Photos : Sachin Tendulkar in Action Vs Deccan Chargers | April 29, 2012

Mumbai Indians struggled to beat Deccan Chargers by five wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Wankhede Stadium here Sunday.
Mumbai Indians achieved the target of 101 losing with 11 balls to spare after Rohit Sharma top scored with 42.

The win spiralled Mumbai Indians to the top of the table at the third spot with 10 points from nine matches while Deccan Chargers, who suffered their sixth loss of the season, remained at the bottom of the table with just three points from eight matches.


Complete Picture Gallery of Sachin Tendulkar During The Match Vs Deccan Chargers  on April 29,2012 in Kotla. CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO ENLARGE.

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Photos : Sachin Tendulkar in Action Vs Delhi Daredevils | April 27, 2012

Mumbai Indians skipper Harbhajan Singh blamed himself for the 37-run loss to Delhi Daredevils in an IPL match here and said he needs to lift his performance for his and the team's sake.Harbhajan's four overs went for 42 runs as Delhi Daredevils outclassed Mumbai in their Indian Premier League encounter yesterday."I have got to lift my performance for myself and the team. I haven't been bowling well, the last 2-3 matches, have gone for runs," Harbhajan said."Everybody goes through it but that's not an excuse. I take the blame. I should have bowled much better," the off-spinner added.

Complete Picture Gallery of Sachin Tendulkar During The Match Vs Delhi Daredevils on April 27,2012 in Kotla. CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO ENLARGE.

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Tendulkar deserves more than RS nomination: Harbhajan

Mumbai Indians skipper Harbhajan Singh blamed himself for the 37-run loss to Delhi Daredevils in an IPL match here and said he needs to lift his performance for his and the team's sake.

Harbhajan's four overs went for 42 runs as Delhi Daredevils outclassed Mumbai in their Indian Premier League encounter yesterday."I have got to lift my performance for myself and the team. I haven't been bowling well, the last 2-3 matches, have gone for runs," Harbhajan said."Everybody goes through it but that's not an excuse. I take the blame. I should have bowled much better," the off-spinner added.

Harbhajan hoped to come out of the slump and lead by example."I will work hard and will try and do well again for the team again, like I did in the past. I still have a few more years of cricket left in me."Like the good days do not last forever, I hope the bad days will also not last for long... hope the good days will come soon. In Twenty20 and IPL, bowlers will go for runs, but my job is take wickets."

To add to the loss, Mumbai Indians are worried over Kieron Pollard who seemed to have hurt his shoulder while going for a catch during last night's match at the Feroz Shah Kotla."We don't know the latest on the nature of his injury, it's definitely his shoulder. Hope there is nothing serious. He is a match-winner and hope he comes back for the coming matches," Harbhajan said.Mumbai were also affected by Dinesh Karthik's failure to effect an easy stumping when Virender Sehwag was yet to cross his half century.

Also See : Photos : Sachin Tendulkar in Action Vs Delhi Daredevils | April 27, 2012

"That was one of the factors," Harbhajan said, adding, "We didn't bowl well. They batted brilliantly, batted well at the start. We have to grab our chances."The decision to include inexperienced pacer Rahul Shukla for such a big match was met with surprise, but Harbhajan defended the move.

Hailing the government's decision to nominate Sachin Tendulkar to the Rajya Sabha, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said the senior batsman deserves much more than that."Proud that Sachin is getting the honour. He deserves much more than that. May God bless him always,"Harbhajan said.Tendulkar was on Thursday nominated to the Upper House of the country's Parliament after President Pratibha Patil approved the government's proposal.

"We wanted to rest Munaf (Patel), he has been playing for the last six matches, he felt sore. When you have them (youngsters) you have to give chances to the players to see if they can deliver," he said.With the Daredevils continuing their domination at the top, Harbhajan admitted Delhi are the strongest team at the moment.

"They have got a very strong batting line-up, they also have good bowling attack... They have got two guys who bowl at 145kph. At the moment they look the strongest, but in this form any team can beat anyone."He was also impressed with Delhi spinner Shahbaz Nadeem who took two wickets for 35."He has been a fine bowler for them. Hope he keeps doing well."

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Sachin Tendulkar confirmed as Rajya Sabha member

The Indian president has approved Sachin Tendulkar's nomination to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament. Tendulkar met the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday and was offered a seat in the upper house's nominated category. He accepted the offer and his name went from the prime minister's office to the home ministry, and then the office of the President, who formally approved the candidature.

