Dismay drove me to derision. I told myself that till recently, till Tendulkar's resumption of the mantle of genius in the Test series in Australia, I had always classed him as the second-best batsman in the history of Indian cricket. I should have stuck with SMG. Gavaskar is unbearable in his present avatar as television pundit, but at least there is the reassurance of knowing he is too bright to embarrass himself (and us) with a comment as crass as Tendulkar's. Would Kumble ever say such a thing? Would Dravid? No and no. This is what comes of not going to college.

Derision didn't work. It's impossible to condescend to Tendulkar. Cricket-wise, he's so colossal that even the all-knowing Indian fan finds patronizing him a stretch. So I did the next best thing. I tried to explain his statement away. He probably meant the whole tour, I thought hopefully. The total Oz experience: Perth, Harbhajan, match referees, Andrew Symonds, Malcolm Conn, the one-day victories, all taken together. That didn't work either. This is how the Telegraph reported Tendulkar's statement:

'If captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was a picture of calm even after a terrific tri-series win, senior-most pro (and his idol) Sachin Tendulkar was overjoyed. "I'm feeling so proud… It's probably the biggest moment in my career," Sachin told The Telegraph at the team hotel, the Sofitel.' There was some wiggle-room in that 'probably' but the only honest reading of that statement was that Tendulkar thought that the CB series win was the high-point of his cricketing life. And with 39 centuries in Tests and 42 in ODIs, I had to accept that he had tasted triumph often enough to know which victory was sweetest.

This is when I defaulted to feeling not just old, but superannuated as a fan. More than any cricketer in the world, Tendulkar embodies the modern batsman because of his absolute mastery of the two main forms of the game. He has scored more runs in ODIs than any other batsman and it won't be long before he's on top of the Test match heap too. He's played international cricket since 1989 and he has felt the game seesaw between its long and short forms. So when he says that this small tournament victory was the highlight of those twenty years at the top, we should pay serious attention because it marks, I think, a tipping point in the precarious balance between the five-day and the limited overs game, a decisive turn in the history of cricket.

Tendulkar's comment sprang partly from the thrill of defeating a bunch of Ugly Australians in their backyard after a long summer of squabbles. But it sprang also, I think, from a sense of achievement in being the only veteran to have transitioned to the Twenty20 epoch not by the skin of his teeth, but triumphantly.

	Prodigy in 1989, game's grey eminence now © Getty Images

I don't think Tendulkar enjoyed forsaking a place in the Twenty20 team that won the World Cup. I have no way of reading the great man's mind, but given his record in the limited overs game and his competitiveness, I find it hard to believe that it didn't gall him to have to make room 'voluntarily' for the young brigade. The team that won the tri-series in Australia was in large part the same as the team that won the Twenty20 World Cup. Dhoni had asked for his merry men and got them; Tendulkar was the odd man (old man?) out. At the age of 34 he was eight years older than the captain, who, at 26 was the next oldest player in the team.

In this company, with the player auction for the BCCI's new Twenty20 league as context, to have steered this young team home with a fifty, a hundred and a near-hundred in the three matches that counted, was a triumph, a triumph of Tendulkar over Time and particularly sweet for that reason.

Tendulkar was a prodigy when he started out in 1989 and he's now the game's grey eminence. But he isn't just cricket's durable genius; he has also been for fifteen years, it's hottest commercial property. Both the brand and the batsman unconsciously grasped that cricket had mutated decisively, in one of evolution's leaps, away from the longeurs of Test cricket towards the compact formats of the limited overs game. Dhoni's charisma, the hysteria after the Twenty20 World Cup win, the meteoric valuation of young potential at the expense of proven achievement and experience in the IPL's auction, signalled the end of an era when Test cricket had sort of held its own. The surest sign of an epochal change was the fact that the largest sums of money in cricket were now being invested in the newest and most trivial form of the game.

Tendulkar, like Dravid and Ganguly, wasn't bid for in the IPL auction because they were designated champions of their state sides. Of the three, Tendulkar is the one who is there on merit; the other two seem to have been included out of a strategic deference to seniority. I wouldn't be surprised if Tendulkar finds a place in the Indian squad that plays the next Twenty20 World Cup; he may well use the arena of the IPL to try to force his way in. I'm certain, though, that he plans to be around for the next ODI World Cup, to see if he can't add the World Cup to his trophy cupboard.

If Tendulkar's valuation of the tri-series is the first sign of the slow death of five-day cricket, some of us, specially middle-aged nostalgists who live for Test matches, might find it hard to follow the game down this new road. Still, my initial outrage, my sense that Tendulkar in saying what he did, had betrayed the long game, was daft. Old men rail at History; great men master it.

A version of this post was published earlier in the Telegraph

Dude !!!! you are way off when you trivialize the biggest win for Indian cricket in close to a decade. All the test matches that you just mentioned had been won by Indian teams with proven pedigree and full of stalwarts who should have gone on and conquered many more series and trophies then they eventually did. That they did not win anything of note outside India ( remember World cup Final 2003 ) inspite of boasting the best batting line up in the world was a big hurdle in calling them the greatest wins ever. But actually beating Australia for the first time in a tri series down under , that too against World cup finalists Sri Lanka and the world champions Australia ( mind you both at full strength ) with the kind of attack that Australia have at present, you have to be out of your minds to trivialize such an amazing victory. But , as far as Perth test win is concerned , I would have to side with you that it really was the biggest win although Hayden did not play.

sir ,i think you are terribly confused . you say you read what sachin had said . i saw it , and it was said in the spur of the moment . when someone is followed all the time by the media and caught off guard after such a victory , some excited comments are only natural . there is nothing to anaylse so much . he definiely wasnt undermining the role of test cricket and wasnt saying it was better than chennai or kolkata or sharjah . he just said it ! there wasnt anything else to it .it wasnt clear , but i feel he was talking about one days .in any case , lets stop talking about such trivial issues and be glad that this genius is still around after 18 years on his own merit . lets be proud that sachin was born in india and we are indians to call him a fellow countryman and be inspired by him everyday .

