Tendulkar and his bats

Like every top-class batsman, Sachin Tendulkar is particular about his bats. Veteran cricket journalist Sunandan Lele, who has known him for 25 years, says: "One of Sachin's favourite pastimes is to switch on music, put on his earphones, and sit with a bat in his hand, fiddling with its grip or knocking on it with a mallet. He carries his own toolkit and if he is on his own in a room, he is bound to be working on his bat like it is some piece of art."

 And the number of grips he would like to have.

A lot of fuss is made about cricket balls, but for a batsman, the right bat is like being comfortable in your own skin.

 
He has to see what the grain feels like.








 








 But when you are a run-machine like Tendulkar, you can't prevent your bat from looking cherry-kissed.











There are times, however, when even legendary batsmen will happily trade their bat for a guitar. Tendulkar and his wife meet Dire Straits lead guitarist Mark Knopfler in Mumbai in 2005. Dire Straits was one of Tendulkar's favourite bands growing up.

Driving on the green

Tendulkar's 200th Test set to be in Mumbai

Sachin Tendulkar is set to bid farewell to international cricket at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, his home ground. The news comes a day after Tendulkar announced he will retire after his 200th Test, which is set to be the second of the Tests against West Indies next month, to be played from November 14.

"Tendulkar had expressed the wish yesterday that he wanted to play his 200th match at his home ground," Mumbai Cricket Association president Ravi Savant said, "and the BCCI today acceded to his request and has decided that the Test will be held at the Wankhede Stadium from November 14-18."

A final decision on the venue will be taken when the BCCI's tour, fixtures and programme committee meets on Tuesday.

It is understood that even before Tendulkar announced his retirement plans, Kolkata's Eden Gardens had been promised it would get to host Tendulkar's 200th Test. The deal is said to be a bargain for Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) chief Jagmohan Dalmiya pulling out of the race to be the IPL chairman at the BCCI's annual general meeting on September 29. However, according to CAB treasurer Biswarup Dey, CAB will definitely "honour" Tendulkar's request.

"If Sachin has requested it, CAB won't unnecessarily push for staging the match and honour the legend's wish," Dey said.

The BCCI follows a rotation policy among its 10 Test venues for staging matches. According to the rotation policy, Ahmedabad and Bangalore were to host the next two matches. However, with the significance of these two Tests, the tour, fixtures and programme committee headed by BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla may break the rotation policy and instead award the two matches to Kolkata and Mumbai.

Sehwag must resist middle-order temptation

Despite his early history as a middle-order batsman,Virender Sehwag's request to finish his career there, rather than opening, may not necessarily be beneficial for him or the team.

For starters, Sehwag is ignoring his own advice. Heonce told the dashing young Australian opener David Warner he would eventually become a better Test player than a T20 batsman. Warner, playing for the aptly named Delhi Daredevils, seemed surprised at the suggestion and asked for his reasoning. "Because," replied Sehwag, "in a Test match the field is 'up' for the new ball and there are plenty of gaps to hit through."

That situation also means there are fewer infielders in position to take catches, and for a player like Sehwag, who hits the ball in the air regularly, that's a major consideration.

Then there's the not-so-minor matter of Sehwag setting the pattern of play at the top of the order. When you come in lower down, the rhythm of the innings is already established, and with a few wickets down, a batsman's approach may need to alter. He no longer starts on an equal footing with the bowlers.

Take the way Sehwag plays spinners, for example. In the past he has shown little respect for spinners and, upon their introduction, he has set about trying to drive them into oblivion via the farthest reaches of the grandstand. As an opener, when he has already pummelled the faster bowlers for a quick-fire 60 and got the team off to a flying start, Sehwag is afforded some leniency when he then holes out in the deep.

However, when Sehwag is dismissed in the middle order for a low score and sets off a batting collapse by attempting an outlandish onslaught on a spinner, it's likely to test the selectors' patience.

Sehwag will have to take these and other matters, like having to wait to bat, into account if he returns to the middle order. Nevertheless, the most important aspect of any experienced player looking to slide down the order is his mental state; such a request is generally an admission the player is starting to have misgivings.

Ricky Ponting made that mistake late in his career and his move was only minor, going from No. 3 to No. 4. Nevertheless, it was a major move mentally and sent a signal to the opposition that Ponting, for so long a dominant batsman, was feeling vulnerable.

Like for Ponting, much of Sehwag's aura as a batsman is bound up in his aggressive approach to the bowling. Once that is diminished with a move down the order it's like being a wounded animal; the predators smell blood.

Sachin Tendulkar, on the other hand, has never wavered; he has batted at No. 4 for the bulk of his career and has remained resolute in not moving lower down the order. In his mind he's a No. 4 and that's the way he wants to finish his career.

