Dilip Vengsarkar was among the many who came to the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, on Monday, anticipating Sachin Tendulkar’s 50th Test century. Obviously, he had to return disappointed.The Little Master was unbeaten on 53 and it was probable that he would finally get to the magic figure Monday morning. But Andy McKay played a perfect party pooper by dismissing the maestro with a peach of a delivery. While the debutant was over the moon scalping Tendulkar as his maiden Test victim, audience at the stadium sat back with drooping shoulders, though India piled on the runs.
People may argue that the expectation of scoring his 50th Test hundred may be getting to Tendulkar. But Vengsarkar refused to believe that the Little Master was weighed down by the burden of expectations. “I don’t think he’s under pressure… 50 is just a number for him,” Vengsarkar said.“I’m disappointed at Sachin missing out on the opportunity today. He was batting well. But we should also remember that he was dismissed by an outstanding delivery,” he said.
“At 37, he’s playing excellent cricket. Just look at his record this year… Amazing. I think he’s at the peak of his career.”The former selection committee chairman is also happy with the 17-member squad selected for the tour of South Africa. “It’s a good squad. There’s balance. Umesh Yadav and Jaydev Unadkat have been good inclusions. I am hopeful of the side doing well in South Africa,” he said. Vengsarkar, who is a vice-president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, also welcomed the newly-formed body of the Karnataka State Cricket Association.
The entire world is waiting with bated breath in expectation of his coveted 50th Test ton but Sachin Tendulkar feels that in his illustrious career spanning over 21 years, there is lot more to talk about the game than a particular milestone. "There is much more to Test cricket than my 50th Test ton. This is not the only thing. I always focus on playing well for my country and presently I am focusing on winning the series against the New Zealand," Sachin said on the penultimate day of the second Test against New Zealand.
"I don't open the newspapers (to see what's written about me). I don't read them and you can see them hanging at the stand outside my hotel room. I focus on my game only. Last 21 years have been really special for me and I thoroughly enjoyed my joyful journey," said Tendulkar, who managed to score 13 runs in the first innings.Tendulkar said, on the fifth and final day on Tuesday, India would look to get New Zealand's remaining six wickets as early as possible.
"Our focus would be to get remaining six New Zealand wickets as early as possible before we start our chase. We had a crucial partnership between Harbhajan and Sreesanth which helped us a lot," said Tendulkar.Tendulkar, the highest run-getter in both Test and ODI cricket, also praised New Zealand's fighting abilities and said they are performing like a unit. When asked about the Test opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, Tendulkar said, "both are world class players and performed consistently with the bat."
"They have on many occasions made things easier for middle-order. Everybody is chipping in and doing their bit whether it's the batsmen or bowlers," he said. Tendulkar also praised chief coach Gary Kirsten, who has proved to be a great man-manager and motivator and whose calmness in the dressing room has worked wonders for the team. "I am enjoying my time with Gary. His practice sessions are just fabulous as he gives you plenty of balls to play during nets. He has great amount of impact on the team," said the ICC cricketer of the year.
Sourav Ganguly took a few moments to recall that historic day when he went out to toss with Naimur Rahman 10 years ago at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. It was November 10, 2000; a memorable day for the country's cricket as Bangladesh began life as a Test-playing nation on that particular day."I must confess I can't remember why this day is significant," responded Ganguly when asked whether he could remember the day's importance.The former India captain, who arrived yesterday to grace the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 countdown function in Dhaka, dealt with the googly while speaking with the reporters at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Once given a hint, he quickly recalled: "Yes, I can remember everything now. It was Bangladesh's inaugural Test match and they scored 400-plus runs in the first innings," replied Ganguly.It was also a small piece of history as it was not just Ganguly's first Test as India's captain, but the first time in cricket history when two Bengali-speaking skippers led their sides.India's most successful Test captain believed Bangladesh have improved a lot in the last 10 years since they have been elevated into the elite club."There were some good players in the squad when we played the first Test against them but there are a number of quality players in the team now. The recent performance against New Zealand showed the real sign of improvement," said Ganguly.
"I keenly follow Bangladesh cricket and watched all the matches against New Zealand. The 4-0 scoreline was amazing. I think their performance has significantly improved in the last one year. There are young players like Shakib [Al Hasan] and Tamim [Iqbal] who are showing their characters," he added."The good sign is that the players are performing but there are still a lot of areas they must improve on."I believe they will become a much better side soon if they continue their improvement. The improvement in the longer-version might not be satisfactory but you can't expect everything overnight," he said.Ganguly was confident about Bangladesh's success in the upcoming World Cup as he thinks that the slow bowlers have an advantage in home conditions.
With exactly 100 days to go, the ICC on Thursday announced the appointment of Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar as the official event ambassador for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.Throughout his long and successful career to date, Tendulkar has inspired hundreds of millions of cricket lovers around the world with his personality, skill, temperament and love for the game.Since making his debut for India in 1989 at the tender age of 16, on the field he has scored more international runs than anyone else in the history while also adhering faithfully to the spirit of cricket.
Off the field he has always carried himself as a true champion, making him a perfect role model and one of the most recognisable and popular sportsmen of his generation.In his role as ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 ambassador he will be called upon to promote and support a variety of ICC initiatives for the tournament, which is the third biggest sporting event in the world and will take place in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka from 19 February to 2 April next year."There are just 100 days to go and I am really looking forward to playing in another Cricket World Cup," said Tendulkar, who will join Pakistan's Javed Miandad as the only other player to take part in six World Cups.
"In terms of limited-overs cricket, the ICC Cricket World Cup is the highest level you can play so it is always a thrill to take part in such an important and widely followed event."The fact that the 2011 event will be staged here in the sub-continent makes it even more special for me and I am keen to ensure we play well. As a team we would be doing everything we can to win the World Cup on home soil " he said.ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said, "We are very lucky to have such an extraordinary player as Sachin supporting our flagship event.
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