Gwalior: Master batsman Sachin Tendulkar said records are meant to be broken and he would be glad to see an Indian eclipsing his epic unbeaten 200 that he smashed against South Africa on Wednesday.
Tendulkar became the first cricketer to hit a double century in the four-decade-long history of One-day cricket but the master batsman reckoned even this record would be bettered some day.
"No record is unbreakable. Records are made to be broken and I would like to see an Indian breaking this record," Tendulkar said, dedicating the knock to all his fans.
The greatest accumulator of runs in the history of cricket, Tendulkar possesses nearly all major batting records even though he insisted he never chased milestones.
"I do not play for records. I play for enjoyment and for my passion for the game. I did not start playing cricket for breaking records. It has happened over the time. But it feels great," Tendulkar said at the post-match press conference.
Asked when he felt he would get that double hundred, he said, "After reaching 175-200, I thought. But it's not that only double hundred was there in my mind. The ball was coming nicely and I was striking the ball well."
Tendulkar has been in brilliant form since the 2007 World Cup and the batsman attributed his success to coach Gary Kirsten.
"I have enjoyed challenges. I have enjoyed the game 2007 onwards and credit goes to Gary. He has held the team beautifully, it's about holding the team together. Even at the practice, he has worked as hard as players and probably harder than anyone else. Things have been good," he said.
Asked if the presence of more match-winners in the side had eased his pressure and allowed him to play freely, Tendulkar said, "Not really. I have done well in the last 20 years. It's not that I have done well in the last one year."
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan announced that a road would be named after the batting great, a gesture Tendulkar acknowledged with smile and gratitude.
"I respect the sentiment. These things help during tough times and when you go to the field," he said.
Tendulkar greatest batsman I have seen: Clarke
"His record speaks for itself. I can`t say I`m surprised," said Clarke, who is here for Australian team`s tour of New Zealand.
"He`s probably the greatest batsman I`ve ever seen play, live," Clarke was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press (AAP).
Tendulkar`s unbeaten 200 at Gwalior was a batting master class that flattened South Africa and India won by 153 runs to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
"I didn`t watch any of it but I`d like to get back this afternoon and see some highlights," said Clarke, ahead of Australia`s first Twenty20 match against New Zealand.
Clarke was particularly impressed with Tendulkar`s longevity and said cricket was blessed to have such a genius.
"He`s a wonderful guy and someone I not only enjoy watching on TV, but I`ve loved having the opportunity to play against him as well," said Clarke.”
"He has got so much class. His greatest strength is the longevity, to be able to be so successful at a young age and to still be doing the same thing 20 years on.”
"He made his (Test) debut at 16 and he`s still as good as ever, if not better. We`re blessed to still have such a great player playing this game," he added.
Tendulkar better than even Bradman: Nasser Hussain
London: Former England captain Nasser Hussain is convinced that Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest batsmanthe game has ever seen, better than even the iconic Don Bradman.
"I have never liked comparisons between great players, but after Wednesday's incredible game it must be said - Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest batsman of all time," Hussain wrote in his column for 'The Daily Mail'. Tendulkar became the first batsman to crack a double century in the four-decade-long history of one day cricket against South Africa on Wednesday and Hussain felt that should settle the debate on who is the greatest batsman ever.
"Better than Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting, the other two great players of my era. Better than Sir Viv Richards, Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border. And I would even say better than Sir Don Bradman himself," wrote the Chennai-born English cricketer of Indian origin.
Hussain said Tendulkar has somehow managed to retain his early enthusiasm even after two decades of international cricket which he found incredible.
"I played against Tendulkar on my first England tour, the Nehru Cup in India in 1989, and I could still see that excited boy in big pads in Gwalior," said Hussain, who once resorted to negative tactics and asked spinner Ashley Giles to bowl way outside off-stumps to curb the Indian," he said.
"That extraordinary drive and enthusiasm are what make Tendulkar so special. He has been playing international cricket for 20 years under the intense scrutiny being an Indian superstar brings, so it is remarkable he still loves holding a bat as much as ever," Hussain said.
Looking at Tendulkar's illustrious career, Hussain said guiding the Indian team to 2011 World Cup victory with his broad bat would perhaps give a sense of fulfilment.
"What else is left for Tendulkar now? Well, it is sometimes said that he has not played enough match-winning innings on the really big occasion for India.