The other possibility is that we are reading too much into a statement made in the first flush of victory. it may mean a lot to Sachin personally who hadnt done well in finals of ODIs and in Australia ODIs before.But to extrapolate from that and conclude its Indias greatest win in a stretch.

This is very unfair on Sachin. Sachin values Tests very highly. I have read that he remembers every dismissal in tests. He gently reminded everybody that great things in this Oz tour started with test series. When we win test series in Australia, then it would be a greater achievement than this win. The comments at the end of tour is more of initial euphoria of doing a great work. Sachin talks about how Perth 91 established him. He is the last person who will belittle tests. When he was at his earlier peak, team wins were very few as we had only one Sachin. With team India winning some good matches, let him enjoy those moments. Sachin is the most analysed person in Cricket and this topic adds an interesting though unfair(most of the analysis on him are) chapter to it

As an unabashed Sachin fan (my bordd is named Sachin!) I think you are stringing a pretty long bow. I don't think his statements mean he thinks one day cricket is superior to Test cricket or anything of the sort. I think that after a period of time where he has been written off, he first answered his critics in the Test arena and then, I think the day after the article saying he never delivered in chases, in the one day arena. It was one of the most nasty spirited series I've seen, India were robbed of a Test and at least drawing the series, he was dragged into a court case, and then finally he beat the champions in their own back yard with a clean sweep, meaning India could claim to be the world's best 20/20 side, current best ODI side and serious challengers (with England's woes) for the title of the best Test team. What could sweeter than all that? As a single moment I doubt it is his best, but as a culmination of an incredible summer, who can blame him for finding it so wonderful?

Mukul I think its nothing more than a bit of over reaction this time. Yes, I agree nothing can match the TEST wins in Australia and England, and also west Indies( Dravid scored two 50s in the decider), but Tendulkar's comment can also be seen as encouragement to the younger brigade. It is similar to his comment where he took a bit of the blame for the Gambhir run out. Fair to say no one can read his mind but it would be stretching it a bit too far to say that he had to prove his place in the team. The fact that he still opens is pointer enough that he still has enough clout where it matters. Test cricket is not really in any kind of danger, T20 is not worse off than bodyline, match fixing or one day cricket. It will survive and would continue to entertain us. Finally T20 match even in ICL with old teams is better viewing that the recent England NZ test match. So quality matters.

Well, I thought it was a statement made in the euphoria of victory. I am sure many cricket fans who have seen the Laxman match or the Adelaide victory would have felt the same. Its just a case of clouded objectivity immediately after an achievement. The way, in school we always felt that the current academic year is tougher than the previous one and so on. I think, to read anything more into it would be doing the fellow a disservice.

(continued)

I think that one thing that has always rankled Tendulkar is that his mightiest efforts have been almost always in a lost cause, so how good would he have felt for his huge contribution to India's wins?

BTW, Sunil was great, no doubt. But Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest batsman since the original master, a certain J.B. Hobbs even when Bradman is taken into account. Their similarities are amazing even down to, and most importantly to me, their humility and grace.

And yes, I am Australian.

Authoritative. Write-ups like these are very much necessary to strike the much-needed balance once we are soaked up celebrating a success. Analytical descriptions too, are a part of nation's strategy. Readable and thoroughly agreeable. Hats up !

If he says so...then it must be, his greatest moment in his career. Accept that! And move on. By the way...I agree with you. Gavaskar is soooo annoying as a commentator these days its not even funny. He's like a grumpy ol' grandad, finding fault with everything except - Tendulkar. His effusive praise for everything Tendulkar does is PAINFUL!!!

I think it is an absurdity to carry on about a statement made by anyone on the spur of the moment. Frank Lloyd Wright was once asked which of his projects he loved best - the one on the drawing board right now was his answer. The real curse of modern times is probably the over-analysis of every syllable uttered by every player, umpire, referee and self-proclaimed media pundit. I have always liked Mukul Kesavan's writing but this unnecessary and unhealthy obsession with Tendulkaritis is pretty unbearable. Perhaps he has not noticed that in another article right here on Cricinfo, Tendulkar has talked about how he relished batting in the test matches in Australia?

I don't think Tendulkar thought so much before stating what he did. It was a spur of the moment comment which shouldn't be over-analyzed. Scrutinies and strange interpretations of this kind is whats making cricketers less and less forthcoming and spontaneous in their interviews.

Whole article on a single comment?

Mukul, mukul, mukul you just outdo yourself every time. What a wonderful flow!

I must, however, make a small point. The master ended the long and eventful Aussie tour on his, and his team's, terms. THAT was his greatest moment. The emotion was on a macro level.

But still your rationalization holds a lot of reason and ground.

This is Tendulkar's first century on Australian soil in the one day format. When every other side gets trounced by the Aussies, it is not hard to understand why Tendulkar feels the way he feels at the fag end of his career. Tendulkar himself wouldn't have thought he would put on a show like this especially in the finals of the one day game and his performance in the Test matches. As you said its the whole experience and the fact that he had achieved this before he retired. The last time India beat Australia in a final was 10 years ago in Sharjah (I think)so this does call for a celebration.
Thought Tendulkar scored many centuries, there arent many games India won purely by his contribution. His 2008 performance in Australia at age 34 was magic.

Mukul - 3 points. One... maybe Sachin meant this was the best victory in the shorter version for him. The reason I say this is becos of his latest interview in the Hindu. On asked what was the best moment in the Aus tour he rated the Perth vistory as the best. He rated all the test victories (eg. 2003 Adelaide) as his best experiences. So I guess u are probably reading too much into what he said after the ODI victory.
point 2... i was dismayed when u wrote that he said something crass becos he didnt go to college. Was that reqd really? I thought u were crass in making such a rude and boorish statement. Was very disappointed that a person like you would stoop to this level esp since he sacrified college to play for India. Sachin is a genius and pls PLS pls do not make remarks that are derogatory to him. point 3... Ravi Shastri & SMG too said this was the greatest ODI victory after the WC & Champions trophy 85. Sachin said it was his greatest since he was not part of the WC83 & 85 squad

steady on. Kevin Pietersen claims after every half decent knock (inculding his recent 42 against NZ) that 'this is the best innings I've ever played.' I think something similar might be going on here. I doubt Tendulkar will actually think, given the perspective of time, that the CB series was his greatest triumph - but in the immediate aftermath of victory, it might seem like it. Only six months ago, he said the test series victory in England was the sweetest moment of his career - I take it you take less exception to that? Don't get too het up about something said immediately after a victory.

