Saturday, October 25, 2008

The Little Masters' Interview


New Delhi: I have with me the two legends of the game, the world's twelve thousand Test run man, and the first 10,000 man of the game, a staggering 22,000 runs between my two guests today, the one and only Sunil Gavaskar and the one and only Sachin Tendulkar. If I go by the statistics, do you know how many centuries you have scored between the two of you in International cricket? Who has a better mathematical mind? Mr. Gavaskar, you would usually know how many hundreds have been scored?

Gavaskar: No, I am not Geoffrey Boycott here.

Sardesai: You have scored more than a hundred hundreds between the two of you, if you include Test cricket and one day internationals, but Sachin, 12,000 runs, has it sunk in? What does it mean to have scored 12,000 Test runs?

Tendulkar: To be honest, it still hasn't sunk in; I was just focussing on the ball because till I scored the runs whoever met me, the first question was, you have to do it and when are you doing it? So I was literally fed up answering them. I don't play for records and I just want to play my game and enjoy my cricket rather than chasing records. I know if I go and do that records will be broken automatically and I don't need to focus on that.

Sardesai: Is that the same way you felt when you scored 10,000 runs? Was it every day somebody telling you that Mr. Gavaskar, when are you scoring 10,000 runs?

Gavaskar: 10,000 was not something that people looked at, it was basically when one got close to that 29th century mark of Sir Donald Bradman, that was the time people, after the 28th century, you got off the aircraft and the aircraft maintenance guys would ask you about it, you had room service breakfast, the guy who delivered it, instead of asking for a complimentary match-ticket, he would say we want your 29th century here, so the pressure used to build up every time you went to the ground, we didn't have Ipods then so we had to listen to the "tali's" as well as "gaali's".

Sardesai: How do you deal with pressure? Do you keep it out, when you are out there; you keep out all the records?

Tendulkar: It's not that easy to switch off from all these things, our sub-conscious mind grasps all these things and somewhere it is stored. Even if you don't want to focus on all these things, the room-service guy will remind you of it, so somewhere it's stored and that's the last thing you want, you want to go out there with a blank mind. You just have to go out and bat, watch the ball as closely as possible and bat.

Sardesai: Mr. Gavaskar, you used to say something that I still don't quite believe that you never used to know your score that you did not even know when you were on 99?

Gavaskar: Yes because I was not interested in how many runs I was batting on, I was only interested in how many runs I got after I got out.

Sardesai: So you never had a look at the scoreboard?

Gavaskar: I had a vague idea, for the simple reason, because if you are on 46, and you know you need four runs to get to a 50, you might play a shot to a ball which you normally wouldn't in just trying to get that boundary. If you are on 96 you might play a shot that would get you out, so the thing to do would be to forget how many runs you are and then only see your score when you got out.

Sardesai: Are you the same Sachin?

Tendulkar: No, I do look at the scoreboard.

Sardesai: So, in a sense, both of you legends had a very different approach to run making. Did you, Mr Gavaskar, for example, go ten runs at a time?

Gavaskar: I did it in sessions, not in 10s and 20s, again you are putting yourself under pressure when you are looking at any target. As I said, it could be that you are on six, and you would say let me go to 10 and my next target will be 20, so you are putting yourself under that pressure. You just play by sessions, so you know that you have to play two hours before lunch, two hours until tea and then one and a half hours, it was five and a half hours. So if you did that, at the normal scoring rate, you knew you might get your 100 somewhere.

Sardesai: Was that your philosophy too Sachin, bat session by session?

Tendulkar: I played a little differently, a lot depended on my rhythm, my bat swing and if I felt everything was going well on that particular day, then I would sometimes choose the bowlers, like these are the bowlers that I am going to go after and I felt that in patches you score plenty of boundaries and then all of a sudden, you get these strike bowlers bowling disciplined lines and you need to just hold yourself back a bit and set different targets. There have been occasions where I have gone into the field with the frame of mind that I am going to bat at least for a session and then look at the next session to attack. Sometimes, in the first session, I tell myself that I am just going to try and hang in there, try and spend as much time as possible, it varies match by match.

Sardesai: What always strikes out that even in the way you are dressed, Sachin is dressed in a brightly colored T-Shirt, and Mr. Gavaskar is in a long sleeved formal shirt, both of you have scored remarkable runs and are run-machines but both of you have done it very differently, is that the way cricket is, different players, can be run-machines but by approaching the game very differently?

Gavaskar: Yes, there are different methods to getting runs, it also depends on the kind of game that you have, you could be a front foot player, you could be a back foot player, you could be good on the off-side, your grip might be suited to an on-side game. There are different methods of getting runs and in the Indian team itself you have got Sachin, you have got VVS, you have Virendra Sehwag, they all have different methods of dealing with same kind of a delivery.

