EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Sachin Tendulkar drives the Nobel M600

The world’s greatest batsman, Sachin Tendulkar is mad about fast cars. That’s the other side of the batting maestro we got to know on his day out with Autocar.

While relaxing with his family on a holiday in London, Sachin is all game for driving some very quick cars. On the platter is pretty exciting stuff – Merc SLS AMG, Aston Martin Vantage V12 and a Caterham R500.

Sachin is at the Chobham circuit; a 3.5km long track with twisty corners, banked curves and awesome straights. He pushes the SLS AMG past 200kph and gets blown away by the Caterham's phenomenal acceleration.  

© Autocar India

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When Sachin Tendulkar bought a second-hand BMW

One of the richest cricketers of the world at the moment, Sachin Tendulkar today revisited the time when the not-so-well-off batsman managed to buy his favourite luxury car, albeit a second-hand one.Known for his passion for cars, Tendulkar in 1993 bought a BMW at the age 20, four years into his international career.

"I have always been a BMW fan but the real association with it started when I was 14. One of the first BMWs that I drove and owned was in 1993. My pockets were not so deep back then so I had to opt for a second-hand BMW and it was a joy to drive that car," Tendulkar said at the launch of a new series of the iconic German car.According to international magazine 'Forbes', the 39-year-old earned USD 18.6 million last year, and a vast majority of Tendulkar's earnings came from sponsorship deals.

The legend currently has 16 sponsors, including global brands like Adidas, Coca-Cola, Castrol and Toshiba, and they pay a total of USD 16.5 million for his services.

"I drove that car for a few years and moved on to better BMWs like the X5 and M5," India's run machine said. Tendulkar, one of the first few people to test drive the German luxury car maker's new launch in London this month, said he enjoys being in the driver's seat.

"To be honest, I prefer driving. My driver normally gets to sit at the back. There are occasions when I am travelling with my family, then I sit at the back," he said.

© PTI

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Exclusive Video : Sachin Tendulkar Drives BMW 3-Series F30

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar on Friday unveiled the all-new BMW 3 series sedan by German luxury car maker BMW in petrol and diesel variants priced between Rs28.90 lakh and Rs37.90 lakh (all India ex-showroom).The all-new BMW 3 Series is available in two exclusive design schemes – Sport Line and Luxury Line.

"The all-new BMW 3 Series is a vehicle that has an unbeatable profile and is born from pioneering technology, a beautiful design and a lot of passion," BMW Group India president Andreas Schaaf said at the launch.

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Exclusive Pics : Sachin Tendulkar Launches all-new BMW 3 Series in India

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar on Friday unveiled the all-new BMW 3 series sedan by German luxury car maker BMW in petrol and diesel variants priced between Rs 28.90 lakh and Rs 37.90 lakh (All India ex-showroom).The all-new BMW 3 Series is available in two exclusive design schemes - Sport Line and Luxury Line."The all-new BMW 3 Series is a vehicle that has an unbeatable profile and is born from pioneering technology, a beautiful design and a lot of passion," BMW Group India president Andreas Schaaf said at the launch.

© BMW INDIA

© BMW INDIA

© BMW INDIA

© BMW INDIA

© BMW INDIA

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No Plans Of Playing Alongside Arjun - Sachin Tendulkar

On playing along side his son, Arjun, he said, "I have never thought of it. I used to visit Bandra for his practice sessions. I just stand at non-striker stand. Just to see how he calls for single and twos. Beyond that, I have not thought of playing with him. It may happen at some exhibition match or club-level game. Arjun likes to watch cricket. I have not forced him to make cricket his career. He is passionate about the sport," he stated.

The master batsman also admitted that things didn't go as per plan in England and Australia. India lost eight consecutive Test matches against England and Australia last season. Tendulkar said that team India always go out there to perform well but sometimes it just does not work.

"Ideally, we want to win each and every match and that is how we want to prepare ourselves. But sometimes, it's humanly impossible. There are some ups and downs. The best of the teams have rather faced or seen the other side of the coin," he said.

