15 minutes with Sachin is most cherished experience: Bist

When his good friend Rohit Sharma introduced him to Sachin Tendulkar, all that young Robin Bist could do for the first five minutes was just keep on looking at the maestro. "I had requested Rohit to ask whether Sachin would be able to spare 10 minutes. Well, I got 15 minutes from him, which remains the most cherished experience for me," Bist, who is a part of the India 'A' cricket team to tour the West Indies, told mediapersons after a felicitation programme at his alma mater Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

Asked about that life changing experience, he said, "What can a young cricketer do when he is meeting Sachin Tendulkar for the first time? For the first five minutes, I was completely awestruck and didn't register anything. The next 10 minutes were spent on queries on how to tackle short-pitched deliveries."

"He (Sachin) told me that for a short guy like me, it is important that I let the bouncer come into my body. That would always help me better my feet movement as to whether I need to quickly react or play it late," said Bist.The Rajasthan batsman knows pretty well that a middle-order that boasts of Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma and Manoj Tiwary would leave him with very little chance of making it among the six specialist batsmen but he is not ready to lose hope as yet.

"My job is to bat well in the nets and impress my coach Lalchand Rajput. Agreed that all the other batsmen in the squad have played international cricket but I am certainly good enough and that's why I am in the squad of 15," he said.Bist, the highest run-scorer in this season's Ranji Trophy, is also indebted to his state team skipper Hrishikesh Kanitkar who has time and again helped him.

"Hrishidada (as he fondly calls him) is like a mentor. Prior to this Ranji season, he told me that he would like to see me remain not out in every innings. That was something that boosted my confidence," said Bist."A trip to Caribbean islands is never complete without speaking atleast once to Hrishidada and my childhood coach Rakesh Rai. These are two men who believe that there is no need to change my natural style," he said.

Although he didn't get to play a single match for Delhi Daredevils, sharing the dressing room with Mahela Jayawardene turned out to be an enriching experience."Mahela told me that if one plays with the straight bat, there would be absolutely no need to improvise as most scoring strokes come from copybook shots. Also I discussed with Andre Russell about the nature of wickets in the Caribbean," Bist said.

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Mandeep Singh says Sachin Tendulkar is his idol

Kings XI Punjab’ star batsman Mandeep Singh, who was awarded the ‘Rising Star’ of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2012, said on Monday that India’s batting legend Sachin Tendulkar is his idol.
 
In an interview with the tournament’s official website, Mandeep said, “I have always watched Sachin Tendulkar. No one can be like him, but I have always tried to be somewhat like him.”
 
Talking about senior cricketers in the side, Adam Gilchrist and David Hussey’s influence, Mandeep said, “Both really inspire, especially the youngsters. They gave me an opportunity to bat in the top order and I wanted to make use of this opportunity, which would be good for the team also.”
 
He is delighted to receive the Rising Star of the IPL award and is looking forward to a better season next year.
“It feels very good. As a junior player, you wish to win this Rising Star in the IPL. I really worked hard for this and it feels good”, he said.
 
Despite the good performance this year, Mandeep pointed out that he should have converted his starts into big scores more often.“I am a little disappointed that I scored a lot of 20s and 30s, and next year I would want to convert them into 60s or 70s,” Mandeep expressed.

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Sachin Tendulkar made me start watching cricket : AR Rahman

He came, he performed, he conquered. AR Rahman showed Mumbai how to rock the night as he ramped up the amp and put up a spectacular musical pageant at the DY Patil Stadium on Saturday. The show, presented by The Times of India, had the crowd - a rough estimate pegged the headcount at 30,000 - chanting and swaying to the maestro's musical genius.

And if Rahman on stage wasn't enough, you had Sachin Tendulkar and wife Anjali sitting in the audience. There was a break midway through the show when Sachin was invited on stage. "AR Rahman has taken Indian music to a different level, has made it even bigger," said Sachin, as he was gifted a bouquet by Rahman.

"This is guy who made me start watching cricket," laughed the master from Chennai, as the crowd cheered the two icons.

And then there was the music - spectacular and soul-stirring. Rahman led the band of young musicians with his renditions of classics like Dil Se, Kun Faya Kun, Jai Ho and Rubaroo.

Also See : Photos : Sachin Tendulkar & AR Rahman @ DY Patil

The gang of girls - Natalie Di Luccio, Harshdeep Kaur, Neeti Mohan and Shweta Pandit - belted out one hit after another. Mohit Chauhan and Javed Ali set the stage on fire with their sufi and rock numbers from Rockstar.

And it wasn't just Rahman's new hits. Towards the end of the show, Rahman even had his troupe perform some of his classics from south films, like Chikku Bukku Raile from Gentleman.

As the evening drew to a close, and Rahman started singing Vande Mataram to a standing crowd, one could make out that no one's quite like Rahman - so global, yet so Indian.

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Arjun Tendulkar cracks maiden hundred

After soaking in some of his father’s centuries, Arjun Tendulkar, 13, finally announced himself on his own small stage.Arjun, son of India’s batting giant Sachin Tendulkar, notched up his maiden hundred in Mumbai Cricket Association’s U-14 summer vacation tournament at Sunder Cricket Club, Cross Maidan on Saturday.

