Brett Lee: Never sledge Sachin, Lara, KP; it backfires

Australians are the masters of the art of sledging, but even they realise that it is a complete folly to mess around with some cricketers.



Australian fast bowler Brett Lee has confessed that master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar, and the likes of Brian Lara and Kevin Pietersen should never be sledged on the cricket field. Lee, very candidly admits that the above mentioned players increase the level of their game whenever they are subjected to a verbal tirade in the middle.

Australian pacer Brett Lee feels Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar, West Indian Brian Lara and England's Kevin Pietersen are part of a select band of international batsmen who should never be sledged as the strategy generally backfires.

"There are guys you can stir up and get stuck into and there are others you leave alone," Lee said.
"Sachin Tendulkar is a guy you don't want to chat to period, because he will knuckle down, same as Brian Lara.



Kevin Pietersen has controlled aggression and he likes it when someone has a chat to him. He takes it personally and it fires him up and he'll want to score a big hundred," the fast bowler was quoted as saying by the local newspapers here. Lee said he is confident that Pietersen, who is currently struggling for the destructive form that made him a much-feared batsman, will come good in the Ashes.

"He might be a slightly different character to the norm-he might be away from the side and doing his own thing but that happens in everyday life. I'd always back Kevin Pietersen to come out and do well," Lee said. The veteran pacer said for Test cricket to flourish, it is important that batsmen such as Pietersen do well.

"He will do well and I hope he does put on a good show for the Australian spectators. What Test cricket needs is a match-winner and exciting cricket and Kevin Pietersen fits the bill.



The best sledges ever in cricket

MSN India has culled a list of best sledges in cricket over the years. Most of the sledging is sprinkled with cuss words. We have omitted some highly abusive exchanges like the one which happened between Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath and West Indian Ramnaresh Sarwan. Former Australian pacer and selector Merv Hughes was also involved in spats which churned loads of abuse.

But Hughes was the king of one-liners. Some of the funniest sledges have come from and at the expense of the portly bowler. So, as a tribute of big Merv's skill, we start the compilation with his words.

Merv Hughes to Graham Gooch after the latter had played and missed a heap of deliveries: I'll get you a piano instead to see if you can play that.

Inzamam to Brett Lee: Stop bowling off-spinners.

Rod Marsh to Ian Botham: So how's your wife and my kids?

Mark Waugh to Ormond: Mate what the hell are you doing out here, surely you're not good enough to play for England!
James Ormond: At least I'm the best cricketer in my family.

Ian Healy trying to coax Ranatunga to leave his crease: Put a mars bar(chocolate bar) on a good length, that should do it!



Greg Thomas: It weighs about 5 ounces, it's red, shiny, round and you're supposed to hit it! Vivian Richards hits it for six and retorts: You know what it looks like, you go find it!

Daryll Cullinan to Shane Warne
As Cullinan was on his way to the centre, Warne told him he had been waiting 2 years for another chance to humiliate him. "Looks like you spent it eating," Cullinan retorted.

Robin Smith to Merv Hughes
During 1989 Lords Test Hughes said to Smith after he played and missed: "You can't bat". Smith to Hughes after he smacked him to the boundary: "Hey Merv, we make a fine pair. I can't bat and you can't bowl."

Merv Hughes to Javed Miandad
During 1991 Adelaide Test, Javed called Merv a fat bus conductor. A few balls latter Merv dismissed Javed: "Tickets please", Merv called out as he ran past the departing batsman.

Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar decided not to open the batting, and instead come at number four in the batting order in a Test match against West Indies. Unfortunately, India lost two quick wickets for nothing on the board and Gavaskar walked in. Vivian Richards on seeing Gavaskar, welcomed him by saying, "maan, it don't matter where you come in to bat, the score is still zero."

Source: India Syndicate and The Indian Express

Blistering Pollard shines in Mumbai win

Durban: Kieron Pollard's blistering 72 runs which contained nine sixes in all and a 46-ball-48 from Sachin Tendulkar powered Mumbai to a convincing 31-run win over Guyana.