Tendulkar will fill one of 12 seats in the Rajya Sabha that are reserved for those persons "having special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as literature, science, art and social service." Tendulkar is the first sportsman to be nominated in this category, which has no election process. (Former Indian hockey captain Dilip Tirkey, who took oath as a Rajya Sabha yesterday, was elected.) Previous nominated MPs, who serve a six-year term, include the musician Ravi Shankar, the singer Lata Mangeshkar and the artist MF Husain.

Tendulkar's nomination had not been expected to meet with much opposition, given his stature in India. The nomination came from the ruling Congress party, which is currently fighting political battles on various fronts. Before meeting the prime minister, Tendulkar and his wife Anjali met the Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who reportedly congratulated him on his hundred international centuries.

The reaction from the main opposition party, the BJP, was swift and unambiguous. The party's chief spokesperson, Ravi Shankar Prasad, said: "Sachin is a great player. We are proud of him. If Sachin is being nominated surely he will devote some time to Parliament."

The BCCI also welcomed the move. "We are happy that Tendulkar's services as a sportsperson has been recognised," the Indian board's chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty told PTI. "He's been a true ambassador for the country and he deserves it."

However, commentators on the game were less enthusiastic in their response. Sanjay Manjrekar, a former team-mate of Tendulkar's and now a media analyst, said he was shocked at the news, because he could never have imagined this to be how Tendulkar wound down his career. "My only fear is that this man is not suited for the kind of role he is being given. Until now, I've seen no sign of that. Even when the contracts dispute was on, when a players' association was being formed, it was Anil Kumble in the forefront." Manjrekar also wondered how Tendulkar would balance his cricket and commitments as an MP.

Harsha Bhogle had a similar opinion. "If the nomination is an honour, I am all for it," he said. "But if it is an attempt at improving governance in India, then he doesn't have the experience."

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Photos: Sachin Tendulkar In Action During a Training Session | Delhi April 26,2012

A thrilling victory against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali must have provided the much-needed boost to Mumbai Indians but hosts Delhi Daredevils still remain favourites when the two teams square off in a return-leg IPL match, on Friday. 


With tournament reaching mid-way stage, Virender Sehwag's men have looked most compact among the nine sides in the fray and the Daredevils will certainly like to consolidate their position as table toppers. 


The last time the two teams locked horns at the Wankhede Stadium, Delhi pacers had steamrolled over the 'Men in Blue' but that was a match that didn't feature Sachin Tendulkar. 


Both teams had contrasting victories in their previous matches. 

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Government nominates Sachin Tendulkar for a Rajya Sabha seat

The Congress has recommended cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's name for the Rajya Sabha and is now waiting for Tendulkar to respond to the same, according to sources. Sources say that Sachin Tendulkar may not accept the nomination. However, an official announcement is awaited.

Sources say that the Congress has offered to nominate Tendulkar in the President's quota. Sources say the Home Ministry has recommended four names including those of Bollywod actress Rekha and Sachin Tendulkar for the Rajya Sabha.

Sources say Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had written a letter to the Home Ministry on the issue.

Tendulkar along with his wife Anjali met Congress President Sonia Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence in New Delhi.Although officially the Congress said that Sonia wanted to meet Tendulkar and personally congratulate him on achieving the historic achievement of scoring 100 international centuries, but sources say the main agenda was his nomination for the Rajya Sabha.

Reacting to the the reports of Sachin Tendulkar's proposed nomination, BJP leader Najma Heptulla said,

"We are very happy that Tendulkar's name has been proposed for the Rajya Sabha.""Tendulkar is a great player, we are proud of him. If he is being nominated, surely he would devote some time to Parliament," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

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Video : The Most Exciting Over of Sachin Tendulkar’s Life | MI Vs KXIP

Following Mumbai Indians' thrilling win over Kings XI Punjab on Wednesday, Sachin Tendulkar praised his younger teammates Ambati Rayudu, Rohit Sharma and Robin Petersen today on Twitter.

"What an unbelievable batting by Rohit, Rayudu and Robin to help MI win yesterdays match. Way to go MI," he tweeted.

Speaking about the penultimate over of the match by Punjab spinner Piyush Chawla that saw Rayudu and Petersen score 27 runs, Sachin tweeted:

"The 19th over changed everything for us. It is definitely one of the most exciting overs I have seen in my life."