Sardesai: The reason I ask this to the two of you because Sachin, you grew up, in a sense we all grew up in the 1980s hearing about the legend of Sunil Gavaskar and you were inspired by him and yet your batting was very different?

Tendulkar: I had two heroes while I was growing up and they are still my heroes, Mr. Gavaskar sitting next to me and Vivian Richards and I felt I would want to grow up and play cricket like my heroes, the dream was that every time any particular thing happened in school matches or practice sessions, I would say, "Gavaskar never did that", even today that happens.

Sardesai: Is there a West Indian tucked inside Sachin somewhere, he is closer to Vivian Richards in a sense than Sunil Gavaskar when it comes to the art of batsmanship?

Gavaskar: Yes, particularly when he goes down the track on the spinners, his back-lift is so much like Richards, the way he uses his wrists when he does that, I say to myself, "Oh this is so much like Vivian Richards when he does that, lofts the spinner over the top" . There is a lot of Vivian Richards in him except one thing that Vivian used to do was plonk his front foot there and whip everything down the leg side, Sachin is classically correct, he would play mostly on the off side.

Sardesai: There are in a sense two schools of batting, the Gavaskar style which wears down bowlers and one which destroys bowlers like Sachin. Mr Gavaskar, do you want to bat like Sachin Tendulkar sometimes when you see him, especially in One-day cricket?

Gavaskar: Look, this is what happens with the former cricketers, they have unfulfilled aspirations, dreams some times and when the next generation comes and does, there is a great feeling of enjoyment, I enjoy watching Sachin, Sehwag bat, because they do the kind of things that I wanted to do but was not able to do, probably it was a mental block.

Sardesai: You could probably count the number of sixes you have hit in Test cricket on the fingers of one hand, right Mr Gavaskar?

Gavaskar: No, I think I have hit a little more than Geoffrey Boycott!!

Sardesai: Sachin, is there something that you have learnt from the Gavaskar school of batting? What is it that one quality of Sunil Gavaskar that always struck out to you as a batsman?

Tendulkar: It's everything about him because growing up as a budding cricketer and wanting to play for India, it was the ultimate dream and you had the ultimate player whom we actually had this pleasure of watching from a close distance, the concentration and the determination, the dedication, the confidence to play fast bowling.

Sardesai: Did you ever go to Mr Gavaskar over the years for special things; I believe from time to time he would tell you if something he felt was going wrong in the grip or some small mistakes?

Tendulkar: Right from my Ranji Trophy days, before my Ranji Trophy debut he presented me his leg guards, so right from those days I would say I have always shared my thoughts with him and he has shared his thoughts with me and it has been tremendous help and what else can you ask for.

Sardesai: Mr Gavaskar, I have to ask you, and be honest, when you first saw Sachin bat, did you think one day this boy will be a part of this elite 10,000 club, will go on to score 12,000 runs?

Gavaskar: I think yes, I have to be absolutely honest and say if he was not going to be beset by any injuries, he was going to have all the batting records in the world. Please ask my wife of what I felt when I first saw him bat. I had heard so much about him, I went and saw him from a corner because I didn't want him to be conscious that I was standing behind the nets so I was hiding in a corner and I watched him bat and I went home and I said to my wife that I had seen something really special, she said you have never said this about any cricketer before. And I can tell you she has followed his cricket career as avidly as any other Indian.

Sardesai: What is that one quality you think you need to become a run machine, whether it's a Gavaskar or a Tendulkar, is it just technique, what makes a 10,000 club player according to you?

Tendulkar: It's the desire and it's extremely important to dream big and then you chase your dreams and that is extremely important and then the passion because I grew up loving the sport and I cannot imagine my life without cricket and if anyone had given an option to choose, I would choose cricket 100 out of 100 times.

Sardesai: You say you would chase your dreams, was your dream even in 1987-88 when you were started off to score 10,000 runs, did you say to yourself there is Sunil Gavaskar, with 34 Test hundreds, I want to score more than that?

Tendulkar: There was always this target of 34 hundreds and growing up as a cricketer, my brother always told me that if you want to be something in the history of Indian cricket this is what you have to chase because this is the ultimate thing and Gavaskar is your role model, so you have to try and follow all those things and it was my target.

Sardesai: One thing about Gavaskar's game which you consciously tried to adapt, was it the focus or just the ability to be there session after session wear down bowlers, is that something you may be sub-consciously or consciously learnt from Mr. Gavaskar?

