I am not in a race with Anna Hazare: Sachin Tendulkar

I I am not in a race with Anna Hazare: Sachin Tendulkar

On the morning of September 28, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, the world's most feted batsman, walked into his new Rs 76 crore, three-storey home on Perry Cross Road in Mumbai's Bandra suburb. Accompanied by his mother, wife and two children, Tendulkar distributed sweets to slum children who waited outside the seven-foot-high walls to pay homage to their cricket god. A home of his own has been one of Tendulkar's special dreams. And he was thrilled to have it finally come true.

But there is one dream the nation has been waiting for to come true ever since Tendulkar scored his 99th hundred during the World Cup at Nagpur against South Africa on March 12: his 100th century. It will be the crowning glory of a career that has spanned 22 years and 33,076 runs (Tests and ODIs) and 199 wickets (Tests and ODIs).

And there is another that the master blaster doesn't speak of much: To help provide quality, affordable education to the eight million children who are out of school. At Mumbai's Yash Raj Studios on September 18, he spent six hours offering cricketing tips to underprivileged students from across India via satellite, raising Rs 7 crore in donations to be spent on an estimated 140 schools in India that lack facilities like libraries, drinking water, specialised teachers and toilets. The organisers, Coca-Cola India and Charities Aid Foundation, hope to replicate the project every year to include more schools across the country. Next year, the figure could double.

At 38, after 22 years in the game in which he has smashed most batting records, he is not done with cricket. Excerpts from an interview with Deputy Editor Shantanu Guha Ray of India Today.

Q: Will anyone in India talk cricket after the whitewash in England? Perhaps not the best time to start this school project?

Tendulkar: I have said this before, defeats do not depress me. They motivate me. I know I did not get too many runs in the series and had to return hurt. But one series does not impact my game. One loss does not take away my fans.

You are raising cash for 140 schools this year. Next year the figure is set to double. This could mean a lot of time away from the game. In India, these efforts often get politicised.

It all depends on you. If it's selfless, then no one will point fingers. If efforts to do social work are couched in selfish motives, then they will die a premature death. Why would my efforts get politicised? I have values I inherited from my father. He helped many. Anyone, even a postman knocking on our door would get a glass of water and some sweets. I want students to rush to school every day. They should feel happy going to school. I must ensure that they have facilities.

So you want to do in education what Anna Hazare is doing to eradicate corruption?

He's doing his work, I am doing mine. I don't think our efforts should be compared. This isn't a I versus him race.

Interview: Sachin TendulkarWill social work take up most of your time after cricket?

I have not announced my retirement. I am doing something along with my career as a cricketer.

What prompted your sudden focus on children's education?

This is not a recent thing with me. In fact, I have been thinking about it for some time. I think more than corruption, ensuring quality education, drinking water and proper sanitation to millions in India is a bigger challenge. We have set a high goal of a corruption-free nation but are resigned to lower expectations when it comes to education. We have the world's largest number of children who do not have access to education. I don't understand why. Schools across India do not have teachers, libraries, playing grounds and even toilets. I do not want to see empty classrooms, empty libraries. I do not want to see cattle grazing on fields meant to be cricket or football grounds.

And the girl child...

We have one of the lowest female literacy rates in Asia. There are over 200 million illiterate women in India. This low literacy negatively impacts not just their lives but also their families' and the country's economic development. A girl's lack of education also has a negative impact on the health and well-being of her children. Tell me, why should a girl return home after the first class because there are no proper toilets in her school?

Does this bother you because your daughter enjoys certain privileges at school?

She does and so did I. That's how we both know what others miss out on. It's not just about education. It's about bringing the underprivileged into the mainstream. I want to do it. I call it a new chapter in my life.

As a student, did you enjoy any special facilities?

The only facility I enjoyed as a student was when I was allowed to represent Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy and granted permission for special classes.

Your celebrity status will lead to chaos if you were to visit a slum.

I could visit when the city sleeps. I would like to visit them unannounced.

What if the Prime Minister calls upon you to perform a bigger role for the country?