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Will do better in away tours: Sachin Tendulkar

Senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday said that team India are confident of a good show at home against England and Australia but will certainly aim at preparing well when they play away series against these two teams next time.

"We need to look at one factor. When we played against Australia, they were the home team. England also played at home. There is no point in saying that India only plays well at home. Why do we always look at one side of the coin, it should be always fair," the senior batsman said

"I feel that it does not come as an excuse for us to go somewhere and not play well. We need to go abroad and win. It's as simple as that. We have done it before (winning abroad). Both England and Australia tours were tough for us. We should make every possible effort to perfect our preparation and produce better results," Tendulkar told Headlines Today.

The master batsman also admitted that things didn't go as per plan in England and Australia. India lost eight consecutive Test matches against England and Australia last season. Tendulkar said that team India always go out there to perform well but sometimes it just does not work.

"Ideally, we want to win each and every match and that is how we want to prepare ourselves. But sometimes, it's humanly impossible. There are some ups and downs. The best of the teams have rather faced or seen the other side of the coin," he said.

On playing along side his son, Arjun, he said, "I have never thought of it. I used to visit Bandra for his practice sessions. I just stand at non-striker stand. Just to see how he calls for single and twos. Beyond that, I have not thought of playing with him. It may happen at some exhibition match or club-level game. Arjun likes to watch cricket. I have not forced him to make cricket his career. He is passionate about the sport," he stated.

© PTI

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Exclusive Pics : Sachin Tendulkar at the launch of Toshiba's new 'Thinking LED' TV

Indian cricketer, Member of Parliament (MP) and brand Ambassador for Toshiba, Sachin Tendulakar (R) and Senior Vice-President of the Toshiba corporation, Shigenori Tokumitsu pose during the launch of Toshiba's new 'Thinking LED' TV in New Delhi on July 26, 2012. Toshiba announced its business plans to attain the number one position in the LED TV market in India.

© PTI

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Exclusive Pics : Sachin Tendulkar's Visit to Castrol Office | July 24,2012

As Castrol’s Brand Ambassador, Sachin will be the face of Castrol cricket initiatives that will revolve around the passion, innovation and technology that go behind delivering “Winning Performances” as well as promoting Castrol’s leading brands like Castrol Power1, Activ and GTX. Sachin’s drive for perfection and performance, matches Castrol’s passion to make the world’s best oils which perform even under extreme pressure, making the partnership a perfect fit.


Commenting on this new tie up, Sachin said: “I am really excited about this partnership with Castrol since they are one of the world’s great brands and have the same passion for performance that I have on the field. Their oils are known for consistently delivering under extreme pressure situations, again something I am quite familiar with. I am also very passionate about motorsport with which Castrol has been associated for over a century. So to me, this partnership seems to be the perfect fit”.

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Exclusive Screnshots : Sachin Tendulkar's Latest Luminous AD

India's iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar in 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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Swamy Army’s Tribute to Sachin Tendulkar – GREATEST VIDEO TRIBUTE

Swamy Army is the widest reaching cricket fan club in the world, Supporting Indian Cricket Team.

Bringing together passionate fans of Cricket and Team India together, across the globe.

We are committed to providing a unique identity to Indian Cricket fans, while helping them watch and support every game the Indian cricket team plays abroad, starting with Australia. Swamy Army organises cricket tours, match day tickets with priority seating arrangements and merchandising for the fans besides other membership benefits.

The destructive Swamy Army will be seen again this year as India tours Australia once again. We are passionate about cricket and especially a big tour upcoming will expect massive crowds and offcourse "Swamy Army".

VIDEO DONE BY Manu Spartan Singh OF SWAMY ARMY. THANKS FOR CREDITING OUR SITE IN THE END.

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Sachin Tendulkar made a member of a committee on IT In Rajya Sabha

Sachin Tendulkar and Rekha have their work cut out for them. The two MPs, nominated to the Rajya Sabha in May this year, have been made members of standing committees of Parliament.  Their star power will be divided. While God of Cricket Sachin has been made a member of a committee on IT, Rekha will join a group that looks at Food and Civil Supplies. On her first day in the Rajya Sabha, the actor left the house after 20 minutes.

