That’s how all Tendulkar fans are feeling across the globe. — PTI

All my friends. Settle down let me talk, I will get more and more emotional. My life, between 22 yards for 24 years, it is hard to believe that that wonderful journey has come to an end, but I would like to take this opportunity to thank people who have played an important role in my life. Also, for the first time in my life I am carrying this list, to remember all the names in case I forget someone. I hope you understand. It's getting a little bit difficult to talk but I will manage.

The most important person in my life, and I have missed him a lot since 1999 when he passed away, my father. Without his guidance, I don't think I would have been standing here in front of you. He gave me freedom at the age of 11, and told me that I should chase my dreams, but make sure you do not find short cuts. The path might be difficult, but don't give up, and I have simply followed his instructions. Above all, he told me to be a nice human being, which I will continue to do and try my best.

My mother, I don't know how she dealt with such a naughty child like me. I was not easy to manage. She must be extremely patient. For a mother, the most important thing is that her child remains safe and healthy and fit. That was what she was most bothered and worried about... She just prayed and prayed and I think her prayers and blessings have given me the strength to go out and perform, so a big thank you to my mother.

My eldest brother, Nitin, and his family, have always encouraged me. My eldest brother doesn't like to talk much, but the one thing he always told me is that whatever you do, I know you will always give it 100%, and that I have full faith and confidence in you. My sister, Savita, and her family, was no different. The first bat of my life was presented to me by her. That is where the journey began. She is one of those many who still continue to fast when I bat, so thank you very much.

Ajit, my brother, now what do I talk about him? I don't know. We have lived this dream together. He was the one who sacrificed his career for my cricket. He spotted the spark in me. And it all started from the age of 11 when he took me to Archrekar sir, my coach, and from there on my life changed. You will find this hard to believe but even last night he called to discuss my dismissal, knowing that there was a remote chance of batting again, but just the habit we have developed, the rapport we have developed, since my birth, has continued and it will continue.

The most beautiful thing happened to me in 1990 when I met my wife, Anjali. Those were special years and it has continued and will always continue that way. I know Anjali, being a doctor; there was a wonderful career in front of her. When we decided to have a family, Anjali took the initiative to step back and say that 'you continue with your cricket and I will take the responsibility of the family'.

Without that, I don't think I would have been able to play cricket freely and without stress. Thanks for bearing with all my fuss and all my frustrations, and all sorts of rubbish that I have spoken. You are the best partnership I've had in my life.

Then, the two precious diamonds of my life, Sara and Arjun. They have already grown up. My daughter is 16, my son is 14. Time has flown by. I wanted to spend so much time with them on special occasions like their birthdays, their annual days, their sports day, going on holidays, whatever. I have missed out on all those things. Thanks for your understanding.

My in-laws, Anand Mehta and Annabelle, both have been so, so supportive. I have discussed on various things in life, generally with them, and have taken their advice. You know, it's so important to have a strong family who is always with you and who are guiding you. Before you start clapping, the most important thing they did was allowing me to marry Anjali, so thank you very much.

In the last 24 years that I have played for India I have made new friends, and before that I have had friends from my childhood. They have all had a terrific contribution. As and when I have called them to come and bowl to me at the nets, they have left their work aside to come and help me. Be it joining me on holidays and having discussions with me on cricket, or how I was a little stressed and wanting to find a solution so I can perform better. All those moments my friends were with me... Life would be incomplete without all those friends. Thanks for being there for me.

My cricket career started when I was 11. The turning point of my career was when my brother (Ajit) took me to Achrekar sir. I was extremely delighted to see him up in the stands. Normally he sits in front of the television and he watches all the games that I play. When I was 11/12, those were the days when I used to hop back on his scooter and play a couple of practice matches a day. The first half the innings I would be batting at Shivaji Park, the second half, at some other match in Azad Maidan. He would take me all over Mumbai to make sure I got match practice.

On a lighter note, in the last 29 years, sir has never ever said 'well played' to me because he thought I would get complacent and I would stop working hard. Maybe he can push his luck and wish me now, well done on my career, because there are no more matches, sir, in my life. I will be witnessing cricket, and cricket will always stay in my heart, but you have had an immense contribution in my life, so thank you very much.

The journey has been special, the last 24 years, I have played with many senior cricketers, and even before that there were many senior cricketers with whom I watched on television. They inspired me to play cricket, and to play in the right way. Thanks to all those senior cricketers, and unfortunately I have not been able to play with them, but I have high regards for all their achievements and all their contributions.

We see it on the mega-screen, Rahul, Laxman, Sourav, and Anil, who is not here, and my team-mates right here in front me. You are like my family away from home. I have had some wonderful times with you. It is going to be difficult to not be part of the dressing room, sharing those special moments.