Tendulkar: It is obviously the concentration and the discipline, you have to be disciplined, to have an organized mind and once your mind is organized, it all just follows and when your mind is disorganized, it's tough.

Sardesai: Mr Gavaskar still plays badminton everyday at four o'clock if he is in Mumbai, are you like that kind of a person Sachin? Do you have a set schedule, once you go out and bat, the same thing that you have done year after year?

Tendulkar: No, not really, I go by my instincts. There are times when just before going to bat I feel like listening to some music. I have done two different things, opening in one day cricket is different and batting in the middle order in Test cricket is different, in one day cricket I can be still listening to music and as soon as the umpires are out and the fielders are out, I immediately remove my ear-phones and keep them aside and just walk in to bat but in Test cricket, I don't know at what time I have to walk in so it's difficult and it requires a different preparation, not only physical preparation but mental preparation also.

Sardesai: Sachin always makes batting sound so ridiculously easy. It's easy to say you want to be focused, determined, passionate, but Sachin has translated it on the ground, what's the one that's always struck out for you, Mr Gavaskar about Sachin through these twenty years, something you believe makes him stand apart from anyone else you have seen?

Gavaskar: Balance, which is the most important thing, he has got balance on the field and that is helped by a great extent by balance off the field. Without balance, so many potentially great cricketers have been lost, it's the balance off the field which is so important and to have that balance off the field you need people around you who will make sure that you have your feet on the ground, the family becomes such an important aspect in keeping that balance.

Sardesai: You both are strong family men, is there something about the Maharashtrian middle class mind-set perhaps, Mr Gavaskar grew up in the Dadar area, Sachin, you grew up in MIG colony in Bandra, is there something that kept the feet on the ground, in your case Sachin your father I believe played a huge role?

Tendulkar: Yes in cricket I had different role models and in my life I had my father as my role model, I always felt that if I can be half as good a person as my father was, I know that I am on the right track.

Sardesai: your father I believe was a very calm man?

Tendulkar: Absolutely.

Sardesai: That's what he gave you in your life?

Tendulkar: Very calm and balanced, never lost his temper never raised his voice, he was absolutely calm and balanced and I always wanted to be like that.

Sardesai: Any similar person like this in your life Mr Gavaskar?

Gavaskar: My parents were a big help, my wife, they were the ones who kept me grounded, upbringing is so important and I am not just talking about the upbringing that you get when you say please, thank you, whatever but cricketing upbringing also and in the respect of cricketing upbringing, I would thank the people I played with at Dadar Union, the team mates there, people like VS Patil, PK Kamath, Madhav Mantri, the discipline he had, he was my mama, Vasu Paranjpe, they were the guys who came with the kind of upbringing that got me where I was.

Sardesai: What also stood out for me all these years was that both of you raised your game when you played the best teams of your time, Mr Gavaskar when you played West Indies, Sachin when you played Australia. Do you raise your game Sachin, for example, when you played a Shane Warne or a Glenn Mcgrath?

Tendulkar: I wish I could do that.

Sardesai: But you did, you destroyed Shane Warne at his peak.

Tendulkar: It doesn't matter who the opposition is, it is about cricket to me and whenever there is a cricket bat in hand I want to give my best, I am not there to fool around, I am not there to make any compromise, I want to go out and give my best, it might be even a practice game but I just want to give my best.

Sardesai: I was hearing Javed Miadaad the other day, trying to compare Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar and Javed was saying it was much more difficult playing in the 70s because you had to play sides with four fast bowlers. Do you ever compare, do you believe it's fair to compare a Tendulkar with a Gavaskar?

Gavaskar: Not at all, it's unfair because I would like to think what Sir Don Bradman said and it holds true and he said that a champion in one era would be a champion in another era, so I don't think comparisons are required, comparisons are good for the fans and the followers of the game and I don't think cricketers ever indulge in comparisons, they might go on a nostalgic trip and say that during our days things were tougher, but I don't think cricketers often compare.

Sardesai: What's more difficult, facing four West Indian fast bowlers in the 70s or playing a mix of one day, twenty20 and Test cricket today? I am sure both were equally difficult?

Tendulkar: Cricket is a difficult game and hats off to Mr Gavaskar how he managed to play four genuine quick bowlers without a helmet.

Gavaskar: And nothing inside to protect (points to his brain and laughs).

Sardesai: But Mr Gavaskar, you never got hit on the head or probably just once. But then again, today fielding has improved out of recognition. Sachin, do you also subscribe to the view that if you are a great player in one generation you are a great player always?

