Contents About the Author ........................................................................................................7 Author’s Acknowledgments .........................................................................................9 Editor’s Acknowledgments ........................................................................................11 Prologue ....................................................................................................................12 Sachincredible ...........................................................................................................18 Introduction by Sachin Tendulkar .............................................................................29 Perceptions ................................................................................................................31 Sachin’s B.R.E.T.T. Factor .........................................................................................41 Archives ....................................................................................................................43 Sachin — A New Star on the Horizon ...............................................45 The Start of It All... ............................................................................51 Sachin Has Always Been Bold ............................................................55 Marvellous at Manchester ..................................................................58 No Perth Pangs for Sachin .................................................................62 Madras Meal for Tendulkar ................................................................66 The Big, Yet Quiet Tendulkar Wedding..............................................68 Sachin Sizzles, India Fizzles ................................................................72 Next Man In ......................................................................................76 I’m Not to Blame: Sachin ..................................................................78 Spark to Flame ...................................................................................82 Sachin’s Having a Ball ........................................................................85 Shabash, Sachin .................................................................................89 I Would Bowl to Sachin with a Helmet On: Lillee .............................93 A Genius Called Tendulkar ................................................................96 Runs and Roses from Sachin ..............................................................99 Sachin to Meet Bradman .................................................................103 ‘This Ton’s for Dad’ ..........................................................................105 Sachin Quit in Disgust ....................................................................107 Cheers to the 100-Test Man ............................................................113 The Best Batsman of His Era ...........................................................117 Big Runs in Big World Cup Battle ...................................................121 The Woman Who Knows Sachin Best ..............................................127 Sach is the Art of Coping .................................................................133 India’s Sunny Side ............................................................................137 Look into that Mirror, Sachin ..........................................................141 Act of Will in Sydney .......................................................................145 The Great Adelaide Connection .......................................................149 Importance of Being Honest ............................................................153 It’s Chennai Yet Again! .....................................................................157 My 20 Greatest Moments ................................................................161 Hail the Master! ...............................................................................167 There Will Be No Lack of Commitment from Me: Sachin ..............169 Bat-on Baaton Mein! .......................................................................173 Extraordinary Centurion Rules Super Sport Park .............................177 History Here! ...................................................................................180 My most unforgettable World-Cup 2011 moments .........................183 ‘I Had a Dream’ ...............................................................................186 Sachin: Now, I can move on ............................................................188 Statistics ..................................................................................................................191 Epilogue ..................................................................................................................193 With Ramakant Achrekar, his coach. Pic courtesy: The Making of a Cricketer by Ajit Tendulkar 46 Sachin: Born to Bat does not even get time to study. But he does intend to obtain his graduation degree. Sachin was coached by Ramakant Achrekar, the school coach, Vasu Paranjape, Das Shivalkar and also by Milind Rege. He also used to attend camps conducted by Balwinder Singh Sandhu at the Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers venue where the latter and Sandeep Patil advised him to bowl leg-spin, but eventually changed tactic as Sachin wanted to be an attacking bowler. Sachin does not like to plod on while batting. He always prefers to attack. His only ambition is to score centuries. This season in the Harris Shield (under-17) he scored 276 against BPM High School, Khar in one day. He came in to bat when his side was tottering at 26 for 2 and went on to score a double century. In the second round against A close up shot in the 1988-89 season. St Xavier’s, he scored 123 and also captured eight wickets for a paltry 29 runs. Although Sachin did not have a good score in the semi-final against St Mary’s, he rattled up 42 and 150 runs, and captured two wickets for 48 in the first innings and two for 57 in the second against Shardashram (Marathi) in the final. In the Giles (under-15) tourney, in the first round against Balmohan Vidyamandir, Sachin had an unbeaten knock of 159 against his name. In the next round against Barfiwala he scored another century — 156. He also captured 4 wickets for 29 runs in the second innings. Against St Mary’s in the semi-final, Sachin missed a double ton by a whisker, falling three short. He again captured five wickets conceding 75 runs in the second innings. In the final against Don Bosco, he scored two half centuries and also captured a wicket. After all his good showing it was no wonder that he was selected for the Bombay and West Zone team for the Vijay Merchant Trophy. And in that trophy, Sachin scored another ton — 123 against Maharashtra. Playing for West Zone he scored 74 runs and also captured a wicket against the South Zone team. He also captained the under-15 Giles Shield team and was the vice-captain for the Harris Shield team. Sachin: Born to Bat 47 Marvellous at Manchester Harsha Bhogle Celebrated cricket commentator and author of this piece, Harsha Bhogle entitled his book on India’s 1990 tour of England, The Joy of a Lifetime. It probably wouldn’t have been that had it not been for Sachin Tendulkar’s maiden Test hundred at Old Trafford. Batting partner Manoj Prabhakar offers his congratulations as Tendulkar returns to the pavilion after scoring his first Test century against England at Manchester in 1990. Getty Images 58 Sachin: Born to Bat ANCHESTER: Long after the Old Trafford Test Mmatch becomes just another page in Wisden, the memory of a charming, almost embarrassed young man receiving the Man of the Match award will linger. Sachin Tendulkar will score many more hundreds for India but the freshness of this one will never fade. “I was there,” the spectators will say forever and what a tragedy there were only 1778 of them. Never was it more truly said that the loss was entirely theirs. They say romantics never win. That they dazzle and depart leaving great tragedies behind them. Sachin Tendulkar proved them wrong with a hundred of such romance that the heart allowed itself to soak itself in it, the throat allowed a lump to form and an unknown force picked a sprinkling of spectators and brought them to their feet. If Sachin (and pardon the use of the first name) had inherited his father’s love for literature, he couldn’t have written a better script. And one’s heart went out to his brother Ajit, fiddling nervously with the radio, no doubt. After the Lord’s Test he had blamed his presence for Sachin’s failure since the boy had done no wrong till then. He would have grown three inches taller to see his little protégé come of age and do his country proud so many thousands of miles away from that hallowed land called Shivaji Park. Tendulkar walked in at 109-4, having just seen They say romantics never win. That they dazzle and depart Manjrekar and Vengsarkar depart at the same score. leaving great tragedies behind Twenty minutes later he saw his captain, on whom India them. Sachin Tendulkar had depended so much, edged into the leg trap. proved them wrong... Only once did he waver. When there was need for caution, he opted for adventure and Hemmings’ weary hands that seemed destined to spin England to victory, let him down. Thereafter he was the master of all he surveyed, his bandaged bat coming straight as a pendulum. When Hemmings