He hasn't called me yet (laughs). Maybe he wants to see me playing some more cricket. I will see when the call does come.

Why Shoaib needed Tendulkar in his book

As they say 'any publicity is good publicity' and nobody personifies this statement as fittingly as Shoaib Akhtar. Bidding adieu to cricket earlier this year, Akhtar has broken the silence with his autobiography "Controversially Yours", and as the name suggests it has created a stir already.

His comments on match-winning abilities of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, no matter which era he was referring to, has left the Indian fans livid, who want him to apologise to the batting greats. My take? Let the poor guy be! And before you start calling me names, here's why I say so…

Tendulkar and Dravid have achieved too much in their illustrious careers and with so much dignity that they hardly need to pay any heed to what Akhtar has written in his book. Akhtar, who has more controversies to his name than the times he dismissed these two Indian stalwarts, could never do justice to the talent he had. Yes, the guy was tremendously gifted and could have joined the league of great pacers of all times but his erratic ways were self-destructive. And no matter what he says and writes, the world has seen his rise and fall.

His Pakistan senior Wasim Akram, who Akhtar accused of being against him, hit back and said that it is Shoaib and only Shoaib who should be blamed for his downfall. To an extent it is true. However, I would also blame the Pakistan board for not handling its players well, ever.

On the lighter side, how many times have we actually seen Akhtar in news for good reasons? I fail to recollect. He has mastered the art of creating controversies in the last 13 years. Interestingly, he has accused the media of creating a row over his book. But then Shoaib what did you expect for a book that's named 'Controversially Yours' with you being the author? In his book, he has touched upon all those topics which he knows will evoke strong reactions, be it match-fixing, ball tampering, Pakistan dressing room infighting, etc. And then his story could not have been complete without the Indian batting legend.

As web journalists, we have an internal joke - put Sachin in the headline and the story will do well. For e.g: If nobody in India is reading your England-Windies match report, headline it like this "As Sachin recovers from injury, Windies beat England". Of course it is a joke, but it suggests a fact - Sachin sells big time in India. And the entire controversy has just helped the book have a bumper sale. People are curious to know what the pacer has to say about Sachin and Dravid.

So if not on the field, I would let the man enjoy his fifteen minutes of fame and some literary success (if I may call it). Anyway what's written need not be true but he's entitled to have an opinion, a belief and a perception. And trust me if I get to meet him, I would seriously thank him for not naming his book "'Truly' Yours", else the genre of his book would have been 'humour' and I would have died laughing even before reading the preface.

Emotional about move into new home, says Sachin

Sachin Tendulkar fulfilled his long cherished dream of living in a house of his own on Wednesday as he moved into a sprawling bungalow at Perry Cross Road in suburban Bandra here.

Tendulkar has shifted his residence from La Mer Housing Society, also in Bandra west, to the spacious villa that is spread over 6,000 square feet. The Master Blaster said that moving into the new house was an emotional moment for him. (Also see: Pictures of Sachin's new home)

"Everyone has a dream of owning a house. I, too, had this dream. I am happy that I was able to fulfil it. The flat where I earlier used to live, I had received it under the sports quota. I have now vacated that place, so that some other sportsman can live there," he told reporters outside his villa in Mumbai on Wednesday.

"We had done the 'gruha shanti' and 'vastu-puja' on June 11, before I left for England. I could not visit Mumbai after that, but now that I am in the city, today I brought my mother to show the place," the senior cricketer said.

"I have also lived here after the puja. But I have not been able to bring the children here yet," he said.

The batting maestro's new home has been reconstructed on a plot that earlier housed a dilapidated bungalow, which Sachin had bought for Rs. 39 crore in 2007.

The villa has been secured with high-walled fencing to avoid curious onlookers. CCTV cameras and sensors have also been installed.

Besides the three storeys above the ground level, the villa, designed after taking into consideration Tendulkar's likes and dislikes, reportedly has two underground basements.