Tendulkar: Yes, I agree with that, once you are a great player in a particular generation, then it doesn't matter because that player knows how to adjust to different conditions. In every generation, you play in so many different conditions, on many different pitches and against many different bowlers and all those things require adjustment. In the end, it's about adjustment in this game and if you can adjust to the conditions, then you can play in any generation.

Sardesai: Your proudest moment Mr Gavaskar on a cricket field?

Gavaskar: it has to be the 1983 world cup win and nothing can beat that.

Sardesai: And that's because you took those catches in the slips and not because of your batting? So ironically even after scoring 10,000 runs for you the greatest moment was not the runs you scored but the victory?

Gavaskar: Yes absolutely and nobody gave us a chance and we played good cricket and we won the World Cup so that has got to be the number one moment.

Tendulkar: For me it was the first time I wore India cap, it was my dream to play for India and even today nothing gets bigger than that.

Sardesai: You still remember that day against Pakistan?

Tendulkar: Yes, I have a vague memory because I was so excited, I was talking to a couple of friends and I said that the whole tour is a vague memory because I was so excited. I was raring to go out on the field and those six hours were just so exciting.

Sardesai: Sachin, I saw a photograph of you the other day of that Pakistan tour playing some friendly match and you look like a 12 year old and there you were playing Waqar Yunis, Imran Khan, Abdul Qadir, you never felt that you were out of that place?

Tendulkar: Probably just for the first Test match, I felt I was out of place, I was unsure whether I belonged here or not, I was just hoping for another opportunity. The second Test match I had decided that come what may I am going to spend minimum 45 minutes here and then see what happens because the players around me told me that, the first fifteen minutes are always tough and once you have stayed there for longer than 25 or 30 minutes then things start changing gradually. And that's what I guess happened, after the first 20 minutes, batting became much easier.

Sardesai: In a sense, Mr Gavaskar, you started out very differently, you started off scoring 774 runs in your first series, and you were already 21 by then and Sachin was just 16 when he made his debut. Was it harder for him?

Gavaskar: Yes, absolutely harder because I do believe that a batsman needs a little bit more experience before coming at the international level, a quick young bowler, you might throw him into the fire straightaway at the age of 16-17 because he has the strength and energy but I believe young batsmen are better off having a couple of seasons at the domestic level before they are put at the international level.

Sardesai: Your best innings ever? Any innings to you which stands out where you felt Sachin Tendulkar the batsman would be fully satisfied with it? I know you are never satisfied?

Tendulkar: I am always happy and never satisfied; I would say my favorite innings would be in 1992 against Australia when I scored 100 in Perth and that is when I felt that, yes, now I am here to play cricket anywhere in the world, any bowling attack I am confident enough to tackle them.

Sardesai: Your best ever innings Mr Gavaskar?

Gavaskar: It was the innings of 57, the one at Old Trafford against England, I had never played on the green pitch, and it was a green pitch there was good seam bowling, there was a bit of a drizzle which was freshening the pitch and you couldn't go off the field because of the drizzle, so I would imagine that was the best.

Sardesai: Who was the best bowler that you have faced?

Gavaskar: The best bowler is going to be Andy Roberts.

Sardesai: Sachin Tendulkar, the best bowler that you have faced?

Tendulkar: I never singled out any particular bowler as such, there have been many bowlers who I faced at different stages who really have done well but if I have to pick one then it would probably be Glenn McGrath.

Sardesai: Just for always being there and attacking a batsman all the time?

Tendulkar: I thought he was in the channel all the time and you had to play a disciplined game against him all the time.

Sardesai: If you had to pick one batsman to bat for your life, who would that be? You can use present company as well.

Gavaskar: The closest thing to batting perfection is Sachin Tendulkar, no question about that.

Sardesai: Sachin who would you pick? You have to pick one player and you need him to bat for your life? You don't have to pick Mr. Gavaskar.

Tendulkar: It goes without saying, I would pick him because he is one of my two batting heroes, one hero Richards played attacking cricket and the other opened the innings against the best fast bowling attack ever and delivered consistently which requires a special talent.

Sardesai: Is it very different just to be an opening batsman and score 10,000 runs and a middle order batsman and score 12,000 runs, obviously one is not easier than the other, but is there a big difference?

Gavaskar: Possibly because the new ball is a little bit harder, it moves a little bit more, so you take a little more time to settle down and to wear the bowler out so, maybe, that's the thing. But, then again, if you are a Virendra Sehwag, it doesn't make any difference to him as the ball in fact goes quicker to the boundary off his bat.

Sardesai: How would you like to be remembered in this game of Indian cricket, I have always believed that there are three ornaments India has produced in the last 30 years, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar? Sachin are you looking at your legacy to the game now?