I know when MS Dhoni presented me the 200th Test match cap on day one morning. I had a brief message for the team. I would like to repeat that. I just feel that all of us are so, so fortunate and proud to be part of the Indian cricket team and serving the nation. Knowing all of you guys, I know you will continue to serve the nation in the right spirit and right values... All the very best.

I know my speech is getting a bit too long but this is the last thing I want to say. I want to thank all the people here who have flown in from various parts of the world, and have supported me endlessly... I know I have met so many guys who have fasted for me, prayed for me, done so much for me. Without that life wouldn't have been like this for me. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, and also say that time has flown by rather quickly, but the memories you have left with me will always be with me forever and ever, especially "Sachin, Sachin" which will reverberate in my ears till I stop breathing. Thank you very much. If I have missed out on saying something, I hope you understand. Goodbye.

(Sachin Tendulkar poured his heart out while giving his farewell speech).

Mumbai, November 16
By the later afternoon today, only the debris of emotion, the marks of dried tears, remained at the Wankhede Stadium.

For the second Test in a row, we saw only half a contest, which ended when the last West Indian batsman, Shannon Gabriel, was bowled by Mohammed Shami, 47 minutes past 11 in the morning.

Celebrations followed. Pragyan Ojha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Sachin Tendulkar grabbed a stump each. Tendulkar shook hands and hugged each of his teammates, and shook hands with the umpires.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni then directed the others to form two rows for a guard of honour, and prodded Tendulkar towards the middle. The two younger members of the team, Rohit and Virat Kohli, playfully and happily assisted in the formation of the guard of honour.

Tendulkar was no more of the team. He was not part of this team activity. He was already a former player, like three very important men of Indian cricket, his former teammates — Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman — who were lingering at the edge of the boundary at the far end.

Tendulkar knew he wasn’t part of a group, for the first time in 25 years. He stood with his arms hanging, holding a stump, as the others fussed around and pointed fingers at each other to form the perfect guard of honour. He looked around, turned around, grinned and spotted the omnipresent Ravi Shastri striding and booming towards him. They shook hands. Tendulkar stood at the pitch, then turned around and waved his hands at the crowd and turned and walked off the ground for the final time. He waved the stump in his right hand high as the two rows of the guard of honour moved with him, escorting him, a camera at his face trying to capture his expressions.

Tendulkar walked off, head lowered, eyes not visible under his floppy hat, wiping a tear or two with his left hand.

He turned around once again, waved his hands to the crowd, lifted his hat and walked off the turf, straight into the West Indians waiting to shake his hand.

Then he walked into the privacy, the refuge of the dressing room.

They tried to make it fun and happy in the dressing room. Duncan Fletcher gave a speech, as he customarily does at the end of each series. There were jokes and laughter — perhaps they didn’t want to get serious, it may have caused them to drown in a flood of tears. Tendulkar’s absence would be a deep gash — they didn’t wish to talk of the final and permanent departure.

“In the dressing room we just had some funny speeches, that was it,” Rohit Sharma later said. “We just had some fun and jokes, masti and mazak. The way you get together and make fun of each other, that’s all. Duncan Fletcher gave a speech, what he does after every series. That was it, nothing special.”

After Tendulkar’s own speech, he was taken for a lap around the ground. He was like a speck in a massive bunch; he was difficult to spot. He began on his feet, but was then lifted by Dhoni and Kohli on their shoulders. Anjali Tendulkar, daughter Sara and son Arjun were close by.

Waving the Indian flag, Tendulkar soaked in the love from the crowd. Then the more sturdily built Shikhar Dhawan replaced Kohli. The lap ended. Tendulkar was back on his feet.

Then, Tendulkar did something he’s never done before.

He walked to the pitch, alone. He had told all the others, including the cameras, to let him be for a minute, let him bow his head to his workplace in solitude, for the one final time. He walked to the middle, stooped down and touched the pitch.

He was never known to do this. Anjali Tendulkar noticed this for the first time during his final Ranji Trophy match at Lahli. He did it three times here. Once when he came in to bat on the first day of the match; the second time yesterday when he resumed his overnight innings; the third time today, alone, after the end, when the match was over, the speeches were finished, the lap was done. His race was run.

Mumbai, November 16
The Sachin Tendulkar love-fest almost obscured the fact that the second Test match lasted barely two days and one session.

West Indies, the current Twenty20 World Cup champions, weren’t Test class — this made a travesty of the ‘contest’ in Tendulkar’s farewell Test series.