According to reports, Tendulkar and his wife Anjali are likely to have their bedroom on the top floor, while the rooms of their two children -- son Arjun and daughter Sara -- and a guest room will occupy the two floors below.

A temple, drawing and dining rooms, besides arrangements for displaying various awards and trophies won by Tendulkar, who holds most of the batting records and is one short of completing a century of international tons, will occupy most of the ground floor.

The first basement will house servant quarters and master surveillance room, while the second basement has been kept for Tendulkar's passion -- cars. It is said to have a parking capacity of a large number of cars.

Besides all these, there is a swimming pool on the terrace of the house, reports said.

Tendulkar is currently out of action as he is suffering from an inflammation on his toe. He missed the five ODIs against England and he is not playing in the ongoing Champions League Twenty20 tournament. He's likely to miss at least the first two ODIs against the visiting England side next month.

Asked about the status of his injuries, Tendulkar refused to comment.

Meanwhile, chaos prevailed just before Tendulkar spoke to the media, after a big crowd, including school children between the age group of five and eight years, had gathered outside the new villa to catch a glimpse of him.

With the waiting mediamen and the fans getting impatient, a commotion occurred which resulted to a few children suffering minor injuries.

Earlier in the morning, members of the Awami Welfare Association Maharashtra, got into an argument with the members of the housing society, opposite Tendulkar's villa, over displaying a welcome banner for the champion cricketer.

However, the matter was soon resolved and the banner was finally put up.

Cricket's Most Iconic Sixes

walked in. First ball, Dennis Lillee struck him on the head. The wise thing to do for a lower-order batsman facing the world’s best fast bowler is to show a little respect. No?

Not when you’re Lance Cairns, father of Chris, and one of the most bad-ass power-hitters in cricket history. Cairns got up, told his partner, “Bugger this, Warren!” and started teeing off.

He hit six sixes in 10 balls. One of them was this one-handed monstrous hit off Lillee which cleared midwicket comfortably.

Remember that the MCG didn’t have today’s small, wimpy boundaries.

This was an astonishing display of power at one of the biggest grounds in the world. Cairns’ 21-ball fifty notwithstanding, New Zealand lost by 149 runs.


April 18, 1986 — Miandad Stuns India:

India were in striking distance of a hard-fought win in the Australasia Cup final in Sharjah when old foe Javed Miandad caught up with them. The game boiled down to Chetan Sharma’s last ball off which Miandad needed to hit a four for the win. Chetan went for the yorker but bowled his second full-toss of the over. Miandad swung it savagely over midwicket for six. This remains one of the greatest games of cricket.

Miandad reaped huge rewards for his unbeaten 116. Psychologically scarred by the blow, India would lose 12 of their next 13 games to Pakistan at this venue

July 31, 1899 — One Flew Over Lord’s:

England’s Albert Trott was considered among the greatest all-rounders of his time. His finest achievement was taking 8-43 and scoring 38 & 72 on Test debut in Adelaide in 1894-95.

But he is more famous for being the only batsman to clear the Lord’s pavilion with a six. He did this off the bowling of Monty Noble on July 31, 1899.

Despite his huge cricketing gifts, Trott suffered from alcoholism and dropsy. In poverty, he committed suicide aged 41 shortly after writing his will behind a laundry ticket.

September 19, 2007 — Yuvraj Slays Broad:

We don’t know the words used in the exchange, but Andrew Flintoff wound Yuvraj Singh up by saying something about his poor form. The next over, young Stuart Broad would suffer every ball.

The first six of the over cleared the roof at midwicket. The second was a flick over square-leg. The third flew over extra cover. The fourth – a full-toss – was carved over point. The fifth was pounded over midwicket again. The sixth was an emphatic drive wide of long-on.

You have probably seen those images many times, so we’ll leave you with this exchange between bowler and batsman at the end of the game which India won. Why is this different from Sobers, Shastri and Gibbs? Yuvraj did it to an established front-line international-class bowler.