A standing committee combines Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members from different parties. Its job is to cover a ministry or department of the Union Government in order to "further strengthen the accountability of the Government to Parliament."  It can study bills relevant to its ministry and look at long-term policy of that department.

© NDTV

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Answers for Mr. G. Sampath's 10 Question to Sachin Tendulkar

Answers Written By, Rakhi Priyadarshini.

My answer for Mr. G. Sampath's 10 Question. As SACHIN doesn't have time to go through these kind of bullshit, so, being his true devotee, I just thought of replying. Crafted in leisure time during office :D

1. In 1999-2000, Indian cricket was rocked by the match-fixing scandal. You were a key member of the team that was captained by Mohammed Azharuddin, and Ajay Jadeja was your teammate. But you didn’t say a word. When asked why you remained silent, you said: “The only reason I did not speak about it is that I didn’t know anything about it. I would have given a statement if I knew something.” So are you lying, or are you being a cretin when you say that you had no clue about match-fixing going on?

~ The best answer to this would be - Even Bookies dont dare to put the bet ON when Sachin is on the crease. Hope u understood Mr. Sampath.

2. The whole world knows that you (and subsequently MS Dhoni) are the reason the BCCI has been stonewalling the ICC’s move to make DRS (Decision Referral System) mandatory in all international fixtures. What exactly do you have against the DRS? Is it that, without technology, the benefit of the doubt (especially on LBWs) goes to the batsman, and you, knowing that there will be far more LBWs with DRS than without, don’t want technology messing with your averages and milestone-hunting?

~ Tendulkar is the one who's suffered most number of Wrong Umpiring Decisions yet He's the one who's touching the Everest. Need I explain more whether he needs 'support' for his so called 'milestone-hunting'?
Moreover, if technology would be involved in every aspect, the game will lose its charm. This, being a cricket fan, is my personal opinion.

3. You are richer than anybody can ever want to be. Why then are you forever, and shamelessly, asking or accepting favours from the government? Be it having to change the law (Customs Act) so you don’t have to pay duty on an obscenely expensive luxury vehicle, or petitioning the government to relax the FSI regulations for your bungalow in Bandra, why can’t you just graciously accept the rules that apply to everyone else instead of cashing in on your celebrity status to seek favours?

~ The Luxury vehicle, as mentioned by you, was GIFTED to him & there's no such rule to pay duty on gifted commodities till 2003. But after the rule change, it came under custom duty & SACHIN being a person who abides by the rules, honestly paid the duty for the same. And for the other part, perhaps your knowledge isn't well updated. Tendulkar had paid a sum of Rs 4.35 lakh + the fine to obtain NOC from the BMC for his bungalow. If he had the intentions of accepting FAVOURS, he wouldn't have DECLINED the government bungalow, being allotted to him after taking oath as RS Member. Hope you know about this.

4. For most, nay, all, of your adult life, you have been a very influential person, with access to the highest corridors of power. Yet, not once in your life have you ever taken a stand on any issue — not even on sporting ones. Do you then seriously expect to make a meaningful contribution to any of the debates in the Rajya Sabha? If not, why did you agree to become a Rajya Sabha MP?

~ Sachin's influence on the mass is beyond measurement. He appears in commercial for Polio drop campaign & people start following him blindly. He’s even associated with the NDTV’s 'Support My School' Campaign & many other social activities. He's the one who's openly said NO for promoting alcoholic brand as it'll have negative impact on the youth. Won’t you call it taking a stand? Or is it not influential for you? You don't need to be loud and dramatic to have your say. He does in his own calm & polite ways which people love to follow.

5. And having become a Rajya Sabha MP, you say ‘cricket comes first?!!’ What were you thinking? That being a Member of Parliament is a nice hobby or what?

~ He's been nominated for RS for his contribution in the field of sports, being spefic, cricket. Generally people tend to have 'set priorities' in their life. If something tops my priority, it doesn't mean I would neglect others. For example, Tendulakr is mainly a batsman but when it comes to bowling also, he's considered as the one with magic hands, helping the team when they need it most. Although, batting always is his priority. Got it?