Tendulkar: I am not thinking that far ahead but now that you have asked this question to me I might as well answer this, I would like to be remembered as the one who always played for the team and the one who has had some impact on the next generation and set some targets for them to achieve.

Sardesai: I find every young batsman wants to bat like Sachin Tendulkar, just as 20 years ago every batsman wanted to bat like Sunil Gavaskar, is this just a passing of the baton from one era to another? The Gavaskar era to a Tendulkar era and hopefully there will be someoneelse to take on the mantle?

Gavaskar: That has always been the case in the game, in any sport you will find it moves from one person to another, the generation changes and that's always for the best because the next generation always invariably eclipses the previous generation and that's a sign of progress, so there is nothing wrong with it at all.

Sardesai: What's the one piece of advice you would like to give Sachin Tendulkar today if there is anything at all Mr Gavaskar? I am sure you gave him advice when he was 16 or 15 years old when you first saw him and today when he has scored 12,000 runs, do you want to set more targets for him?

Gavaskar: I think I did that four years ago so I am not going to do that but what I will do is, not advise him, but I will make a plea - please regain the World Cup for us in 2011.

Sardesai: You are putting pressure on him.

Gavaskar: No, please regain the World Cup. I mean if this is pressure, just imagine the pressure he is under otherwise.

Sardesai: Do you believe that he is still fit enough, completely? You are one of those who believe that in fact batsmen get better with age, right?

Gavaskar: Yes.

Sardesai: So he can certainly play 2011 World Cup?

Gavaskar: It is only a couple of years away.

Sardesai: Sachin, is that the next goal then?

Tendulkar: It has always been a dream because that is the ultimate thing you can get for your country.

Sardesai: Is that the one thing perhaps that's perhaps missing from this fantastic career?

Tendulkar: We came so close to it in 2003. It is definitely by far the best World Cup that I have played, and we came so close to it but I thought just in the finals, we tried a little too hard to get the Cup back home.

Sardesai: By the way, there is another thing that binds you besides being national icons. You are both, if I may say, short men with powerful forearms. Is there something between being short and being a great batsman... from the Don to Sachin?

Gavaskar: Well, yes... sure. I think it has something to do with force of gravity. Shorter people perhaps find it easier to be more balanced and move back and forward in the crease.

Sardesai: Sachin the 10,000 club has lots of short people. Lara, Border, Ponting except Dravid. Is there some connection?

Tendulkar: It's a tough question to answer. But there is something about good things coming in small packages I guess!

Sardesai: At the end of the day, being part of the 10,000 club, in Sachin's case the first to be part of 12,000 club, it must make you feel that the last 20 years have been worth it?

Tendulkar: It's been a fantastic journey and I have enjoyed every moment of it. It's been everything I dreamt of, a real dream, and I am still living it.

Sardesai: One final question - there will be youngsters who would want to be part of this 10,000 club - this elite club - what is it that they need to do Mr. Gavaskar to be part of it?

Gavaskar: You have got to have focus. You have got to have determination. You have got to have discipline - the 3 'Ds' that I keep talking about -- discipline, dedication and determination -- have to be there. Without that you will never get anywhere close and I think Sachin embodies all those qualities that are required not for a 10,000 man but hopefully for a 14,000 man.

Tendulkar: Couldn't agree with him more because we actually followed his footsteps.

Sardesai: Mr Gavaskar, Sachin, you have made millions of Indians very proud, it's been a privilege talking to you.


- courtesy .... CNN-IBN

Sunday, October 19, 2008

'I can't be running after every record ' - Tendulkar



Thirty-nine centuries, 12,027 runs, 152 Tests - the numbers are immense whichever way you look at it. In a career spanning nearly 20 years, Sachin Tendulkar has constantly been India's biggest hope: through the 1990s, he was easily India's best batsman, especially overseas, in conditions none of the others came close to mastering. With the emergence of Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly, the pressure has eased somewhat, but Tendulkar still remains the most prized wicket for opposition bowlers, which is a remarkable testimony to his skill levels and the high standards he has consistently achieved.


At 2.31pm on a hot Mohali Friday, Sachin Tendulkar steered Peter Siddle towards the third-man boundary for three runs to break Brian Lara's record for most Test runs. The record stood for nearly two years after Lara played his final Test and it was inevitable that Tendulkar would eventually break it. As the day progressed Tendulkar scored his 50th half-century and became the first player to cross the 12,000-run mark.


