Know Sachin – through Sachin himself
Sachin after his knock of 200 is being revered as the best batsman ever. People went on to say that he is better than Bradman. For true cricket lovers and for those people who know cricket’s intricacies this is a known fact even before. For example Sachin was the only contemporary player to feature in the World XI made by Bradman, and he is the only one other than Bradman to feature in an all time World XI no matter who is selecting the team. The area where he gets better than Bradman is his adaptability to games, In a 5 match series during the practice of bodyline bowling against Bradman, Bradman averaged just 56 which was half of his career average before he started that series. Great captains and coaches have always devised various attacks to get Sachin out cheaply, only his injuires and not strategies have ever stopped Sachin from performing.
There are lot of tributes to sachin after his 20th year in cricket and after his 200*. Here what I am trying to do is to rewind back in time and explore what Sachin thought about his batting and various issues during the heights of his prowess. Here some of the unknown facts and stories are listed and followed by this is a compilation of some of his interviews and answers for his fan’s questions and interview replies. With so much of stories about sachin already published in the media from his frog curry to the vada pav stories with Kambli, I have tried hard to put in things that are not known to many.
The important letter:
Sachin would have got many appreciation letters, great awards and accolades. They are all important, but to the master, his most important possession is the letter written to him by the Great sunny himself. When Sachin was 13 and performed exceptionally well, but missed out on the best junior cricketer award. Knowing how this could hurt a great budding cricketer, Sunny wrote a letter to sachin. There are many small things that will decide the success of a person. From parenting to coaching to mentors, Sachin always had the best. May be this is why Sachin is often said as the most gifted cricketer. Here is the letter written by Sunny to Sachin.
Kid Stuff- Sorry it is Kid’s Tuff:
He got in to the mubai team when he was 14. While Gavaskar knew about Sachin before, Eknath Solkar was doubtful and was worried because sachin was a kid. Sachin defended the first two balls, and the third ball went for a boundary (Now Solkar sat erect and started watching the knock) 129 balls later, his score reads 100, with 12 fours – the youngest centurion in the first class cricket, and that too on debut… From, that being a Kid Stuff.. it turned out to be this Kid’s Tuff to Solkar.
The one who don’t like losing:
Even since he joined the Indian team, in all the 100 m sprints he came first, he will always be the winner (The first person to overtake sachin was MS Dhoni, but when sachin was already in his 30s). Be it a football game or Table Tennis or Tennis. He always want to be the first. The story narrated by the tuition master’s daughter who was much elder to Sachin is a testimony for that. Sachin, played TT for the first time against her and he was 11 and was beaten by her. A few weeks later, he went back to her and called her for a TT game and beat her convincingly. In a recent interview Leander Paes said the same thing about Sachin. He said that he was generally good with all the racket games, so he invited sachin to play a TT game. Leander was not taking sachin seriously, and sachin won the game so easily and leander started playing more seriously but ended up losing majority of the games played. He then said it is not cricket which made sachin Famous, but Sachin would have became famous in any game he played.
In the football match that happened between the celebrities and the cricketers, sachin scored 3 goals and the team which he represented won 3-0. In the race conducted by MRF, its three brand amabassadors Sachin, Lara and Steve Waugh participated, and sachin was leading the race by a lap, but before completion he slowed down, to let Lara and Waugh come closer (so as not to humiliate them) and finally won the race.
Even in the book written by Gilchrist, where he calls Sachin as a bad sport as sachin won’t go to the opposition dressing room after losing a match, bears testimony for his attitude towards winning. He cannot take anything less than winning, centuries are secondary to him. During 2007 when here was out for a record number of times in 90s and 99s, he said he would be quite happy to take as many 90s as possible when his team is winning. This shows how much winning means to him.
This was the first discussion Sachin had with internet users. Where Mr. Prem Panicker conversed with the fans through chat, and Sachin gave the answers for the questions (happened during 1999). Here are some of the most interesting questions answered by Sachin
Q) Indian: Hey .. I have a simple question .. in that India Today article (with you on the cover page – I know there have been many .. but I am talking about the latest one) .. they have said that you ACTUALLY try to make the bowler bowl in a way that YOU want him to? .. Is that true? .. Could you elaborate on that please? You have changed the simple process of a batsman facing a bowler into a chess game!!
