna the day after he played his last test match

Statistics of the year

Matches4

Runs 192

Centuries 0

Wickets 0

Average 32

Sachin Tendulkar's last test match

India defeated the West Indies by an innings and 126 runs

1st innings

Batting

Sachin Tendulkar c Sammy b Deonarine// R M B 4s 6s

SR== 74 150 118 12 0 62.7

At close of play on Thu, 14 Nov (day 1) - the Indian 1st innings stood at 157/2 (CA Pujara 34*, SR Tendulkar 38*, 34 overs)

Sachin did not bowl

2nd innings

Bowling

Sachin Tendulkar O M R W Econ ==2 0 8 0 4.00

Sachin did not need to bat.

First thoughts of retirement

Ian Chappell was one of the first to question Sachin’s commitment [in 2007]. Then Sachin’s batting hero Vivian Richards called him to say that he should not retire. Sachin had a couple of really good seasons after that. He even became the ICC cricketer of the year in 2010.

Sachin was looking forward to the tours to South Africa in Dec 2013 and New Zealand in early 2014. But when the BCCI announced a two-Test series with the West Indies in Nov 2013, he had to rethink his plans. It was then that the thought of retirement came to him. He started to wonder whether those two Tests against the West Indies should be his last. He remembers discussing it with (wife) Anjali and (brother) Ajit. They were sitting on the first floor lounge of his house when he told them that he was thinking about retiring after the West Indies series. The second Test would be his 200th and he would not have another opportunity to retire on home soil till the end of 2014, and he wasn't sure if he could battle with injuries for that long. There was no point in dragging things out if his heart wasn't in it.

A painful goodbye

Sachin Tendulkar: Long walk back & a painful goodbye

K Shriniwas Rao, TNN | Nov 16, 2013

The Times of India

MUMBAI: An eerie silence enveloped the Wankhede within seconds of what might go down as the most talked-about dismissal in Test history after Don Bradman. From unbearably loud to intolerably hushed, the passing of a mere two minutes between a batsman leaving the field and a new one walking in, broke innumerable hearts.

Sachin khel raha hai kya? (Is he playing?)

No. Switch off.

Sachin Tendulkar, knowing he had edged, walked. South of Wankhede to the dressing room which is right under the VIP president's box from where his wife, mother and family members were watching.

From above the president's box, Congres general secretary Rahul Gandhi stood and clapped. A little to the left, Mumbai Indians owner Nita Ambani and good friend Aamir Khan did the same. The entire Wankhede crowd did the same.

It didn't matter who you were that afternoon. You had to stand up and bid goodbye to the biggest superstar of all.

Tendulkar took his helmet off, looked left, looked right, raised both hands - bat in one, helmet in the other - and turned around to acknowledge the ovation. Cameras held him in focus as he climbed the stairs to the pavilion, past his teammates clapping in rapt attention, inside the relative darkness of the dressing room, into history, into a void that'll emerge the moment this Test match is over.

He'll never walk out of there again. Until he was around, it was as enjoyable as it could get for the elders who had seen a son in him; for the middle-aged who grew-up with him; for the young who wanted to be like him; for fans who simply couldn't get enough of him.

There were twelve boundaries in his innings of 74. Six had come on Thursday afternoon, six on Friday morning. On the backfoot, past point; the paddle-sweep; the unmatched straight drive; the backfoot drive was in the closet on Day 1. He brought that out on Day Two.

The strokes, written Tendulkar all over, combined the ferocity of his early days, the elegance of his post-30 days, the maturity of the recent years and the simplicity of his batting from when it began till it lasted. It was a short, sweet highlights package for those who had spent their lives and Friday morning watching him.

As enjoyable as it is to watch him, there were also moments of anxiety. Especially when he swished at Tino Best. A rookie off-spinner took his scalp. He'll join many in history, bowlers who he's played first time and got out to. Sachin Tendulkar c Darren Sammy b Narsingh Deonarine — there are quite a few like this one if you go looking.

‘After The Match/ Endgame’

The following is an excerpt from Final Test—Exit Sachin Tendulkar: By Dilip D’Souza, Random House India, 288 pages, Rs.299 (2014).