6. Why is your captaincy record so abysmal? If your cricketing intelligence is so great, and if you are a thorough professional, and if you are a nice guy, how can you not be even an average captain, like, say, Anil Kumble was? You’ve got to have something that the other guys don’t have for you to be such an extraordinarily poor captain. What could this be? You ever think about that?

~ Cricket is a team game not an individual sport. Win or loss depends on a team's performance. Even though his captaincy is often criticized, we have had few major results during his captaincy. 'Titan cup' victory, one among them. If it was only HIS CAPTAINCY which was the reason of poor results then, well in that case, can you name 6-7 players who played during his captaincy? Where are they today?

7. Against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup this year, you crawled to your 100th hundred (114 in 147 balls on a flat track against a bovinely gentle attack) at 4.5 runs an over, and actually slowed down in the slog overs when the team’s interests dictated that you score faster. And it was because of your milestone obsession that we lost the match to Bangladesh, which cost us a place in the final. This is not a one-off incident, but the culminating irony of a long career marked by the relentless deployment of individual talent for individual glory, though last I checked, cricket was a team game. Now that you’ve got every record in the book, will you, at least in the last remaining matches of your career, either stop playing for records, or stop paying lip service to how you are a team player — because it’s too brazenly hypocritical to do both?

~ That Bangladesh was the same team which went to the final of the same Asia Cup. Defeating both World cup winner & runner-up in the league matches. Moreover, it was not because of his batting that we lost, we can't take wickets even after 250+ score, we shouldn't expect to win matches on obvious note.

8. Why is it that when the chips are down, and India is chasing, you never (save the Sharjah hundreds way back in 1998 on a flat track) ever take India home? Don’t say, ‘check the records’ — because the records tell me very clearly that you’ve never single-handedly (like Dravid did in Adelaide or Laxman did while batting with a number 11 to take India home against the Aussies) taken India past the finishing line in your 22-plus years of international cricket. And what kills me is that you had the ability to do exactly that — if Yuvraj could, Laxman could, and Dravid could, so could you. But you never did. You just cannot bat for the team under pressure, is that it? Or is it that you never cared for the team as much as you claim to?

~ With due respect for Laxman, Dravid & all those 'Match -Winners', whenever they played the main lead in building the innings, they got a support at least from 1 or 2 players who made sure that wickets don’t fall at other end. If you'll check the history, hardly any time, it happened with SACHIN. Whether it was Chennai in 1999 where 5 batsmen couldn't even manage to score just 15 runs in a test match after his dismissal or in Hyderabad where He alone scored half of the winning target but after that inning crumbled like a bunch of toothpicks. Yet he's the one who has given us moments of joy numerous times. Proof is the highest number of MOM awards in both formats of the game. FYI, it's given to the BEST player in the match on the basis of performance but not stardom.

9. I’ve been pondering this one for ages. How did you become such a boring person — open your mouth and everyone goes to sleep?

~ For this question... Well, all I can say is, you've got a poor taste. Might be your kind of person are those who literally Bark or are too loquacious to make you awake.

10. This is an easy one. Do you like journalists who suck up to you?

~ Funny one.. Just moments ago, you mentioned he's a boring person whom you wouldn't like to listen to & here you are asking for his views. Are you alright Mr. Sampath?

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It was a joy to pad up against Brett Lee: Sachin Tendulkar

Their on-field face-offs were among the most exhilarating sights in international cricket and as Australian speedster Brett Lee drew curtains on his injury-ravaged career, senior Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar paid tribute to him saying that it was a "joy" to pad up against the pacer."BrettLee_58 Its been a joy to play against u Binga. Congratulations for a successful career.... All the best wishes to you for the future," tweeted Tendulkar.Lee responded with as much respect, saying that the Indian brought out the best in him.

"@sachin_rt yes mate it's been fun. Thanks for all the hard battles on the pitch. You definitely brought the best out of me," said the 35-year-old, who endured several injuries in a 13-year career before calling it day on Friday.

Not just Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, recuperating after undergoing chemotherapy for a rare germ cell cancer, also lauded the affable Australian, often described as 'the smiling assasin'.

