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Now youngsters have none to look up to: Dravid
Sachin, Dravid have been role models for Indian cricketers for a long time. — File photo
A tale of two cricketers: King is going, but the prince is back
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Mumbai to host Master’s farewell
In league of Pele, Fed: World media hails Sachin as a modern great
Stapled Chinese visas for archers deplete team
Another treble from big daddy of tons
Novak Djokovic was made to fight hard by Frenchman Gael Monfils before the Serb won 6-7(4) 6-2 6-4. — AFP
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Now youngsters have none to look up to: Dravid
“The next generation of players will miss him, not having SRT in the dressing room. He has been an inspiration for long to so many young kids. It`s been a big loss. He might not be present there in the dressing room but his legacy would be there for a long time to come. It would be carried by next generation of players,” he said. Dravid, one of India`s greatest batsmen himself, said Tendulkar, as a teammate, was always approachable and remained grounded despite being a superstar. “He is a superstar, no doubt about it. The way he presented himself shows that Indian cricket could achieve a lot, grow around him. He helped Indian cricket have a successful period for the last decade and a half or so,” he added. “You knew that it was going to happen sooner rather than later. There were indications that he would finish it but he would finish that with the West Indies tour, I did not get that inkling,” said Dravid. Dravid said Tendulkar chose the perfect time to bid adieu. “It`s been a great career, a great opportunity for him and for the whole of India...These two matches to recognise what he has done. I think it`s a great time for him to go, in a sense the 200th Test match. It`s a great occasion for him playing in his 200th Test, probably in Mumbai and in front of his home crowd. It`s fantastic for him,” Dravid said. Dravid said it`s very hard to arrive at a decision like this and Tendulkar must have known from his heart. “It wouldn`t have been easy for him. He must have known from his heart. He had gone by what his heart told him. You take a lot of advice from family, people who are close to you. But in the end, it`s your call and it`s been Sachin`s call.”
— PTI
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A tale of two cricketers: King is going, but the prince is back
Pune, October 11 The much-needed balm flowed from the willow of Yuvraj Singh. Besides, the astonishing knock also scripted a personal triumph for him, signaling that he’s well and truly back from the wilderness his illness had threatened to push him into. So, in a way, India found Yuvraj back the day it lost Sachin Tendulkar. The once crown prince of the Indian cricket announced his second coming the day the king decided to abdicate the throne that has been his for the last 24 years. Could we have asked for a better coincidence? And the man himself seemed aware of the irony while talking about his knock and Tendulkar. “Well I don't know if I am happy or sad. Happy about how I hit the ball and sad because Sachin is retiring. But really happy how I’ve played since India A and WI A series," he said. To be fair, it’s not that we have found another Tendulkar, or his replacement. It was after all just one T20 game where reputations are made and ruined with every game, where it’s tough, if not impossible, to measure’s one’s real worth. Yet, even after making necessary allowances for the easy-to-ride T20 beast, Yuvraj’s knock and his form, dedication and hard work leading up to it, promises much more than dime-a-dozen such T20 knocks do. For starters, he looked like Yuvraj of old, the man who won India the World Cup. The strokes he played had all class and elegance written over it, there was nothing cheeky about it. Such was the elegance that the man about to retire would have been proud to play them. One could, therefore, stick is neck out and say he’s here to stay for a while now. That he managed to get the anxiety and pressure of making a successful comeback out of the way before the start of the ODI series makes it even better. Free from the pressure of proving a point or earning his place in the side, the relaxed left-hander could be even more potent in the ODI series, starting from October 13 in Pune. Besides bringing his explosive batting, wily bowling and fielding to the table, his return also gives India one of its deadliest combinations in the middle – Yuvraj and MS Dhoni. As seen in the last game, no total could be out of reach for India with these two, arguably the best hitters of the cricket ball, working in tandem. And that’s reason good enough to smile, even as Tendulkar prepares for his final hurrah. |
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Mumbai to host Master’s farewell
Mumbai, October 11 A top BCCI official said it will be made official only after the BCCI’s tours and fixtures committee meets. The tours and fixtures committee will meet on Tuesday. Also, coach Ramakant Achrekar wants to be in the spectators gallery when his Sachin would take guard for one last time.