Live Mint wrote, “Sachin Tendulkar retired from international cricket in November [2013]. To say that his 200th and final Test match at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium was well-attended would be an understatement. Through a detailed account of what it was like in the stadium that day, writer Dilip D’Souza teases out what Tendulkar means to Indian fans in his book”

Edited excerpts from the book

All eyes are on Tendulkar, as soon as Gabriel is bowled. He throws his hands up in celebration, races to the pitch and hugs everyone there, including the umpires. He grabs a stump, though it’s hard to tell if it’s the same career-ending one. Ravi Shastri appears magically by his side, as if he emerged from the hole where the stump used to be. They shake hands. As if they have practiced it and maybe they have, the Indian players form a running guard of honour for Tendulkar, the last guys racing around to the front to make sure he’s always in it as he walks off the field. He is smiling at the beginning, but halfway off, he bows his head and wipes a tear.

Gabriel heads towards the pavilion as if anonymous, already alone and forgotten, already no more than a footnote. I can see them now, questions from some future cricket quiz: ‘Who took Bradman’s wicket for the last time in his Test career?’ ‘Who was the last wicket to fall in Tendulkar’s Test career?’ Ramdin is some distance behind Gabriel. Their teammates emerge onto the field to congratulate the Indians and the man they played this Test for. The screen tells us: ‘Legends NEVER RETIRE!’ But this one has, now. At the base of the stairs, he turns to wave to the crowd, the stump in one waving hand. Has anyone in the crowd left the stadium? Not on your life! ‘I’m going to tell people all my life,’ I hear a blue-shirted lady say to a companion, ‘that I was here today!’

Fireworks go off. Maybe we can’t see them in the noonday sun, but we hear them. Workers quickly set up the backdrop and stage for the post-match presentation ceremony. Sharad Pawar appears, portly and white-clad as always. It’s too far away to tell for sure who else is there—Pawar is unmistakable—but someone comments scornfully that the presentation party is made up solely of politicians.

And like a magic carpet rising above all this, the applause from the crowd. The cheers, the claps, the whistles. People looking at each other, many with tears in their eyes, believing they are here at a historic moment. Sport is invariably filled with instantly proclaimed historic moments, of course: a rare Indian Test win at Lord’s, or Nadal knocked out of Wimbledon early. Not all such moments stand the test of time. But with the hold he has on Indian hearts and minds, Tendulkar walking away from cricket is a historic occasion pretty much by default.

You can argue endlessly about who is the greatest Indian cricketer—there are cases to be made for more than a few. But about which one is worshipped most widely—worshipped, period—there’s simply no argument.

‘THANK YOU SACHIN!’, on the screen for a while, fades to an image of Lara, Chanderpaul, Gayle, and Tendulkar from somewhere in the innards of the Wankhede. The crowd cheers loudly. Lara gives Chanderpaul some kind of memento for playing in 150 Tests (he himself played 131). Then some kind of trophy to Tendulkar. Then two sticks to play that trophy like a xylophone. I’d love to know what this is about, what exactly that trophy is, but my eyesight and the screen resolution combine to make it difficult to discern. Then Bravo joins the group, all of them smiling for the camera. Then, in a surprising near-echo of the blue-shirted woman, the screen switches to ‘I will tell this for life—I was there!’ Maybe she dispatched a text message?

About 15 minutes after he vanishes up the Wankhede stairs, Tendulkar walks down them again. This time, he’s accompanied by his wife Anjali and his children Sara, in red, and Arjun, in cricket whites. Behind him is the Indian team, all of them applauding as the crowd breaks into ‘Sa-chi-i-i-n, Sachin!’

Mr Dilip D’Souza writes the column A Matter Of Numbers for Mint

2016

Just another obstreperous politician?

Sachin Tendulkar sought Parrikar's help to rescue business ally's resort in Mussoorie: Officials

ET Bureau | Jul 19, 2016

Highlights

• Sachin Tendulkar sought appointment with Parrikar to help rescue Landour holiday retreat.

• Defence ministry unlikely to intervene as matter involves illegal construction.

• The property partly owned by Tendulkar's business partner Sanjay Narang.

Cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar had sought Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's help to rescue a plush holiday retreat he frequents in Landour, Mussoorie, from a security dispute with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Such was the urgency of the matter that Tendulkar, a Rajya Sabha member, even cut short a trip to Australia last year just to meet Parrikar with this request, senior defence ministry officials familiar with the matter told ET.

The property in question is his famed summer den Dahlia Bank in the Landour cantonment area that has allegedly breached the 50-foot, no-construction zone next to the Institute of Technology Management, a sensitive DRDO establishment.

The home is partly owned by Tendulkar's business partner Sanjay Narang. Parrikar is believed to have given a "patient hearing" to the Indian batting legend but desisted from making any intervention in the issue.

