The Hindu : New Delhi News : A date with the master

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Saturday, May 31, 2008
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A date with the master

Madhur Tankha

Photo: S. Subramanium

In action: Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar.

NEW DELHI: Cricket lovers who wish to get close with master blaster Sachin Tendulkar can do so in CNN’s programme “Talk Asia” this Saturday.

Described as one of the greatest batsmen, Sachin has a devoted following of millions of cricket-crazy fans across the country and abroad. He will share with host Anjali Rao the thrill of playing the game. He will also speak about the much talked about Indian Premier League and the importance of his family in keeping him grounded.

Sachin will also relive some of his favourite matches and talk about the players he most enjoyed playing against.

According to Sachin, a special thing about the Twenty20 game is that it is not just about cricket but its evolution into a social phenomenon. “The IPL has a lot to do with families…It used to be the cinema, watching a movie or a play…but now it is a cricket match where the whole family goes out together.”

Asked about the slapping incident involving fellow-cricketer Harbhajan Singh and whether cricket can be viewed as a gentleman’s game any more, Sachin says: “Now that there is a lot of media attention on the players and everything is put under a microscope, sometimes it’s blown out of proportion, sometimes the player is at fault.”

Even though Sachin has been labelled a genius by his contemporaries and every little boy in the country wants to emulate him, the cricketing icon remains humble about his achievements. He too has a choice for the title of greatest batsman. “I think someone I would like to watch is Brian Lara. I think he’s special.”

As a father, Sachin keeps his children level-headed and hopes they can have as normal a life as possible.

He recalls an interesting incident when his daughter’s teacher was telling the class about a restaurant the cricketer had put his name to, to which his daughter, unaware of her father’s fame, had raised her hand and said, “Even my father’s name is Sachin Tendulkar”!

Breaking his silence on speculation that his career was coming to an end following criticism of his form after the last World Cup, Sachin says it was a disappointing moment. “But I came back and started working on my game. I trained harder and I wanted to perform better…There’s definitely cricket left in me.”

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