The West Indian batsmen averaged 19.27 in the series, their bowlers averaged 47.40 —one of their worst performances ever.

It must be noted that India’s visits to England and Australia in 2011-12 were similarly disastrous. The feeling is inescapable that with the exit of Tendulkar, India’s golden age of Test cricket is over, and that the days of struggle abroad are going to resume. When Tendulkar was not yet 16, he had played and excelled in the Ranji Trophy but was not selected for the tour of the West Indies in early 1989 because the selectors thought he was too young and the West Indies pace bowlers too scary.

Now he’s 40, a bit too old to be a Test cricketer, and the West Indies are scarily terrible. When Tendulkar began, Test cricket was the acme of the sport. By the time he ended, his own priorities had changed, he had missed a Test tour (of West Indies, in 2011) rather than the money-spinner Indian Premier League. He had put club over country, setting a dangerous precedent.

The West Indians themselves seemed unwilling and incapable of playing Test cricket in the five-odd days (out of a possible maximum of 10 days) they’ve played in the series. This was the second-shortest completed Test in India — only 216.2 overs were bowled in two days and one session, which was extended by 17 minutes today. For the West Indies to lose seven wickets in a session was embarrassing, but not surprising.

The tourists had begun at 43/3, still trailing India by 270 runs. People wanted to see another Tendulkar innings, but for that to happen, Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul had to score centuries. That possibility existed, but in the context of their current form and their disinterest, it was not a realistic possibility. Honestly, no one expected even a semblance of a fight from them, especially the seemingly indifferent Gayle. Marlon Samuels was out stumped for 11 when he charged Ojha, 18 minutes into the day; Gayle was out within the first half-hour, edging Ojha to Dhoni. Narsingh Deonarine lobbed a return catch to Ojha. Chanderpaul was LBW to Aswhin for 41, having played the second-longest knock of the innings, lasting 62 balls. Denesh Ramdin remained unbeaten with the longest knock, 53 off 68 balls, having used the attacking field to get his runs.

Darren Sammy came in at No. 9. It’s not clear what he’s in the team for, for he can’t be a top-order bat or a leading pace bowler, and he certainly can’t inspire and lead from the front.

The win took India to the No. 2 spot in Test cricket, essentially because they’ve played 12 Test matches at a row in home, winning nine, losing two and drawing one.

“It’s the biggest match in cricketing history,” Mahendra Singh Dhoni later said — a forgivable hyperbole because it was an emotional day. He would have been closer to the truth if he’d said it was the shortest match in cricketing history.

West indies 1st inns 182
India 1st inns: 495

West Indies 2nd inns
Gayle c Dhoni b Ojha 35
Powell c Shami b Ashwin 9
Best lbw b Ojha 9
Bravo c Vijay b Ashwin 11
Samuels st Dhoni b Ojha 11
Chanderpaul lbw b Ashwin 41
Deonarine c & b Ojha 0
Ramdin not out 53
Sammy lbw b Ojha 1
Shillingford lbw b Ashwin 8
Gabriel b Shami 0
Extras: (b 4, lb 5) 9
Total: (all out; 47 overs) 187
Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-28, 3-43, 4-74, 5-87, 6-89, 7-157, 8-162, 9-185, 10-187
Bowling: Shami 7-0-28-1; Ashwin 17-4-89-4; Ojha 18-6-49-5; Tendulkar 2-0-8-0

Chennai, November 16
World champion Viswanathan Anand struggled once again with his white pieces and suffered a painful defeat against challenger Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the sixth game of the World Chess Championship here today.

After a shocking loss from a drawn position in the fifth game, Anand looked prepared to strike back but the Berlin defense yet again came in his way as Carlsen demonstrated his superior skills on the board once more in a drawn endgame to beat the world champion.

The Indian is now at a make-or-break situation and the next game will be most crucial to the final outcome of the match. As things stand, after six games and half way through, Carlsen leads the match 4-2, needing just 2.5 points more from next six to become the next world champion.

Anand had his hopes pinned on the king pawn but the Berlin defense has troubled the best players in the world in the last decade.

Team Anand had not found anything in the main line and it was evident from the fact that Anand went for the closed Ruy Lopez, often a simple reprieve when one wants to avoid the intricacies of the Berlin defense. Anand decided to try his chances in the middle game arising out a close variation.

Carlsen was game for it if the opening and middle game was any indication. The Norwegian gave nothing away and by the 20th move it was a level position on board for Anand with not much to look upto.

However the match situation suggested otherwise, Anand had to play on for a win and that's what he decided to do, unfortunately the plan boomeranged.

Carlsen, with his immaculate understanding of almost all kind of positions, neutralized white's initiative in the middle game and when a queen and rook with pawns endgame arose on the board, it was already clear that the Norwegian was calling the shots.