South Block officials told ET that the defence minister was unwilling to do so in a matter involving alleged illegal construction next to a sensitive DRDO laboratory complex.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar didn't intervene

"Tendulkar had been trying to meet the minister and an appointment was set up. He spoke at length about the property case, which was heard out. However, no action was taken on the request put forward," a senior official told ET.

Tendulkar didn't respond to ET's questions on the matter. The defence ministry declined to issue a formal comment on the issue.

The institute's version is that Narang had obtained permissions to build tennis courts in what is called the 'restricted construction zone' around the establishment but instead went on to construct full-fledged buildings.

Narang did not respond to questions sent by ET but his representative, who did not want to be named, claimed that the area in dispute fell outside the zone. She further alleged that the DRDO institute had taken a "faulty stand" and had made "wrong interpretations".

The hotelier owns several properties in and around the Landour cantonment area that has emerged as a highend tourist destination near Mussoorie.

However, these building activities have attracted controversy with a complaint on "illegal high-investment commercial activities" reaching the Central Vigilance Commission and Central Bureau of Investigation last month.

SRT Sports

Gaurav Gupta, Sep 01 2016 : The Times of India (Delhi), SRT Sports: Sachin's second innings

The batting maestro launched a sports management company , SRT Sports, to handle his post-retirement career. The cricketer roped in former Tata Group senior executive Mrinmoy Mukherjee as CEO of SRT Sports.

The firm will be responsible for the commercial engagements of the cricket icon, as well as developing the next phase of `Brand Sachin.' Tendulkar was previously managed by the World Sports Group (WSG), which has wound up its operations in India. The cricketer said his split with his manager of 16 years, Vinod Naidu, who was the general manager at WSG, was amicable. Tendulkar said he even offered Naidu a chance to join his new venture, which was declined.

Mukherjee, who has held senior operations and marketing positions in Raymond, Aditya Birla Group and Marico Industries, said that his mandate at SRT Sports is to put in place the “right team, build the equity and core values that brand Tendulkar epitomises“. “The effort is to fortify the brand persona around Tendulkar and build win-win relationships with the associated brands. Our team has diversified skill sets which are in line with the emerging needs of Sachin's second innings.“

SRT Sports will also manage the retired great's ISL team Kerala Blasters.

2017

Addressal in Rajya Sabha hampered

December 21, 2017: The Times of India

HIGHLIGHTS

Congress leaders raised a ruckus and did not allow Sachin Tendulkar to speak in the House

Tendulkar was to lead a Short Discussion Motion on the future of sports in India

Congress has been demanding PM Modi to apologize for his allegations against predecessor Manmohan Singh

The Rajya Sabha was abruptly adjourned for the day after Congress leaders raised a ruckus and did not allow cricket legend and nominated Member of Parliament Sachin Tendulkar to speak in the House.

Tendulkar, in his maiden speech on the floor of the Upper House, had moved a Short Discussion Motion on the future of sports in India and right to play. He was expected to address some long pending issues including coverage of Central Health Guarantee Scheme (CGHS) for international medal winners and incorporation of sports in school curriculum.

However, House proceedings were once again disrupted by protesting Congress members, much as it has been since the Parliament convened for the Winter session last Friday. No sooner did Tendulkar stand up to begin the discussion, Congress MPs also jumped to their feet, demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologize for insinuating that his predecessor Manmohan Singh is colluding with Pakistan.

Tendulkar, a Bharat Ratna winner, remained standing for 10 minutes, tight-lipped, as Opposition members raised slogans, ignoring Chairman Venkaiah Naidu's calls to come to order.

Naidu reminded them that the nation was watching the uproar they were causing in the Rajya Sabha and called on them to let Tendulkar speak. But unruly Congress MPs paid no heed to his requests.

"We're discussing about sports and you don't have the sporting spirit," Naidu scolded, before ordering the live telecast of House proceedings to be cut off.

Tendulkar did not get the chance to speak today as the Rajya Sabha, which had only re-convened at 2 pm after sustained sloganeering by Congress leaders earlier, was again adjourned till 11 am tomorrow.

"He (Sachin Tendulkar) has earned name for India at the world stage, it is a matter of shame that he was not allowed to speak even when everyone knew it was on today's agenda. Are only politicians allowed to speak?" BJP MP Jaya Bachchan told ANI.