Some of India's greatest victorious moments have surely come in test matches, but our "intelligent" media doesn't seem to remember the test series victories in WI(2006) and Eng(2007). Harbhajan Singh's statements that the CB series victory was greater than 2001 series victory sums up the rot that is going to stem into cricket from now on. Surely, after T20 and IPL, test cricket is going to die a slow death. Most of the Indian cricket fans born post 1980 hardly seem to have a liking and taste for test cricket. Mukul, I am not a middle aged man, but certainly I consider test matches as the most complete and enduring form of cricket. However, it's going to be a sad story from now on...I can only sit back and watch the treasure of test match videos that I have spanning the era of 60s, 70s and 80s. With the new bunch of money spinning, hysterical T20 guys on the horizon, test cricket is going to be a bygone thing now. Another superb article by Mukul and beautifully signed off at the end!!!

Mukul FYI - Gavaskar and other Indian greats like Ravi Shastri, Kris Srikkanth & to some extent even Sidhu & Jadeja (all Tv panelsits) rated this as one of India's best wins. The ones they rated above this were all before Sachin's time. So I dont think ur statement that "Kumble or Dravid or Gavaskar would not have said this" is correct. If they were a part of this win they would have said it as well (esp. given the backdrop of the series). So pls leave Sachin alone. I think he should have a right to say what he feels without being judged all the time. It was moment of joy esp. after the stinging media reports on him before the finals began. I dont think Sachin is someone who would de-value Test cricket. He is a true cicketer and will serve Indian cricket in all forms of the game as far as possible. So lets for once appreciate him for what he has done for Tests, ODIs (cricket in general) and not keep nitpicking on e'thing else.

Mukul - I think that your long winded comment about Tendulkar is totally off the mark.
I am a South African and have been there with all of you to admire the Zidane of the cricket game....Tendulakar like Zidane is Pure Grace, Style and Perfecion in execution! There's other great players in the game - some having better records than Tendulkar in some aspects - but none so graceful. But the reason he was so proud is that is closed a loop in scoring a hundred in Australia which adds to his averages against Australia or away from home. Its closure to a career that has seen his father pass away when he scored the most runs in a world cup, a career that saw him break and set many records and closure to poor form of late that he is perhaps proud to be back in form. Perhaps its the beginning of something special when he sticks in in any innings and he should know, many he feels its that time again like in the beginning of his career when he got out only through run outs.

It is possible for a player to have deep context & knowledge and not be a an all tme great performer on field ( eg Brearley, Ed Smith). So why should the reverse also not be true? Thats why performers are performers and critics are critics. They require different specialist skills.Being a great performer creates a halo effect wherein people assume that everything the player says must be true. One possibility is that your assessment that test is the best test and that there are better performances than the CB series is actually correct and you have overintellectualised yourself into error.For if CB series is the benchmark, then Collingwoods performance last year makes him an all time great. I think not. Basically Australias cricketers tire towards end season. This trend I have seen for several years now.This opens up the chances of beating them towards end season. The defining victory was Perth in a test when they were fresh and not CB series

It's remarkable how an ordinary statement can let you think so much. Don't read too much into stuff. Be normal. But then, it's your job.

I think he was personally very satisfied considering we had not won an ODI series in Australia. Beating the current English lot and that too not convincingly or beating the Australians in our own backyard isn't much of a great achievement in itself. And it's not like the series victory in 2001 test series was an achievement after a long time. We won the previous time too when the Aussies toured for the Gavaskar Border trophy. Also, every man, no matter how successful he is to the public eye has their own measuring stick which is never shadowed by any amount of public or media fanfare. So when Sachin achieved what he probably was hoping to do for a long time, he let a sigh of relief and was joyous. Yet, you say "This is what comes of not going to college."

Well, that statement takes out all the repect I had for you as a writer.

I think you are missing Sachin's point, Sachin had rated the Perth victory as special too. But he's had an unspoken but implicit grouse that he didn't finish his 'job' often enough for a man of his calibre. Indian fans have cribbed at his failures in the finals of big ODI fixtures, no doubt because they forget about the matches where his heroics couldn't compensate for his team's failings..but then, no smoke without fire. It's only after Sharjah 98 that Sachin finished the job and finished his opponents. He was there right till the end in the first final and but for injury woes would have carried his bat in the second one too. Do not downplay it merely because it is an ODI 'event', surely, whatever the format, great cricket is still great cricket and Sachin is still..Sachin. That India's Test ranking is still better than the ODI ranking and that this was the last edition of the Tri-series shows that Test cricket is still the pre-eminent form of cricket, no two ways about it.

Your article started on a sour note but ended on a good one. I was not sure whether you were insulting him or praising him. But in the end one has to accept that Sachin is the master of the game. and there's no doubt about that. This tour was certainly one of his finest (both tests & odi). He keeps inventing shots with each passing series. The way he played those shots over the slip fielder (off Jhonson & Lee) were awesome. I wish T20 had come sooner as Sachin would have showed the world how to play the game. It is so suited to his style. Am sure he would have cracked the bowling apart if T20s were played in the 90s. Anyway am looking forward to some great fireworks from him during the IPL.

MK, I seriously hope that 'this is what comes of not going to college' comment was tongue-in-cheek, else it drastically undermines what's otherwise a lovely article.

i love this article. and have to agree with you completely. The test victory in SA, the Series victory in England, the test victory in WI, the AUS draw in 2003-04, the victory in 2001 at home, the Dhaka independence cup victory, even the sharjah triumph in 98 should all rate more than this victory. We have heard public memory is short, but never imagined sachin's memory would be shorter.... or is he associating a factor of his age in the ranking of this triumph? still Perth should count higher. I cannot fathom this... Is it a one-upmanship game telling dravid, ganguly, kumble and laxman that none of u were part of my greatest moment in the game?? if so that would be a cheap thrill to get for such a great batsman.

