Sachin Page #8

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- Me neither.

He used to be so full

of confidence that...

...he would say, this match is mine,

I am going to win it for the team.

- Sachin, thank you for

entertaining us today.

- Yeah, this has always

been a special game for us.

- And it's the 4th World

Cup we've beaten them in a row.

- And nothing means

more than this to us.

And this is an emphatic

win for India.

So a journey that started

on the 12th of February...

...has ended up with them being

in the Final of the World Cup.

We were all charged up

looking forward to the Final.

The biggest game of my life...

So Australia have got 359 for 2.

I knew it was a Herculean

task to chase those runs.

We wanted to sort of

break that target down...

...and achieve smaller goals.

The question was,

can we hit 50 boundaries in 50 overs?

Difficult... but we can.

Now we're left with 250 balls.

Can we score 160 runs in 250 balls?

Yes, we can.

I played one pull shot...

...and the ball took the top edge of

the bat and went right up in the air...

I am like praying...

please let him drop the catch.

Sometimes they drop.

One in a hundred.

Unfonunately,

none of the other batsmen also scored.

Everyone was trying to

play shots and getting out.

That's in the air,

should be taken.

World Cup for Australia.

A comprehensive win here

by 125 runs.

- And the Man of the Tournament

is Mr. Sachin Tendulkar.

When I got back from South Africa...

...friends who had come

to receive me asked...

"Where is the gold bat you won?"

I said, "What gold bat?"

They said, "The Man of the

Tournament Bat that you got."

I had just packed and

checked the Golden Bat in.

The other trophy

meant everything to me...

...and it was in their dressing room.

Not ours...

My body was not in

a great shape at that time.

I was finding it difficult

to keep myself injury free.

For him, God is very, very important.

Maybe things have happened

that have made him believe.

He started playing

international cricket at 16.

Before his body was ready.

It was either his knee,

or groin, or his back...

...the injures kept coming.

He's got a crack in his

toe that will never heal.

Can you imagine playing

international cricket all your life...

...without being able

to take weight on your toe?

The toughest injury to deal

with was my tennis elbow injury.

That pain was excruciating.

Even opening the door, or picking

up a glass of water was painful.

Everyone was suggesting something...

...and I was prepared to try anything.

Sachin won't be able to play in

the match against Pakistan.

Troubled with tennis elbow...

...Sachin Tendulkar just

recently had a scan in London.

- Are you sticking to

your old trusted heavy bat?

- I am sticking to what

I feel comfonable with...

...not what other people

feel comfonable with.

- It's all been done in

consultation with the doctors...

...who have actually examined my injury.

- Because there have been a lot of

doctors who have not even met me...

...and they know what

is wrong with my elbow.

- I really find that funny.

Everytime Tendulkar got an injury...

...lndia got to know a little

more about human anatomy.

No one knew what a tennis

elbow was for heaven's sake...

...until Tendulkar got a tennis elbow.

10 or 12-year-old kids...

...would stop the ball

10 yards away from me.

That particular experience

gave me nightmares.

I thought, my carrier's over.

I would have to tell him that...

...you've played for so many years.

Nobody else has played so long.

Your body has supported

you for so many years...

...think positively.

I used to call my friends

and say that I want to see you.

I would say, "Bloody hell

what's he doing awake at 4am?"

I would pray to God...

...that please don't let

my career end like this.

You've to give me another chance.

A famous father and his

son enjoying a game of cricket.

It was a forced rest

forSachin Tendulkar...

...after his tennis elbow surgery.

Nearly three months later he began

short sessions with the bat at the nets.

His physios would give

him fixed programs like...

...he must play 40 balls in a day.

He would end up playing

140 balls in a day!

He would climb 10 storeys

up and down for fitness...

...so that whenever he recovers

from his elbow injury...

...he's match-fit.

For the average Mumbaikar,

Sachin back at the nets...

...after a tennis elbow injury,

means good news for Indian cricket.

- Sachin's come through

today pretty well.

- We just need to see how he

responds to that the next day.

While I was walking out

on the field to bat again...

...l looked up and thanked

God for this moment in my life.

The crowd was aware that

I was returning after an injury.

I got a loud, standing ovation.

There's no bigger moment

than this for a sportsman.

This is what he lives for.

Back then,

along with congratulating him...

...l also said that now

I am raising the bar for you.

You must now score 100 centuries.

He laughed as he went in.

- Even I didn't know,

until I switched on the TV.

- My picture with Sachin in the papers"

- He's scored thirty-five 100s.

What a man!

- Say something on Sachin.

- Say something on Sachin.

- Let me think... Next!

- He can't bat.

- Great feeling.

- A special day for him,

for a special person, special champion.

- I saw his first 100 as well,

I was on the balcony.

- I heard Adidas gave him a shoe.

- It said Sachin 35.

- They are making another one,

Anil 35...

...but that's my age.

- Well, he's been great,

you know... for Indian cricket.

- But I am better.

- I think Boost is the

secret of his energy.

- Thank you, guys-

- It's a wonderful team,

and we've been through ups and downs.

- But every time the

team has stuck together.

- I hope we continue to do this.

- And we'll all get the

World Cup in 2007, which is...

...my dream,

and I am sure it is our dream.

- Hopefully, we will do that.

- Thank you so much.

- This is the most exciting job in cricket.

- One of the most challenging jobs

in cricket and I look forward to...

...the opportunity and the

honour to coach India.

There's no doubt that Greg

Chappell is a very accomplished coach.

He's not a warm and

fuzzy figure by any means.

Perhaps he didn't understand as much

about Indian cricket politics as he thought.

When he had joined the team, few

senior players were telling me that...

...l don't think this coach

is doing any good to our team.

He should change his attitude.

- I've had about a gutful...

- If I see one more batsman just

waste his time in the nets...

...l'm going to scream.

He was like a school headmaster.

His theory was very simple...

...divide and rule.

- It's a tough job.

Today Greg must tell

India's biggest superstar...

...Sachin Tendulkar,

he won't be opening the batting.

- If he wants to be difficult, ermm...

...then that's just what I have to do.

- Ermm, I have to convince him...

or tell him that...

...for the next few games at least

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