Congress has been since the past week seeking an explanation from PM Modi over "false" allegations he made against his predecessor Manmohan Singh during the Gujarat elections.

In the face of persistent disruption by Congress members on Wednesday, Naidu had a flare-up and told them that no apology would be forthcoming as the Prime Minister's comments were not made on Parliament premises.

Tendulkar ranks top among the nominated members in Rajya Sabha having allocated nearly 98 per cent of the total Member of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) funds of Rs 30 crores. Over 60 per cent of the projects identified by the former Indian cricketer have been completed. He is also among the few parliamentarians who have successfully adopted two villages under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY).

Sachin’s autobiography

Sachin’s autobiography is called Playing It My Way, by Sachin Tendulkar (2014) Hodder & Stoughton / Hachette India. By the third day of its release it had created new book sales records in India.

On The toughest part about writing his autobiography

Sachin told The Times of India’s K Shriniwas Rao: The most difficult part was to reveal the relationship between Anjali and me. I have always kept that close to my heart and very few guys know about it, including our families.

Does Sachin remember every delivery, every dismissal?

Sachin: I maintained a diary for the first two years of my cricketing life but I have lost it somewhere. [Indpaedia: Someday when that diary is found, it will be worth a fortune.]

When I started playing for India, for almost 10 years or so I would go back and watch video cassettes. I would take back recordings of all my hundreds and all the dismissals. I would go back home and study it with my brother. I stopped doing this after 10 years or so.

Did he expect too much from teammates who weren't as gifted as he?

Sachin told The Times of India’s K Shriniwas Rao: Certainly I expected quite a bit from my teammates and that is how it should be. When I was scoring runs, people were expecting more from me. I think it is a fair expectation.

The Indian Players’ League (IPL)

About the IPL, Nick Hoult, The Telegraph, UK tells us that ‘Sachin praises the tournament and how it has revolutionised Indian cricket. Domestic players know may earn an IPL deal by performing well for their state sides, and it has added a “whole new dimension” to Indian cricket allowing youngsters to play with the best players in the world. He reveals how one team owner lets his priest decide which players leave the hotel rooms on match days while another has dressing rooms arranged in feng shui style. But he does worry about how the riches in the IPL may make playing for India “somewhat less significant”.’

Sachin’s view of the DRS.

Nick Hoult, The Telegraph, UK writes, Sachin, a long standing critic of the decision review system. It merits two paragraphs in his book. He writes India feel it has to be 100 per cent “before we can accept it.”’

On his captains

“I have enjoyed playing under all my captains

“All of the people I recommended or played under after giving up the captaincy - Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble or MS Dhoni - I had a good relationship with, and when I felt it necessary I would give them my opinion and then leave it to them to take the final call….

“Every captain I played under had his respective strengths. Sourav was an excellent strategist and had a very good understanding of the game. He was an aggressive captain and wasn't afraid to experiment in difficult situations. It was under Sourav that we started winning overseas Test matches consistently.

“Anil Kumble was an excellent communicator and clearly explained to the players what he wanted from each of them. He was aggressive and trusted his instincts. Sourav and Anil were both great players and equally capable leaders.

“Rahul was more conventional. He was more methodical and his mental toughness was an added strength. He was committed to the job but stayed away from experimenting too much. Dhoni, in contrast, was impulsive and loved to back his instincts. He has a really good grasp of the game and is not afraid to try something different. He is never flustered and handles pressure well... I enjoyed playing with them all.”

On Nasser Hussain

Sachin Tendulkar wrote in his autobiography (‘‘Playing It My Way,’’ by Sachin Tendulkar (2014) Hodder & Stoughton / Hachette India):

“Among the captains I played against, I consider Nasser Hussain the best. He was an excellent strategist and, even if some of his tactics occasionally bordered on the negative, he was a very good thinker on the game and was proactive.”

On Ian Chappell

On Ian Chappell's comment that `Sachin should look at himself in the mirror'

Sachin told The Times of India’s K Shriniwas Rao: I don't think much about him. I showed him the size of the mirror in the VB Series in 2007.He has got nothing to do with Indian cricket. Sometimes people are given too much importance. I don't want his sorry. But in Durban, in 2010, when I was working out in the gym, we just bumped into each other and he said, `This is the secret of your success.' I said, `You have conveniently changed sides.' Nitin Patel was standing next to me when I told him that.