A) Sachin: The previous tour to NZ, when I opened for the first time, Gavin Larsen was bowling and the first five balls were dot balls which were pitched just short of length and I intentionally played them on the front foot and Ajay Jadeja at the non-striker’s end told me I was not doing the right thing. And I told him, ‘speak to me after the last ball’, and the last ball was pitched way short, which I hit for a six off the backfoot. I told Jadeja, ‘I wanted him to bowl this length, that’s the only reason I played the first five balls on the front foot’.
(Sachin went on to score a blinder of 80 odd from 40 odd balls, and that is not just slogging but by great shots and through immense intelligence)
Q)Hi Sachin, will you walk away if you feel that you are out even if the umpire don’t give it? Do you miss college education? Don’t you feel tired because of using such a heavy bat? What do you think about maidan cricket?
A) No, I will not walk if the umpire does not give me out, because if the umpire gives me out and I feel I have not played the ball I still have to go. So I strictly feel the umpire’s decisions have to be followed. It’s not bad to miss out on college education, if you get a chance to play for India, although I do miss it. I am used to playing with a heavy bat, since my school days, so I don’t feel tired because of it. I certainly do feel that maidan cricket in the city is great fun, and when I was a kid I witnessed so many games and I was really impressed by the competitiveness. My idea of fun is home.
Q) Warne said that he nightmares going to sleep after your assault. what do you have to say about that?
A) There is no doubt about Warne’s ability, and everybody knows he is one of the best bowlers in the world. I am sure he said that about me jokingly.
Q) When did you hit your first six in a proper match?
A) my first sixer was during a school match, and Vinod Kambli was bowling to me. I hit a straight sixer off him, that was my first one…
Now comes the really special questions
Q) Do you like Michael Jordan? If so what do you like in him and what are your goals.
A) yes, I really do admire Michael Jordan for his fitness, I think he is 36, and to be at the top when somebody is that age really requires a lot of hard work and sacrifice. I really do admire him. My lifelong ambition is to play for as long as possible for India, and to keep winning matches for India. About the six off the final ball, I will try and finish it before the last ball…
he is living his dream today
The following question was asked to him by Mr. viajy on Mon Jan 25 1999 9:13 (more than 12 years before)
Q) we all want to see u scoring a double hundred in a ODI..when will that happen sachin?
A) If you bowl to me, perhaps I should score a double hundred right tomorrow itself 
But seriously, I will try and do this as quick as I can. (He has always tried not to answer this question later as well, because by doing so he would put more pressure on himself and the larger objective will not be served. Hats off to him he succeeded after 12 years since he came across that question for the first time).
Q) Balaji: Who is your favorite batsman?
It is very hard to single out, but there are many batsmen who I admire: Brian Lara and Mark Waugh.
Later in an interview to a sports magazine, he spoke about his bowling:
Q)How do you see yourself as a bowler? Do you take yourself seriously?
A) I am not a regular bowler and I don’t want to be one.
Q) But sometimes you achieve astonishing results?
Sometimes, my strength is the fact that I am unpredictable. I will lose that strength if I become a regular bowler. I will have to then start bowling seam or off spin and become predictable. That is why I would like to stay what I am today and bowl according to what the situation demands.
Seam or off spin or leg spin whatever I think will work under the circumstances. If left hand handers are batting, I prefer offspin. Otherwise, seam or leg spin. I just want to enjoy my bowling. To give the impression that I can also bowl.
A survey listed by a leading magazine published results rating him as India’s greatest living star. Way ahead of Shah Rukh Khan, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and bomb maker A P J Abdul Kalam (This was before APJ becoming the president, and when Atalji was the PM). The magazine then interviewed him about a few things. Some of the interesting conversations are listed below.
Q) Is there a personal vendetta involved when you bat against certain bowlers? You have taken on Henry Olonga, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Michael Kasprowicz and Fanie De Villiers. Is that rivalry for real?
A)I wouldn’t say it is an intentional thing. But yes, it does play on my mind. If ‘X’ bowler gets a batsman, he will then want to level the scores. People pick up on that and say, this is where he leveled scores. Sometimes you want to take charge, get on top of the bowler and show him that you can bat. Sometimes it just happens.