September 1, 1968 — Sobers Rewrites Records:

Poor Malcolm Nash. The Glamorgan slow-left armer took 993 wickets in First Class cricket, 324 more in limited overs games. But all that everyone remembers him for is this one over when the great Garry Sobers (playing for Nottinghamshire) hit him for six sixes, the first such occurrence in recognised forms of cricket.

Speaking of the over in 2008, Nash said of the half-tracker he bowled on the sixth ball: “It was the first ball I bowled all day that deserved to be hit for six.”

Grainy footage of the incident shows Sobers smiling sheepishly, raising his bat to receive the sparse crowd’s applauses.

July 28, 1990 — Kapil Smashes Hemmings:

Before this game, Raj Singh Dungarpur had riled Kapil Dev by saying to the press that he plays for himself. At Day 3 in the Lord’s Test, India were 24 runs from the follow-on mark when Kapil was joined by last-man Narendra Hirwani.

Smarting from Dungarpur’s remark, Kapil pounded Eddie Hemmings four consecutive times in the small arc between the sight-screen and long-on.

It is the most sixes hit in an over in Test cricket. It equalled the record for most runs in an over. And it averted the follow-on in a manner so frighteningly simple, only Kapil could have done it.

November 20, 2004 — Pigeon Soars:

Glenn McGrath was a legend with the ball and a joke with the bat. So imagine his joy when he finally managed to hit a six — his only in international cricket — at the Gabba. New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori was the bowler.

The delivery was tossed up and slogged over mid-wicket. Understanding what he’d achieved, McGrath held his pose with a huge grin for the cameras. In the dressing room, Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn were on their feet, not believing what they had just seen.

McGrath made 61, his highest in all cricket, adding 114 for the last wicket with Jason Gillespie. The Australian side came down to applaud McGrath off the park.

January 31, 1903 — Trumper’s Window:

Till Bradman’s arrival, Victor Trumper was considered Australia’s greatest. He’s still a big deal. A sticky wicket genius, he had tremendous technique. But he was equally capable of the really big hits.

On that day, he made 335 runs in three hours for Paddington. One of his big hits broke a window on a building outside the Redfern Oval in hometown Sydney. The window was said to be three storeys up.

As a mark of respect for the great batsman, the window was left unrepaired for 70 years. Trumper died aged just 37 of Bright’s disease.

March 16, 2007 — Minnows Slaughtered:

South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs became the first man to hit six sixes in an over in international cricket. Young Netherlands leggie Daan van Bunge’s respectable figures (3-0-20-0) were ruined after the barbaric act.

South Africa posted 353 in 40 overs (there were 18 sixes in that innings), winning by 221 runs. Unknowingly, Gibbs claimed a million-dollar reward for his effort — only to be told it had to be donated to charity.

May 26, 2006 — Pietersen Switch-hits Murali:

In 2002, Jonty Rhodes had reverse-swept Darren Lehmann for six in an ODI in Potchefstroom. So there was a precedent for such hits. But Kevin Pietersen took it further.

In the Birmingham Test against Sri Lanka, on a wicket where only two others passed fifty, KP made an imperious 142 off 157.

The highlight? On 136, facing Muttiah Muralitharan mid-delivery, he changed his grip to left-handed and slogged him over midwicket for six. Murali picked his jaw up from the floor, and promptly dismissed him with a doosra.

The cricket world descended into a debate over the ethics of the shot. But KP didn’t mind. The cricket rulebook has nothing against bursts of insanely good batsmanship.

April 2, 2011 — Dhoni wins the World Cup:

Four were needed as Nuwan Kulasekara ran in. The length ball landed around off and middle. Dhoni swung across the line. Commentators bellowed. A country-wide celebration erupted. Dhoni stood still, twirled his bat in his left hand. Yuvraj Singh was in tears. The ball ended in the crowd.

It was the first time a World Cup win had been sealed with a six.

January 30, 2005 — Afridi Hits a 12:

Everything in this photo is still. But the ball is a blur. You know why? Afridi channelled every bit of his awesome pathan power behind that shot. It flew off the bat so fast and so far, it would have fetched him 12 runs had the rules allowed it. Andrew Symonds was the bowler.