Chasing a winnings target of 169 runs, Mumbai needed 32 runs in the last overs to win the match. Punjab brought in Chawla, who holds the record of conceding maximum sixes in the IPL. Petersen, who started his innings with the first delivery of the 19th over, played reverse sweep with perfection to the third man for a boundary. He followed it up with another four through deep extra cover and a six over deep midwicket before taking a single to give Rayudu the strike.

Rayudu made sure he took Chawla for a ride to the stands as he slammed two consecutive sixes to finish his over. Mumbai needed 5 runs in the last over and Azhar Mahmood, who was given the ball, tried his best to delay the win. Rayudu struck the fifth delivery for a boundary to guide Mumbai home.Tendulkar praised Rayudu for his finishing touch.

"Some extraordinary innovative hitting by Robin n unbelievably strong finish by Rayudu," he tweeted.

Mumbai Indians' next match is against Virender Sehwag-led Delhi Daredevils on Friday at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi.

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Sachin Tendulkar meets Congress President Sonia Gandhi

tar cricketer Sachin Tendulkar along with his wife Anjali on Thursday paid a courtesy visit to Congress President Sonia Gandhi at her 10 Janpath Residence.

Sonia wanted to meet the batting great and personally congratulate him on achieving the historic feat of scoring 100 international centuries recently. Senior BCCI functionary and IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla was also present at Sonia Gandhi's residence. According to sources, Tendulkar and his wife spent close to half an hour with Sonia.

The Congress President is learnt to have talked in general about cricket and wished the player luck for his future. Tendulkar, who turned 39 on Tuesday, had to wait for more than one year to move from 99 hundreds to the landmark 100th century before finally achieving it in an Asia Cup match against Bangladesh on March 16.

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Sachin Tendulkar, greatest ever to have played: Kevin Pietersen

England batsman Kevin Pietersen reckons that Sachin Tendulkar is the "greatest ever" to have played the game of cricket. Pietersen was here on a visit to Amity University campus, where he gave tips to budding cricketers.

Later in an interaction with the students, Pietersen was asked about his team's strategy against Tendulkar when they take on Mumbai Indians in their next Indian Premier League match tomorrow. "Sachin is a magnificent player. He is the greatest player ever played. In Twenty20, anything can happen. It's hard to predict result and we will try to win two points," the South African-born English cricketer told a packed auditorium.

Pietersen was also asked about his inspiration in cricket. To which he said, "I don't follow anybody. I grew up in South Africa and loved watcing Jonty Rhodes, Hansie Cronje. Other than that I liked Mark Waugh. There are a few people I enjoy watching them play but I can't be somebody else." Pietersen, who plays for Delhi Daredevils in IPL, was also asked to compare playing at Lord's and Ferozshah Kotla.

He said, "Lord's is traditional, English. There are knowledgeable people. At Kotla it is intense, loud. I have lot of respect for crowd here. It's loudest than any other (venue)." Pietersen feels India were lucky to have two great batsmen in Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag playing at the same time. KP as he is popularly known played with Dravid when he was with Royal Challengers Bangalore and is now playing alongside Sehwag.

"Sachin is a magnificent player. He is the greatest player ever played. In Twenty20, anything can happen. It's hard to predict result and we will try to win two points," the South African-born English cricketer told a packed auditorium.

"Rahul is magnificent player. It is a privilege to have played with these players. India is lucky to have these great men. It's great to play in Bangalore and Delhi," he signed off. Australia's Finch was asked by a girl student if he knew some words in Hindi language. The Victoria player said he knew, "theek hai, chalo chalo and some bad hindi words," which obviously he did not say in front of the students.

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Video : Sachin Tendulkar’s Exclusive Interview After The Match Vs KXIP | Mohali

Sachin Tendulkar acknowledged the brilliant batting effort by the young batsmen of Mumbai Indians as they recorded a stunning four-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab in an IPL match on Wednesday.

Tendulkar, who skippered the IPL side in the previous four seasons, praised the trio of Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu and Robin Peterson for not throwing in the towel under pressure. Tendulkar though felt, he along with James Franklin could have done better while opening the batting. "(The boys were) fabulous. We sort of made the foundation. But ideally we should have more runs on the board in the first six overs. The good thing was that we did not lose wickets upfront," Tendulkar, said.