Part of being a long-term Test player is knowing where you want to bat. The captain may not always see things the same way, but a batsman must be clear in his own mind what position he thinks suits him best. The Australian selectors of the time had the misguided idea that I should open, and skipper Bill Lawry asked me for my thoughts. I replied: "Bill, you're the captain and if you tell me I'm opening then I'll do it, but if you're asking for my preference then it's to bat at three." In my mind I was a No. 3 and I wanted to remain in that position until I retired.

There have been suggestions that India will need some experience in the middle order when Tendulkar retires, and that Sehwag may provide the answer. India already have plenty of talent and not inconsiderable experience in Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli.

That makes a strong top four when Tendulkar decides to retire. To then replace a middle-order player in his 40s with one in his mid-30s, who is struggling as an opener, doesn't sound like a progressive move.

Cricket fixtures

Oct 2013
Wed Oct 9
03:30 GMT | 09:30 Local 09:00 IST	Bangladesh v New Zealand at Chittagong, 1st Test - day 1
13:00 GMT | 09:00 Local 18:30 IST	West Indies Under-19s v Bangladesh Under-19s at Georgetown, 2nd ODI
Thu Oct 10
03:30 GMT | 09:30 Local 09:00 IST	Bangladesh v New Zealand at Chittagong, 1st Test - day 2
14:00 GMT | 19:30 Local	India v Australia at Rajkot, Only T20I
14:00 GMT | 09:00 Local 19:30 IST	West Indies Women v New Zealand Womenat Kingston, 3rd ODI
Fri Oct 11
03:30 GMT | 09:30 Local 09:00 IST	Bangladesh v New Zealand at Chittagong, 1st Test - day 3
15:00 GMT | 19:00 Local           20:30 IST	Afghanistan v Kenya at Sharjah, 2nd T20I
17:30 GMT | 13:30 Local           23:00 IST	West Indies Under-19s v Bangladesh Under-19s at Providence, 3rd ODI
Sat Oct 12
03:30 GMT | 09:30 Local 09:00 IST	Bangladesh v New Zealand at Chittagong, 1st Test - day 4
Sun Oct 13
03:30 GMT | 09:30 Local 09:00 IST	Bangladesh v New Zealand at Chittagong, 1st Test - day 5
08:00 GMT | 13:30 Local	India v Australia at Pune, 1st ODI
Mon Oct 14
06:00 GMT | 10:00 Local 11:30 IST	South Africa v Pakistan at Abu Dhabi, 1st Test -day 1
13:00 GMT | 09:00 Local 18:30 IST	West Indies Under-19s v Bangladesh Under-19s at Georgetown, 4th ODI
17:00 GMT | 13:00 Local 22:30 IST	West Indies Women v New Zealand Womenat Bridgetown, West Indies Tri-Nation Twenty20 Women's Series
Tue Oct 15
06:00 GMT | 10:00 Local 11:30 IST	South Africa v Pakistan at Abu Dhabi, 1st Test -day 2
Wed Oct 16
06:00 GMT | 10:00 Local 11:30 IST	South Africa v Pakistan at Abu Dhabi, 1st Test -day 3
08:00 GMT | 13:30 Local	India v Australia at Jaipur, 2nd ODI
17:00 GMT | 13:00 Local 22:30 IST	England Women v New Zealand Women at Bridgetown, West Indies Tri-Nation Twenty20 Women's Series
17:30 GMT | 13:30 Local           23:00 IST	West Indies Under-19s v Bangladesh Under-19s at Providence, 5th ODI

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Sachin Tendulkar 200 runs in ODI.mp4

ICC rankings for Tests, ODIs and Twenty20

 

ICC Twenty20 Championship

6 August 2013

Team	Matches	Points	Rating
Sri Lanka	21	2173	128
Pakistan	31	2599	124
India	18	1689	121
West Indies	22	2041	120
South Africa	25	2233	118
England	26	2148	113
Australia	23	1753	103
New Zealand	25	1937	102
Ireland	12	568	81
Bangladesh	14	739	74
Scotland	9	435	62
Zimbabwe	14	478	48
Netherlands	8	181	36
Kenya	11	309	34

 

ICC Test Championship

28 May 2013

Team	Matches	Points	Rating
South Africa	24	3240	135
India	30	3473	116
England	32	3577	112
Australia	27	2846	105
Pakistan	19	1947	102
West Indies	22	2168	99
Sri Lanka	26	2295	88
New Zealand	27	2126	79
Bangladesh	13	134	10

ICC ODI Championship

3 August 2013

Team	Matches	Points	Rating
India	48	5906	123
Australia	34	3861	114
England	38	4257	112
Sri Lanka	49	5435	111
South Africa	34	3584	105
Pakistan	42	4294	102
New Zealand	29	2593	89
West Indies	41	3639	89
Bangladesh	23	1754	76
Zimbabwe	23	1205	52
Ireland	10	394	39
Netherlands	7	88	13
Kenya	4	40	10