"What better, then, than to score a hundred in the World Cup final against Australia ¿ or maybe even England - on home soil this time next year," he said.
"That would be the full stop that would enable Tendulkar to ride off into the sunset with everything achieved in his career," said the Englishman.
Doffing his hat to Tendulkar and referring to maverick soccer coach Jose Maurinho's famous moniker, Hussain said, "My admiration for him is total. To steal the nickname of a certain football coach who led Inter Milan against Chelsea on Wednesday, Sachin Tendulkar truly is The Special One."
Relieved Dhoni lauds ‘team-effort’
"It was a team effort,” he said. “(I am) overall quite happy with the batting but we need to be fractionally better with the bowlers.”
Only Suresh Raina made a half-century, scoring 58 runs, but India still made 298 runs from 50 overs as all the batsmen, barring Sachin Tendulkar made double digit scores.
“Jadeja made the difference for us. We were left with just one part-timer, Raina, after Sehwag went off the field," a visibly relieved Dhoni said.
Dhoni conceded that India had become complacent, especially after the second power-play, which left South Africans needing 78 runs to win from 8 overs.
“You don’t expect your front-line bowlers to be taken apart by number 9 and 10,” he said, in a reference to Sreesanth and Ashish Nehra being plucked for sixes by Dale Styen and Wayne Parnell.
Dhoni’s opposite number Jacques Kallis was a dejected man, having to taste defeat despite coming so agonizingly close.
"The guys down the order played unbelievably well. It came on a lot better at night but we lost wickets at the wrong time.”
He also had a good word to say about his bowlers.
“It looked like India would get over 300 but our guys did well to keep them under that."
Our numero uno status is no fluke: Harbhajan
Kolkata: "If I don't do well you will show me as one of '3 Idiots'. It is a shame and it should not be done is how Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh lambasted the media for criticising hi
Fumed at the criticism for his recent poor performance, Harbhajan Singh, who helped India win the second Test against South Africa with a five wicket haul, said it was a fitting reminder to the media who have portrayed him as one of the '3 idiots', that he is still a match winner."I have been hearing a lot of things from the media but today they were on the receiving end. They (media) should be getting that kind of treatment because they should know what to play on national television and what not to play," said India’s spin spearhead.
Asked about his celebration in front of the press enclosure after clinching the last wicket, the feisty off-spinner said he was angry at the media for picking him whenever he had a lean phase.
"Thanks to all the media, they create sensations that Bhajji is not bowling, that Bhajji is doing this, doing that. We play for our country with a lot of passion and it disappoints all the players sometimes to see what characters they make out of us," Harbhajan said.
But if that is the way you want to sell your programmes we are not worried about that. I was there for a bigger purpose, I was playing for my country which was more than anything for me. I won a game for my country and that is a special feeling and I am sure the whole country is happy today," said Harbhajan who finished with five for 59 to give India a dramatic win.
He was also angry that a section of the media said that India's Test number one status was a fluke.
"There has been a lot of talk about us that it was a fluke to be the number one side and all that. It was not a fluke at all, we have worked really hard to reach the top and today we have showed the world that we deserve to be number one," he said.
Harbhajan was though all praise for the South Africans for putting up a tough fight in the series.
"To be honest, South Africa are really a good side and they played fantastic cricket in Nagpur. We played better cricket here and we set our fields, bowled according to the fields and we created pressure.
"We batted well, (VVS) Laxman was special, (MS) Dhoni was brilliant, Sachin (Tendulkar) was amazing and so was Viru (Virender Sehwag). I think overall we played terrific cricket and we are very happy," said the off-spinner.
This series was my chance to excel: Amla
Kolkata: Hashim Amla said every batsman hits a purple patch at some point in his career and the just-concluded series against India was his opportunity to make a mark. "Every professional cricketer goes through certain tours and series where they excel. I have just been fortunate this tour has been my opportunity," said Amla who was adjudged both man of the match and man of the series for his staggering 494 runs in the series, including two centuries in the second Test.
"Things have worked for me on the field. I give credit to the fortune. Dropped catches really helped the cause.
"I think I have been quite fortunate on quite a few occasions, without doubt. Few drop catches here and there, I could have been dismissed before," he said.
Amla spent more than eight hours in the second innings to nearly save the match and Indian bowlers simply could not find a chink in his armour.