Facing a tough target of 185 runs, the Guyanese batsmen failed to fire and were restricted to 153-6 in their full quota overs. Guyanese captain Ramnaresh Sarwan top scored with 46 runs as the rest of the batting order fell apart in the face of a huge target.

Although Mumbai won, their bowling attack came up with an average performance. Wides and no-balls were given freely and Mumbai ended up gifting away 29 extras. Dwayne Bravo and Harbhajan Singh claimed two wickets each and Lasith Malinga and Zaheer Khan snapped one wicket apiece



Keiron Pollard butchered the Guyana bowlers with a whirlwind unbeaten half century to power Mumbai Indians to 184 for four in their crucial Group B match of the Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament here today. Pollard was at his ruthless best as hammered the Guyana bowlers to all parts of the ground to remain unbeaten on 72 that came off just 30 deliveries.

Mumbai's decision to send the imposing West Indian up the order bore fruit as he hit nine towering sixes and one four to take the Indian Premier League side to the formidable total after they were down at 99 for three at one stage. Pollard's domination with the bat can be ascertained from the fact that Mumbai piled up a mammoth 85 runs in the last overs.

Pollard's task, however, was made easy by the 82-run opening stand between Sachin Tendulkar (48 off 39) and Shikhar Dhawan (39 off 37). Even though Tendulkar was not at his elegant best, he and Dhawan ensured that Mumbai were off to a decent start that eventually laid the platform for Pollard''s late fireworks.



Towards the end, JP Duminy too came up with a vital six-ball 14-run knock to help his side''s cause. For Guyana, leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo was the pick of the bowlers, picking up three wickets for 34 runs.

Opting to bat, Tendulkar and Shikhar Dhwan went out with a purpose and adopted an attacking mood from the word go. Tendulkar made his intentions clear with a smashing pull to the midwicket boundary of Crandon in the second over.

Dhawan, who so far had a forgetable outing in the tournament, got off the blocks with a huge six over square-leg boundary off Paul Wintz and then Tendulkar finshed off third over with another pulll to the midwicket fence. After the initial burst, even though the duo managed to rotate the strike with ones and twos, they found boundaries hard to come by.



Desperate to broke the shackles, Tendulkar was handed two lives by the butterfingered Guyana fielders as the champion bastman went for big hits in the ninth over. Crandon was the guilty fielder on the first occasion as he made a mess of a regulation running catch at long-on off Christopher Barnwell.

If that was not enough, in the very next ball Tendulkar was handed another life when a running Jonathan Foo dropped a difficult one at deep square leg. Tendulkar was utlisised those chances to perfection with back-to-back boundaries off Bishoo in the first two deliveries of the 11th over before falling to the leggie two balls later.

Source: PTI

'Greg Chappell was Indian cricket’s biggest disaster'

In the biggest attack yet on Greg Chappell and his role in 2005 with Indian cricket as chief coach, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh says the current Australian full-time selector was after Sachin and wanted the master blaster to retire. Bhajji was speaking to Shekhar Gupta in the show ‘Walk the Talk’. Here are the excerpts of a very interesting interview.



Shekhar Gupta: I am at the Mumbai Cricket Association grounds at Bandra-Kurla and my guest isHarbhajan Singh.

This city has given you some of your toughest moments. Remember the 2001 series against Australia?

Harbhajan Singh: That was my comeback series and in that game, I think I was the only bowler who took four wickets, so I was the only survivor among the spinners. So, Mumbai city has not just given me joy but that match gave me the chance to play in the next game.

Shekhar Gupta: Bhajji, that was a time of crisis for you. I have heard that before that series, you were thinking of leaving cricket for Canada or America and driving a bus or something. Is that just a story?

Harbhajan Singh: That was a very difficult time for me, because they had taken me off the National Cricket Academy.

Shekhar Gupta: Why did they remove you?