Pushed back on the defensive third time in as many games as white, Anand fumbled, probably this might be the costliest fumble for him ever, as he allowed Carlsen to get a pawn plus rook endgame.

Theoretically the position was still drawn, but then that was the case in the prvious game of the match too. Yet again, Carlsen provoked Anand to do something to solve matters quickly and the defending champion realized how hard it is to achieve it against the 'Mozart of chess'.

The endgame was drawn till move 56 according to the experts of the game. Then Anand made one mistake after another and it was all over 11 moves later.

In the post game conference, Carlsen said he is happy to have a healthy lead at the half way stage in the match.

Anand needs to do everything right to be back in the match. Things look very difficult for the Indian as of now, especially after two back-to-back losses from drawn endgame. — PTI

Austin, November 16
Quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel's bid for a record eighth straight Formula One race win of the season picked up speed on Friday with the Red Bull driver fastest in free practice for the U.S. Grand Prix.

After sitting near the bottom of the timing sheets in a foggy and chaotic opening practice session, the 26-year-old German sizzled under the blazing afternoon Texas sun and lapped the Circuit of the Americas with a best time of one minute 37.305 seconds.

"The circuit was quite slippery today; I was happy with the car but you always know you can improve here and there," Vettel told reporters. "I think we got through the programme, we were able to test some things, some were good and some not so good, but we will see.

"Ferrari looked quick this morning and McLaren could be a surprise here and Lotus and Mercedes will be strong as normal."

Vettel, who won his fourth successive title in India last month and now has 11 wins this year, was 0.115 seconds faster than Australian team mate Mark Webber who cemented the Red Bull one-two.

No driver has ever won eight races in a row in a single season, but Vettel equalled Michael Schumacher's seven earlier this month in Abu Dhabi and is favourite to win again this weekend.

The two Red Bulls were followed by the two Mercedes drivers with Germany's Nico Rosberg third and Britain's Lewis Hamilton, winner of the inaugural race in Austin last year with McLaren, ready for another strong weekend in fourth.

"This track and city are just such a beautiful place to be racing," said Hamilton. "It was a pretty straightforward day although we still have some work to do to nail the set-up because it's not quite there yet.

"But all of us in the team are focused on ending the season on a high and taking that foundation with us into the winter." — Reuters

Melbourne, November 16
A birdie on the closing hole saw India's Gaganjeet Bhullar force his way into the top-10 at the end of the third round of the Talisker Masters at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club, here on Saturday. Bhullar was now three-under 210 and in tied 10th place.

At the top, Masters champion Adam Scott moved into a four-shot lead with a second straight 66 and he was 14-under 199 for 54 holes.

But the star of the third day was Vijay Singh (63) as he rocketed to tied second place alongside Australians Nick Cullen (69), Nathan Holman (70) and Matthew Griffin (69).

Rishi Dhawan

Twenty-three-year-old Dhawan, who finished with match figures of nine for 121, was ably supported by his new-ball partner Vikramjeet Malik (2 for 21) and debutant seamer Akshay Chauhan (3 for 14).

Brief scores

Jammu & Kashmir 178 & 88 (Manik Gupta 18, Obaid Haroon 18; Rishi Dhawan 5 for 51); Himachal Pradesh 458.

Haryana-Jharkhand tie poised for exciting end

Lahli: Fast bowlers Shankar Rao and Varun Aaron shared seven wickets as Jharkhand

dismissed Haryana for 123 in their second innings and then reached 74 for three at stumps on day 3 of the Group A Ranji Trophy match at Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium here on Saturday.

The 30-year-old Rao sent down a fiery spell today and captured four top-order batsmen early on after Haryana came out to bat for the second time, following the dismissal of Jharkhand for 231 in their first innings yesterday.

Rao took the wickets of openers Nitin Saini (0) and Abhimanyu Khod (6), Sunny Singh (0) and Rahul Dalal (0), while his pace partner Aaron dismissed Avi Barot (1), Joginder Sharma (2) and Mohit Sharma (0).

Shahbaz Nadeem, Bhavin Thakkar and Ishank Jaggi took one wicket each.

Sachin Rana was the highest scorer as he hit 84 off 142 balls with the help of eight fours and three sixes.

In their second essay, Bhavin Thakkar (29) and Ishank Jaggi (27) were at the crease when the stumps were drawn with Jharkhand still needing 128 runs with seven wickets in hand.

