ReVieW SyStEm??????

Post the "CoNtRoVeRsIaL" test series in Australia...There had to be some changes....some changes in the Umpiring pattern....In came the review system...a system by which both the batting and the bowling side has 3 chances in each innings to question the umpire's decision in the form of a ReViEw....a Review would mean the question is asked to the T.V Umpire ...the margin of error of whose, is supposedly very less or non-existent....Oh really??????

Srilanka V/s India...Day 1 of the 3rd Test Match....debutant Kariyawasam Tirana Gamage Dammika Prasad bowling to Sachin....and today he must be celebrating his debut...all thanks to the Newly found Review System...

Yeah....day 1 of the 3rd test....12:07 local time....Kariyawasam Tirana Gamage Dammika Prasad was bowling to Sachin who was on 6...91 short of Brian Lara's record of the highest number of test runs....the ball pitches on middle and leg...Sachin moves to play his amazing leg glance and it goes through and hits his pads....Srilankanz appeal and Mr.Mark Benson raises his finger....Sachin ...sure to have nicked it ..asked for the review....when a player like Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar asks for a review after being given out...when he thinks he has nicked the ball....then surely must've have Nicked it....but Billy Doctrove thought otherwise....saw the delivery 4 to 5 times from all possible angles....the decision was pending for a long time...and it was surely going Tendulkarz way until Benson got the view from Billy's point of view...and did not cross his hands on his shoulders as I had expected...Billy had just given him out....Sachin was surely dejected...it showed on his face....So still 91 runs to go for the great man for the milestone...but more importantly he's a victim of bad umpiring yet again... :(( :(( :((
In the Words of Sunil Gavaskar..."Im sorry Mr.Benson...But Uve got it all wrong...." infact include Billy Doctrove as well....because never in history of the game has a benefit of doubt gone the bowlers way....God save Cricket from this system...!!!!

****Pic Courtesy Cricinfo.com****

Sachin booed at wankhede ... The true story...

Everyone knows that sachin was booed by the wankhede crowd...Now comnig to the real story... He was booed by a certain section of crowd .. dunno which stand that was but there were very few ppl thr who actually booed him... thanx to the Indian Media that this was blown out of proportion.. Now coming to the best part... The very next day there was a full house at wankhede ... India wasn't batting... the only reason why it was full was, The mumbai crowd, the ppl of mumbai wanted to say to tendulkar that they were behind him.... This shows how big an icon he still is... the little Big mAn of cricket is still the numero one... he will be... ...

Sachin at wimbledon....

PiC .... Courtesy Cricinfo.....

Critics are gonna have a tough time....

Am sorry, but seriously all the critics out there are gonna have a really tough time ....

For all those ppl who have said that sachin scores a century whenever India loses a match take this.....

When many people say how many of Sachin's hundreds have come for a winning cause,Here is analysis of each of those centuries he scored when INDIA lost and reason why it went in vain.
Out of the 41 hundreds, 11 hundreds have gone in vain.

1. 137 off 137 (Strike rate 100) balls Vs SriLanka at Delhi in 1996 World Cup.
India scored 271/3 in 50 overs. The only other 50 score was from Azhar. SL made 272 in 48.4 overs. Manoj Prabhakar had 4-0-47-0. He also opened in the innings and scored 7 of 36 balls.

2. 100 of 111 Balls Vs Pak in Singapore- Apr 96.
India 226 all out in 47.1 overs, When Sachin was out score was 186/4 (We cant blame because next 3 are match fixers) . Pak had a reduced target of 187 from 33 overs.

3. 110 of 138 Balls (Slower but...) vs Sri Lanka In Colombo - Aug 96.
Again India 226 for 5 in 50 overs, Only other 50 score from Azhar (58 of 99 balls !!!) .Sachin has also bowled 6-0-29-1 , the second most economical bowler and the only wicket taker (SL were 230/1 in 44.2 ) of the match next to Srinath. 7 bowlers were used by Azhar.