"A man who always bowld his heart out A match winnr champion bowlr wrld clas athlete a lovely friend a good human I'm sad bret lee hs retired," said Yuvraj."My favourite lee moment 2004 india vs aus at perth vb series ! Gilly was standing on 30 yard circle and binga was firing 155km! Phew!!," recalled the left-hander.

Lee was quick to acknowledge, saying "@YUVSTRONG12 thanks legend, hope you're going strong."Tendulkar also paid tribute to South Africanb wicketkeeper Mark Boucher who was forced to retire recently after sustaining an eye injury."Markb46 What a tragic injury to end Mark Boucher's career. Certainly one of the greatest wkt keepers the game has seen. SA will miss him," he said on the social networking site.

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Dravid's retirement has created an irreplaceable void: Sachin Tendulkar

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar feels the retirement of his long-time teammate Rahul Dravid has created an irreplaceable void at number three position in the Indian Test team.Sachin says Dravid will be sorely missed in the dressing room."Rahul has been an incredible player for India and for world cricket. Nobody is going to be able to replace Rahul in that position," said Sachin.

"You need someone to be dedicated, be committed and disciplined. The entire country will miss him because we were all used to Rahul padding up batting at number 3. However, these things will continue to happen because that's how the game goes around for years. All great players retire one day."

Dravid retired from all forms of the game in March, ending a glorious 16-year-old career. His decision followed the team's disastrous show in England and Australia where it lost eight Test matches in a row.

Sachin was part of the two tours and he says it would be incorrect to blame India's domestic structure for the team's poor show."I don't think we can point our fingers at our structure because with that same structure we hit the number one spot. So if there was something wrong with the structure, we would have never reached that spot."

© TOI

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Sachin Tendulkar among Mumbai Ranji probables

Senior cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan were on Thursday included among the probables for the Mumbai Ranji Trophy squad for the forthcoming 2012-2013 domestic season.Tendulkar did not play a single match for Mumbai in the national championships last season while Zaheer figured in a few games to get back into full match fitness after an injury lay-off.

Also among the list of 35 probables announced by Mumbai Cricket Association`s joint secretary Nitin Dalal are Amol Muzumdar, Bhavin Thakkar, Wilkin Mota and Vinit Indulkar who had not played for the team in the previous season."All these four players have become eligible to play for Mumbai after serving a one-year cool-off period (after representing other associations)," said Dalal.

MCA has also appointed for India skipper Nari Contractor as the head of its Cricket Improvement Committee, according to Dalal.

The list of probables: Sachin Tendulkar, Wasim Jaffer, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Abhishek Nayar, Ramesh Powar, Suryakumar Yadav, Dhaval Kulkarni, Amol Muzumdar, Iqbal Abdullah, Ankit Chavan, Aavishkar Salvi, Aditya Tare, Wilkin Mota, Hiken Shah, Vinit Indulkar, Bhavin Thakkar, Harmeet Singh, Kshemal Waingankar, Praful Waghela, Kaustubh Pawar, Balwinder Singh Sandhu (Jr), Sagar Gorivale, Siddhesh Lad, Javed Khan, Nikhil Patil (Jr), Prateek Dabholkar, Swapnil Salvi, Swapnil Pradhan, Neelkanth Parab, Mohd. Ameer, Rakesh Prabhu, Oninder Singh Gill.

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Video : Sachin Talks About Arjun Tendulkar’s Passion For Cricket

Overnight, I cannot bring any change and it also involves a lot of things. It's not right also," he explained. A doting and protective father that he has been, Tendulkar said that he would never force his son Arjun or daughter Sara and let them choose their preferred careers.

Arjun has recently been selected for the Mumbai U-14 side after string of good performances in Mumbai school circuit. "Arjun is passionate about cricket and Sara is passionate about medicine. But every individual is different. I want to guide them and support them. I don't want to force them and will like them to choose their fields. I will only have good wishes for them and tell them to enjoy whatever they do," he said.