— PTI
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In league of Pele, Fed: World media hails Sachin as a modern great
The times In his column for the ‘The Times’, former England captain Mike Atherton described Tendulkar as the “superhero for our times”. “In cricket, only Sir Don Bradman’s average of 99.94 or Brian Lara breaking the world record twice - which was like man walking on the moon and then landing on Mars 10 years later - come close to Tendulkar’s century of international hundreds and double century of Test caps for superhuman endurance,” the newspaper said. “Never has a cricketer been as venerated, if not actually worshipped, by his own people.” The Guardian
A write-up in the ‘Guardian’ newspaper said, Tendulkar’s achievements dwarfs those of all his contemporaries. “Tendulkar has around a billion of them (fans) ... shows the size of the burden he has laboured under. No one, in any sport, has performed so consistently, under such pressure, over such a long period of time. By that measure, the margin between Tendulkar and the rest is as wide as the gap between Bradman’s batting average and the next best,” the newspaper said. Describing him as “superhuman”, tabloid 'Mirror' compared him to legends of other sports in greatness. The Independent ‘The Independent’ quoted England pace spearhead James Anderson as expressing “awe” for Tendulkar. “He’s one of the best I have ever bowled at, definitely.” You can be standing at mid-on watching him bat and you’re in awe, I know you shouldn’t be when you’re on the field, but you could tell he was very, very special,” Anderson said."Any time you get someone who is classed as one of the greats — like Ponting or Lara — it does feel a little bit more special," he added. “Every time I got him out I got that feeling.” Sydney Morning Herald With the headline ‘Tendulkar departs as a deity of cricket’, ‘Sydney Morning Herald’ said, “A batting genius who has played the game for almost a quarter of a century, he combined brilliance with incredible longevity. He outlasted fellow greats such as West Indies champion Brian Lara, Australian legend Ricky Ponting and Indian teammate Rahul Dravid, and inspired a new generation of players who wanted to be like him,” the newspaper said. — Agencies
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Stapled Chinese visas for archers deplete team
Patiala, October 11 Compound archers Yumi Sorang and Mihu Maselo, who hail from Arunachal Pradesh, were the only ones among the 24 members of the Indian team who were given stapled visas issued on separate papers. There had also been an assurance that this would cause no problems. However, the archers were prevented from boarding the flight by the immigration officials, who said they would not be allowed to enter China without an affixed visa on their passport. Archery Association of Indian (AAI) assistant secretary Gunjan Abrol told the Tribune that they were shocked when the airline authorities told them that the immigration department in China would not allow the two archers to enter their country. “While the other archers left for the competition, the two girls had no option but to stay back,” he said. “We are continuously in touch with the Chinese embassy on this matter but even after almost a day, there is no response from their end.” This spoils India’s prospects in the event as now the women’s (cadet) compound team would not be able to participate in the team event with just one player, in case the two don’t reach there before official practice on October 13. Expressing discontent over this, Indian senior compound squad coach Jiwanjot Singh Teja said singling out players on the basis of their state is totally unjustified. “With just one day left for the tournament to begin, this incident had left India with no option but to send the incomplete squad,” he added. “The Sports Ministry should intervene and ensure that these players get the visa in time for the tournament.” AAI president Vijay Kumar Malhotra has denounced China for giving stapled visas to the two archers, terming it as an “affront” to India’s sovereignty and integrity. “Sometimes they issue proper visas to the Indians from these states but when they want to force an issue or raise a dispute, they indulge in stapled visa tactics. It may be symbolic but it is very dangerous because this way they challenge the integrity of our country,” Abrol said. |
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Another treble from big daddy of tons
Hubli, October 11 Saurashtrian run-machine displayed an innings of discipline and character to remain unbeaten on 306 as the hosts declared their innings at 564 for nine at tea on Day three of the match at KSCA Stadium. Pujara, who had scored 352 against Karnataka in a first-class match, sweated out for nearly 10 hours in the middle, grinding the visiting team bowlers. Since November 2012, Pujara has registered three double hundreds and two triple hundreds in first-class cricket with scores of 206 not out against England, 203 not out against Madhya Pradesh, 352 against Karnataka, 204 against Australia, besides 306 not out against West Indies A. Pujara, who was batting on an overnight score of 139, accelerated the run rate to gain a substantial lead after Abhishek Nayar (11) and Paras Dogra (7) were packed off by medium-pacer Assad Fudadin and left-arm orthodox spinner Nikita Miller, respectively. The skipper played some delightful shots as he smashed 33 boundaries while adding 177 runs to his overnight score. He reached his triple ton when he cover drove a boundary off left-hand medium fast Delorn Johnson for an exquisite boundary after facing 410 balls. Pujara, who also has the distinction of scoring three triple-hundreds within a month of domestic first-class cricket, saw wickets tumbling at the other end with contributions of 26, 6 and 19 coming from the bats of Uday Kaul, Dhawal Kulkarni and Zaheer Khan. Ashley Nurse was the leading wicket-taker with figures of three for 106, while Nikita Miller and Narsingh Deonaraine took two wickets each.