Q)Lately, you seem to be more willing to give lip to bowlers who give you a mouthful. What’s with this new avatar?
A)I have always been aggressive. Sometimes it happens on the spur of the moment, and it only happens because I want to win. I never cross limits and I never start it myself — it’s only if it starts at the other end that I give it back. And it is never personal.
Q)Did you get the support you wanted when you led?
A) There are times when you desperately want something to happen, but it doesn’t. So I won’t say that I got it completely, but sometimes one tends to expect little more than what you get. The players tried, but somehow the luck was not enough maybe? We needed 120 runs to win a Test match in Barbados and we lost; we had more than half a day to get three wickets in Johannesburg and it rained; we had a day and a half to get the Windies out in Trinidad and we couldn’t… Sometimes it was luck, sometimes I felt it was not the right kind of effort in the right direction.
Q) Were you always given the team that you wanted?
A)No, I wouldn’t say that. I didn’t get the players that I wanted. And that was pretty obvious because the team is selected by the selectors and never by the captain.
Q) But later Ganguly brought Harbajan by putting pressure on the selectors?
A) It is not just Ganguly, all the seniors in the side spoke with the board for getting Harbajan in and it was a collective effort
Q) Did you enjoy the game when you were captain of the Indian side?
A) I did. Even though many times I got the feeling that things were beyond my control. But then, that’s the way it goes. From my side, I tried everything. I did not spare anybody. I wanted everyone to perform at hundred per cent. But it just didn’t happen.
Q) Why? Why didn’t it happen? Why did you fare so poorly as captain?
It’s a question of luck. When, as captain, I promoted Robin Singh in Sharjah he got out early and everybody criticised me for the decision. Ten days later, Azhar became captain and he sent in Robin Singh in the finals in Bangladesh, in the Coca-Cola Cup, and we were chasing 314 runs. Robin scored 86 and because of him and Saurav we won the tournament. So everyone praised Azhar for his decision. But it was exactly the same move.
It was just a matter of luck. In both cases we were playing Pakistan. In Sharjah we were in a very good position. We were batting first and we were 135 for the loss of just one wicket in something like 30 overs. But it didn’t work. In Bangladesh, things were tougher but it worked! It’s just providence.
(Sachin did not take the case of the Australian tour under him and under Ganguly, which was more evident. In the tour which Sachin led Kumble got more runs than Dravid, Ganguly was a complete failure so was VVS except for the last innings, but during the trip under Ganguly, Ganguly scored a hundered in brisbane, followed by VVS and Dravid in Adelaide, and then by Sachin and Laxman in Sydney, every one scored and Kumble and Agarkar ripped aside the Australian team)
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Sachin had too many match fixers in the team. Still I hardly care for his captiancy record. He is playing ultimate cricket under tremendous pressure. & if at this age if he can play better than all the current generation players then water else u need from dis great man. Hail Tendulkar !
Brilliant compilation, some facts i dint knew, especially he having a chat with fans . you have given 4 options why he wasnt a successful captain. Barring last option, all played like external and internal factors against him.
1)Though i am not a believer of ” luck” but he mentioned 2 cases.
2)Match fixers , yes they rose much brighter then sun.
3)He got all gally players , some are in ireland some dumped in their own world , some into Tv shows.
Superb Article..one of the best by you..!!..Sachin had too many match fixers in the team when he was captaining but still he did not complain and Did his work honestly..!!
Hail SACHIN.!!
Regarding Sachin as a captain I think Sachin is someone who thinks much ahead of the capability of normal human beings. One of the greatest reasons of him being such a great player is his mind. Maybe everyone else in the team could not understand or had enough conviction in him. Being a great leader is also about being in sync with the people under you. He has much to contribute to the team even as a leader and for that it is not necessary to have the title of captain. We all know how involved he always is as a strategist in the team. Doesnt matter if he isnt the captain but what matters is his contribution to the cause of the team which does not end at performing individually. When he is at the crease even the other batsman perform much better. Just the presence of Sachin Tendulkar in the team takes the morale of the team to such heights.