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You can't make anyone forcibly like Test cricket: Tendulkar

There has been a raging debate whether the next crop of Indian youngsters are passionate enough about playing Test cricket but Sachin Tendulkar reckons that players cannot be forced into liking the longer format.

"To make someone like Test cricket, it has to come from within. There is no set formula that you have to do certain things and then you start liking Test cricket. I grew up dreaming about playing for India - that was the biggest thing I wanted to achieve: to play Test cricket for India and to do well," Tendulkar said."Every practice session I went out, I was prepared to work as hard as any of my coaches wanted me to; the only thing

I wanted was an India cap. Yes, maybe there are individuals around who feel, 'If I don't play Test cricket I don't miss much.' You need not force them into something they don't want to be," he told a sports channel.

"If someone wants to be in Test cricket, then he will find his way, will be ready to push himself as hard as anyone to realise his dreams. I don't like to push someone to like Test cricket and make him like Test cricket forcibly. I would just keep those two individuals separate," Tendulkar, who has scored 15470 runs from 188 Test matches, said.Having played top flight cricket for 23 years now, Tendulkar has forged successful on-field partnerships with the likes of Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and now the next generation of players.

Asked how he has managed to bond with the players, he replied, "It's important to know each other's nature, each other's personality, how they react to various situations... I have played with the current lot for some time, and there was one stage, when I was already a part of the Indian team for six years when Rahul and Sourav joined me."So in every generation this process has to take place. I can say that I have played with all of them, so that understanding is very much there," he added.

© PTI

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I have been madly in love with cricket: Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar feels that being "madly in love" with cricket has helped him stay at the top for more than two decades. Asked how elite sportspersons guard themselves from various aspects like pressure and injuries, Tendulkar said,"I can answer from a cricketer's point of view. You have got to be madly in love with cricket. Before you lay a foundation on the cricket field, there should be a solid foundation in your heart and you start building on that."

"After that as you start playing more and more matches, you learn how to score runs and how to take wickets," said Tendulkar. The champion batsman also clarified that it was the need to spend "quality time" with his children that made him opt out of the limited overs series in Sri Lanka.

"I requested BCCI that I wanted to spend time with my family. This is the time for school holidays. If I had decided to go to Sri Lanka, I would have started my preparation by now. But I wanted to spend some quality time with my children since after this I would be playing continuously for next 10 months," he said. "Holidays are different from spending time during school days or on weekends." The 39-year-old Tendulkar also stressed that though he is now a Member of Parliament his focus would remain on cricket.

"I consider it as an honour as I have been nominated by the president of India. I have been nominated for my contribution to cricket. I am a cricketer and I will be focussed on my game." He said that he will certainly speak and give his opinion on various issues "when the time is right."

"Overnight, I cannot bring any change and it also involves a lot of things. It's not right also," he explained. A doting and protective father that he has been, Tendulkar said that he would never force his son Arjun or daughter Sara and let them choose their preferred careers.

Arjun has recently been selected for the Mumbai U-14 side after string of good performances in Mumbai school circuit. "Arjun is passionate about cricket and Sara is passionate about medicine. But every individual is different. I want to guide them and support them. I don't want to force them and will like them to choose their fields. I will only have good wishes for them and tell them to enjoy whatever they do," he said.

© PTI

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Exclusive Videos : Sachin Tendulkar Visits Adidas HQ In Germany

Sachin was at the Adidas factory in Herzengonaurach in Germany a Week  back, where he became the first cricketer to be included in the walk of fame at the factory - an honour bestowed previously to the likes of Muhammad Ali and and the all-blacks world cup winning New Zealand rugby team.

In an exclusive interview with CNN-IBN in Germany, Sachin Tendulkar said that he has no plans of quitting the game as long as he is enjoying and feeling part of it. "No absolutelty not, it has been going on from 2006 and its been six years and now I am enjoying cricket and will continue enjoying as long as I am passionate about cricket it makes sense of being part of team sport if its a individual sport you have various things to think about," Tendulkar said.