Actually the second oldest player in the team is yuvraj (27)

If only you had not said "This is what comes of not going to college"! That has nothing to do with anything. Unfortunately because of that one statement this great analysis of yours - which by the way I completely agree with - sounds a wee bit mean spirited!

That statement came from Sachin because this victory is an Emotional one. At the end of a long and tiring tour, it must have given immense pleasure to have beaten the Aussies comprehensively in both the finals even though the 2nd final margin was very less, the Aussies were always on the back foot! They were beaten black and blue! Beating the champs at their own den especially after all the trash talks and targetting Indian players a win is certain 2 ignite the emotion of a person! It was an answer to the Unruly, Brash Aussies, who were doing nothing but Trash talk! It was a statement filled with emotion. The answer might have been different if the same question had been asked a week after the victory! Not too much should be read into this!

You never know. I personally feel Tendulkar said this in the joy of the moment. Maybe if someone would have asked him to clarify later, he might find a lot other high points in his glittering career

Mr. Kesavan, what a world of uncalled for meaning you read into a spontaneous expression of happiness. It's known as putting words into people's mouths, and when it's done simply to serve some pet- and petty- thesis of your own, it doesn't make you look good. Also, please note- Tendulkar said it's his biggest 'moment'. Not win- moment. As the culmination of a long summer of hard work and genius, it _was_ a big moment, and your small-minded barbs don't change the fact.

I dont agree with you Mukul. You should understand sportsmen psychology before comming out with such criticism on someone who has been EPITOME of sportsmanship for the entire world (more for his FANs). Australia might be an aging team but the nucleus of this team (Ponting, Hayden, Symonds, Clarke, Hussey, Gilchrist, Lee etc.) is by far the best in the world. This Ausies team proved their superiority by defeating all their opposition by margin which is not more than 'convincing'... Now, if you carefully analyse the Indian victories and the level of intensity the entire team maintained in the two ODIs (these are not mere ODI international matches) it is indeed the LAST CELEBRATED TRI-SERIES of the WORLD CHAMPIONS on their hometurf where they have impeccable record.. barring last year. Sachin in particular had played gem of innings in both the matches.. He played as though he is on a mission and made sure we LIFTED the last trophy. Its a pshychological win for a competitive sportsman

That statement came from Sachin because this victory is an Emotional one. At the end of a long and tiring tour, it must have given immense pleasure to have beaten the Aussies comprehensively in both the finals even though the 2nd final margin was very less, the Aussies were always on the back foot! They were beaten black and blue! Beating the champs at their own den especially after all the trash talks and targetting Indian players a win is certain 2 ignite the emotion of a person! It was an answer to the Unruly, Brash Aussies, who were doing nothing but Trash talk! It was a statement filled with emotion. The answer might have been different if the same question had been asked a week after the victory! Not too much should be read into this!

I think the reason for Tendulkar saying so is not because he feels beating a bunch of ugly australians is great but more to do with the role he played in winning the cup (100+/91 in finals and also scoring well while chasing). There are very few instances when Tendulkar has been single most reason for India winning a cup (ofcourse I am giving due regard to others in the team) and definetly winning this cup would rank higher up for him.

Why not? We drew the test series (Sydney doesn't count) and won the one-day series comprehensively physically and mentally.

In all my years as an Indian fan, I can't remember a more satisfying tour. I dont believe Tendulkar was speaking of just the CB series. It was a long and demanding tour. The CB series was just the climax.

Mr Kesavan, please do go a bit easy on the melodrama.

Mukul,

Thanks for writing an article on this subject and I'm even more greatful to you for ending it the way you did. I may have missed the crux of your matter midway through when you suggested that Tendulkar's transition to the T20 group was a huge personal achievement, but I reread it to confirm I'd understood you right.
I am almost entirely in agreement with you about what Tendulkar has said regarding the triumph. And my first reaction to it was a big groan. All the ecstacy and joy ceased to exist the moment I heard him say that. It was an exaggeration that hurt. And although you expect cricketers to say exaggerated things in the heat of the moment, this one came as a disappointment. Perth, Eden Gardens 2001, Headingly 2001 and Adelaide 2003 still rank higher.I am in my mid 20's. And I'm ready to bet there are others like me.I dont think you're getting old, I just think we're way too passionate about the game to see it change so quickly for the sake of others who arent.

Tendulkar's statements are just a reflection of that moment of joy. As far as I recollect, he used the word 'probably the greatest win' which he did in England series as well. So too much should not be read into it.
Had India lost the CB series, am sure you would not have posted this article comparing what people might and might not have said. Following tendulkar for so many years,leaves no doubt in my mind that he himself opted out of the twenty20 world cup. If he wanted to, nobody would have dares to stop him.
Lastly, If tendulkar remains in this form, I dont think its wrong for him to think about 2011 World cup. Always a pleasure reading your posts..

I dont agree with you that Test cricket is going to take a back seat in the near future and we have to be nostalgic about it. I am sure many more moments to savour from various rivalries shall come to play.You should also note the fact that most test matches do produce results today and nations have stopped playing for a draw. If test series are fought like the recent Ind Aus series the interest is sustained. It is upto various boards to ramp up the infrastructure,spot talent early, groom them and put them to the ultimate test that is TEST MATCH CRICKET.It is also important to create pitches which offer a even contest between bat and ball so that the contest is lively and result oriented unlike the pitches made for Ind Pak test series recently. Not easy but not impossible too.
As for Tendulkar his genius has been written about enough and I dont have anything to add to it. Like you have rightly pointed Great Men do not only master but create history of their own.