4. 143 of 131 Balls (!!!) Vs Aus at Sharjah, Apr 1998.
This was chasing under lights. The qualifying match before the final. The whole world knows about this match. Still one interesting point, when Sachin was out India were 242 at 5 at 43 overs. Target was 276 in 46. Still India finished at 250/5 scoring just 8 of the next 3 overs. Great performance by Laxman and Kanithkar indeed.

5. 101 of 140 Balls against SL at Sharjah in Oct 2000.
Indian score was 224/8 in 50 overs. (No other 50 score). SL got 225/5 in 43.5; Sachin also bowled 5-0-22-0, better economy rate than everyone except Srinath.

6. 146 of 153 Balls against Zimbabwe at Jodhpur - December 2000 (Game of Dougla Mariliar) India made 283 / 8 in 50 overs. Sachin was the last man to be dismissed, score was 235/8 at 46.3 overs when he was out. Agarkar and Zaheer Khan propelled India to 283 in the last 3.3 overs. When Sachin has scored 146 of 235 in 46.3 overs, you can guess what the other 8 great batsmen were doing against the World class Zimbabwe attack. Second Highest scorer was Zaheer Khan with 32.
Zim got 284/9 in 49.5 overs. Kumble bowled the last over. Sachin also got 6-0-35-1

7. 101 of 129 Balls Vs SA at Johannesburg - Oct 2001
India got 279/5 in 50, Ganguly made 127 of 126 balls. When Ganguly got out, the score was 193-1 in 35.2 overs. Sachin was the last man to get out at 263. SA got 280 in 48.4 overs. Sachin bowled 9-0-51-0, second best in economy rate next only to Agarkar (10-0-45-1)

8. 141 of 135 balls Vs Pak at Rawalpindi, March 2004
India was chasing 329 and was 317 all out in 48.4 overs, 8 balls to spare. No other batsman made even a 50 (when chasing 300 ) and when Sachin was out, India were 245-4 in 38.4 overs. They needed 85 from 68 balls with 6 wickets in hand.

9. 123 of 130 Balls vs Pak at Ahmedabad, April 2005.
India made 315/6 in 48 overs (48 over match), again no other 50 score. Second highest was Dhoni 47 of 64 balls, (third highest was extras - 39). Pak made 319 in 48 overs. The three quicks (Balaji, Nehra and Khan went for 188 runs from 26 overs between them taking only 2 wickets). Sachin bowled 6-0-36-1. No Harbhajan and no Kumble.

10. 100 of 113 Balls Vs Pak at Peshawar, Feb-2006.
India were 328 all out in 49.4 overs. Pathan and Dhoni got 60 each. When Sachin was out when India were 305-5 in 45 overs. Managed only 23 in the last 5 overs.Pak scored 311/7 in 47 overs and won by D/L method. Could have been anybody's game. Sachin did not bowl.

11. 141* of 148 balls vs WI at Malaysia.
India made 309 /5 in 50 overs. Sachin was not out. Pathan was the only other 50 scorer. WI made 141/2 in 20 overs and won by D/L method. Again could have been anybody's game.

In the other 31 instances India has won 30 times and once there was no result.
Now, please think again when you say sachin's 100s were in the losing cause and that he is not a team player. It is a fact that for the entire 90's India played International cricket with 1 PLAYER & 10 spectators ... of which three were ... well u noe who they were.... No prizes for guessing ...

the stats is provided by one sachin fan named Prabhakar......

It's Time The Critics Bow Out...!!

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar....this genius' profile reads ...
Odi Debut: 18th December 1989, against Pakistan
Test Debut: 15th November 1989, against Pakistan
This man has been around in the International Circuit for more than anyone else and trust me with his level of experiance, it really counts...
And with this man around for 18 years playing for the country, what does he get?...a group of people claiming to be "critics" want him to retire and pass on the baton of Indian cricket to the youngsters....and the reason for this being numerous....According to these wonderful people(the critics) 1)He has become Old....2)He has lost his touch...3)He is selfish and is playing for records....4)Injuries have taken a toll ....5) There is a special category of these wonderful people(The Critics..again!) who say that whenever Sachin has scored a ton India has lost!....