When asked about the reason for opting out of the Sri Lanka series, Tendulkar said he is on an extended break at the moment and spending time with family in Europe. Read The Full Interview Here -- >> No plans of retirement : Sachin Tendulkar

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He is Sachin, He comes and performs for the team : Sourav Ganguly

Turning 40 might club him in the league of veterans but Sourav Ganguly is not yet ready to throw in the towel as far as his participation in the next edition of IPL is concerned.

"I will take a call next season. As a matter of fact, I would not be even 41 when the IPL 6 would begin in 2013," Ganguly, who turns 40 on Sunday, said when asked about his plans for next year's Indian Premier League

This despite a poor fifth season for Pune Warriors India as the team's skipper.Ganguly is a believer and 40 is just a number for him.Talking to PTI, Ganguly said: "40 is just a number to me. For me life is simple and consistent. It (the age) does not matter to me, it makes no difference at all.

Taking a dig at his detractors, India's most successful Test captain had earlier said: "I'm also a human and prone to failures. Somehow you have to deal with it. Many captains have failed (in the IPL) but it's Sourav Ganguly who always makes the headlines."Asked to pick his finest moment as a cricketer, the stylish left-hander, who guided India to the 2003 World Cup final, said his entire life has been satisfying.

"I cherish my entire life. I've been blessed with a life full of good memories," Ganguly, who has the most number of Test wins (21) as captain of India, said.

At the same time, he refused to talk about former coach Greg Chappell with whom he had a stormy relationship, leading to his ouster from the Indian team in 2005.Asked whether he regrets his decision of bringing the Aussie and get him the Indian coaching job, Ganguly said: "As I've said earlier, I don't want to talk about Greg Chappell."

He might not have put it in as many words, but Ganguly obviously seemed unhappy about Chappell's fresh salvo at him in one of the articles in a book on Rahul Dravid."Sadly, the success of the team (under Dravid) was not universally enjoyed within the team. Some individuals felt threatened by the new world order and appeared to work against Rahul...," wrote Chappell in the book 'Timeless Steel'.

The Aussie did not name anybody but many believed that he pointed his fingers at Ganguly again."I've read his comments. I don't think it has put me against Dravid," Ganguly said.Sachin Tendulkar might be regularly opting out of the one-dayers but Ganguly felt the veteran Mumbaikar has the right to pick and choose.

"He is Sachin. He has got the right to do it. That's the way it is for the youngsters. He comes and performs for the team."

Recently, Dravid had expressed his apprehension about the future of Test cricket 10 years down the line, but Ganguly thought otherwise.

"It's difficult to predict what will happen 10 years down the line. No matter what, Test cricket will survive. I've always said Twenty20 would be popular but there will be a place for Test cricket," said Ganguly, who is also the BCCI's technical committee chairman.He was also not unduly concerned by the fact that India's next generation batsmen came a cropper and lost the first-class series (1-2) during the recent 'A' tour of the West Indies.

Asked whether India's bench strength was not up to the mark, Ganguly said: "We will find that out. I don't think one has to worry just on the basis of the outcome of a series."Ganguly refused to pick his favourites for the World T20 in Sri Lanka and said: "It's Twenty20, anything can happen in the format. It's very difficult to predict and pick a favourite team in this format."

© PTI

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Exclusive Pictures : Sachin Tendulkar at Wimbledon 2012

Sachin Tendulkar and Anjali Tendulkar watch on from the Royal Box on Centre Court on day eleven of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 6, 2012 in London, England.Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who is a big tennis fan and a great admirer of Roger Federer, said that he could foresee Roger Federer winning another Grand Slam. Though going through a slump, Sachin feels that Federer is a great player will always be a great player. “Class is permanent. Form can be, you know, there can be dips. Yes I think he can, for sure can win another Grand Slam,” said the Indian cricket legend in an interview to NDTV.

Talking about the proposal being made for day and night cricket, Sachin said that he would not want day and night Tests unless extensive trials are done in first class cricket. “Ball retaining colour in day and night tests can be a problem. I think it’s not as easy as it seems. Because as long as you're sure of the cricket ball retaining its colour and it’s being picked by the batters, then you can try it out, but I wouldn't straight away go to Test cricket. Why not first try it out in first class cricket and get the response from the players all across the world, not just a few countries, but all across the world and then take that step forward,” said the Little Master.