Harbhajan Singh: Because I had complained about the food there. They had a diet chart that listed out the nutrients we should have, but the food we got didn't have a single thing that was on the chart. I tried complaining in vain to the people in charge. So one day I got angry and tore the chart. That was the biggest mistake I made. Anyway, that was why I was removed from the NCA. When I went home, my dad was ill. He was hospitalised and then he passed away. I did not know what to do because I was out of the academy. There were some selectors who did not want me to play cricket, they wanted me to stay back in Jalandhar. And there was one selector who even took my trial by himself. He would wear pads and come to bat at the nets and say that if you can bowl me out, you are in.

Shekhar Gupta: So, did you manage to bowl out that selector?

Harbhajan Singh: On many occasions. I don't know how he qualified for a position in the Indian team.

Shekhar Gupta: This particular selector, was he right-handed or left?

Harbhajan Singh: I don't know, but the way he was batting right-handed, it did not look as if he was right-handed.



Shekhar Gupta: So, what did you think then...when you were in trouble?

Harbhajan Singh: Back then, I did not think they would take me. I did not really think much of continuing playing for the Ranji Trophy because I knew my potential. But I had a family to feed, so I thought I might as well go abroad and do something. Anything to help run my family. I am not ashamed of doing anything, whether it is washing dishes or driving trucks or working at a petrol pump.

Shekhar Gupta: So you were planning to go to Canada or America.

Harbhajan Singh: At that time, my family was my top priority because I am the eldest. But suddenly I saw some hope when Sourav (Ganguly) spoke to me, called me to Delhi and John Wright, who was the coach then, saw me bowl. There was this camp of players and my name was in it. It was then that I realised that this could be my comeback. So, I went to the camp, performed well. And then they let me into the Board XI team that was touring Australia. They were short of a spinner because Anil bhai (Anil Kumble) was injured. I took three and two wickets in each of the innings. I bowled well, so my name came up for the first Test match.

Shekhar Gupta:Who do you give more credit to -- Sourav or John Wright?

Harbhajan Singh: I give a lot of credit to Sourav. I think he was the guy who fought for me. Throughout my career, he has always been there when I needed his help and support, and so has Anil Kumble.

Shekhar Gupta: The Bombay Test match of 2001 was a disaster. That was the turning point in Indian cricket. So, what was the team taught after that very easy defeat in Bombay?

Harbhajan Singh: I remember that game. The Australians got out very fast in that match. At one stage, they were 91 for five, but from there onwards, Gilchrist played a fantastic innings. And Matthew Hayden got his first hundred. And suddenly, they were right on top and we lost the game. I picked up four wickets, so I survived and got to play in the next game. Then we went to Calcutta, which was a similar story. We got out, and they came to bat. By tea, they had started scoring hard, and they had made 200 to 250 runs. After tea, though, five to six wickets went down just like that. I don't know what happened, I had God's blessings. Everything was working out just the way I wanted. I got a hat-trick, bagged five wickets for the first time in a Test match. That day was the best in my life, when I realised that I could take five wickets. And I was against the best batsmen early in the game. They were in the driver's seat till then, but when we came in to bat, the situation changed again. But I think the whole game was about VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid, the way they batted was just fantastic.



Shekhar Gupta: Sachin Tendulkar once said on Walk the Talk that the amount of bounce that Harbhajan got, I have never seen a spinner get so much bounce. He said that's why the Australians just could not handle it, because they were playing the sweep shot and they just did not understand the bounce.

Harbhajan Singh: The bounce was good, the wickets were good too. Every match went into the fifth day. It was a very good match at Calcutta, and a batsman always bats differently when he is under pressure. Plus, I had not played a lot against Australia, and they did not know my bowling that well either. I was just bowling the way I was bowling in Ranji Trophy, it was just that I had more confidence.

Shekhar Gupta: Bhajji, that series was also the beginning of your special relationship with the Australians. Of the top five batsmen that you dismissed the most number of times, four of them are Australians. Ricky Ponting is your special favourite.

Harbhajan Singh: Well, I want to do my best against the best. Because everyone says Australia is the best team in the world, they have very good players, they are very competitive. And I am very competitive too.



Shekhar Gupta: Do the Australians say things about you?