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Sachin Tendulkar lavishes praise on youngsters for stunning win

Sachin Tendulkar acknowledged the brilliant batting effort by the young batsmen of Mumbai Indians as they recorded a stunning four-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab in an IPL match on Wednesday.

Tendulkar, who skippered the IPL side in the previous four seasons, praised the trio of Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu and Robin Peterson for not throwing in the towel under pressure. Tendulkar though felt, he along with James Franklin could have done better while opening the batting. "(The boys were) fabulous. We sort of made the foundation. But ideally we should have more runs on the board in the first six overs. The good thing was that we did not lose wickets upfront," Tendulkar, said.

"Later, Rohit Sharma was charged up. Rayudu and Peterson were amazing," Tendulkar, who was presented a plaque by Kings XI Punjab co-owner Ness Wadia for scoring 100 international hundred, said. Asked about his monumental achievement, Tendulkar said, "I have put on some weight after that. Now it's back to square one. I am glad I have achieved it. Better late than never." Tendulkar, who celebrated his 39th birthday on Tuesday, thanked all the fans who wished him.

"It was wonderful that so many people wished me. I got many messages and I value all wishes."Rayudu, who was declared Man-of-the-Match in Wednesday's match said that Tendulkar had helped him in batting in the last three four days and "it paid off today." Rayudu scored a match-winning 17-ball 34-run cameo while chasing 169 to win.

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Photos : Sachin Tendulkar In Action vs KXIP | Mohali, April 25,2012

Mumbai Indians can now breathe easy. The four-wicket win in the grudge match against Kings XI Punjab at the PCA Stadium here not only improved the team's position in the points table, but it also served as a belated birthday gift to Sachin Tendulkar.

Mumbai's fourth victory, which came after two back-to-back defeats, helped the side gather eight points from seven outings. Chasing a target of 169, Mumbai turned the tables on the host with a ball to spare.

The tourists had a smooth start as the opening pair of Tendulkar (34) and James Franklin (22) gathered 52 runs at a decent pace.

Old warhorse Azhar Mahmood halted Mumbai's progress by claiming Franklin and Tendulkar in consecutive overs. Home wicketkeeper Nitin Saini gleefully accepted both the edges.

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Sachin Tendulkar has been the pillar of strength for me: Yuvraj Singh

As Sachin Tendulkar celebrated his 39th birthday on Tuesday, Yuvraj Singh paid tribute to the Master Blaster, saying he was like an elder brother, a friend, a philosopher and a guide to him.

In his column in the Dubai-based daily Gulf News, Yuvraj has wished Sachin a happy birthday and "all the happiness and health in life." He writes: "Paji, as I and many other fondly call him, has been the pillar of strength for me all through my life. His birthday is a very special day for every Indian cricket fan. This is the day we all can thank this great man for his massive contribution to Indian cricket."

Yuvraj recounts that when he was plagued by self-doubt and injuries a year before the World Cup of 2011, Sachin Tendulkar made him believe that he would perform when it mattered. Yuvraj Singh went from strength to strength in the tournament and was named the man of the series. He dedicates the trophy to Sachin. Â

After that stellar World Cup moment Yuvraj Singh was diagnosed with a rare germ cell cancer and had to go for treatment to the US. Yuvraj says while he was in Boston, Tendulkar remained in constant touch with him and motivated him. "All through my treatment, he was regularly in touch with me, keeping me motivated and pepped up. And he didn't miss the first opportunity to meet me in London. That hug he gave me in London was special and I owe a lot to this man. As always, I keep saying that even if I achieve 25 per cent of what this Master has achieved, on and off the field, I would have done justice to myself."

And he rues missing the opportunity to celebrate Sachin's hundredth international hundred. "While I was away for cancer treatment, one of my biggest regrets was that I couldn't celebrate his hundredth hundred with him. I missed giving him a cake cream facial massage. Harbhajan, Zaheer and I are specialists in this," he writes.

Sachin, who has over 33000 international runs in 188 Tests and 463 ODIs, simply has all the batting records. Not easy to get there says Yuvraj, who has played alongside the master for many years. "You can't even dream of getting there, it is so unbelievable. And I think the next would be when he plays two hundred Test matches. You are a legend if you have played 100 Test matches, and if someone plays 200, I don't know what you will call him. So we may have to figure out a new word to describe his contribution," he adds.