— PTI Brief Scores: WI A 268 and 116 for 3 (Deonarine 44*, Fudadin 36*, Pandey 1-11) trail India A 564 for 9 dec (Pujara 306*, Gambhir 123) by 180 runs. |
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Djokovic, Nadal enter semis
Shanghai, October 11 The Serb, who was replaced by Nadal at the top of the rankings on Monday, defeated Monfils, conqueror of Roger Federer in the previous round, in a match lasting two hours and 23 minutes. After twice exchanging breaks during the first set, the Frenchman bagged the tiebreak 7-4 to go ahead. But Djokovic fought back, twice breaking Monfils, who had to receive treatment on a stomach muscle. Djokovic got the crucial break in the seventh game of the third set and closed out the match to set up a semifinal clash with another Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Nadal was made to work hard in the first set of his quarterfinal against Stanislas Wawrinka, triumphing 7-6(10) 6-1 to progress to set up a clash with Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro. Wawrinka, who is hoping to qualify for the end-of-season ATP World Tour Finals, saved three break points on his way to a 6-5 lead in the opening set before Nadal saved two set points in the 12th game to take it to a tiebreak which he won. The Spaniard, who last week lost to Djokovic in the China Open final, then raced to a 5-0 lead in the second set before the Swiss held serve to merely prolong the inevitable as Nadal served out the match. Del Potro kept his errors to a minimum, breezing past Spain’s Nicolas Almagro 6-3 6-3. Del Potro, seeded sixth, had also defeated Almagro in last week’s Japan Open semifinals and now needs one more victory to seal his spot for next month’s Tour Finals in London. The Argentine, who was suffering from fever during the earlier stages of the hard-court tournament, committed just eight unforced errors during his win and faced a single break point, which he went on to save. “I played very well today, very solid,” Del Potro told reporters. “I played aggressive. I like the way I played today. I just want to keep improving (and) keep going far in this tournament.”
— Reuters
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Ex-F1 test driver Maria dies
Madrid, October 11 De Villota, who lost her right eye and fractured her skull at a test in England in July 2012, had apparently died of ‘natural’ causes, a Spanish police spokeswoman said. “We are assuming it was a natural death, but we cannot confirm anything,” the spokeswoman said, adding that forensic scientists and a homicide unit would examine the scene. Although the 33-year-old recovered from the life-threatening injuries sustained in the crash, she no longer competed and had instead become an inspirational figure for aspiring female drivers and was due to present a book detailing her experiences on Monday.
— Reuters
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Former captain Rahul Dravid feels the Indian team`s young cricketers would miss inspiration in the dressing room when Sachin Tendulkar calls it quits after his 200th Test even though his legacy would linger for a long time to come. “A young cricketer will lose the inspiration. He loses the opportunity to share a dressing room with Tendulkar, a living legend.
New Delhi, October 11
London, October 11
Was a privilege & an honour to do battle with the little master . But our friendship is something I cherish! Good luck buddy. His temperament to play 200 Tests — that mindset to play for such a long period of time — shows the insight that the game is so much to him. I think the way he has gone about it has been amazing.
Hyderabad: 
Stadium. At stumps, Mandeep Singh and Rajat Paliwal were batting on 40 and 41, respectively. Meanwhile, South Zone took a commanding position as they skittled out Central for 209 before reaching 137 /2 in reply on the second day. Resuming at 123/5, Central kept losing wickets but Piyush Chawla top-scored with 56. In reply, South Zone’s Abhinav Mukund (61) and Baba Aparajith (35) at the crease
when stumps were drawn for the day. — Agencies