Harbhajan Singh: They keep saying bunny etc. When I go to bat, the wicketkeeper keeps saying something or the other behind my back. But when they are batting, they don't say much. Then it's our turn. I did not know much English then, but I would say whatever I knew. Or I would say something in my language. If they can make fun of us, we can too. But we still have to play.

Shekhar Gupta: The first time you got Ponting out, was it at Sharjah? I think you got him stumped. Even then, a few words were exchanged there.

Harbhajan Singh: Yes, I do not want to say what I said. I was young and it just happened. At that time, I did not really know the meaning of what I was saying. It was an English word, and that was the only one I knew. Something I heard from senior players.

Shekhar Gupta: But that was what took your special relationship with the Australians forward.

Harbhajan Singh: Well, after I dismissed Ponting six times in the 2001 series, he also started getting angry that this 20-year-old boy was getting him out all the time.

Shekhar Gupta: So, after Ponting, in a way, Andrew Symonds took over.

Harbhajan Singh: Whatever happened in Sydney was an instance of making a mountain out of a molehill. They do not like it when people say things about their players, but they are probably the worst when it comes to saying things or doing things to other players. But I am not like those who can listen to abuses and keep quiet. I have come to play, not get abused. If they abuse me, I will give it back to them.

Shekhar Gupta: But by that stage, things had come to a head.

Harbhajan Singh: Yes, they were frustrated. I was not getting out, and I was playing along with Sachin. They hadn't thought we could manage such a good partnership. They made Bret Lee bowl, and many others, but when they still couldn't break the partnership, they got angry. So, they started saying weird stuff, and if you say weird stuff to me, it's likely that I will give it back to you.



Shekhar Gupta: But do you regret what happened?

Harbhajan Singh: Well, whatever happened, they shouldn't have stretched it for so long. Even if it was my fault, they could have ended it then and there. If they can say things to people, they should have the ability to listen to stuff being said to them too.

Shekhar Gupta: Hayden had also said something?

Harbhajan Singh: Hayden was rattling on. Michael Clarke too. Then they complained about me, Ricky Ponting was the first. But if you say that the game should be played in the spirit of the game, how can complaining about somebody be included in that?

Shekhar Gupta: What kind of things were they saying?

Harbhajan Singh: First they were talking normally. But when they got personal, I got personal too. But I never said the word that they claimed I did.

Shekhar Gupta: The word, monkey?

Harbhajan Singh: Yes, I never said that. If I had, I would have definitely been banned.

Shekhar Gupta: What were the personal things they were saying?

Harbhajan Singh: About my home, etc. I can't say all those words here in front of the camera.



Shekhar Gupta: Describe your growth as a bowler. Like how you learnt the doosra.

Harbhajan Singh: I have been bowling doosras from the first day. The reason I was included in the Indian team was because I was the only Indian spinner who could bowl the doosra. Then they told me that my action was not right, and I was sent for a test. After I passed that, I came back to international cricket. But they continued to tell me the same thing. After that, I did bio-mechanics, which involves sticking a hundred things on your body. I have gone through all those tests and I am glad everything came out fine.

Shekhar Gupta: What are the new things you have done in cricket, and how have you changed?

Harbhajan Singh: I have not done many new things in terms of my bowling, I have just done what any normal guy may do. I just bowled a lot of balls in the nets, and I practised very hard. And I made sure I did my work right.

Shekhar Gupta: So, you learnt your tricks over time.

Harbhajan Singh: Yes, just by bowling in the nets and working hard. I love bowling single wickets, I think every spinner should bowl lots of single wickets. It gives you a lot of confidence. I still do it.

Shekhar Gupta: Players like you, who have been around for such a long time and have learnt so much, do you even feel the need for a coach?

Harbhajan Singh: Yes, because nobody can ever become perfect in cricket. Coaches always stand there and observe you play. Whenever I go to Jalandhar, I always make my old coach, Davinder Aroraji, stand at the nets. He can spot even the smallest of my mistakes. He has been watching my progress since childhood and even now he instructs me on how to improve my bowling.