Tom Moody, whose home-ground the WACA is, said, 'It's a 12. That's probably gone 45-50 metres beyond the boundary, and it looked like if the stand wasn't there, it would have kept going. Moody said he'd never seen a hit reach the first tier of the Prindiville Stand.

June 23, 1979 — Viv’s Invention:

Collis King’s fiery 86 had revived the West Indies in the World Cup final. Viv Richards, out of form till now, had moved past 100. But there had been another mini-collapse and he had to protect the tail. Last ball of the innings, Richards was batting on 132.

He expected a full ball on the stumps. He was right. Mike Hendricks bowled a full-toss. Richards swivelled towards off, got front-on to the ball, and swung it over mid-wicket for a massive six. It was the exclamation mark to end an epic innings. England never had a chance thereon.

“I left the field thinking, 'That shot is my invention’”, Richards later said of the shot.

December 17, 2006 — Sreesanth Embarrasses Nel:

The Jo’burg Test was a hard-fought one. Emotions ran high. Andre Nel was proving tough to handle for Sreesanth. When he backed away to a short one, Nel told him, “Show me some heart” wanting him to get in line.

Sreesanth’s response? He danced down to the next ball, an off-cutter, and tonked it into the sight-screen.

This isn’t all. Sreesanth came running down the pitch, swinging his bat around like a madman. He then stood next to Nel and twirled his bat around and started an impromptu celebration dance. Lots of hip-thrusting was done.

Nel didn’t know where to look.

Reader’s Choice] September 30, 1997 — Chauhan Stuns Karachi:

Rajesh Chauhan featured regularly in the Indian side of the early 1990s. But his career never quite took off. In 1997, he made a comeback.
India made their first tour to Pakistan in eight years. Having lost the first ODI comprehensively, India were within striking distance of leveling the series in Karachi.

In near darkness, Chauhan kept out a yorker from Waqar Younis and then took strike to Saqlain Mushtaq. Eight were needed off six balls. The man from Bhilai spotted a yorker coming. He stepped out, took it on the full, and swung it with all his might over mid-wicket.

Silence descended over the National Stadium. It was Chauhan’s finest moment in cricket.

India won the game, but lost the decider in Lahore, where Chauhan again batted beautifully for 32.

[Reader’s Choice] February 26, 2003, Tendulkar Pulls Caddick:

India were on a roll in the World Cup and began well against England in Durban. Driven for four after pitching full, Andrew Caddick tried to adjust his length by bowling short outside off.

The ball bounced off a length and should have been left alone. But Tendulkar was waiting for it.

With ferocious power, Tendulkar pulled it from about three feet outside off-stump, over the stands at midwicket and outside the stadium. In the photo you can see his eyes closed, an indicator of the effort that went into the shot.

On air, Ian Botham (who knows much about ferocious pulls) said, “I’m amazed that ball has come back.”

[Reader’s Choice] March 1, 2003, Tendulkar Cuts Akhtar:

In a high-pressure World Cup game, India were set 274. Tendulkar got going. Shoaib Akhtar ran in menacingly, every inch of him meaning to propel the ball forward as fast as humanly possible.

The first ball was patted to cover. The second was a short wide one. Tendulkar threw his bat at it. Time moved slowly. The ball’s split-second journey over the deep point fence felt like an eternity.

Shoaib had been instantly deflated. India were on their way to a famous win.

February 28, 2010 — McCullum's Scoops:

This is perhaps the only shot in cricket where a batsman directs the ball at his own body, and has to quickly get out of the way to avoid getting him. Brendon McCullum must be a mad man to even consider scooping bowlers of the pace of Shaun Tait and Dirk Nannes.

In his innings of 116 in a T20 against Australia, McCullum hit eight sixes - the last two being scoops off Tait. Short boundaries at the AMI Stadium helped the ball go the distance. A minor deflection off the bat could have gone flying into his face or ribs and who knows what damage that might have caused.