So...what do i intend to do....well i guess I'll do what I've always loved doing....infact what we've loved doing...(Madhu n Me) proving these wonderful people wrong....
So lemme begin...
The wonderful people first claim that Sachin has become old....
For us, Age is not even a criteria for retirement...there is one thing I love about Cricket Australia....the players who make their debut are taken into the International side totally on the basis of the talent and Age is not a concern for them...That's why we still see players making their debut at the age of 30....And one more reason from our side is that he is still the most intelligent on-field player of the Indian team and doesnt seem to be dittered by this so called "age" factor....I know ,on this, the wonderful people(I mean the critics...in case u forgot)

would say that his way of playing has changed and he has shifted gears in his style of batting and is playing more cautiously now ....but let me tell you ....the way he goes about the game is totally his wish because he is the one who is playing out there and not you wonderful people...and there is a lot of thinking that goes into every innings of every player...so much of analysis goes into the approach of players with respect to their own game as well as their contributions and the way they join hands with other players to win ofcourse!....
Moving on....the wonderful people claim he has lost his "touch"...noe this thing really baffles me....I mean what do you mean he has lost his touch...when he was at his peak he was an opener...now he is being thrown around as an opener or a two down batsman...so that's gonna cause lot of changes in the approach and again depends on the situation....I recommend a proper health check up(preferably psychiatric consultation) If they still say that he's lost "touch" after the two most memorable matches of the CB series finals against Australia....which brought back the memories of Sharjah....

Next ....coming to those set of wonderful people who say he plays selfish and only for his records....I saw this video footage which my friend showed me...Harsha Bhogle was attending the press and talking about Sachin ....he said that during the 2003 World Cup final when Indian bowlers were belted around the park and were set a target 356......In the Indian dressing room before the start of Indian Innings the players sat down to talk on how to go about the mamoth total....but couldn't really find a proper solution...at this time Sachin addressed the whole team and asked "can we score just one boundary of every over?" ...the response was "yes"...he continued "then that makes it 50 boundaries...which makes upto 200 runs in 50 balls....remaining runs are 156 and remaining balls 250....we can get 156 off 250 ,can't we?" ....the plan was set and they needed one batsman to go out against Glenn McGrath who had bowled splendidly throughout the WorldCup...Sachin put his hand up and said he'll take up the role of hitting Mcgrath and derailing him off his line and length in the initial overs...and eventually Sachin got out in the 3rd over after scoring a boundary through the covers...And this is just one of the instances which go onto show that Sachin has always played for his country and has put his hand up whenever required and led from the front and inspite of all this , we have a set of Wonderful people tagging him as selfish....Next on the list are those Wonderful people who say that his injuries have taken a toll on him and he isn't able to perform because of that...Now I would like to tell these set of people that they aren't only offending us...but also the physio of the team.....because not even in a desperate situation will he allow a player like Sachin to go onto play if he is not fully fit....and going by the nature of injuries Sachin has had....the physio will be sacked if he even thinks about clearing Sachin inspite of an injury....So these Wonderful people have to be told that the injuries have nothing to do with his form as such...when he comes back from an injury he is fully fit(ofcourse)...he will obviously take some amount of time to regain the momentum.....Next coming to my favourite set of the wonderful people....who say India never wins when Sachin scores a ton...I know that in India, even today superstitions play a major role to an extent but this is the limit (seriously)....try going back to the scores again....whenever Sachin has scored a ton and we've lost ...the remaining scorecard will show pathetic numbers...and my friends Cricket is still a team game on Earth!....And not to forget how we are so obssessed with our ficklemindedness....Sachin scores a ton and we blame him for the defeat ...and if he doesnt score he is a liability to the team....It shouldn't be this way....Afterall he is also a human and expecting him to go out there and score in each and every innings is too much to ask for....