Shekhar Gupta: Of the coaches that the national team has had -- Gary Kirsten now, Chappell before that, John Wright before that, what are their attributes?

Harbhajan Singh: I think John Wright was fantastic with the team. He gave a lot of confidence to the players. When Mr Chappell took over from him, that was the biggest disaster. Everything went wrong, I don't know what he was up to.

Shekhar Gupta: But he caused insecurity in the team.

Harbhajan Singh: Yes, a lot of it. You couldn't go and talk to him about anything. As a player, if I go to the coach and tell him, 'Sir, my hand is not coming like this, what do you think' or 'I am not confident, what do I do', his job is to give me hausla (courage). But he, instead, would go to the press and say that he is not good, he lacks confidence. I remember, in one of his interviews, he said that a couple of guys are like cancer in the team. When he started off in Zimbabwe, we were playing a Test match and he was writing a mail to his journalist friend, saying this guy is like this, that guy is like that. He was leaking information to the media.



Shekhar Gupta: Did you ever confront him?

Harbhajan Singh: Yes, many times, that is why he did not like me. That's why he didn't like Sourav, Veeru or Zaheer because we were guys who used to ask him. He didn't like Sachin, he was after Sachin. Imagine, he wanted Sachin to retire.

Shekhar Gupta: So his going was good riddance.

Harbhajan Singh: Yes, thank God we got rid of him and we got Gary Kirsten. He's a proper guy for a team like India. And the way he handles the team, I have not seen anyone do it.

Shekhar Gupta: Tell me about your own tough moments -- that fight with Sreesanth on the field.

Harbhajan Singh: I had a fight with him. Whatever happened was wrong on my part. But the coach came and spoke to me. He said I just want you to forget what happened, we will make sure everybody is happy -- you are happy, the team is happy, Sreesanth is happy. We are just like a family, we have fights in our family. We need a guy like Gary to understand that we are not just playing, this is a family kind of a thing.

Shekhar Gupta: Some have felt that you have not been on top of your form lately.

Harbhajan Singh: You can't be in form all the time. You will have your low days, you will have your good days.

Shekhar Gupta: Is the strain of shifting between three forms of cricket too much?

Harbhajan Singh: It is difficult sometimes when you are bowling from one-dayers to Tests to T-20s. But you just have to go take those challenges and hope that you come out successful today, tomorrow and the next day.

Source: The Indian Express

Will the ‘inspirational’ captain break the title jinx for MI?

Sachin Tendulkar has been hailed as the ‘inspirational’ captain by the entire team of Mumbai Indians. In April this year, he missed out on maiden title triumph for Mumbai Indians when the team lost the IPL final to Chennai Super Kings. The CL T20 is now his best chance to break the jinx but the little master will have to fight against the odds as Mumbai Indians do not start as bookies’ favourites.



When Mumbai Indians set out in the CL T20, one 'champion of cricket' will be itching to reach the summit. It is an irony that in 20 years of cricket, Sachin has not been very successful as a captain but for a few big moments like the Titan Cup although he has been in that role for a short period considering his stature as a cricketer.

His two tenures as India captain in 1997 and then in 1999 proved uninspiring. He was offered national duty again in 2007 but the little master declined the offer and rather recommended Dhoni for the top position.

But, the master blaster has been a revelation as a captain for Mumbai Indians. During the IPL this year, Mumbai Indians dominated every game on their way to the final before tripping at the last hurdle against Chennai Super Kings. For the little master, the CL T20 is a golden chance to break that jinx but the team will have to fight against the odds.



Ironically, the red-hot Sachin's Mumbai Indians are not the favourites with bookmakers to pull it off in the CL T20. Leading UK bookmaker Betfair.com has put the odds at 5.0 even for Victoria Bushrangers, making the Australian side the favourites to win the title. They are followed by Royal Challengers of Bangalore at 5.6, Chennai Super Kings at 5.7 and then come Mumbai Indians at 6 even. Veterans William Hill have more or less put same odds but have attached the favourites tag to RCB.