Reader's Choice] March 9, 1996 — Jayasuriya Tames England:

Phil DeFreitas wasn't the only bowler whose career Sanath Jayasuriya ended during the World Cup. There's Manoj Prabhakar too.

Chasing England's 235, the dangerous opener smashed 82 off 44 balls (a rate unheard of on those days). His third six off DeFreitas landed on the roof of the Iqbal Stadium. It bounced off a satellite dish, an image that will remain with whoever saw it.

March 9, 1996 — Jadeja Goes Berserk:

In a high-pressure quarterfinal against arch rivals India, the feared Waqar Younis had kosher figures of 8-1-27-1 when he started his final spell. Ajay Jadeja then played one of the great cameos of the game.

Waqar's last two overs went for 40 runs. Jadeja took two fours and two astonishing sixes - one was a yorker ploughed over midwicket by staying back in the crease (a milder version of Dhoni's helicopter shot). The second was flat-batted over long-off. Both were massive hits. Waqar's reputation had been instantly shredded. India went on to win the game.

March 29, 2004 - Sehwag's Triple:

[Reader's Choice] Few batsmen are crazy enough to even think of hitting a six when they're in the 90s. And there's probably nobody who has thought of doing it in the 290s. Then there's Virender Sehwag.

Batting on 295 in the Multan Test, he charged down the pitch to Saqlain Mushtaq and muscled the ball over cow-corner. It was India's first triple hundred in Tests, and set up their first Test win in Pakistan.Reader's Choice] November 13, 1998 — Ganguly Attacks Flower:

Sourav Ganguly's surgically precise footwork against spinners has helped him launch many balls into the orbit. For some Yahoo! readers, the most memorable ones he has hit are the three in the Coca Cola Cup final against Zimbabwe.

India were in command with Tendulkar crushing Zimbabwe's bowlers to pulp while Ganguly was approaching a slow fifty. Grant Flower came on to bowl in this hopeless situation. Ganguly walked down to him thrice. Each time, the ball landed on the roof and a replacement ball had to be called for. Chasing 196, India won by 10 wickets.

[Reader's Choice] November 13, 1998 — Ganguly Attacks Flower:

Sourav Ganguly's surgically precise footwork against spinners has helped him launch many balls into the orbit. For some Yahoo! readers, the most memorable ones he has hit are the three in the Coca Cola Cup final against Zimbabwe.

India were in command with Tendulkar crushing Zimbabwe's bowlers to pulp while Ganguly was approaching a slow fifty. Grant Flower came on to bowl in this hopeless situation. Ganguly walked down to him thrice. Each time, the ball landed on the roof and a replacement ball had to be called for. Chasing 196, India won by 10 wickets.

Symonds replaces Tendulkar in Mumbai Indians squad

Andrew Symonds has been named as a replacement for Sachin Tendulkar in the Mumbai Indians squad for the Champions League T20 tournament, starting on Friday.

The Technical Committee has approved a number of changes in the Mumbai squad. In place of Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Ali Murtaza, Munaf Patel, Dhawal Kulkarni, the Mumbai Indians have nominated Andrew Symonds, Dilhara Fernando, R. Sathish, Sarul Kanwar, Abu Nechim Ahmed as the replacements.

The CLT20 Technical Committee has also received medical reports ruling a further two of the 23 Mumbai Indians-contracted players, Aditya Tare and Pawan Suyal, out of the tournament. This means a total of eight players have been ruled out with tournament ending injuries.

In the current circumstances, if the Mumbai Indians suffer one more injury to an Indian player, they will be unable to field a team due to CLT20 rules restricting teams to a maximum of four overseas players in any one match.

As a result, the CLT20 Governing Council has approved a recommendation by the Technical Committee that to ensure the integrity of the tournament the Mumbai Indians will be permitted to select up to five overseas players in any one team. This recommendation is also applicable for all other teams likewise.

The current Mumbai Indians squad consists of 14 players however they may add another player to their squad from their remaining injury-free contract list if they choose.

The Mumbai Indians will play its first match against Chennai Super Kings at 2000 on Saturday at MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Mumbai Squad: Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga, Andrew Symonds, James Franklin, Aiden Blizzard, Davy Jacobs, Kieron Pollard, Dilhara Fernando, R. Sathish, Ambati Rayudu, Tirumalasetti Suman, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sarul Kanwar, Abu Nechim Ahmed.

I really respected Pataudi, says Sachin

Sachin Tendulkar expressed his condolences on the death of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi on Thursday.

"It is a terrible loss to the cricketing world. I had the privilege of meeting him on a few occasions. World cricket will miss a hero like him. I really respected him.", said the master blaster.

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, one of the greatest cricket captains India has produced, died in New Delhi on Thursday after battling with a lung infection which was diagnosed about three months back.

Several people from the cricketing world also expressed their commiserations on Pataudi's demise.

Former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar tweeted; "mansur ali khan pataudi was a real star of indian cricket..even, long after he had retired...we will miss him ! RIP."

Rohit Sharma also tweeted, "Sad to hear about Tiger Pataudi, One of the fore fathers of Indian cricket. Legend, will be missed."

Known for establishing the winning mentality in the Indian side, Pataudi had huge amount of respect among the young and the old of the Indian team. Yuvraj Singh tweeted, "You were always a tiger !! India has lost one of the best captains ever ! Rest in piece ! Respect".

New BCCI President N Srinivasan also expressed his condolences on Pataudi's death.

"I am shocked to hear the news of Tiger Pataudi's demise. He was an exemplary individual, who guided Indian cricket to unprecedented heights, as batsman, fielder and captain. He revolutionised fielding standards in the Indian team, and across the country. In an age wherein a draw was considered as good as a win, Tiger Pataudi encouraged his players to go flat out for victory. He was an aggressive batsman who excelled in crisis situations, and showed the nation how to combat adversity. I join my colleagues in the BCCI to express my condolences at his passing away. His services to Indian cricket will never be forgotten", wrote Srinivasan.

Lalit Modi, who was the chairman of the Indian Premier League when Pataudi was a part of its governing council also expressed his sadness on Pataudi's demise. "I was saddened to hear of passing away of Tiger Pataudi. May his soul rest in Peace. He was a man which inspired generations of Indians.", tweeted Modi.

"My heart felt condolences to his family. We pray god gives them all the strength to deal with there Loss. Its a loss to the Nation. Lalit Tiger was not only a good friend to me but he was a key person who helped me develop the IPL. His insight for the game tremendous.", Modi added.

Former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi dies

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who overcame an impaired eye to become a visionary and pioneering captain of the Indian Test team, has died in Delhi at the age of 70. He was suffering from interstitial lung disease. He is survived by his wife Sharmila Tagore, his son Saif Ali Khan and his two daughters Soha and Saba Ali Khan. Tagore, Saif and Soha are prominent actors in India's film industry.

Pataudi played 46 Tests between 1961 and 1975 and was arguably India's greatest captain. He was given the leadership in his fourth Test, when he was 21, in Barbados in 1962, because the regular captain Nari Contractor was in hospital after getting hit on the head by Charlie Griffith. Pataudi was the youngest Test captain, a record that stood until 2004. He led India in 40 Tests and had a successful career despite impaired vision in his right eye, which was damaged in a car accident. He also captained Sussex and Oxford University.

India won nine Tests under Pataudi and it was during his tenure that the team began to believe it could succeed. He advocated the multi-spinner strategy because he believed India needed to play to their strengths and used it to achieve their first overseas Test win, in Dunedin in 1968. India went on to record their first away series victory, beating New Zealand 3-1. Pataudi was the Wisden Cricketer of the Year that year.

Pataudi scored 2793 runs at an average of 35 and made six centuries, the biggest of which was an unbeaten 203 against England in Delhi in 1964. However, many rate his 75, scored on one leg with one eye, against Australia in Melbourne in 1967-68 as his finest. Pataudi retired in 1975 after West Indies' tour of India. After retirement, Pataudi served as a match referee between 1993 and 1996, officiating in two Tests and ten ODIs, but largely stayed away from cricket administration.

Pataudi was the ninth and last Nawab of Pataudi until 1971, when the Indian government abolished royal entitlements through the 26th Amendment to the Constitution. He was also the editor of Sportsworld, the now defunct cricket magazine, and a television commentator in the 1980s but gradually withdrew from an active role, though he remained a strong voice in Indian cricket.

Since 2007, bilateral Test series between India and England have been contested for the Pataudi Trophy, named after his family for their contribution to Anglo-Indian cricket. Pataudi's father, Iftikhar Ali Khan, represented both England and India in Tests. Pataudi had taken ill since his return from England this summer after presenting the Pataudi Trophy to Andrew Strauss at the end of the four-Test series.

Pataudi was also a consultant to the BCCI from 2007 and part of the first IPL governing council but refused to continue in the role in October 2010, when the BCCI made significant changes to the league following the sacking of Lalit Modi as its chairman. As the spate of controversies increased, Pataudi was the only member of the governing council to admit the body's culpability, saying it "failed in its role to monitor the IPL's administration and be more questioning of decisions taken." He also took the BCCI to court in April this year, claiming the board had not abided by its contract with him while he was a consultant as well as a member of the IPL governing council.

"The possibility of lung transplant was discussed very early as soon as his condition worsened but he was not a suitable candidate for it," the doctor said.

He was being treated by a by a team of pulmonologists and critical care specialists here.

Pataudi, regarded as one of the finest Indian captains, played 46 Tests for the country, scoring 2793 runs for an average of 34.91 with an unbeaten 203 being his highest score.

In all, he smashed six centuries and 16 fifties in his career.

'Good opportunity for youngsters to prove themselves'

Fresh from his fantastic knock of 95 at Chester-le- Street, Parthiv Patel feels that the current ODI series is an ideal opportunity for the youngsters to step up and make best use of the opportunities.

"It's a good opportunity for youngsters to prove themselves. If they do, it would be good for themselves as well as the team," said Patel ahead of the second ODI here on Tuesday.

Sachin Tendulkar joined the list of injured Indian cricketers going home on Monday when it was found that his toe injury would take at least four weeks to recover.

The late realization that Tendulkar is missing would leave the visitors a batsman short as Manoj Tiwary and Ravindra Jadeja are unlikely to join the squad before September 7.

'I would play my natural game'

It would imply that India would go into the match with only six frontline batsmen, including skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and would perforce be playing five frontline bowlers.

It would also increase responsibility for the likes of Patel who have shown themselves to be in good touch. The left-hander though insisted it wouldn't help if he changed his natural aggressive style and look to bat through the 50 overs.

"I would play my natural game. Personally, I don't need to change my game. I scored with it in West Indies and in the first ODI.

"However, it is everyone's responsibility that once he gets in, he needs to score big runs," he added.

'I was prepared for short-pitch stuff'

Patel was impressive during his knock of 95 and looked particularly good in tackling the short deliveries of England fast bowlers.

"I had the advantage of watching England's bowling in Tests. They had a plan to bowl short to our batsmen. In the 7-8 days I was in National Cricket Academy (NCA), I prepared myself against short-pitched bowling. I knew if I opened, they would come hard at me."

"I am happy that I could execute my plans in the first game and would like to continue (in the same manner)," he added.

Improved batting

Despite breaking into the Indian side in 2002, Patel has only got sporadic games since then. His hard work has now paid off since he is being selected in the XI purely as a batsman without needing to keep wickets.

"I had that belief that I could do it. That I could play as a batsman in any side. It kept me going and improve both my batting and wicketkeeping. The age was on my side. I was out of the team at 21 -- a lot of players even don't start playing at 21.

"I had the experience and belief that I could play again for India."

Patel sounded confident that even a depleted side can give a good account of themselves in the second game.

"We made 274 in the first game and with England at 27 for 2, we were looking good to win the game. We hope to turn it around tomorrow as well."