The left-handed opener smashed 124, while his teammate Varun Lawande hit 94, as Khar Gymkhana defeated Goregaon Centre by an innings and 21 runs in the semifinals played over two days.Arjun’s knock was laced with 14 hits to the fence and one six.Khar Gymkhana chased down 143 to set up a final with Chembur Gym Centre. Goregaon Centre were dismissed for 178, courtesy Pranay Pandit’s six for 43.

Tendulkar’s son has been making headlines for quite some time now. In February, he hammered 65 off 39 balls against PCMC Varroc Vengsarkar CA in the Cadence Trophy (30-over) under-13 tournament at Mundhwa, Pune. Arjun, who also bowls left-arm, had figures of eight for 22 to help Dhirubhai Ambani International School beat Jamnabai Narsee School in November last year.

Khar Gymkhana coach Rajesh Sanil was effusive in praise of junior Tendulkar.

Describing Arjun’s knock, Sanil said, “It was a well-planned innings. He has got good strokes and hits the ball well. Also, the way he and Lawande planned the innings was good to see. Since Arjun is a left-hander, he would face left-arm spinners, while Lawande would go after off-spinners.”

He added, “He is quite a dedicated boy who arrives before time for practice. He has got the spark which a promising youngster should have. In a certain match, he was disappointed after being dismissed cheaply. He worked hard on his game only to follow up with a 64 against Tata SSL Centre earlier this week. He enjoys his batting, keeps working on it, which is really good to see.”

Brief scores (S/F): Goregaon Centre 143 (Pranay Pandit 6/25) & 178 (Sammit Pawar 74*, Anand Williams 53, Pranay Pandit 6/43) lost to Khar Gymkhana 342 (Arjun Tendulkar 124, Varun Lawande 94, Darshan Borkar 4/30, Vignesh Solanki 4/68); Chembur Gym Centre 219 (Maxwell Swaminathan 66, Ashutosh Jaiswal 5/61) beat Kandivali Centre 74 (Rajveer Kaushal 4/19)

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Photos : Sachin Tendulkar With AR Rahman at AR Rahman Live in Concert | May 26, 2012

The concert will blend state of the art technology, great visual effects, synchronised choreography and interesting renditions of his original tracks and music especially generated for this concert. AR Rahman with his ensemble of singers and top line musicians will be performing his classics from movies like 'Roja', 'Bombay', 'Dil Se' and the latest 'Rockstar'.Music lovers can enjoy Rahman’s high voltage songs from his Qawali creation ‘Khwaja’ and 'Kunfaya'. The concert will also see him playing the piano and sitar with violinist Anne Marie and other vocalists.

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Tendulkar, Lara standout players of modern era: Shastri

Former India captain Ravi Shastri has said while Vivian Richards was best batsman of his era, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara have been the two most extraordinary players in the modern generation.

"Viv Richards was the best batsman in my era by a long way. In modern era, Tendulkar and Lara have been the two standout players," said Shastri.

Having had the experience of sharing the dressing room with both Sunil Gavaskar and Tendulkar, Shastri said while the former was technically more sound, the latter showed ability to comfortably adapt in any format.

"Gavaskar and (Rahul) Dravid have been the best technicians. Tendulkar has been the best all-round batsman who has adapted to all formats of the game," Shastri, who will turn 50 on Sunday, said.

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Video : Sachin Tendulkar warns not to challenge him in Table Tennis

Sachin Tenulkar, India and Mumbai Indians opener, warns fans and people not to challenge him over a game of Table Tennis, as he is pretty decent in the indoor game.As a youngster, Sachin played table tennis with friends, after completing cricket net sessions, both in the morning and in the evening.

Once Sachin broke his thumb and he couldn't play as his arm was in cast. At that time watching his friends play table tennis made Sachin uncomfortable and he started practicing with his left hand. And later on he could play table tennis with his left hand too.Sachin says he may not be a champion player but a decent one.He says, "Be careful when you challenge me."

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Selfless aspect of Sachin Tendulkar comes to the fore

It was one of those moments in Bangalore that got overshadowed amid MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings' onslaught. Mumbai Indians were in pursuit of 188 runs to stay alive in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League against Chennai. Cruising at 47 for no loss in 4.5 overs they looked set to make the most of the fielding restrictions when disaster struck. Sachin Tendulkar played the ball to the off side and Dwayne Smith at the other end ran while the Little Master did not. The ball was thrown at the non-striker's end even as Smith and Sachin were stranded on the same side. And before the bails could be dislodged Sachin made a swift decision. He took a few steps forward to give up his wicket to keep Smith, who was looking in ominous form, alive.

Many critics might question his decision that as the senior partner he should have stayed on. But let's put things in perspective. Smith was smashing the ball to all parts and wreaking havoc on the Chennai bowlers. And, if that wasn't enough to win laurels for the Master Blaster then what followed definitely was. He walked up to a clearly distraught Smith, consoled him, and egged him on to continue hitting the big shots.