Amla said he followed a simple batting philosophy. "When at the back of your mind you know you have to bat a whole day, breaking it down is the key – ball by ball, over by over, it's just the basics. There is no science to it I just wanted to keep it simple," he explained.
He also hailed the efforts of Morne Morkel (22) and Wayne Parnell (12) who fought hard in the second innings, thwarting the Indian bowlers.
"I took a lot of confidence from Morne and Parnell. Both told me that they were comfortable at the other end, and it made by job a lot easier in trying to find the strike," Amla said.
"I just loved the experience and the intensity of the series was really fantastic. We all enjoyed it," Amla said.
Kallis, Amla climb in Test rankings
Riding on their fine performances with the bat in the Nagpur Test, South Africa’s Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla leapfrogged their way in the ICC rankings for Test batsmen, released on Wednesday.
Kallis, who scored his 34th Test century in the match, has returned to the top five by gaining four places to sit in fourth position. He is now just ahead of his captain Graeme Smith, who slips three places, and not far behind the Sri Lanka pair of Mahela Jayawardena in second position and Kumar Sangakkara in third.
India’s Gautam Gambhir clings on to top spot despite scoring just 13 runs in the match but the gap has narrowed significantly with now just 17 ratings points separating first position from the fifth.
For his part, Hashim Amla has broken into the top 10 in the rankings for the first time in his career, following his magnificent 253 not out in the first innings of the Nagpur Test.
Amla is now just three ratings points behind Sachin Tendulkar, who was also successful with the bat during the match as he notched up his record 46th Test century in the second innings.
In the rankings for Test bowlers, Dale Steyn increased his lead at the top of the rankings with match figures of 34.5-7-108-10, which marks the fourth 10-wicket haul of his career to date. It included a career-best figure of 7-51 in the first innings. The 26-year-old is fast approaching the best points rating of his career which he enjoyed following the Ahmedabad Test against the same opposition in 2008.
Among the spinners, it’s a case of South Africa and India trading spinners in the top 10 with slow left-armer Paul Harris moving up three places to ninth spot and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh dropping four places to 12th.
Harris took four wickets in the match, including the prize scalp of centurion Tendulkar in the second innings.
Raina, Karthik called up to bolster batting
After a dismal performance in the first Test, which resulted in an innings defeat at the hands of the Proteas, the Indian selectors made three changes in the squad for the second Test, which they announced on Tuesday. The second Test will be played at the Eden Gardens from February 14.
Rohit Sharma, who sprained his ankle just ahead of the Nagpur Test, has been replaced by left-hander Suresh Raina. Rohit was included in the first Test squad as a cover for injured VVS Laxman.
After being unceremoniously dropped from the Test team, wicketkeeper batsman Dinesh Karthik has found his place back into the side with a 150-plus score in both innings of the Duleep Trophy final. Karthik makes a comeback at the cost of young Wriddhiman Saha, who made his debut in the Nagpur Test. Seamers Sudeep Tyagi and Abhimanyu Mithun have also been dropped from the squad.
While Raina and Karthik have been included to bolster the batting line-up depleted by the absence of Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh, pace bowler S Sreesanth also makes a return into the squad after recovering from a hamstring injury.
India squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Murali Vijay, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, S. Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan, S.Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina
India get Laxman boost ahead of decisive Test
India's seasoned batsman Venkatsai Laxman will return for the final Test against South Africa after recovering from a finger injury, an official said on Thursday. Indian batsman Venkatsai Laxman will return for the final Test against South Africa after recovering from a finger injury, an official said on Thursday. |
India, who lost the first Test in Nagpur by an innings and six runs, need a series-levelling win to retain their top spot in the International Cricket Council's Test rankings.
Laxman, 35, missed the Nagpur match after a finger injury sustained during last month's tour of Bangladesh failed to mend in time.
With star batsmen Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh ruled out of the series with injuries, Laxman was sorely missed in Nagpur as India crashed for 233 and 319 in reply to South Africa's 558-6 declared.
Laxman has scored 6,993 runs in 109 Tests at an average of 45.70 with 14 centuries.
India were forced to play rookie wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha as a specialist batsman in Nagpur after Rohit Sharma, the first-choice replacement for Laxman, got injured just before the toss.
Saha, who made 0 and 36, has been dropped for the Kolkata Test and replaced in the 15-man squad by the more experienced Dinesh Karthik.
India's squad for second Test:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Murali Vijay, Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman, Subramaniam Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina.