The way he played in the 2 finals of the CB series shows how he still is the best player in the history of Cricket(After SIr Donald Bradman).....and it shows how he exactly is NOT what the wonderful people think or claim he is....

It is saddening to see after working so hard since the age of 12 ...at an age when U and I would have been busy making paper planes in classrooms....how dedicated he was towards the game ....practicing for 12-13 hours at a stretch at the age of 14.....And telling TOm ALter in his first interview how it "won't" be difficult for him to face the likes of Malcom Marshall and Micheal Holding whose bowling was the lethal best ,to say the least,at the age of 14 when U and I would have feared taking a high catch of that same leather ball as it might hurt our hands....

It really hurts to see this great player being treated the way he is by the cricket fans after serving Indian cricket for 18 long years so religiously and still going on and on and on!!

So I really feel that all the "Wonderful people" throughout the nation and abroad should really bow out!!

QuOtAbLe QuOtEs

I saw him playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I feel that this player is playing much the same as I used to play, and she looked at him on Television and said yes, there is a similarity between the two...his compactness, technique, stroke production... it all seemed to gel! in reference to Sachin Tendulkar.

- Sir Don Bradman

India's fortune will depend on how many runs the little champion scores. There is no doubt Tendulkar is the real thing.

- Sunil Gavaskar

He has defined cricket in his fabulous, impeccable manner. He is to batting what Shane Warne is to bowling.

- Richie Benaud

Sachin is cricket's God!

- Barry Richards

Harder he works, the luckier he gets.

- Ian Chappell

Technically, you can't fault Sachin. Seam or spin, fast or slow nothing is a problem.

- Geoffrey Boycott

He is Sachin Tendulkar. I hope he stays Sachin Tendulkar. We need a new player, a player in his own way. He has a technique which is the hallmark of a great player. Everything indicates that he will be a great player and I am sure he will prove me right. Reminds me of Barry Richards.

- Eddie Barlow

He is a perfectly balanced batsman and knows perfectly well when to attack and when to play defensive cricket. He has developed the ability to treat bowlers all over the world with contempt and can destroy any attack with utmost ease.

- Greg Chappell

I'll be going to bed having nightmares of Sachin just running down the wicket and belting me back over the head for six. He was unstoppable. I don't think anyone, apart from Don Bradman, is in the same class as Sachin Tendulkar. He is just an amazing player.

- Shane Warne

I think he is marvellous. I think he will fit in whatever category of Cricket that has been played or will be played, from the first ball that has ever been bowled to the last ball that’s going to be.

-Clive Loyld

He can play in any era and at any level. I would say he’s 99.5% perfect.

- Viv Richards

Today, he showed the world why he is considered the best batsman around. Some of the shots he played were simply amazing. Earlier, opposing teams used to feel that Sachin's dismissal meant they could win the game. Today, I feel that the Indian players, too, feel this way.

- Wasim Akram

Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their television sets and switch off their lives.

- BBC Sports

I Was fielding in the covers Tendulkar came out to bat in his debut Test at Karachi. I still remember Waqar Younis was at his peak form at that time. Tendulkar tried to drive Waqar through the covers off his very first ball in Test cricket but was beaten all ends up. But I walked to captain Imran Khan and told him 'this kid looks very good' and Imran agree with me.

- Abdul Qadir

I have watched a lot of Tendulkar and we have spoken to each other a lot. He has it in him to be among the very best.

- Sir Garfield Sobers

Don't bowl him bad balls, he hits the good ones for fours. -Michae Kasprowicz

If I've to bowl to Sachin, I'll bowl with my helmet on. He hits the ball so hard.

- Dennis Lillee

I still think Tendulkar is the best batsmen in the world ahead of Steve Waugh and Lara.