Brief scores

Haryana: 309 & 123 (S Rana 84; SS Rao 4/35)

Dubai, November 16
Henrik Stenson fired a five-under 67 in the third round of Dubai's $8-million DP World Tour Championship on Saturday to retain a one-shot lead, although Ian Poulter - who can pip the Swede to Europe's money list title - closed to within four shots.

Stenson can win the Race to Dubai, formerly the European Order of Merit, with victory at the tour's season finale, as can Poulter if he prevails over 72 holes at the Earth course and Stenson fails to finish in the top two.

Stenson sank four birdies on the final five holes to move to an aggregate 17-under 199, while Briton Poulter (66) is on 203.

Sandwiched between them is Victor Dubuisson who rattled in 11 birdies as he equalled this year's best round of 64. The in-form Frenchman, winner of last week's $7-million Turkish Airlines Open, is on 200 or 16 under. — Reuters

New Delhi, November 16
Living up to his top billing, Yuki Bhambri clinched his third overall and second consecutive singles title of season as he routed third seed N Sriram Balaji 6-2 6-2 in a lop-sided summit clash.

Yuki will now head to China for the Asia Pacific Australian Open wild card tournament.

He had entered this tournament after winning a Challenger level title in Traralgon, Australia. He had won a Futures title in August in Chinese Taipei, where he ended runner-up to Yen-Hsun Lu the next month.

It was first meeting between Yuki and Balaji since their 2008 match on ITF circuit. Balaji was playing his second final of the season, having won a title in June when he defeated Jeevan Nedunchezhian.

Balaji had a played a marathon semifinal yesterday and also the doubles final and he lacked strength to counter the class of Yuki.

Yuki never let Balaji play his net game as he controlled the proceedings right from the word go. Yuki did not need to flex his muscles or try something as he took out the win in just 56 minutes. — PTI

Belgrade, November 16
Holders Czech Republic took a 2-1 lead over hosts Serbia in the Davis Cup final after Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek romped to a 6-2 6-4 7-6 (4) win over Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac in Saturday's doubles.

The result put the Czechs firmly in the driving seat with Berdych facing world number two Novak Djokovic in Sunday's opening singles before Stepanek takes on Dusan Lajovic, a late replacement for the injured Janko Tipsarevic.

Berdych and Stepanek improved their Davis Cup doubles record as a pair to 14-1 with an effervescent performance in the packed Kombank Arena, with several hundred colourful Czech fans often gaining the upper hand over 15,000 home supporters in terms of noise.

Volleying past their opponents almost at will and carving them open with passing shots time and again, the Czech duo broke both Zimonjic's and Bozoljac's serve in the opening set as the Serbians also committed too many unforced errors.

With the flat-looking Zimonjic dropping his serve again in the opening game of the second set, the visitors comfortably held on to their advantage as Stepanek ran both Serbs ragged with devastating forays to the net.

The Czechs faced their only break point of the match in the fifth game of the third set but Stepanek held serve after a pair of audacious volleys and the champions then stormed back from a 3-1 deficit in the tiebreak to seal victory in two hours 12 minutes. — Reuters

London, November 16
France's hopes of reaching the World Cup finals are hanging by a thread after a 2-0 first-leg defeat away to Ukraine in their playoff on Friday while Cristiano Ronaldo's late winner gave Portugal the edge against Sweden.

Ten-man Iceland battled to 0-0 home draw with Croatia in Reykjavic to keep alive their dream of qualifying for a first major tournament while Greece will be confident of finishing off Romania next week after a 3-1 victory in Athens.

Of the eight European nations in the last-chance saloon after missing out on automatic passage to next year's tournament in Brazil, France are the worst placed going into next week's second legs after a miserable night in Kiev. Second-half goals by Ukraine's Roman Zozulia and Andriy Yarmolenko and a red card for France defender Laurent Koscielny made it a night to forget for Didier Deschamps' side who need a vast improvement in Paris on Tuesday to repair the damage.

"It's obviously a very bad result. We have to believe (we can go through) but Ukraine are the team in the best position to qualify," he said.

Mumbai, November 16
West Indies off-spinners Marlon Samuels and Shane Shillingford have been reported with suspected illegal bowling actions during the second Test against India, which ended in Mumbai on Saturday.

Samuels and Shillingford were reported at the end of the second day’s play on Friday by on-field umpires Richard Kettleborough and Nigel Llong, TV Umpire Vineet Kulkarni and Andy Pycroft of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees.

Mr Pycroft handed over the copies of the reports to the West Indies team manager after the conclusion of the Test. The umpires’ reports have cited concerns over the two bowlers’ bowling actions, with particular references to Samuels’ “quicker deliveries” and Shillingford’s “doosras”. Both the bowlers have previously been reported and suspended from bowling in international cricket. — TNS