I think you need to understand, Mukul, that for a great sportsman, every form of the game is equally important and equally competitive. Especially when playing for your country: you cannot drop your intensity either when playing a Test match or an ODI. Obviously a Test match is a different thing altogether and Test cricket is always the ultimate as many cricketers say, no good cricketer or team worth their salt has remained at the top by prioritizing between Tests and one-dayers. Greg Chappell, however much you and I might hate him now, had an interesting thing to say...even Australia became a great Test team by improving their one-day performances first. Because for a cricketer it's the same set of skills...if you can bat out 45 overs at a strike rate of 80-odd that's still a good Test match innings lasting almost 2 sessions. It's not that you can't beat the bat or bowl wicket-taking balls in one-day cricket. So let's not judge Sachin on that, because we're not hin his place.

Sir, I beg to differ. Tendulkar's comment takes root from the sad truth that India has failed him more than he has failed India. In many a match we have seen Tendulkar playing a wonderful innings, worthy of victory, only to find himself in the losing side, because the bowlers weren't good, or the batsmen collapsed. None of the opposing players would have ever played such an innings (that is why he is so respected), yet his team would lose.
A perfect example is 96 World Cup Semi Final against Sri Lanka.
That is why he praised Yuvraj Singh profusely when he finished the job Sachin had started in 2003 World Cup League Match against Pakistan.
That is why he holds this series victory at such a high place. Tendulkar has never been part of a team worthy of his greatness. He himself says that this time our bowlers were strong than in previous tours. So getting a team worthy of him, and contributing greatly for a winning side was sweeter than individual brilliance.

I believe he said what he said purely because this does count as a great win that was won on the sides of all that went in the series and with a young(ish!) team. Also, post Sharjah, it is the only ODI series that he clearly helped us win by scoring in most critical matches. Yes India did beat Australia in a test series before, but that was on spinner friendly pitches in India. To beat Australia in thier backyard should count as significant as ODI World Cup win in 1983 if not more.

Mukul - I had respected you as a columnist until now, but with this I change my mind. The derision of his comments and thoughts as crass arising from not going to college, is full of such temerity that I am astounded as much as ashamed. As you say later, yes his comment was probably because of his triumph in both forms of the game for so long. But interpreting it as a slight to the longer version (which Tendulkar has repeatedly stated is the most respected and coveted) and a tipping point in the balance of tests and one-dayers, is certainly daft. Give the great man his due; he says things not because he is silly, but because of so many reasons that are not, and cannot, be known to us. And anyway - this is "probably" HIS best moment; did he say it is Indian Cricket's best moment, or the moment that Mukul should remember most fondly? Please...

Mukul - you surpass yourself all the time. I guess this is as close as you will come to a tribute, and may it be so. Every inch eked out of your miser's purse of admiration increases the receiver's stature ten feet. Enjoyed your piece as always.

Wonderfully composed. At the very beginning I might have been mislead to think that here comes another article Tendulkar for speaking out for himself. But then put up against the picture of Test, one-day and T20, the writer does a great job of bringing the right perpective to the statement. Only point I would disagree is that its not only middle aged nostalgists who love Tests but some like me too. But trivial differences apart, with the emergence of IPL I would agree that Test cricket will have to defend its turf even more strongly.

Hey Mukul,

Few words I have come up with (partly) to get over nostalgia in life:

"Attachment brings pain and distance brings perspective"

In my view, there is no need for us to go gaga over the CB series victory and devote significant amount of time. Of course beating the Asstralians (under the circumstances) in their own backyard is always sweet.

Keep the good stuff coming mate!

why is it that so called "purists" seem to love test cricket but deride other forms of the game?

I think the reason tendulkar said it was that india had won a one day tri series in australia after 23 years. Tendulkar was refering it as the greatest win simply because he had never been a part of a team that had won a one day tournament in australia. That , in my opinion is a great achievement and should not valued less even if it is not quite the equivalent of winning a test series in australia.

Hi Mukul,
I think Tendulkar's statement was made in the wake of the CB series victory coming as a breather after the tension-filled Test Series. Also, scoring important runs while chasing would have given him an immense relief after the comments from some ex-cricketers over his dismal batting average while chasing. In fact, may be this was what Sachin thought was left for him to prove! Scoring his first century in Australia, in a final and that too while chasing(and then 91 in the 2nd final) which ultimately made India victorious.
I am sure that if asked again, Tendulkar would not rate this as the 'best moment' but something of a 'high point'. It might have been more of an adrenaline rush that made him say so in the wake of the high-drama series in totality.
-Varun

PS: Let's form a 'Save Test Cricket' community to make sure the ICC gives it the due importance in the Future programme :-)

To be honest Mukul, I think your psychological analysis of Tendulkar's comments are a bit off, though you do have the right idea that there's something going on here and towards the end of the article, you did hit one of the nails on the head. Tendulkar is indeed desperate for a 50 overs World Cup to match Gavaskar and company, as you mentioned, and he feels like if he can stick around, he's finally got the team to do it. Add to that the fact that in the past, India's victories over Australia were always false dawns; and what you have is a case of Tendulkar finally feeling like he can be on a team that will rack up some victories against his arch-nemesis Australia. For someone who's been out there in the middle, batting for a team that never won it all when that someone was there, I can almost imagine the euphoric feeling of "my time and team has come." That said, Gavaskar was definitely better than Tendulkar is/was, but I would definitely rate Tendulkar as the second best of India.

Taking some journalistic quote literally, believing in every word and even over-analysing it to produce a few-thousand word article? Come now, you proabably know better than that Mukul. Why can't it just be taken as a heartfelt statement of a cricketer who (like many other on his team) were swept away by the euphoria of returning home victorious. Why try to read his mind and hypothesize and speculate? Let him decide whats best for him. I think the one utmost favor all Indians can bestow upon Sachin is to leave him alone. Apart from living his life on his own terms. Surely, hes earned that much.

Relax,test cricket is not going to die because Tendulkar apparently said it was his best victory.What Tendulkar probably meant was it was his best overseas ODI series win,and it actually is,because no one gave India a chance when the series began.Its probably a slip of tongue.If you asked most players around the world what is the highest honour,most would say its a place in the test team and not playing the world cup.Even Yuvraj,the guy you love to hate,has said he wants nothing more than a place in the Indian test team.Test cricket is alive and healthy,and it will be for the foreseeable future.