The paean to Sachin talks about the young teen who would one day be the great Sachin Tendulkar.  "At sixteen when one's teenage starts and one starts exploring the world in one's own way, this boy was carrying the burden of a nation's expectations on his tender shoulders. At the age when we are allowed to be carefree, he had to very careful about his wicket and life," says Yuvraj. And he appreciates the burden of those many expectations and which Yurvraj says, "has never lifted since then. In fact with each passing day it has piled up. He kept scoring runs all across the world, kept scoring hundreds, kept conquering all the conditions in the world and setting up new landmarks. It reached a point where he achieved all what one can with a bat in one's hand," he adds.
Sachin, who is currently in Chandigarh for an IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab today, celebrated turning 39 quietly with his wife Anjali and his teammates; wishes poured in from all over the country and world.

Sachin thanked his fans for their wishes on Twitter. "Thank you everyone for your warm birthday wishes. Really appreciate it :-)," he tweeted.

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Sachin Tendulkar's signed bat is British Prime Minister's valued possession

British Prime Minister David Cameron said that one of his prime possessions from his trip to India in July 2010 was a signed cricket bat given to his daughter Nancy by Sachin Tendulkar.

Speaking at the launch of the Conservative Friends of India here last night, Cameron revealed that during his trip to India soon after he took over as Prime Minister, iconic batsman Tendulkar signed a cricket bat for his daughter and that became one his valuable possessions.

"One of my proudest possessions from that trip (to India in July 2010) is a signed cricket bat to my daughter Nancy from Sachin Tendulkar," Cameron said."I found my wife in the garden at Chequers (PM's week-end residence) the other day playing French cricket with this cricket bat. And I said, "no darling, put it down, this is probably the most valuable possession I have," he revealed.

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My Sachin is going to play better than ever: Coach Achrekar

Batting great Sachin Tendulkar turned 39 on Tuesday with an impassioned plea from his childhood coach to carry on playing cricket for India since he is "far from finished"."All those murmurs about his retirement must stop, this is not the right time to go," said Ramakant Achrekar, 80, the man credited with the early training of the leading scorer in Test history."He must not retire now. He must go on playing and scoring runs for the country," the celebrated coach told a national daily.

Tendulkar made his international debut in 1989 and has played more Tests (188) and One-Day Internationals (463) than any other player.He is the highest run-getter in both forms of the game and last month became the first batsman to complete 100 international centuries -- 51 in Tests and 49 in one-dayers.

But Tendulkar took more than a year to move from 99 to 100 hundreds -- against Bangladesh during the Asia Cup in Dhaka -- and many fans started to believe he needed to rethink his career, especially in one-dayers.The Mumbai batsman has himself dismissed talk of retirement, saying it would be "selfish" for him to quit when he still had a lot to offer Indian cricket.Achrekar predicted Tendulkar, currently playing in the Indian Premier League, would return to his best now that the 100th century was out of the way.

"I can see that his form is picking up and it is only a matter of time before we see him score those magnificent runs again," he said. "Now that he has got his 100th century, he will play freely."My Sachin is going to play better than ever. He is far from finished... those who even bring up talk of his retirement are wrong."

Achrekar said Tendulkar would help India bounce back from two humiliating 4-0 Test series whitewashes by England and Australia in the past year."The India team has been going through a rough patch lately and I believe it is Sachin who will help them sail out of it," the coach said. "He will score those crucial centuries to help the team do well once again."

Achrekar, whose other wards included former India internationals Vinod Kambli, Praveen Amre and Ajit Agarkar, said it would be hard to find another cricketer like Tendulkar."Sachin is the best batsman the world has seen," he said. "We may find another great, but I do not think we will ever get a player of his calibre."The day he retires, the loss will be irreplaceable. Not only will the country feel it, but the world of cricket will miss him."

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Photos: Sachin Tendulkar In Action During a Training Session | Mohali April 24,2012

Mumbai Indians will be keen to get their IPL campaign back on track when they face an upbeat Kings XI Punjab in an important encounter on Wednesday. 

It will be payback time for Harbhajan Singh-led Mumbai Indians who were shocked by one of the weakest teams in the competition and that too on former's home turf. Sachin Tendulkar may have scored just 23 against KXIP on Sunday but his presence at the top order gives the much-needed stability required. 

Complete Picture Gallery of Sachin Tendulkar During a Training Session in Mohali On His 39th Birthday Today. CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO ENLARGE

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