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Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar is looking forward to next year's ICC cricket World Cup which will be staged in the Indian sub-continent after a span of one and a half decades.
"The Cricket World Cup is the ultimate limited overs competition for a cricketer as it happens only once in four years. The entire cricketing fraternity eagerly waits for this event and when it starts, everyone gets deeply involved," said Tendulkar, who will become the most capped Test batsman when he plays against Sri Lanka in his 169th match tomorrow.
"It's a completely different feeling to be part of a Cricket World Cup where the atmosphere and the buzz is very special and to be staged in the sub-continent for the first time in 15 years is a magnificent feeling," added the Indian batting maestro.
With the World Cup to be co-hosted by India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said winning the the show-piece event on home soil is his biggest dream.
"It can't get any bigger than the ICC Cricket World Cup in which the best of the best enter with just one objective - to take home the Cup that counts," the Indian skipper said.
"It's not only my dream to be a Cricket World Cup winner but it's the wish of every member of Team India to put his hand on the Cricket World Cup trophy. We'll work as hard as possible to turn our dreams into reality," Dhoni said.
"This trophy has been eluding us for the past 27 years and I think we have a very good chance at home to break the drought," he added.
With 200 days to go before the first ball is bowled in the World Cup, the ICC announced the event mascot's name as 'Stumpy' at the P Sara stadium here ahead of the third Test between India and Sri Lanka starting tomorrow.
The mascot, an elephant, has been named 'Stumpy' after an online selection process that drew proposals from thousands of cricket fans around the world.
The lucky winner will receive a cricket bat signed by the all-star quartet of Dhoni, Tendulkar, Sri Lanka' captain Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena.
"This is another milestone in the build-up to our flagship event and it's great to see the game's best players like Mahendra, Kumar, Sachin and Mahela looking forward to the ICC Cricket World Cup with such enthusiasm," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement.
"As the excitement builds over the coming 200 days, we will see Stumpy throughout the cricket world, promoting the event and generating enthusiasm," he said.
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Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Expectations are not a burden says Tendulkar
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All set to become the most-capped Test player, batting stalwart Sachin Tendulkar said the sky-high expectations of his cricket-mad nation are not a burden as he considers them a "god's gift".
"It is not a burden. It is god's gift ... the passion which I had (to play cricket) I got to work on it for 20 years. I enjoy every moment. I don't think it as a burden. It was my desire in life that has happened," Tendulkar said.
Tendulkar will play his 169th Test when he takes the field against Sri Lanka in the third game of the three-match series, surpassing the 168 played by former Australian captain Steve Waugh.
The 37-year-old said touching the milestone is like a dream realised sooner than expected in his two-decade-old cricket career.
"It has been a long journey. I still remember the first Test match that I played in Pakistan. The 1989 Test was completely different feeling altogether compared to the other forms of cricket that I played," he told reporters.
"I am very happy that I have had the privilege of having had such a long journey at international level and this was my dream. To play for India was my dream and getting to play 169 Test matches is fantastic. Really pleased with that."
"The journey has gone by very quickly. Quicker than I expected. The time flies and you just need to enjoy it. It is a circle," he added.
The champion batsman said he has had his rough times but has managed to cope with them by working hard.
"Sometimes there are rough patches. But the simple formula that I have followed is that whenever I have gone through such phases, I have found the reason to work hard."
"I have tried and spent all my energy at what I have been trying to get better at and trying to keep things simple. If you keep things simple they are simple to manage."
"Cricket is simple but everything around it ... if you keep it simple then it becomes relatively easy. And then the huge support that whatever I have had over the years motivated me to go out and live upto expectations," he added.
Tendulkar said he still prepares hard for matches and that has helped him evolve with the changing times.
"I think the pre-match preparations are extremely important. I feel that I have always been prepared. Sometimes I have been able to achieve results and sometimes I have not but my preparations are always there. I am really proud of this," Tendulkar said.
Asked which contemporary of his has it in him to break his records, Tendulkar said he hopes that player is an Indian.
"All I can say is that whoever breaks my record should be an Indian," he said.
Tendulkar said he is happy that the milestone has come after spending 20 years in international cricket.
"To achieve this, you need x number of years, the x number of tours and that is when these things happen. I am quite pleased that it has taken 20 plus years to get here. It is wonderful," he said.
"In the last few years, we have played a reasonable amount of Test cricket and it is good. I felt, in early 90s I hardly got any Test matches. There were a couple of occasions when there were two or three Test matches in a year which was a little disappointing. But that is not the case now," he said.
Asked if he had any advice for the younger lot of players, Tendulkar said, "It is important to dream. The second thing is that you chase your dreams. Be sincere and honest and chase your dreams.. they do come true."
All set to become the most-capped Test player, batting stalwart Sachin Tendulkar said the sky-high expectations of his cricket-mad nation are not a burden as he considers them a "god's gift".
"It is not a burden. It is god's gift ... the passion which I had (to play cricket) I got to work on it for 20 years. I enjoy every moment. I don't think it as a burden. It was my desire in life that has happened," Tendulkar said.
Tendulkar will play his 169th Test when he takes the field against Sri Lanka in the third game of the three-match series, surpassing the 168 played by former Australian captain Steve Waugh.
The 37-year-old said touching the milestone is like a dream realised sooner than expected in his two-decade-old cricket career.
"It has been a long journey. I still remember the first Test match that I played in Pakistan. The 1989 Test was completely different feeling altogether compared to the other forms of cricket that I played," he told reporters.
"I am very happy that I have had the privilege of having had such a long journey at international level and this was my dream. To play for India was my dream and getting to play 169 Test matches is fantastic. Really pleased with that."
"The journey has gone by very quickly. Quicker than I expected. The time flies and you just need to enjoy it. It is a circle," he added.
The champion batsman said he has had his rough times but has managed to cope with them by working hard.
"Sometimes there are rough patches. But the simple formula that I have followed is that whenever I have gone through such phases, I have found the reason to work hard."
"I have tried and spent all my energy at what I have been trying to get better at and trying to keep things simple. If you keep things simple they are simple to manage."
"Cricket is simple but everything around it ... if you keep it simple then it becomes relatively easy. And then the huge support that whatever I have had over the years motivated me to go out and live upto expectations," he added.
Tendulkar said he still prepares hard for matches and that has helped him evolve with the changing times.
"I think the pre-match preparations are extremely important. I feel that I have always been prepared. Sometimes I have been able to achieve results and sometimes I have not but my preparations are always there. I am really proud of this," Tendulkar said.
Asked which contemporary of his has it in him to break his records, Tendulkar said he hopes that player is an Indian.
"All I can say is that whoever breaks my record should be an Indian," he said.
Tendulkar said he is happy that the milestone has come after spending 20 years in international cricket.
"To achieve this, you need x number of years, the x number of tours and that is when these things happen. I am quite pleased that it has taken 20 plus years to get here. It is wonderful," he said.
"In the last few years, we have played a reasonable amount of Test cricket and it is good. I felt, in early 90s I hardly got any Test matches. There were a couple of occasions when there were two or three Test matches in a year which was a little disappointing. But that is not the case now," he said.
Asked if he had any advice for the younger lot of players, Tendulkar said, "It is important to dream. The second thing is that you chase your dreams. Be sincere and honest and chase your dreams.. they do come true."
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