This is the first and last time I read anything you write. How can you, who has achieved nothing in competitive sport, know what makes a sportsman feel good or not or how each success ranks within their mind? Just because you watch sports on tv or live at the field? I'm sorry, but Sachin has been the lone shining star in 20 years of Indian cricket and while other good players have come and gone, it's only within the last 6-7 years has our team produced other match winners and people who know their role. We are lucky that he is humble enough to have not got demoralized by India's consistent failure through his early years and he still is the backbone of Indian cricket. So let's take his statements for what they are worth and enjoy the fact that after 20 years he is still overjoyed and ecstatic about victories. I too agree that beating Australia in Australia far supercedes any other victory we have had during Sachin's career as we have always failed miserably there.

Great maturity not displaying my comments. You sure did went to college.

What are you trying to say? You are all over the place. Are you talking about his comments, his successful transition to 20-20, managing to hold his own among the younger brigade, his ambitions of playing the next world cup or trying to related all of it in some contorted way? Only the first couple of paragraphs and the last one seem to be related-seriously you are getting old!

Oh come on! Tendulkar is entitled to a bit of peace. Don't over analyze all that he says and do, and leave him alone. He has enough burden on his shoulders already, being the cricket crazy nation that it is.

mukul Do you relly believe that at 26 Dhoni was the next oldest player in the team? What about Sehwag and Harbhajan(30 ,27)
Secondly, Tendulkar has never tasted success on this scale as a member of a team. Yeah he has won MOM'S but when the big stage demanded, he falterred and with him INdia. Just tell me other than CB series which tournament has he won abroad ( 2002 Natwest series.....he failed in the final, no worldcup, Hero cup 1992;was in india, 1998 Coca- cola cup was in sharjah..more or less like home conditions and aussies weren't current world champs then) So this the best win of sachin's career.....whatever you say he hasn't won much in tests....Just let me know ho wany series he has won in South africa, New zealand, Australia, Sri lanka (except that one off test in '93), West Indies (he didn't tour last time)...thaz it the guy is a great test batsmen AND A TEAMMAN not selfish like SMG AND HENCE HE RATED THE TEAM'S SUCCESS (which is rare in india) above personal successes

I think what Sachin said was in the spur of the moment. He is undoubtedly the greatest player, and has always displayed utmost honor and respect for the game. He has said a lot of times how much important Test cricket is. What he said comes out of the fact that India had never beaten the Aussies in tri series ever before. You can not analyze the statement that much, its mere an expression of happiness.
He has never been unthoughtful and I dont think he ever will be.

Mukul,
You have misunderstood the champions statement. He would have meant that it was his greatest ODI triumph. If you look at Tendulkar's career, the only thing missing is a big ODI Tournament victory. India has been a very good test squad in the last 8 years, but it has failed to win a major ODI tournament (except the Natwest) in the last 10 years. SO the Master meant that this was a great ODI triumph for the team and for him.

I fail to understand why people like you try to crtitisize the master. Sachin is one of the greats to have played the game. I dont mean to hurt Ganguly and Dravid fans, but Sachin is a notch ahead of the other two.

Mr Kesavan,

I totally disagree with your article and your feeling of remorse and angre on Sachin calling the CB series win his best moment. No other series ( and i include the Test Matches) has been more hard fought , ridden with controversies and shows such tenacity by the Indians. After the being 2 down in the test series (1 due to umpire errors and Aussie playin spirit), i think all of India were sure that it would be a 4-0 white wash...But to come back and win one test and almost another that too in Perth was outstanding...To follow this up with winning the CB series ( which Aussies have won easily over the years, apart from last yr) with a bunch of new comers and again starting the series terribly deserves speical recognition on its own....Not only did we defeat the Aussies comfortably but we totally outplayed them in all departments( mentally too)..I have never seen a more determined India side who fought the whole way..kudos to India and Sachin Tendulkar!!.

I am one of many people who have been mystified and felt let down by Tendulkar's comments. There could be another angle to this. Tendulkar's single handed victory moments have come always in ODIs. It is probably a combination of his fault as well that of the team. Remember Sharjah, ICC knockout vs Aus in BAN, WC 2003 vs Pak, two finals now (there have been other ODI performances, not as significatnt, but stand out for Tendulkar's contribution vs rest). Add to it the fact that India have not won a final in a long time, Tendulkar has not scored runs either batting second or in a final for a long time. All this made him say what he did, though it is far from truth and just hype. If we had won in Adealide or Sydney he would have rated that his greatest moment in cricket. If you look at India's greatest moments Tendulkar has always been secondary (I do not belittle him here, but somehow Dravid stood out). In terms of quality test innings he has played more than Dravid, but Dravid's win us.

Mukul, your articles lurch from absolutely clear minded to bordering on the ridiculous. They are never boring though!! I would love to hear your take on Manjrekar's comment about Tendulkar faltering when batting second. What did you make of it?? It would surely be entertaining to read your opinion. One piece of stat conveniently missed out by the boffins who reel out stats to discredit Tendulkar---India bt Aus 3 times in the VB series. The highest individual score on each occasion was the oldest man-44,117*,91. Two of those were when we chased down a score(Mr Majrekar are you listening?). If India had lost the second final in Brisbane a lot of critics would have singled out Tendulkar's "slow Play" or "careless shot" as the man cause for the defeat. Mukul, how about an article on the Manjrekar issue. He is free to criticise but needs some balance.

Mukul, I have always enjoyed your posts but as someone said go easy on melodrama. Just one comment in the heat of moment and you have made a mountain out of molehill. Tendulkar perhaps meant that this was his biggest ODI victory. What fuss !

These statements by Sachin reveal that he realized what everyone else knew all along - that he never contributed to most of the great victories that India achieved in Test match cricket over the last 7-8 years. As Mukul says, he was trivializing the achievements of several others such as VVS, Dravid, Kumble, Sehwag etc by making out this CB series triumph as a bigger deal than any of the test victories.