Sachin writes in his autobiography (‘‘Playing It My Way,’’ by Sachin Tendulkar (2014) Hodder & Stoughton / Hachette India):

“The outrage in India after the 2007 World Cup was not helped by armchair experts who were sitting thousands of miles away but still passing judgement on Indian cricket and suggesting I should 'have a good long look into the mirror' and think about retiring. Such opinions, which were published in Indian newspapers, provoked fans across the country. I have never quite understood why Ian Chappell, who was merely reporting on the game, should have got a headline in the Indian press.

“Would any of our former players commenting on Ricky Ponting or Michael Clarke have had a headline in the Melbourne Age or the Sydney Morning Herald? Chappell would have done better to stick to Australian cricket.

“I remember meeting Ian Chappell in Durban in 2010 during the CLT20... I bumped into him as I was coming out of a health club after a session in the gym with my physio, Nitin Patel, who was party to the entire exchange. Ian started the conversation by saying that now he knew the secret behind my scoring big runs. I reminded him that he was conveniently changing his stand, considering what he'd written in 2007. I said to him that I had not done what he suggested back then because I was well aware of what I needed to do and how much cricket I had left in me.

“I also said that critics like him change with the wind. When the going is good, they write positive things and when the going gets tough, they start making a lot of negative comments without ever trying to find out what actually is going through a player's body or mind. He then asked me if I had changed the weight of my bat. I told him that I hadn't changed a thing and was doing exactly what I had been doing for twenty long years. He was the one who had conveniently changed his opinion because I had been scoring heavily between 2008 and 2010.

“Finally the conversation moved to Greg. I told Ian bluntly that Greg had not been popular and I would not want to share a dressing room with him again. Ian attempted to argue that Greg had always had a problem trying to understand failure... I said that that was not my concern and all that mattered to me was that he had failed to take Indian cricket forward. Ian was most surprised to hear all this. In fact, Nitin Patel told me soon after that I was the last person he had expected to lash out like this.”

On Cronje, bowler

The bowler who made Sachin the most uncomfortable

The one bowler he didn't feel comfortable batting against was Hansie Cronje, Tendulkar later told The Times of India’s Nalin Mehta. ‘Early on, when someone like Allan Donald is bowling with strike bowlers such as Brett Shultz, Craig Matthews and Brian McMillan, you had to stay focused and respect how they were bowling. Then when you get someone who is just going to bowl 2-3 overs to give the strike bowlers a rest, then you want to put pressure on him. Later, I tried to play him differently . I tried to block, to leave, to slog and to play my normal game but somehow kept getting out to him.’ [This is not from SRT’s autobiography.]

Years not known

Sachin recalls in his autobiography:

When 'muscles' risked his life

The story of the Australia tour is incomplete without a story that has stayed with me over the years. It involves Venkatapathy Raju, our left-arm spinner, and Merv Hughes. They were great pals and on a flight to Perth, which is a little under four hours from Sydney, we dared Raju, one of the skinniest cricketers in the team, to go and grab Hughes's famous thick moustache. Merv, a huge man, was known for his volatile temper and most of us were convinced that Raju would chicken out in the end. To our surprise, he boldly went up to Merv and pulled his moustache, a feat of incredible bravery - or foolishness. Merv took it all very sportingly and the act was applauded by everyone on the flight, making Raju a hero.

When Sourav ducked for cover

Off the pitch, one incident from this tour is difficult to forget. Sourav Ganguly and Navjot Sidhu were travelling on the Tube in London when a few young guys, who'd probably had a bit too much to drink, boarded the train. For some reason they started making gestures at Sourav and Navjot and eventually one of them threw a beer can at Navjot, who promptly stood up to confront them. It turned ugly and a fight ensued, until the train reached the next station, where their attackers staggered off - but then one of them came back onto the train and started waving a gun at Navjot. At this, Sourav's first reaction was to drop to the ground and cover his face in fright, but then he started pleading with the boy and dragged Navjot away as quickly as he could. Looking back at the incident, it seems a funny scene in some ways, but it must have been pretty scary at the time!

Sachin sums up

Tendulkar left the game after playing more Test matches (200), scoring the most Test (15,921) and one-day international (18,426) runs, and compiling more Test (51) and one-day (49) hundreds than any other player in cricket history.

He picked the victory in the 50-over World Cup at home in 2011 as the high point of his career.

"Biggest disappointment was losing in the 2003 World Cup final - we were playing so well but could not cross that final hurdle."

India, under Sourav Ganguly's captaincy, reached the final of the World Cup in South Africa but lost to Australia in the championship match.