In an age when batsmen are known to glare and say the odd word to each other in the event of a mix up, this simple gesture from a legend served everyone a reminder that the gentlemen's game still has some players left to carry on its name and legacy.

Of course, Smith, eventually, perished eight balls later and Mumbai ended up on the losing side but that should in no way undermine Sachin's gesture. It showed that Sachin, despite being a player of the highest calibre, was willing to sacrifice his wicket if he thought someone else could prove more valuable to the team. Even Smith, despite his big hitting prowess, would agree that he is hardly a match to Sachin, but the cricketing great made him realise that at that particular moment he was the man for Mumbai.

The gesture holds a greater significance coming from Sachin for the reason that despite his achievements the man has time and again come under scrutiny and been accused of playing for himself rather than the team. This should answer many of his critics and appease all his fans.

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I was just listening to Sachin and did what he said:Smith

Mumbai Indians batsman Dwayne Smith, who struck a match-winning half-century against Rajasthan Royals, said he did not expect the emphatic 10-wicket triumph that his team managed here on Sunday night. "We had not expected such an easy victory. I won't say that there bowling was bad but we batted very well," the West Indian said in a post-match press conference.

"I had a very good partnership with Sachin [Tendulkar] and that helped us win so easily. I was just listening to Sachin and did what he said," Smith, who made an unbeaten 58-ball 87, said. "This victory has certainly given us confidence and we will carry it into the playoff tie against Chennai Super Kings on May 23 in Bangalore," the batsmen further said Smith, who joined Mumbai at the halfway stage, has made some telling contributions with the bat. In a match against Chennai Super Kings, he smashed Aussie pacer Ben Hifenhaus for two boundaries and a six to close out the last-ball thriller in this team’s favour.

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Photos : Sachin Tendulkar in Action Vs RR | May 20, 2012, Jaipur

Dwayne Smith and Sachin Tendulkar struck fluent half-centuries in their record 163-run opening stand as Mumbai Indians cantered to a 10-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in the last league game of the Indian Premier League, here on Sunday night.The Mumbai duo bettered the previous best of 159 by Chennai Super Kings' Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay in IPL-4.

Smith slammed 87 off 58 balls while Tendulkar scored a 51-ball 58 to help Mumbai chase down the target of 163 with two overs to spare at the Sawai Mansingh stadium.With their place in the playoffs already assured, the win will be a huge morale booster for Mumbai going into the eliminator against holders Chennai.

Chasing a challenging target, Mumbai threw a surprise by sending Smith to open the innings along with Tendulkar.

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Exclusive Pics : Sachin Tendulkar's Latest AD Photoshoot For Luminous

 India's iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar has been signed in as the brand ambassador of Luminous Power which provides power back up solutions for home, commercial, telecom towers and renewable energy systems.Tendulkar will feature across all the communications of Luminous inverters, batteries, UPS, renewable energy systems and other power products.


"I am delighted to be associated with the brand, Luminous which has innovations with proven reliability and performance. The relationship is the result of shared values and the comfort," Tendulkar said.

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Photos: Sachin Tendulkar In Action During a Training Session | Jaipur May 18,2012

CRICBUZZ :The IPL is reaching the closing stages. With 67 matches played, the race for the play-offs has intensified. The Delhi Daredevils and the Kolkata Knight Riders have already secured qualification for the play-offs. The battle is on for the remaining two spots with five teams vying for the a spot in the final four. Defending champions, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals are the teams hoping to secure the final two positions in the play-offs. 


Mumbai stand the best chance of qualifying for the play-offs. In 15 matches that they have played, they have a total of 18 points with nine wins. Their last league game is against the Rajasthan Royals at Jaipur on the 20th, the final day of the league matches. 

- For Mumbai to ensure that their final game against Rajasthan is inconsequential, Kings XI Punjab, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals should lose their remaining matches. 
- If either RCB or KXIP win their last match and Rajasthan win against Deccan, Mumbai's final match to be a virtual knock-out. 

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Photos : Sachin Tendulkar in Action Vs KKR | May 17, 2012

Kolkata Knight Riders took a huge step towards confirming a play-off berth in IPL-V, defending 140 in style against a trigger-happy Mumbai Indians and winning by 32 runs with five balls to spare. Sunil Narine reaped a rich haul of four for 15, backed by medium-pacers L. Balaji (two for 11) and Jacques Kallis (two for 32).

KKR climbed to the second spot with 19 points with this victory, ahead of Mumbai Indians (18). Delhi Daredevils remained on top with 20.

Wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum pulled his weight with two catches and a stumping. The host handed the match to KKR on a platter with reckless batting, and was bowled out for 108 in 19.1 overs on a bowler-friendly Wankhede wicket.

Sachin Tendulkar top scored (27 off 24 balls) in what was an embarrassing procession to the dressing room by the home team. KKR's tactic of enticing Mumbai Indians' assembly of strokeplayers with spin worked beyond its wildest expectations.

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