The Aussies have won the last 3 World Cups and yet you see Ponting say that the Ashes victory of 2006-07 was bigger than the World Cup wins. Hayden, Gilchrist, Ponting etc have be played both forms successfully for a decade. So we cannot take Sachin's statement too seriously, give it some spin and say it probably means the death of test cricket. Take the statement for what it is - it's one made by a selfish cricketer acutely aware of his shortcomings as a matchwinner in tests. And Mukul, as one of the readers said, please go easy on the melodrama.

you got way too much time on your hands dude. Get a life. Overanalyzing one statement from Tendulkar is nuts. Give him a break. Test cricket is going no where.

Cricinfo has all the resources. Why not ask the question to Sachin. Why waste all this energy in meaningless conjecture?

I really donot understand what is it that bothers Mr kesavan. Its his (sachins)opinion of what holds high in his cricekting career. Iam surprised to see every one taking out the negitives instead of the positives. Its abs ridiculous commenting on such trivial things. Come on please think positive.

India have never been the best team in the world ever. All of a sudden they beat and match arguably the greatest team ever and look like becoming the best team in the world. For me the significance of that makes this potentially Indias and Tendulkars best achievement to date. Maybe they will look back at this tour after the next world cup saying, 'Thats when we started believeing and became the best'...

I sincerely hope that your inference of Sachin's "greatest victory" comment could be attributed to his lack of college education was an attempt at cheap humour.

Wanted to mention a couple quick things here. 1. Sachin is not the kind of player who'd go, "Nah, I've done better, more epic tours & wins earlier in my life. The last one was just a left-hand's play." He is not street-smart like some other players, so he said what he felt immediately after the tour. 2. age makes events in history look bigger. Without doubt, in 5-10 years from now, folks like you would be praising the '07-'08 Oz series and would badger a player for having said the '12-'13 series win was the high-point of his life.
Finally, regd the comment that such a reaction by Sachin means he is now old(odd) is all the more unsavory given that even to this day, when Sachin is batting, people sit glued to the television set and go through every second of the commercial between overs so that they don't miss out on a single frame of action while he's in action. And that first impulse of frustration to switch off the TV when he loses his wicket. That's what he brings to cricket. Always.

Too much being read into a moment of joy ... It is possible that when you are so overjoyed, you tend to exaggerate the joy in words. That doesn't need to be critically analyzed in an air conditioned room on a comfortable chair in historical context. Would Rahul/Anil have said it? yes, every cricketer at the end of every series says that its their greatest victory to date, because it feels so. Not becuase it is so!

Mukul, you have read too much into the statement. The statement from Sachin shows that how much he is a team player. We have won several tests / ODI series individually but dont you think it was the most satisfying to whole nation when Aussies were beaten in their own backyards. You are bound to get such reaction from mastero after what team did in Tests and ODI series. And series win is a series win. (Dont forget, we lost test series under whatever circumstances may be).

I am confident enough that it was a reaction to what was done by India Team to Aussies and you mark the moment which fits the nail in coffin and not the start of the nailing.

Also, I dont think any players statement can change game of cricket. Sachin might be largly responsible for the way cricket has evolved, he himself admits he is a part of cricket world itself.

I wish you could have given rethought on few of the words used for your reactions.

Yo dude,

You need to chill out. You sound like an extremely frustrated person. If Sachin thinks this is his greatest moment of his cricketing career then he is entitled to say it considering
he was a big influence in both the wins. if he had been out early in the first finals while chasing, there is a good chance that India would have lost the match.

Beating Australia in a final has been achieved by very few teams. England last year and India this year. Considering no indian cricket team has won a final in australia this is a great accomplishment and as he has his greatest moment.
If you remember India got smacked by Australia in the 2003 World Cup.

In your article all you do is criticize the man. Look at his accomplishments. He never says anything to anyone. Leave him alone and let him do what he does best.

I would not put much stock to one sentence ... it hardly portrays anything. When was the question asked? Right after the game? If so, the adrenalin might have been high and it is only likely that he'd say that this was the greatest win, after all he had a hand or two in both those wins. And I do not blame him for saying so, as a lot of people have been discounting him for the past couple of years saying he should hang his boots or in this case untie his pads! So this does come as a sound victory.

Moreover, my initial reaction (before I read that section in the article) about how this series was won under trying circumstances (Bhajji and all).

We also do not know what was the question that was posed to him? Did the reporter ask if this was the best one-day win he ever had? To beat Australia 2-0 in a one day series is indeed a big deal and if he did feel so it is not wrong. This does not mean that he thinks of the other wins as any less.
If you ask Laxman or Dravid, they'd rate their 2

This is the first victory of the Indian team as a WHOLE, not a victory based on pure individual brilliance. So it should be rated as one of the best, if not the best. India will consistently do well if they are able to erase all individuality in the team, egos like Harbhajan and Yuvraj.
Secondly, do you feel the only thing you can write about is some random statements, like Shoaib Malik's one after Twenty20 Final and this one ? Think of something better...

If you ask Laxman or Dravid, they'd rate their 281 and 233 as their special efforts, Kumble might say his 10-for against Pak is his special moment, does it mean they are selfish as well? Not really, it makes it special because it makes them proud that they had a hand in an Indian victory.

What is selfish is SMG's 36* to settle scores with his captain, Venkat ...

I think to a certain extent Sachin Tendulkar is hyped. I've always had that feeling that India would win as long as Tendulkar was batting, but really, I think I was just brainwashed by all the nationalistic hero worship that has been aimed at Tendulkar for such a long time. He's definitely up there with the greatest batsmen of all time; and I definitely consider him better than Bradman, though to me that doesn't say much, seeing as I don't think much of Bradman. Just to put things in perspective, I consider both Gavaskar and Lara to be better than Tendulkar. The LG ICC all-time peak test ratings, available as a link from the cricinfo site, would confirm my assertion regarding Gavaskar and Lara being better than Tendulkar. Tendulkar was definitely the ultimate ODI run-machine, but being from Maharashtra, he always had the BCCI on his side. He can dream of the 2011 World Cup, but he'll be approaching 38; so even if he makes the team, his performance might have dropped off by then.