Bookies order of favourites for CL T20

1. Victoria Bushrangers
2. RCB
3. Chennai Super Kings
4. Mumbai Indians
5. Warriors
6. Highveld Lions
7. South Australia
8. Guyana
9. Wayamba
10. Central districts

'Champions of cricket' ready for blast



'Champions of cricket' ready for blast

Johannesburg: Under the watchful eyes of the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU), the glitzy Champions League Twenty20 starts with the shadow of the spot-fixing scandal, that has shaken the core of the game, looming large.

Featuring the top three IPL teams apart from squads from Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa and the West Indies, the two-week event will open with IPL runners-up Mumbai Indians taking on Highveld Lions (South Africa).

Organisers say the tournament will have strict anti-corruption measures in place to ensure that the menace of spot-fixing, which has led to the suspension of three Pakistani cricketers, does not find a mention in the event.

Apart from Mumbai, the other Indian teams in fray are IPL champions Chennai Super Kings and third-place finishers Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Australia will be represented by South Australian Redbacks and Victorian Bushrangers, while South Africa will have the Warriors and Highveld Lions in fray.




Central Stags (New Zealand), Wayamba Elevens (Sri Lanka) and Guyana (West Indies) are the other three teams in the field.

None of the IPL teams who competed last year could make an impression and the three teams playing this year would seek to make amends for the previous edition's flop-show.

Leading the pack would be Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai, which has a formidable line-up of big-hitters such as Matthew Hayden, Mike Hussey, Suresh Raina, Albie Morkel and Justin Kemp.

Their bowling line-up features leading Test off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and they will be favourites to advance to the semifinals from Group A, which also features the Warriors, Victoria, Wayamba and Central Stags.

Bangalore, who were there in the field even the last time around, have a stronger batting line-up to boast of with the ever-reliable Rahul Dravid, explosive New Zealander Ross Taylor and the versatile South African Jacques Kallis.



The bowling has inspirational skipper Anil Kumble leading the spin department with Dale Steyn adding zing to the pace attack.

Kallis normally plays for the Warriors, while Taylor pads up for the Central Stags but both the players were bought by the IPL franchise after paying a USD 200,000 compensation to their respective state teams.

"The biggest challenge is how quickly you acclimatize to the conditions and the need to start well in the tournament," said Kumble.

Sachin Tendulkar's Mumbai, on the other hand, also have a formidable look with their batting having the firepower of South African big-hitter JP Duminy and West Indian sensation Kieron Pollard.




The bowling features Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh with Sri Lanka pacer Lasith Malinga proving the support.

"We have champions from all cricketing nations, so it's as tough as it can get. It is competitive ... and we have world-class players participating," said Tendulkar.

Mumbai grouped with Bangalore, the Highveld Lions, South Australia and Guyana.

The team they face in the tournament-opener on Friday, Highveld Lions, can be tagged as the underdogs. Banking on local support and some fireworks from batsmen such as Alviro Petersen and Neil McKenzie to match up to Mumbai's might.

The tournament would be played out in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Port Elizabeth, with the final on September 26.

Source: India Syndicate / PTI

Meet Group Captain Sachin Tendulkar

New Delhi: In a light blue terrycot half-sleeve shirt, silk rank braid on his shoulders and collar tags of an Indian Air Force (IAF) group captain - that is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, the cricketing wonder of India, in his new innings and uniform.

Tendulkar may have achieved many cricketing heights in the last two decades, but Friday was "a memorable moment" for the batting maestro as he donned a new cap and the blue outfit of the IAF.

He was conferred with the IAF's honorary rank of group captain to honour his achievements and contributions to the nation in the cricketing field.



With this, Tendulkar becomes the first sportsperson of India to be conferred the IAF honorary rank. The 37-year-old batsman also became the first to receive the honour with no aviation background.

Kapil Dev, India's 1983 World Cup winning captain, was given the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel of the Territorial Army in 2008.



Tendulkar was ceremoniously inducted into the force as its brand ambassador at an event here when IAF chief Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik presented the cricketer his rank.

"It's a great pleasure and honour. I cannot say it's even a dream come true. It was a wishful thinking and it has come true today," said Tendulkar, looking great in an IAF uniform.




