Team India’s approach in the ongoing Cricket World Cup has been clinical so far. The Men in Blue have won their six matches comprehensively against Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, New Zealand and England.
A win against Sri Lanka on Thursday (November 2) in Mumbai would seal India’s place in the semi-finals of the marquee tournament.
While the Indian fans are on could nine, batting legend Sachin Tendulkar has also enjoyed the national team’s dominating brand of cricket.
“Our team has been playing a different brand of cricket and I really enjoy this brand of cricket. It was a joy to watch them play and I am extremely proud and happy to see the way they have played,” Tendulkar said on the sidelines of his statue unveiling ceremony on Wednesday (November 1).
“I won’t talk beyond this and nazar nahi lagaunga (to cast an evil eye). They know what to do and what the whole country is expecting from them. I won’t put pressure on them either. I know people have this tendency of talking things and then saying, ‘ koi pressure mat le na’ (Don’t take any pressure). It does not work that way,” he added.
Tendulkar, the leading run-scorer in World Cup history, also revealed that his preparation for the triumphant 2011 World Cup campaign started in 2007.
“I have heard that nothing happens ‘right now’. You can either have it right or you can have it now, so it does take time. My preparation for the 2011 World Cup started in 2007.”
Sachin Tendulkar’s life-size statue was unveiled in a grand ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) President Amol Kale and a few other eminent personalities graced the occasion.
Speaking at the ceremony, Tendulkar also recalled his early years and said: “I was selected as a ball boy for the 1987 World Cup and Sunil Gavaskar invited me to the dressing room and meet a few players. I was 14 then and it was a huge thing.”
“After that, the very next year, I made my debut for Mumbai here in the Ranji Trophy. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to meet Gavaskar at that time, but I remember that there was only one seat available in the dressing room. There were seven or eight India players in the playing XI, so when I walked into the Bombay (now Mumbai) dressing room, I placed my kitbag on a seat, which was vacant, in a far corner of the dressing room. I realised that it was SMG’s seat. So, I went out to bat and scored a hundred, and I wasn’t surprised, because that seat was used to not being occupied, while the crease was! So, I had no choice but to follow my hero,” he further stated.
The Wankhede Stadium has been an integral part of Tendulkar’s career, and he paid a fitting tribute to the iconic venue, saying: “The happiest day of my life was in 2011, when we lifted that (World Cup) Trophy.”
(SportStar Inputs)
