God Of Cricket Sachin Tendulkar leads Mumbai to victory

God Of Cricket Sachin Tendulkar leads Mumbai to victory

LAHLI: Sachin Tendulkar's farewell game in domestic cricket ended in a manner befitting his iconic stature, as the retiring legend single-handedly guided Mumbai to a four-wicket win over Haryana in one of the most keenly followed match in the history of Ranji Trophy on Wednesday.

Requiring 39 more runs to win with four wickets in hand on the fourth and final day, Sachin Tendulkar went on to make a calculated 175-ball unbeaten 79, building his innings in the manner that has been the hallmark of his later years.

The stay in the middle also ensured Tendulkar warmed up for next month's Test series against the West Indies, which will culminate with the second and his landmark 200th Test in Mumbai, where he will bring the curtain down on his glorious 24-year tryst with international cricket.

After a series of shifts in momentum over the past three days, it was Mumbai who had the last laugh, thanks largely to the relentless perseverance showed by Sachin Tendulkar.

Starting the day at 201 for six, Tendulkar, overnight on 55, guided Dhawal Kulkarni (16 not out) to the last run that came when the young pacer hit Mohit Sharma for a boundary, much to the delight of his Mumbai teammates who had planned to gift the veteran a win in his last game for the state side.

The hordes of home spectators who had trooped into the Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium, didn't mind either as it was Tendulkar who was at the forefront of this successful chase.

Sachin Tendulkar inaugurates 100th transformed school

Sachin Tendulkar inaugurates 100th transformed school

NDTV and Coca-Cola India on Friday celebrated the completion of transforming the 100th school under the 'Support My School' initiative at Priyadarshini Vidyalaya in northwest Mumbai.


The event also marked the inauguration of the 50th school library under the initiative. Set up by Pearson Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Pearson, a media and education company, the library has over 600 books on all subjects. It was inaugurated by campaign ambassador and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.

I am honoured to be associated with this inspiring campaign that is committed to provide the right infrastructure to keep children happy in schools," said Tendulkar

Representatives of the campaign partners UN-Habitat, Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), Tata Teleservices, Pearson Foundation and Sulabh International were also present at the occasion.


"This is my first century away from cricket and a very happy one. I am honoured to be associated with this inspiring campaign that is committed to provide the right infrastructure to keep children happy in schools. Reaching the milestone of the 100th revitalised school is a proud and joyous occasion for us," Tendulkar said.


The campaign was initiated in January 2011 with a vision to address issues such as access to drinking water, sanitation and infrastructure facilities in schools and to create healthy, active and happy environment at schools.

Coca Cola NDTV Support My School Campaign

Over 43,000 children across 10 states in India have benefited from the campaign that has helped reduce dropouts and absenteeism and increased enrolments in these revitalised schools.


Also present at the occasion were Vikram Chandra, Group CEO of NDTV and Atul Singh, president and CEO of Coca-Cola India and South West Asia.


Speaking about the library, Khozem Merchant, president of Pearson India said: "Our library project has been an extraordinary success with students spending quality time reading books outside of their curriculum, some for the very first time."

Heart Touching Letter from Sachin Tendulkar

Heart Touching Letter from Sachin........

Dear fans,
I am saddened as I write this letter. I know I have disappointed you with the series loss against England and my performance isn’t what you have always expected of me. I have always given my best for the team, but the results are not in my favour this time around. People are clamouring for my retirement and I can’t agree more with them. I have not been living up to the standards that I have set for myself through the years and I am indeed answerable to the fans.

Sachin Tendulkar

I apologize to you for my dismal
performances, and for failing you time and again. It is a general misconception among people that I have grown complacent and
taking things for granted. But I can assure you that I am the same person who made his debut at the age of 16 as an excited teenager. I have been following my routine right from the day I made my debut till today. Nothing has changed, neither the preparation nor the mind-set. Maybe age is finally catching up to me, something I have been trying to fight for the major part of the last five years. I have been training harder to keep myself fit and strong in order to be able to give my best.
Cricket has been my calling right from a young age. I still remember the day me and Vinod were playing together in a Harris-Shield trophy match, where we put up a 600 run partnership. The immense enjoyment of being on the field all day long with my best friend was all I could dream about for the next few days. That was the day I decided to play cricket for the rest of my life, for I loved it more than anything; food, chocolates, bicycles- things that a fourteen year oldcould long for.
Years have passed after that and things are not the same anymore. I have matured both as a person and as a player. But the hunger still remains the same. I still want to do well and give my best whenever I walk on the field; something that has been my mantra all through the years. I have achieved so much in cricket- the fame, the money and the compliments came to me on their own. I am proud of my records when I look back at them today. The only thing I almost missed out on was the World Cup; I got there too in the end, with a team as determined as I was, who strove along with me to achieve the glory that I was unable to attain for almost 22 years.

But the real struggle was after the World Cup, when I had to suffer through another lean patch, which I am going through even now. People wanted me to go now that I have gotten my wishes fulfilled. They said it was the right time for me to retire, since my dream has been achieved. But I felt I can contribute more to the cause of the Indian team. The team needs some good youngsters to fill the places of seniors when we retire, and someone should be there to guide them, or so we felt. It might be a wrong decision but it was for the greater good. Perhaps we realized our mistake when we heard “the seniors are selfish to block the place of talented youngsters!”
Our only thoughts were about setting the team up for the youngsters and getting the tough tours to England and Australia out of the way, so that the youngsters can have a smoother path into the test team. But we did not consider our own problems, which were the roots of our own destruction.
It was a tough time for us after Australia,
losing both VVS and Rahul. It brought me back down to earth, and I started contemplating retirement. But I had some solace after the century against Bangladesh,though we were unlucky to lose the match.
Two series later, we were facing the same predicament against England at home and it was humiliating to lose the series. It was a nightmare for us, having had to endure the cricket crazy fans’ reaction. People started talking about my retirement again, claiming that I was selfish and I had to go sooner rather than later. They even said I am choosing my matches for the fear of facing quality opponents. It isn’t true, of course. I am an old man who wants to spend some quality time with my kids. They should know me enough to call me father and I do not want to miss their growing up years.
Therefore, I take some time off between series to be with them.I have to admit that I am a bit selfish, for I have been playing the game for the better part of my life. I have not known anything other than cricket. Every day I wake up to take up a bat and I sleep after arranging my kit bags. It has been a penance for the last 25 years and it would be hard for me to just give up everything. Retirement would be equal to death for me, as I have lived cricket all my life. Frankly, I do not know what to do with myself once I retire. Will I be able to secure a job as a TV commentator, a trend that has been catching up with some former players, or would I be a successful coach? Nothing pleases me like playing cricket and I am not sure whether I am made for other things in life. I have watched many players retiring, but I never had to think about how they would have felt while retiring. It was an irrelevant thought a few years back, but now I know how exactly each of them would have felt.

I know it’s time for me to go, but as a fellow Indian, I ask this of you dear fans; I am not able to let go of cricket after all these years, and even talking about it makes me feel worse. I just need some time to sort my life out, to decide on what to do with myself once I retire. I am not here for the fame or for the records but for the passion that I had and I have for this game right from the day I picked up a bat. I am making up my mind and I need a little more time to announce my retirement. It is a humble request from a dedicated servant of cricket and I would feel happy if you oblige me.

Thank you
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar