India vs South Africa 2013-14: MS Dhoni blames bowlers for defeat in 1st ODI

Johannesburg: Dec 6, 2013
A livid Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni squarely blamed his bowlers for the crushing loss in the opening One-Day International (ODI) against South Africa, saying that their bad performance left the batsmen under pressure.

The Indian bowlers were hammered by South Africa, who posted 358 for 4 before dismissing the visitors for 217 in 41 overs on Friday.
“Overall I think it was a bad performance. But it started with the bowling initially. This was not a 300-plus wicket. We didn’t start well, and we were supposed to bowl slightly up,” said Dhoni.
“Watch Free Live Streaming of India vs South Africa Series 2013”
“Experience of these conditions is crucial. South African bowlers know what lengths to bowl and that is why I want my bowlers to step up. You can’t give away 300 or 300-plus runs, because that also puts pressure on the batsmen.
“Right from the start then, they have to go after opposition bowlers, which in these conditions is slightly difficult. At the same time, we needed the batting to back the bowlers up,” he added.
South Africa’s opening pair of Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock added 152 runs for the first wicket, with the latter going on to score 135.
And then in the end, there was the cruel barrage from AB de Villiers and JP Duminy, garnering 48 runs in the last three overs. It meant the Proteas reached a mammoth 358 for 4 in 50 overs.
“If you see death bowling for different teams across the world, bowlers are going for runs. With the extra fielder inside the circle and the lack of reverse swing, even the best bowlers will go for runs,” Dhoni said.
“So, the new ball bowling becomes important, especially in conditions like these. More often than not, the last ten overs will go for runs and so it is important to take wickets in the first ten overs, so we can put pressure in the middle overs and so that they do not have many wickets in the end,” he opined.
On paper, it looked a good plan, but it wasn’t executed properly on the field. All frontline bowlers went for more than 50 runs each, with only Mohammad Shami showing any wherewithal to take wickets (3-68).
As per Dhoni’s reasoning then, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohit Sharma were the most to blame, but he did not single out anyone in particular for criticism.
“Mohit is the one with the inexperience and it will be a good learning for him. Bhuvi has played a fair bit outside the subcontinent, which means that he should quickly adapt to the conditions.
“But at the same time let’s not be unfair on him. It’s one of many games where he has not done really well. So let us think that it was an off day for him and move on,” he said.
Ultimately, even the Indian batting, growing in stature and fame over the past 11 months, failed to perform the rescue act. And it could possibly get tougher in the next game, since the Men in Blue will be fighting to save the series. The conditions, meanwhile, aren’t expected to be a whole lot different.
“International calendar doesn’t allow for too many practice sessions and practice games nowadays. You have to adapt with what you have, we have to follow the schedule.
South Africa have some really good fast bowlers, especially Dale Steyn.
“He was swinging the ball and consistently hitting the good lengths. Morne Morkel gets a lot more bounce than other bowlers because of his height. Rohit Sharma gave him respect, but when you are chasing 350 runs, you have to play shots.
Shikhar Dhawan didn’t really get out to a short ball,” Dhoni said.
“He is good with the cut and the pull, and he went with his instincts. So, you have to play the big shots and try to rattle the bowlers. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn’t.
“We scored 220 odd runs, and we gave away 350. If I weigh that, then maybe the bowling was slightly worse than batting.
We have to step up overall. Bowlers have to learn from this game and batsmen have to mentally prepare themselves for the next one,” Dhoni signed off.

India vs South Africa 2013-14: Playing in foreign conditions a big challenge, says MS Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni says playing in alien conditions and that too without Sachin Tendulkar is a big challenge for his side but the Indian skipper is hopeful that playing One—Day Internationals (ODI) first will allow his batsmen settle well ahead of the Test series against South Africa. India will play three—match ODI series ahead of two—Test series in South Africa.
“If you see there is always a new start,” Dhoni said about absence of Tendulkar, who retired recently last month.
Dhoni said his batsmen have plenty of experience in the shorter format of the game and playing ODIs first will give them confidence for the Tests.
“Many of them have had good exposure if not in Tests, but in ODIs. It is a new challenge for all of them and a new learning curve. It is always a challenge when you go outside.
Which length to bowl and to adjust to the bounce of the wickets. It is good to start with ODIs. As the batsmen can play their shots and express themselves and carry it into the Tests,” he said ahead of team departure.
Asked who will perform the duties of the third opener in Tests, which has only two regulars in Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay, Dhoni surprised everyone by naming Gautam Gambhir, who is not part of the 17—member squad.
“If you see, Gautam is definitely our third opener that we are considering. As of now, Vijay and Shikhar they have done really well for us. So third opener as of now is Gautam.”
Later he clarified, “I know (Gambhir not being in team) but he is the third opener. But he never asked if he is part of the team.”
Nevertheless, the statement by Dhoni makes it clear that Gambhir is still in the scheme of things for at least Test side. Asked who was likely to replace Tendulkar at number four in the Test squad, Dhoni they are to yet to decide on that.
“We are not decided on number 4. No one is going to replace anyone else,” he said before adding in lighter vein, “If possible we will omit the number 4. And try to bat 1,2,3, 5,6… and 12.”
Bowling in slog overs has been a worry for India but Dhoni was hopeful of a better performance in South Africa.
“In different conditions the statistics would be different. There will be pace and bounce on offer for the fast bowlers. Along with the yorkers, they can use bouncers and a little bit pace. So we will see how it goes,” he said.
“In the last few matches it has improved a lot but we are trying to see how to improve (more), so that we don’t give lot of runs in the last 10 overs. If you see our Champions Trophy performance and if you compare our death bowling you will see that it is a completely different scenario.
“The ideal would be to compare how the Indian bowlers performed in the last 10 overs and how Australian bowlers performed in the death overs in the same game. Then it becomes more realistic.”
Dhoni said fans will see good cricket in the series as top two sides in the world will be up against each other.
“If you see both the teams are well positioned in the rankings. In ODIs it is us and in Tests it is they. It is going to be exciting and interesting series. The key is getting adjusted to conditions as early as possible,” Dhoni said.
“They have a very good team, well balanced team, with genuine all—rounders,” he said.
Dhoni said pressure was nothing new to India. “Pressure goes hand in hand whether in India or away.”
Asked if the team would use a fifth frontline bowler, Dhoni said it would be decided later. “Well it’s something that we have to go there and decide.
We have to see the strength of our batting line up. At the same time whether four bowlers are good enough to get the opposition out. It’s something that we have weigh out,” he said.
“In the last Test match also we played with four bowlers and Rohit Sharma was the one who batted at number six. If you see at times five batsmen are not enough, even six are not enough. And if you see the last two Test matches, the number six batsman has had a lot of impact on the game. We will weigh how it is and then decide.”
Asked about Ravichandran Ashwin‘s limited exposure of playing Tests overseas, Dhoni expressed hope that the off-spinner will replicate his home success abroad.
“Everybody starts from scratch, even the greatest of cricketers—spinner or fast bowler. They always start from scratch. We have to see, may be he turns out to be brilliant outside India. He may become better than what he already has been in India. Unless you go out there and fight it out, you don’t really get to know how good he is,” said Dhoni.
Ashwin has played only three Tests overseas —all in Australia —with limited success in his short career of 18 Tests from which he has grabbed 104 wickets. Asked what would be the role of pacer Ishant Sharma, Dhoni said “let it remain a secret recipe”.

India retain 2nd spot in ICC Test rankings

The Indian cricket team continued to be second in the ICC Test rankings with R Ashwin topping the all-rounders' chart in the latest list issued.

India are placed behind South Africa with 119 points, which is just 12 less than the Proteas' tally. The teams are set to clash in a two-Test and thee ODI series starting December 5 in South Africa.

Cheteshwar Pujara is the best-placed Indian batsman at sixth with Virat Kohli following him at a distant 20th spot.

In the bowlers' list, R Ashwin is fifth, followed by Pragyan Ojha at ninth.

Meanwhile, New Zealand and the West Indies will begin their contest in a three-Test series from December 3 in Dunedin with an aim to improve their ratings points in the team standings, the ICC said in a statement.

West Indies enter the series in sixth position on 95 ratings points, while New Zealand start off in eighth place with 75 ratings points.

If New Zealand was to win the series by a margin of 2-0, they can rise up to 82 ratings points, while a 3-0 series sweep will hand the home team a rise of eight ratings points to thereby finish at 83.

In both scenarios (New Zealand winning 2-0 and 3-0), West Indies will move down to seventh place behind Sri Lanka.

If New Zealand win the series by either 1-0 or 2-1, or even if the series is drawn 0-0 or 1-1, there will be no change in West Indies' final position on the table.

For the West Indies, the series offers an opportunity to reduce the gap with fifth-ranked Australia. But this can only happen if they win the series by either a 2-0 or 3-0 margin.

If West Indies win the series by a 2-0 margin, they will gain two ratings points to end at 97, to thereby reduce the gap with fifth-ranked Australia to four ratings points.

A 3-0 series win, will give West Indies a gain of four ratings points, thereby reducing the gap with Australia to just two.

ICC World Cup 2011 Final Mumbai | TV Viewership Broke Records, 67.6 million | India vs Sri Lanka

ICC World Cup 2011 Final Mumbai | TV Viewership Broke Records, 67.6 million | India vs Sri Lanka

Television viewership increased four times when India and Sri Lanka clashed in the World Cup grand finale with 67.6 million viewers with cable and satellite connections watching it for more than four hours, rating agency Audience Measurement and Analytics Ltd. (aMap) estimated Sunday.

The match Saturday got ratings of 13.7, which is the highest for any event so far and when the winning moment arrived, the ratings peaked to 21.44.

'Yesterday's (Saturday) viewership broke all records. Every Indian was glued on to TV to see the big win! Sixty-four percent of homes (cable & satellite) were watching the game...The match was on for an average of four hours in every household,' Jiniti Shah, vice president, aMap said in a statement.

'Viewership increased almost four times yesterday. Until the quarterfinals, India's matches had an average rating of 3.7, the quarterfinals saw it increase to 5, the semifinal ratings went up to 11 and yesterday's BIG WIN made it 13.6,' Shah added.

The semifinal between India and Pakistan was watched by 67.3 million people with cable and satellite connections.

In a thrilling match, India defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets to win the World Cup for the second time after 28 years. People across the country came out on streets to celebrate the historic win.

Dhoni shaves his head after World Cup triumph | ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

After Kapil Dev captainship so many captains taken the charges and responsibilities in Indian Cricket Team and met the World Cup.  Indian Team win the World Cup after 20 years  lead by Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captainship.  All the credits are goes to Dhoni. One more important message we had not forget that Australian Team has won the World Cup for past three times.  Indian team has met with them in Quarter final and send out from World Cup in 2011 and also break their continuous victory.  All credits are goes to MS Dhoni.

Below we have shows some different look of Indian Cricket Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni….LOOK and ENJOY….

A day after India's historic World Cup triumph, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Sunday spotted with a new look, with his head clean shaven.

Dhoni was seen with a completely new look during an official photo-op session in front of the iconic Gateway of India, where some members of the Indian cricket team posed for shutterbugs with World Cup Trophy.

Speculation doing the rounds is that he kept his mannat to shave his head if India wins the World Cup.

Incidentally, Dhoni had cut his long locks after India won the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007.

Here some of sweet stills are shown:

Image: India's captain Dhoni lifts the trophy at the Taj Hotel the day after India defeated Sri Lanka in the World Cup final in Mumbai

Photographs: Reuters

M.S Dhoni gets Support from Australian Skipper

M.S Dhoni gets Support from Australian Skipper

Indian skipper MS Dhoni isn’t the only cricketer who’s concerns about the utilisation of the UDRS. MS Dhoni opinions were echoed by Australian skipper Ricky Ponting, on Friday. “There have been various opinion of the similar in the past couple of days. The key reason for that being the various understanding by the umpires on what’s correct and what’s not,Ponting explained.

Indian skipper  was not happy with an LBW judgement against Ian Bell that gone in England’s prefer during their group game previous week.The final decision confirmed important as Ian Bell, who was on 17 when the scene happened, finally made 69 important runs. The game was tantalisingly set till it ultimately resulted in a fantastic draw.

Australian skipper considered utilizing the Review System without having the hot spot was the main reason behind all the problems.“ The space where the ball strikes and how far it has to go just before it strikes the stumps, those kinds of situations are crucial … At the beginning of the event, when we identified they are employing the Review System minus the hot spot, it’s a bit of a surprise for us. I believe the hot spot needs to be a component of the system,”  Australian skipper insisted.

India and South Africa are the standout teams: Ponting

India and South Africa are the standout teams: Ponting

Australian captain Ricky Ponting does not believe that there are any favourites to win the World Cup, but indicated that India and South Africa would be the teams to watch out for in the quadrennial extravaganza starting February 19.

"Who is the favourite right now, I am not really bothered because a number of teams have the ability to win the cup. In this sort of tournament there are a number of teams who can win. India and South Africa probably are the standout teams. They are the powerhouses of international cricket.

" Pakistan and New Zealand are never too far away in ICC events. Sri Lanka, in these conditions, are as good an ODI side in the game around," Ponting said.

The Australian captain also felt that results in the lead-up to the World Cup don't count for much.

"I don't really care where we start the tournament. It's irrelevant. I think going into the last World Cup there was negativity around us. We lost the Commonwealth Bank series and lost to New Zealand. So there were a few doubts around our team but we went there and won the World Cup. I don't think it really matters too much what's happening in the lead-up."

But he is pleased with the team's 6-1 thrashing of England in the recently-concluded seven-match ODI series.

"We are pretty confident coming into the World Cup just beating a pretty good English side 6-1. We are really in good shape and confident... momentum is around our team.

"I don't care. Who the favourite is. I don't know whether there is such a thing around in tournament like this.

Ponting hoped that his team would peak towards the latter stages of the tournament.

"It would be hard to maintain your intensity throughout the tournament because of its length and gap between some of the games. You can't take anything for granted. We will make sure that we progress nice and steady and make sure that we play our best cricket towards the latter part of the tournament," he said.

It is an accepted belief by now that Sachin Tendulkar, playing in his sixth and probably last World Cup, would give it his all to win the trophy, but Ponting hoped the script would turn differently.

"There is no bigger stage than a World Cup for all of us to stand up and perform well. Sachin wants to have a good tournament and I am sure Sachin wants to win the World Cup but hopefully, it's not."

The schedule has come in for criticism but the long gaps between matches, Ponting felt, will give the injured players, which his team has in plenty at the moment, enough time to recover and attain 100 per cent match fitness.

"Normally, most ODI tournaments you play you get a break of two or three days in between games but here we have got seven or eight days between some of our games. We at the moment are carrying a few guys who are stiff and sore and are working their way into full fitness. So it's a good thing for us to have time between games," Ponting said.

"We have known that for a while. We are all very aware of that and that's international sport these days, unfortunately. It's all about managing workloads and managing players," he said.

Ponting said the absence of Michael Hussey will be felt. "Mike Hussey is a big loss to our set up. His experience and knowledge of the game in a tournament like this are almost second to none. But it has given an opportunity to his brother David.

"We had a couple of big setbacks in the last couple of weeks. Mike and Nathan Hauritz being ruled out from our World Cup squad. Shaun Marsh was the likely replacement of Hussey but he has been ruled out as well.

"But Jason Krejza and Callum Ferguson coming into the squad in the last momentum is not negative for us. Krejza has done well in India in Test cricket. He is a guy who can be a real match-winning bowler for us."

Australia have an enviable record in the World Cup winning it a record four times, including once in the sub-continent in 1987 and Ponting, under whom they won it twice, is aware of the benchmark.

"I never thought what it means if we win the World Cup. If we got to the final, I might sit back and think what it means for me and for us to win another World Cup. But we can't afford to look that far away. My main focus is to train hard and play well.

"There is no doubt that the Australian cricket team has a pretty good record in the World Cup and bigger events but as I said we are thinking about it right now. We have a really good squad and we will be doing everything to the best of our ability."

"Our ODI record in these parts of the world is pretty good," Ponting said.

Asked about the mantra to success in the sub-continent, Ponting said, "For batsmen, it is important to make use of the new ball. It's important for the bowlers to execute their plans well in these conditions, use variations and variety. I think slower bowlers will play big part in the middle overs of the tournament."

Much to Australia's relief, Ponting is recovering from his finger injury.

"My finger is doing pretty well. I am looking forward to play in the two practice games against India and South Africa.

"We have the opportunity to field all the 15 players in these games."

Ponting seemed satisfied with the attack he has at his disposal and is banking a lot on them, especially Brett Lee.

"I have been really impressed with Brett's comeback. His return to international cricket is very good and satisfying. With the likes of (Mitchell) Johnson, (Doug) Bollinger, (James) Hastings, Brett, (Shaun) Tait around, we have got a really good pace battery. There is no doubt that we are a bit lucky to have plenty of fast bowlers in the squad."

As far as Tait is concerned Ponting said, "I just want to let him go, bowl fast and take wickets. We have great flexibility and balance as far as our pace battery is concerned. We have lots of options in our bowling department."

Source: PTI

Shahid Afridi is the right man: Wasim Akram

Shahid Afridi is the right man: Wasim Akram

‘King of the Swing’ Wasim Akram believes that Shahid Afridi is the right man to captain Pakistan team in the ICC cricket World Cup 2011, starting from February 19.

In an interview to leading sports website, former Pakistan captain said that the Pakistan Board has made the right decision in this regard.

The legendary fast bowler said, “Despite of delayed decision, the board has chosen the most able man for the job at the end."

Akram feels that Afridi has earned nuances of captaincy after leading the side in several matches.

"In cricket, you need one or two years to perfect the art of captaincy and this is why I think Afridi was the best option available," he said.

Akram feels the side will be able to look ahead to the World Cup with renewed confidence. He also praised 19-year-old opener Ahmed Shehzad.

"Shehzad has been playing sensational cricket. I know this kid. He is a real fearless character who does not feel that much pressure. I think he is definitely one to watch out for. His idea of defence is to attack and he will be consistent and lethal on sub continental tracks," said Akram.

Akram also pointed out that much will depend on the veteran Shoaib Akthar and Umar Gul.

"Umar Gul will be the main bowler, but if Akhtar stays fit and healthy, he can still make a difference," he said.

Akram, who played a crucial role in Pakistan's triumph in the 1992 World Cup, picked all-rounder Abdul Razzaq as the player to watch out for.

"I think Razzaq's aim for the World Cup should be to end as Man of the Tournament. He is one of the best all-rounders out there and is definitely a real match-winner. He has to focus a bit on his bowling and fielding but his explosiveness with the bat, lower down the order is unmatched in world cricket. He is one of those rare people who can smash a load of runs off very few balls, changing the game in an instant," he said.

Dhoni is the ‘Obama’ of cricket, says Praveen Kumar

Dhoni is the ‘Obama’ of cricket, says Praveen Kumar

Mahendra Singh Dhoni would have received many compliments ever since his association with Indian cricket including the big one from former Pakistan President Parvez Musharaf, who was too fond of Mahi’s locks. But, the latest compliment is sure to even surprise the Ranchi superstar

If being inspiring is a measure of leadership skills then Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is comparable only to charismatic American President Barack Obama, feels all-rounder Praveen Kumar. "He is the Obama of cricket," was Praveen's reply when asked what makes Dhoni a special captain.

Lauded for being cool and composed in trying match situations, throwing his weight behind players he believes in and for trying the unconventional, Dhoni's leadership has rarely been criticised since he took over in 2007. Obama, who became the first Black President of the United States, is widely seen as an inspirational leader and Praveen considers Dhoni no less influential as far as Indian cricket is concerned.

The 24-year-old bowling all-rounder, who will be playing in his first World Cup, is naturally excited although there are a few butterflies in his tummy. "I am living a dream right now. World Cup is no ordinary event and we will play in our country. The level of intensity and excitement will be of different level. I can't really wait to get into the thick of things," Praveen told PTI over telephone from Bangalore.

'PK', as he is fondly known in the cricketing fraternity, is currently undergoing a rehab programme at the National Cricket Academy for his injured elbow which cut short his tour of South Africa.

"I am feeling pretty good now. The rehab programme is on the right track and hopefully I will strike a good rhythm before the tournament starts." Asked about India's chances at the cricketing extravaganza, Praveen said, "The quality of cricket that we have produced during the recent times makes us the favourites.

'England will provide tough resistance'

Look at our team; we have such world class players. The preparation has been good. Hopefully, we can win the Cup." For the new ball bowler, England will be the other team to watch out for during the tournament. "England has also put up some consistent performance of late so one can expect a good show from them," he said.

Praveen, who relies more on his ability to move the ball both ways, admitted that the adjustment of length on the dusty sub-continental pitches will be key to success for the medium pacers. "Obviously when you play in South Africa or Australia, you can hit back of length but on Indian pitches where the ball keeps low, you have to vary your length according to the situations. The more variations you can use, the better it is."

He didn't forget to mention the amount of guidance he has got from the likes of Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra. "Zaheer bhai and Ashish bhai have always supported me. They have guided me in pressure situations and have come up with some really useful tips," Praveen, who has taken 57 wickets from 48 ODIs, informed.

For someone who comes from a family of wrestlers, his uncle being a Bharat Keshri, Praveen is known to use the long handle to good effect but has underperformed as a batsman. "I know my capabilities as a batsman as I have opened for Uttar Pradesh and India A. But if you have a look at our line-up, we have some class players. However, I will be more than happy if I can contribute with the bat too," he signed off.

Source: Indian Express

Appoint Misbah as Pak Cricket World Cup Captain: S Butt

Appoint Misbah as Pak WC captain: S Butt

Karachi: Pakistan's tainted former skipper Salman Butt has called on the cricket Board (PCB) to appoint senior batsman Misbah-ul-Haq as captain for the World Cup to be held in the subcontinent next month.

Butt, who along with pace bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir will have to wait till February 5th to learn his fate in the spot-fixing row, also described flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi as a "clueless" captain. "This is more or less the same team that plays in Tests and one-day matches. But when they played recently in the Tests, they looked like a different side and when they are playing 50-over cricket, it appears as if they don't know what direction to take," Butt told the News One channel.

"Misbah is the ideal man to lead Pakistan in the World Cup. He is a born captain and an ideal leader. The best part about him is that he is composed and leads by example," said Butt.

Butt, who was suspended last September by the ICC while he was captain of the Test team in England, only added fuel to the ongoing debate over the World Cup captaincy with the PCB yet to announce the leader for the quadrennial event to be held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

With Pakistan whipped badly in the first ODI in New Zealand and Misbah standing out with a half century, the calls for him to be made captain are only growing louder day by day.

"I think the present one-day team is stronger than the Test side. When you look at the few changes, there are senior players coming into the ODI squad who have been playing international cricket for last 15 years.

"But I think because of poor planning and weak captaincy, the ODI side is struggling," the former skipper added.

Referring to the defeat in the first ODI at Wellington, Butt put the blame on poor planning and weak leadership.

"If you have a player (Afridi) who is clueless then how can he lead the team because even if he says something to the other players, no one is listening to him," Butt said.

Sachin Tendulkar/BEST CRICKET PLAYER in the World

 

Sachin Tendulkar

 

India

 

 

Handed-hand bat

Bowling style: Right-arm medium

Played for: India, Mumbai Indians

Roles played: Ex Skipper-Test,ODI | Batsman

 

ICC Rank	TEST	ODI
	Batting:    1 Bowling: 68	Batting:    14 Bowling: 207

Profile

Sachin Tendulkar can unquestionably be called the 'face of modern cricket'. He follows Don Bradman and Viv Richards as his generation's most successful batsman. The only close competitors Tendulkar faced were Brian Lara and, in more recent times, Ricky Ponting. Statistically, while Bradman scaled unreachable heights, Tendulkar, by his sheer consistency in longevity, marked his area with expansive width that shall, like the Australian great, probably never be conquered.

By the turn of the century, watching Tendulkar as India's lone warrior staging single-handed fights - while carrying the hopes of a billion hearts - was cricket's grandest spectacle. Too often his achievements would be let down by lack of support from teammates. Yet, his ability to continue to live to fight another day, shoulder blame unfairly and always delve into positives transcends Tendulkar beyond a cricketing icon to a role model and a prized treasure for the oft-tarnished image of the sport. By the end of it all, through each seemingly-effortless, technically-perfect shot that made batting an art form rather than a laborious effort, Tendulkar went on to be the game's leading run-getter, half-centurion and centurion in the two most pre-dominant forms of the game.

It is paradoxical that at the start of all these achievements was performance of nothingness - a debut ODI duck and an unflattering debut Test 15 against Pakistan as a 16-year-old. It underlines the old adage of attitude over talent, reminding everyone that even legends have to struggle to find their feet. He did make it big, of course, one small step at a time. First replacing Sanjay Manjrekar as India's most formidable batsman of the time and then becoming the only contender to Sunil Gavaskar's stature in Indian batting history. Finally, even the great Don Bradman drew parallels between himself and Tendulkar. In between, captaincy called on a few occasions, but it was one thing he wasn't cut out for. The "Little master" was also one of the very few who came out with his head held high as always, following the match-fixing scandal.

Following the turn of the century came India's ascendency after disappointing pasts during Tendulkar's foray in the peak of his career. He was now provided with the long-awaited support crew. But he still remained the mainstay while guiding his nation towards the summit of Test rankings. If Bradman started high and ended low, Tendulkar started low to rise unfathomably even miles before his end. A coveted World Cup remains a lone elusive unfulfilled dream and that would be a fitting crescendo for the most supreme batting marvel of his time.

Fast Facts

• Sachin Tendulkar was the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1997 and recently, the ICC Player of the Year for 2010.
• He is the leading run-getter and centurion in Tests and ODIs.
• Tendulkar became the first to reach 50 Test 100s.
• He is also the only player to score more than 90 international centuries.
• No player has made more international 50s than Tendulkar in all formats together.
• 'The Little Master' was the first batsman in ODIs to reach the 10,000 run milestone.
• He became the first to score a 200 in ODIs.
• Crossing an unprecedented milestone of 17,000 ODI runs in 2009, Tendulkar stretched his lead as the highest run-scorer in ODIs.
• He holds the record as the youngest Indian to make an international debut.
• Tendulkar is the only player to score two or more centuries against each of the other nine Test playing nations.
• He also holds the record for the most number of Test appearances.
• Tendulkar has got the highest number of Man of the Match and Man of the Series awards in ODIs.

Career:

SPAN	TEST	ODI	T20	IPL	CLT20
YEAR	1989-2011	1989-2011	2006-2006	2008-2010	2010-2010

TEST	Debut: India Vs Pakistan at National Stadium, Karachi - Nov 15, 1989 Last played: India Vs South Africa at Newlands, Cape Town - Jan 02, 2011
ODI	Debut: India Vs Pakistan at Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala - Dec 18, 1989 Last played: India Vs South Africa at The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg - Jan 15, 2011
T20	Debut: India Vs South Africa at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg - Dec 01, 2006 Last played: India Vs South Africa at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg - Dec 01, 2006
IPL	Debut: Mumbai Indians Vs Chennai Super Kings at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (Bombay) - May 14, 2008 Last played: Mumbai Indians Vs Chennai Super Kings at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai - Apr 25, 2010
CLT20	Debut: Mumbai Indians Vs Highveld Lions at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg - Sep 10, 2010 Last played: Mumbai Indians Vs Royal Challengers Bangalore at Kingsmead, Durban - Sep 19, 2010

Statistics:

BATTING

	MATCHES	INNINGS	RUNS	NO	AVG.	SR	100’S	50’S
TEST	177	290	14692	32	56.94	53.96	51	59
ODI	444	433	17629	41	44.97	86.17	46	93
T20	1	1	10	0	10	83.33	0	0
IPL	35	35	1170	5	39	123.81	0	8
CLT20	4	4	148	0	37	139.62	0	1

BOWLING

	MATCHES	INNINGS	BALLS	RUNS	WICKETS	BBI	BBM	AVG	ECON	4W	5W	10W	EXTRAS
TEST	177	135	4096	2388	45	3/10	/	53.06	3.49	0	0	0	60
ODI	444	267	8020	6817	154	5/32	/	44.26	5.1	4	2	0	233
T20	1	1	15	12	1	1/12	/	12	4.8	0	0	0	0
IPL	35	4	36	58	0	0/7	/	-	9.66	0	0	0	1