The disappointingly small crowd, built largely of school kids, immediately got on its feet to salute the feat, and fireworks, which continued for three minutes, went off at the PCA Stadium. Tendulkar raised his bat in the air, took his helmet off, and looked up at the sky, as is his routine when he gets to a hundred. Almost all the Australians, wherever placed in the field, came to congratulate him. Ricky Ponting, the man most likely to challenge his status of being the top run-getter, was the first man to shake his hand. Sourav Ganguly, Tendulkar's partner at the nonstriker's end, reminded him that he was there when he scored his record 35th Test century


It was about 15 minutes into Sachin Tendulkar's press conference. He had answered wide-ranging questions, not all pertaining to the match or his record. Before the next question came his way, the media coordinator asked him if he would like to continue. Tendulkar moved away from the mike, and although he could not be heard, it seemed he said something to the effect of "Why not?" The press conference continued for the next 11 minutes, way longer than the ones at the end of a day's play.


He started off by admitting that although the record was not a big distraction, the anticipation around it did mean something. "During all the talk about the record, I concentrated on how to score runs for the team, but everybody I used to meet would talk about only one thing. Now that it is done, I know I wouldn't be asked the same question again and again."


"I have not played for records. I can't be running after every record [answering a query about breaking Brian Lara's 400]. I would be looking after what the team needs. The team obviously needs it. If it comes my way, I will take it. If it doesn't come, there will be no regrets."


Coincidentally, Lara too achieved the world record against Australia, when he went past Allan Border's tally of 11,174 runs during the Adelaide Test in 2005. They remain the only three players to cross the 11,000-run mark in Tests. Though it is uncertain how long Tendulkar will prolong his Test career - which has lasted 19 years - the two players who stand the best chance of beating his eventual tally are Rahul Dravid (10,302) and Ponting (10,239).


Wednesday, October 15, 2008

What is so special about Sachin?

Well, now Aussie legend Shane Warne has released the book, 'Shane Warne's Century' which rates Sachin Tendulkar numero uno. But what is the specialty Sachin Tendulkar has? Where does he outscore his competitors? There are many answers.

He is worshiped as the God in a cricket-driven country. His opponents once used to feel, somehow if they can send him back to the pavilion, then half of their work is done. After his departure, everyone in India used to switch-off their televisions. As long as he used to bat, everyone prayed for him. This was the power Sachin Tendulkar had once.


He holds many records in both Tests and one-day international matches (ODIs). He has the maximum runs in international cricket, besides scoring maximum centuries in international formats. He is about to break his one time rival, Brian Lara’s record of highest run aggregate in Tests. He also has the maximum Man of the Match awards in ODIs.

So are these factors are enough to make him the number one player of his time? The answer is yes. But at the same time he has outscored his contemporary batsmen (perhaps, even players) in the area of attitude.He never played any mind game with any of his counterparts. Instead, he allowed his bat to do all the talking. When he travelled to Australia for the first time in the 1991-92 series, some of the Aussies made fun of him regarding his age. But after the end of the series, he shut everyone’s mouth. During the 1999 World Cup, he lost his father and he had to rush back home from England eventually missing the match against Zimbabwe. But still he returned to the Indian side in the match versus Kenya, whom India could have easily beaten proving his commitment. Not just this, he even scored a century in that match dedicating it to his late father.

He also seems to have a strong distaste for fights. During his first stint of captaincy, Azharuddin started all sorts of politics against him and divided the Indian team. But he did not make it a prestige issue and resigned from captaincy (which is considered to be a dream of every player) to avoid a split in the team. Besides this, he has never spoken about himself or his achievements.

Like every other celebrity, he also has his share of critics. They always accuse him of playing for records, money, fame, sponsors, etc. But they still forget he was our one-man army once upon a time. India was fully dependent on him. He may be the biggest sports brand in Indian history, but it is not his fault if the media makes him a God or any company pays him to endorse its products. He never approached those brands. At the same time he is playing well too. If you ignore the recent Sri Lanka series, you will find he has scored runs in the previous tournaments also. In the tour to Down Under, he scored two important hundreds in the Tests and two crucial knocks in the finals of the tri-series, which eventually helped India to win a tri-series for the first time in Down Under.

So is there any reason why he should be dropped? May be because people expect him to hit a century in every match, only then his performance is considered good by those people.

He also seems to be the most popular and respected player among his team mates. If you look at the past, we will see Gavaskar and Kapil Dev always wanted to oust each other. Then when Azharuddin came to power, he removed Srikanth and Vengsarkar. Next, during Tendulkar’s captaincy, he fired Azharuddin. Ganguly always showed more favour towards Harbhajan keeping Kumble out of the squad. Dravid, with the help of Chappel dropped Ganguly. Now Dhoni removed Dravid and Ganguly. But one thing you will notice, nobody had the guts to drop the Little Master. His mere presence in the team seems to give confidence to his team mates and scare the opponents, regardless how bad his form is in.