With the shirt, he was wearing blue grey terrycot trousers, a narrow blue grey nylon belt with the chrome plated IAF crest on the buckle, a peak cap, black shoes and the grey name tab of "Sachin Tendulkar".

The only things missing on the uniform were entitled ribbons, decorations and an entitled aircrew badge on his chest.




"As soon as he flies, we will give him the wings," Naik told reporters, adding that the highest run getter in both Test and limited over matches would be flown in the SU-30 "when he gets time from his busy schedule".

And Tendulkar connected well with his audience well when asked to speak. "My senior colleagues," he said, to loud applause from the gathering full of senior IAF officials, including the only living five-star rank officer Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh.




Tendulkar said, " I am extremely proud to be part of IAF".Join the air force and serve the nation. So dream, because dreams do come true".

Earlier, President Pratibha Patil had conferred the honorary rank of the IAF on the iconic batsman on June 23 this year. The rank was conferred under the provision of granting honorary rank by the armed forces to eminent personalities to acknowledge their contribution towards the nation.

Till date, 21 eminent personalities have been granted honorary ranks by the IAF, the first being the Raja of Jawhar Yashwant Rao, who was conferred the flight lieutenant's rank in 1944.




Industrialist J.R.D. Tata was made an honorary air vice marshal in 1974, and the last one to get such an honour, in 1990, was industrialist-cum-aviator Vijaypat Singhania, who is now an honorary air commodore.


Naik said that besides recognition of his contributions, Tendulkar's association with the force would motivate the younger generation to join the IAF.

"The youth admire him. I think the youth will get inclined towards the Air Force. We are hopeful."

Source: IANS

It is something one would like to erase by Sachin Tendulkar

Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar said people bringing disgrace to the game makes him sad as it leaves a bad impression on cricket, which should always head in the right direction. After staying quiet, Sachin Tendulkar finally spoke on cricket's biggest scandal.

"Yes. It doesn't leave a good impression about cricket and cricketers. It is something one would like to erase and make sure cricket heads in the right direction so that it helps cricket to grow across the globe," Tendulkar said on Tuesday.



The sport has recently being marred by a spot-fixing scandal after British tabloid News of the World exposed London-based bookie Mazhar Majeed predicting no-balls bowled by Pakistani bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir for taking cash on camera.

'It is something one would like to erase'

In an interview to television channel Times Now on the occasion of 'joy of giving', Tendulkar said his father has always been the most influential figure in his life.

"My biggest influence has been my father. He has left a huge impact on my life. As a child I learnt a lot just by observing him. The culture and values of my family have made me what I am," he said.

'It is something one would like to erase'

Tendulkar said the 1999 Cricket World Cup, when his father Ramesh Tendulkar died, was the most difficult phase of his life but it was the strength of his family that helped him to ride over that emotional crisis.

"It was the most difficult moment of my life. I came back from England midway through the World Cup. But my mom, wife, brother, everybody told me that my father would have wanted me to go back and play and so I did," Tendulkar said.

'It is something one would like to erase'

Asked about his retirement plans, Tendulkar said he has not thought of it yet.

"I have not thought about it. There are no retirement plans, I will tell you when I decide," he said.

Tendulkar said cricket has always been the centre stage of his life right from the childhood days as he had always dreamt of playing for India.

'It is something one would like to erase'

"Right from school days, I had the love and passion for the game. Playing for India was the ultimate dream. Whatever happened in my life happened around cricket. It has always been at the centre stage. Cricket helped me to grow," he said.

Asked about how his mentor Ramakant Achrekar, who used to place a coin on his stumps while coaching, Tendulkar said those coins are as good as gold medals for him.

'It is something one would like to erase'

"Those coins are gold medals for me. It was a huge challenge for me to survive when he used to make me bat after playing the whole day. He used to play coins on stumps and I had to survive with around 40-50 fielders around.

'It is something one would like to erase'

"Any one caught the ball and I was out, so I had to play carefully. At that time I was feeling tired but today when I look back I realise how those things made me what I am," he said.