FIELDING

	CATCHES	STUMPINGS	RUNOUTS
TEST	106	0	5
ODI	134	0	21
T20	1	0	0
IPL	15	0	1
CLT20	2	0	0

CAPTAINCY

	MATCHES	WON	LOST	TIE	NO RESULT	WIN %
TEST	25	4	9	0	12	16
ODI	73	23	43	1	6	31.51
IPL	35	20	15	0	0	57.14
CLT20	4	2	2	0	0	50

BEST 100s BY INDIAN CAPTAINS

Best 100s by Indian captains’ list

 

 

Super Strike No.1 - Kapil Dev

Period/ Venue: Tunbridge Wells/ 1975 World Cup
Opponent: Zimbabwe
Inning and strike rate: 175 from 138 balls / 127
Match result: India won by 31 runs

     

 

 

 

Super Strike No.2 Gautam Gambhir

Opponent: New Zealand
Period/ Venue: Jaipur/ 2010 bilateral series
Inning and strike rate: 138 off 116 balls / 119
Match result: India won by 8 wickets

 

 

 

Super Strike No.3 Sachin Tendulkar 

Period/ Venue: Hyderabad/ 1999 bilateral series
Opponent: New Zealand
Inning and strike rate: 186 from 150 balls / 124
Match result: India won by 174 runs

 

 

Super Strike No.4 Mahendra Singh

Opponent: Australia
Period/ Venue: Nagpur/ 2009 bilateral series
Inning and strike rate: 124 off 107 balls/ 115
Match result: India won by 99 runs

Super Strike No.5 - Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Opponent: Hong Kong
Period/ Venue: Karachi/ 2008 Asia Cup
Inning and strike rate: 109 off 96 balls/ 114
Match result: India won by 256 runs 

 

 

Super Strike No. 6 - Sourav Ganguly 

Opponent: Bangladesh
Period/ Venue: Dhaka/ 2000 Asia Cup
Inning and strike rate: 135 off 124 balls/ 109
Match result: India won by 8 wickets

 

 

 

Super Strike No.7 - Gautam Gambhir

Opponent: New Zealand
Period/ Venue: Baroda / 2010 bilateral series
Inning and strike rate: 126 off 117 balls/ 108
Match result: India won by 9 wickets  

 

 

 

 

Super Strike No.8 - Sachin Tendulkar

Opponent: Zimbabwe 
Period/ Venue: Benoni/ 1997 tri-series (SA was the other side)
Inning and strike rate: 104 off 97 balls/ 107
Match result: India won by 6 wickets

 

 

 

 

Super Strike No.9 - Sourav Ganguly 

Opponent: England
Period/ Venue: Colombo/ 2002 Champions Trophy
Inning and strike rate: 117 off 109 balls/ 107
Match result: India won by 8 wickets

 

 

 

 

Super Strike No.10 - Rahul Dravid

Opponent: West Indies
Period/ Venue: Jamaica/ 2006 bilateral series
Inning and strike rate: 105 off 102 balls/ 103
Match result: India won by 5 wickets

  

 

 

Super Strike No.11 - Ajay Jadeja 

Opponent: Sri Lanka
Period/ Venue: Pune / 1999 tri-series (Pakistan was the other side)
Inning and strike rate: 103 off 102 balls/ 101
Match result: India won by 51 runs

 

 

 

 

Super Strike No.12 - Md. Azharuddin 

Opponent: Zimbabwe
Period/ Venue: Cuttack/ 1998 tri-series (Australia was the other side)
Inning and strike rate: 153 off 150 balls
Match result: India won by 32 runs

 

 

 

Super Strike No.13 - Sourav Ganguly 

Opponent: South Africa
Period/ Venue: Johannesburg/ 2001 tri-series (Kenya was the other side)
Inning and strike rate: 127 off 126 balls/ 100
Match result: South Africa won by 6 wickets

MR. & MRS. DHONI

Look whom we spotted: Mr & Mrs Dhoni

 

Sakshi Rawat Dhoni, wife of Indian cricket team captain M S Dhoni, was spotted at Mad-o-wat salon recently as stylist Sapna Bhavnani tried a new look on him and Bollywood heartthrob John Abraham.

Sakshi looked simple yet swanky in her chequered top and shades. Seems like she has mastered pretty well how to handle her new-found stardom with great ease.