Source : http://www.merinews.com

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Windows Shortcuts - 1

Few shortcuts used frequently in Windows...

1. Ctrl + Shift + A All Caps Makes the selection all capitals (toggle)

2. Alt + Ctrl + 1 ApplyHeading1 Applies Heading 1 style to the selected text
3. Alt + Ctrl + 2 ApplyHeading2 Applies Heading 2 style to the selected text
4. Alt + Ctrl + 3 ApplyHeading3 Applies Heading 3 style to the selected text
5. Ctrl + Shift + L Apply List Bullet Applies List Bullet style to the selected text
6. Alt + F10 App Maximize Enlarges the application window to full size
7. Alt + F5 App Restore Restores the application window to normal size
8. Ctrl+B Bold Makes the selection bold (toggle)
9. Ctrl + PgDn Browse Next Jump to the next browse object
10. Ctrl + PgUp Browse Previous Jump to the previous browse object
11. Alt + Ctrl + Home Browse Select Select the next/prev browse object
12. Esc Cancel Terminates an action
13. Ctrl+E Center Paragraph Centers the paragraph between the indents
14. Shift+F3 Change Case Changes the case of the letters in the selection
15. Left arrow Character Left Moves the insertion point to the left one character
16. Shift + Left arrow Character Left Extend Extends the selection to the left one character
17. Right arrow Character Right Moves the insertion point to the right one character
18. Shift + Right arrow Character Right Extend Extends the selection to the right one character
19. Alt + Shift + C Close Pane Closes the active window pane (if you are in Normal View and have, for example, the Footnote pane open)
20. Alt+Drag (or press Ctrl + Shift + F8 and drag, but Alt + Drag is far easier!) Column Select Selects a columnar block of text
21. Ctrl +Shift+C Copy Format Copies the formatting of the selection
22. Shift + F2 Copy Text Makes a copy of the selection without using the clipboard (press Return to paste)
23. Alt + F3 Create AutoText Adds an AutoText entry to the active template
24. Ctrl+ Backspace Delete Back Word Deletes the previous word without putting it on the Clipboard
25. Ctrl + Del Delete Word Deletes the next word without putting it on the Clipboard
26. Ctrl+W, Ctrl+F4 Document Close Prompts to save the document and then closes the active window. (But doesn't intercept the menu command)
27. Ctrl + F10 Document Maximize Enlarges the active window to full size
28. Ctrl + F7 Document Move Changes the position of the active window
29. Ctrl + F5 Document Restore Restores the window to normal size
30. Ctrl + F8 Document Size Changes the size of the active window
31. Alt + Ctrl + S Document Split Splits the active window horizontally and then adjusts the split
32. Alt + Shift + F9 Do Field Click Executes the action associated with macro button fields
33. Ctrl + Shift + D Double Underline Double underlines the selection (toggle)
34. Alt R, G Draw Group Groups the selected drawing objects
35. Alt R, I Draw Snap To Grid Sets up a grid for aligning drawing objects
36. Alt R, U Draw Ungroup Ungroups the selected group of drawing objects
37. Ctrl+Shift+F5 (Or: Alt I, K) Edit Bookmark Brings up the bookmark dialog
38. Del Edit Clear Performs a forward delete or removes the selection without putting it on the Clipboard
39. Ctrl+C Edit Copy Copies the selection and puts it on the Clipboard
40. Ctrl+X Edit Cut Cuts the selection and puts it on the Clipboard
41. Ctrl+F Edit Find Finds the specified text or the specified formatting
42. F5, Ctrl+G Edit Go To Jumps to a specified place in the active document
43. Alt E, K Edit Links Allows links to be viewed, updated, opened, or removed
44. Ctrl+V Edit Paste Inserts the Clipboard contents at the insertion point
45. Alt E, S Edit Paste Special Inserts the Clipboard contents as a linked object, embedded object, or other format
46. Alt + Shift + Backspc Edit Redo Redoes the last action that was undone
47. F4 Edit Redo Or Repeat Repeats the last command, or redoes the last action that was undone (unfortunately, doesn't work for as many commands in Word 2000 as in Word 97 and below, but this is still one of Word's most useful shortcuts, if not the most useful)
48. Ctrl+H Edit Replace Finds the specified text or the specified formatting and replaces it
49. Ctrl+A Edit Select All Selects the entire document
50. Ctrl+Z Edit Undo Reverses the last action
51. Alt + PageDn (to select to end of column, use Alt + Shift + PgDn)
End Of Column Moves to the last cell in the current table column
52. Ctrl+Shift+End End Of Document Extend Extends the selection to the end of the last line of the document