- Glenn McGrath

What we (Zimbabwe) need is 10 Tendulkars. - Paul Strang

Sometime back I had written a piece that said that Sachin's the master and Lara a genius with his head high up somewhere. That's it!

- Peter Roebuck

Sachin is an attacker. He has much more power than Sunny. He wants to be the one to set the pace. He has to be on top. That's the buzz about him.

- Jeff Thompson

Tendulkar is the most complete batsman I have stood behind. I saw the hundred in Perth on a bouncy pitch with Hughes, McDermott and Whitney gunning for him he only had 60-odd when No 11 came in. I've seen him against Warne too.

- Ian Healy

Sachin's the best. I've had this view since I saw him score that hundred in Sydney in 1992. He's the most composed batsman I've ever seen.

- Mike Coward

The pressure on me is nothing as compared to Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin, like God, must never fail. The crowd always expects him to succeed and it is too much pressure on him 

- Mark Waugh

Sachin is a genius. I'm a mere mortal. - Brain Lara

His life seems to be a stillness in a frantic world... [When he goes out to bat], it is beyond chaos - it is a frantic appeal by a nation to one man. The people see him as a God...

- Mathew Hayden

It was one of the greatest innings I have ever seen. There is no shame being beaten by such a great player, Sachin is perhaps only next to the Don.

-Steve Waugh

You might pitch a ball on the off stump and think you have bowled a good ball and he walks across and hits it for two behind midwicket. His bat looks so heavy but he just waves it around like it's a toothpick.

- Brett Lee

Introduction!!!

If cricket is a game ,he is its Lord & Master

If cricket is a religion ,He is God

 blah blah..... 

This is the most difficult part i guess coz  have to make sure the thing i write shouldn't be cliche`d . 

 

If India needs to chase a "Big Target" , when I say big target it doesn't necessarily mean "Huge targets" but "small targets" against "tough opposition" or in "difficult conditions". I don't want to steal the credit from  the players who have won matches for us [like kaif & yuvraj etc;]. What i want to say is India still need Sachin to win matches come what may . They depend on him heavily. I read somewhere that If Tiger woods had the pressure & expectations in his break-fast which tendulkar carries often "He Would CHOKE". That is the amount of pressure which he has been carrying for almost 2 decades.From the day I started watching cricket I have been a great admirer of this batsman ! I cant imagine a team without Sachin ! I switched off the TV during the T 20 WC saying that this cannot be the Indian Team playing !!

According to Wisden none of his 39 centuries are in its elite list of centuries, reason it didn't win matches!!! I seriously pity the Wisden , for it cant have the great innings of sachin in its book. He is always cool & composed . He's one person who is never into controversies.

Coming to the variety of shots in his armour 

Straight drive :- Its sachin's trade mark . He plays it so well that the keeper & the bowler would love to watch it again & again.

Square Cut, Pull ,cover drive,leg glance,his roll of wrists is impeccable,His most innovative & improvised shot is his Upper - Cut for which he waits till the last second & just nudges the ball above the keeper's head .

He started playing as a 16 year old against pakistan. People will know what happened in that match. W.Younis hit him on his nose ...... In that series Sachin was so commanding in the point area that Pakistan were forced to place a unorthodox field .. they placed a short point. The reason i mentioned it is Australia have done the same thing in the recently concluded tri series. This clearly suggests that He is the same old sachin whom we have seen , admired , dreamt of.

OuR fIrSt StEp ToWaRdS.......

Our First step towards what??? towards unfolding sachin's greatness? certainly not because he's the most famous batsman in the world!!  to spread the message that he is our God?aybe!! To prove the critics wrong? Yeah with some support from the Man himself[according to him there isn't anything to prove to anyone!!!]!!!

This blog is for all those ppl who believe Sachin as their God!!!

Prakash & I will publish our views about this great Player!!! It's for the fans to Comment on it!!!!

We are here to promulgate the fact that critics are wrong ....