© Reuters

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© Getty Images

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© Getty Images

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Whole country misses Sachin when he is not in action : Viru

Sachin Tendulkar will be missed by the Indian team during the upcoming limited overs series in Sri Lanka, but he has the right to pick and choose which series he wants to play, opening batsman Virender Sehwag said on Friday.

“Not only me but the whole country misses Sachin when he is not in action. But one should realise that he is 39 years and he should be allowed to pick and choose which series he wants to go. He will certainly be available for the Test series against New Zealand,” Sehwag told reporters at the inauguration of Saba Karim-Genesis Pro-Cricket Centre in Noida.

Asked what has been skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s strength that has enabled him to lead the side to two World Cup victories -- 2007 Twenty20 and 50-over in 2011, he said, “Dhoni got a very strong team. When you get a strong team, it is easier to perform well just like Australia did at one point of time. We won World Cup because we had a very strong team which was ably backed by Dhoni’s leadership.”Sehwag said he has no fitness concerns now and he is all geared up for the Lanka tour, starting July 21.

“I played almost all the matches in Indian Premier League and there is no fitness issue now. The ODI tour of Sri Lanka will also help me in preparing for the Twenty20 World Cup to be held there,” he said.Sehwag is also not unduly concerned by the fact that India’s next generation of young batsmen did not do well in first class matches during the recent ‘A’ tour of the West Indies.

“Before I became a prominent member of the senior team I have also gone for ‘A’ tours. Some people get runs on this kind of tours and some don’t. That does not mean that those who fail are not good enough. The best part is that you can make mistakes and learn from it, try to rectify in your domestic cricket and come back stronger,” he said.

Recently, Rahul Dravid had expressed his apprehension about the future of Test cricket 10 years down the line but Sehwag said that the longest form of the game was not in danger.“You ask any youngster and he would always tell you that he wants to be successful in Test cricket. You will see cricketers retiring from ODIs to prolong their Test career but you will never see a cricketer retiring from both Test and ODI to play only Twenty20,” he said.

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No plans of retirement : Sachin Tendulkar

In an exclusive interview with CNN-IBN, Sachin Tendulkar said that he has no plans of quitting the game as long as he is enjoying and feeling part of it. "No absolutelty not, it has been going on from 2006 and its been six years and now I am enjoying cricket and will continue enjoying as long as I am passionate about cricket it makes sense of being part of team sport if its a individual sport you have various things to think about," Tendulkar said.

When asked about the reason for opting out of the Sri Lanka series, Tendulkar said he is on an extended break at the moment and spending time with family in Europe.

"I just wanted to spend some time with my family just simple as that, so I spoke to BCCI and requested them. To prepare myself for Lanka tour means I shouldn't be here and would be back home practising and spending time with my children would have been difficult," Tendulkar clarified.

When asked about playing limited number of ODI games, Tendulkar said: "As long as I am enjoying I will continue to be part of it. I decided not to be part of the Twenty20 team in 2007 and I took a decision."

Sachin was at the Adidas factory in Herzengonaurach in Germany a couple of days back, where he became the first cricketer to be included in the walk of fame at the factory - an honour bestowed previously to the likes of Muhammad Ali and and the all-blacks world cup winning New Zealand rugby team.

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Exclusive Pics : Sachin Tendulkar visits La Manufacture in Le Brassus

His visit included the Audemars Piguet Museum followed by a tour in the Manufacture des Forges where he spent time in various ateliers including the Specialities and Grand Complications. He also got the chance to ‘test and train’ his hand–eye coordination outside the field as he was guided to assemble the 3090 Audemars Piguet calibre which he successfully made it start beating strong.


“I was very happy to visit the Audemars Piguet Manufacture again as well as the magnificent Vallée de Joux. I always enjoy spending time in the workshops listening to the watchmakers talk about how they make the different parts of the watch I am wearing. They are all incredibly passionate about their profession and that is what I can associate with.

© Audemars Piguet

© Audemars Piguet

© Audemars Piguet

© Audemars Piguet

© Audemars Piguet

© Audemars Piguet

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