53. Ctrl+End End Of Document Moves the insertion point to the end of the last line of the document
54. End End Of Line Moves the insertion point to the end of the current line
55. Shift+End End Of Line Extend Extends the selection to the end of the current line
56. Alt+End End Of Row Moves to the last cell in the current row
57. Alt + Ctrl + PgDn End Of Window Moves the insertion point to the end of the last visible line on the screen
58. Shift + Alt + Ctrl + PgDn End Of Window Extend Extends the selection to the end of the last visible line on the screen
59. F8 (press Esc to turn off) Extend Selection Turns on extend selection mode and then expands the selection with the direction keys
60. Alt + F4 (<9>) File Close Or Exit Closes the current document, or if no documents are open, quits Word. Horrible command, as it makes it a long winded business to quit Word. But there's a simple solution - assign Alt+F4 to FileExit instead.
61. Alt + F4 (Word 97) File Exit Quits Microsoft Word and prompts to save the documents (does intercept the menu item, but not the keyboard shortcut, or the x button. An AutoExit macro is usually a better way of intercepting this).
62. Ctrl+N File New Default Creates a new document based on the Normal template.
63. Ctrl+O File Open Opens an existing document or template
64. Alt F, U File Page Setup Changes the page setup of the selected sections
65. Ctrl + P File Print Prints the active document (brings up the dialog)
66. Ctrl+F2 File Print Preview Displays full pages as they will be printed
67. Alt F, I File Properties Shows the properties of the active document
68. Ctrl+S File Save File Save
69. Alt F, A (or F12) File SaveAs Saves a copy of the document in a separate file (brings up the dialog)
70. Ctrl+Shift+F Font Activates the Fonts listbox on the formatting toolbar
71. Ctrl+Shift+P Font Size Select Activates the Font Size drop-down on the formatting toolbar
72. Alt + Ctrl + K Format AutoFormat Automatically formats a document (or sometimes, automatically screws it up)
73. Alt O, B Format Borders And Shading Changes the borders and shading of the selected paragraphs, table cells, and pictures
74. Alt O, E Format Change Case Changes the case of the letters in the selection
75. Alt O, C Format Columns Changes the column format of the selected sections (brings up the dialog)
76. Alt O, D Format Drop Caps Formats the first character of current paragraph as a dropped capital (must select it first)
77. Ctrl+D Format Font Brings up the Format + Font dialog
78. Alt + Shift + R Format Header Footer Link Links the current header/footer to the previous section (but does not intercept the button on the Header Footer toolbar)
79. Alt O, P Format Paragraph Brings up the Format Paragraph dialog
80. Alt O, S Format Style Applies, creates, or modifies styles
81. Alt O, T Format Tabs Brings up the Format Tabs dialog
82. Shift + F5 Go Back Returns to the previous insertion point (goes back to up to 3 points, then returns to where you started; this is one of the most useful shortcuts of them all. Also useful when opening a document, if you want to g straight to where you were last editing it)
83. Ctrl + > Grow Font Increases the font size of the selection
84. Ctrl + ] Grow Font One Point Increases the font size of the selection by one point
85. Ctrl + T (or drag the ruler) Hanging Indent Increases the hanging indent
86. F1 Help Microsoft Word Help
87. Shift + F1 Help Tool Lets you get help on a command or screen region or examine text properties
88. Ctrl + Shift + H Hidden Makes the selection hidden text (toggle)
89. Ctrl +Click on it Hyperlink Open Connect to a hyperlink's address
90. Ctrl + M (or drag the ruler) Indent Moves the left indent to the next tab stop
91. Alt + Ctrl + M (or Alt I, M) Insert Annotation Inserts a comment
92. F3 Insert AutoText Replaces the name of the AutoText entry with its contents
93. Alt I, B Insert Break Ends a page, column, or section at the insertion point
94. Alt I, C Insert Caption Inserts a caption above or below a selected object
95. Ctrl + Shift + Return Insert Column Break Inserts a column break at the insertion point
96. Alt + Shift + D Insert Date Field Inserts a date field
97. Alt + Ctrl + D Insert End note Now Inserts an endnote reference at the insertion point without displaying the dialog
98. Alt I, F Insert Field Inserts a field in the active document
99. Ctrl+F9 Insert Field Characters Inserts an empty field with the enclosing field characters
100. Alt I, L Insert File Inserts the text of another file into the active document