Mukul,

Are you drained of subjects?. It just feels like sensationalizing a simple reark after victory. reading too much into such statements and then writing sucha long one on that is intellectual pretendence. All body with No soul. Disappointing !.

I think ppl have grossly misunderstood what Mukul's article means. He has actually praised Tendulkar as a master who has conquered the concept of time. He in fact laments that tendulkar was not in the T20 world cup winning team. Even, I agree with Mukul in saying that Sachin will play in the 2011 50 Over and T20 World Cups, and win BOTH for India along with the rest of Team India

Does being a journalist writer give one the license to publish whatever trash comes to his mind? Sachin's remarks prove that he is human and has every right to get carried away in the euphoria of victory, just shut your journalist's analysis off when the guy has opened a bottle of beer after fighting so hard - go have a beer yourself and have fun. If I started analyzing each and every word any given man utters, I bet I can theoretically prove him to be hypocritical, liar, unethical, crazy, hot tempered, and also loving, caring, responsible, divine and god knows what. Give this guy the space he needs, and show some maturity while analyzing his every breath.

hey mukul, if person in a joyful moment tells that its probably his best moment is called as crass what about your statement "This is what comes of not going to college"..i think your arrogance is probably what comes of going to college

I dont understand why you people spend overtime analysing comments made by cricketers. What if the CB series is the greatest for Sachin? It has been a very long time since he played a series winning knocks against Australia ( by far the # 1 team in the world). So whats wrong if he feels like that. I dont think there is anything wrong to say those things in the spur of the moment. Every victory against a better opposition in any format of the game will be a sweet one and I guess there is no universal ratings list for these victories as each and every player will have their own list.

Hi, the first thing I want to tell is that the statement is blown out of proportion. We just take it as the comments in the spur of moments. There is nothing wrong in expressing ones feelings when such victory happens. As some of comments said, it is not fault of Sachin that whenever he played India failed, the truth is that he was the only player of such calibre in the team and cricket is a team game, we could not win on one man show. still he is the biggest match winner for us, and just by his presence lifts the team up. Let us repsect his contribution and stop this topic.

I dont agree with u Mukul.This is a big win.How many big wins sachin has seen in his career??Though his contribution has been stellar.Since last 5-6 years India has grwon to be a good team, but still no big wins.Rememebr playing good in tournament doesnt matter if you fail to collect trophy.So world-cup 2003 is as bad as any other WC.Its true we won a test-match last time and one this time, but are we really happy for that?We lost 2-1 this time and draw last time.In this respect this win is really big win. As india defeted Aus in Aus and that two 2-0 in back to back matches.This was a thumping victory.A clear proclamation of being a better team.This feat is what is so special about it.Remember Australia is the best team in the world.
Also to add, Dhoni too termed it as bigger win than T20 world cup.
Had such moment come is test cricket, sachin would have definetly choosen that moment as his best.
Dont try to read too much in to it.Sachin has contributed in both forms enormously.

Well Sachin is the only one who keeps repeating that it it all started from the test in sydney and the momentum was carried to the one day series....and no one should forget the hard work done in the test series....the test series we didn't won on records...we can argue that we were better side there as well but for umpiring but official results will still say that we were losers

Mukul, let me tell remind you (you seem to have forgotten)..Sachin has been playing international cricket for 18 years now..with over 400 odi's to his name..He just scored an unbeaten century, and a 91 in the finals of a tournament against the best cricketing nation in the world, Australia, in their own country. Whats more, both knocks were match-winning. And taking into account what has been goin' on the entire summer, it isn't surprising that he has probably meant to call it the greatest moment of his ODI CAREER.

Dude ... you are a dud !

At first I did not understand your point and was ironically, like the others on the blog, i was infuriated (as you with Sachin's comments) and thought it was too trivial to discuss at length. But once i read the end I realised what a master piece this article is. How beatifully you draw attention to the changing nature of cricket using Tendulkar's glittering carrer as a chart. Well done. Wonderful article.

I think you are missing the point. I think it was Harsha that asked Dravid about the Perth win. Dravid's response was insightful. He said something to the effect that the latest victory feels more special. When Sachin hangs his boots he may be able to put all the wins in perspective. But right now he is living in the moment. And the moment right now is the CB high!

Sachin is one of the greatest cricketers who have ever played the game. However, he has not achieved much success in terms of overseas test and ODI wins (forget tri-series victories where the 3rd team was Zimbabwe or Kenya) and no WC success. For most of his career esp in the 90s when he was at his extreme peak he had no support cast. In WC2003, he had single-handedly gotten india to the final and then the bowlers throw it all away by conceding 359. In 2004 at Sydney, Parthiv patel misses two chances on the final day which could have gotten india that victory. The statement he made I guess is in response to the fact the finally all things have come together and gotten him a series victory! Just give the guy a break man!! He has carried the expectations of a nation for nearly 20 years with dignity and grace!

I Stopped reading your article after the line "This is what comes of not going to college" and my analysis of your article was, to sum it in one word "bullshit".

Among the list of wonderful test victories that you have mentioned, I fail to see a single one where a new ground was broken. India had drawn a test series in Australia before (remember Kapil Dev). India had won test series in WI and in England before. What we needed was to win a series in Australia and in South Africa and we have failed to do that. Look at the WI and the England team we beat. It wasn't that big a deal. I am not trying to undermine these wonderful achievements. But one can understand Tendulkar making such a statement after we actually were able to win a tournament in Australia. 1983 and 1985 were great but Sachin wasn't part of that.

I came out of watching Taare Zameen Par and felt, for the next hour, that it was the best film I had ever seen. Tendulkar probably felt that way about the one day wins in the first flush of success. To call it a win against an aged Aussie side is being disingenous in the extreme...they are the world champions, after all, and we had a young side that I did not expect anything from.Imagine the joy of beating them in their backyard for the first time in a series of note.To say that Tendulkar is belittling Test cricket is ridiculous, as ridiculous as predicting it's demise.Test cricket is the vintage wine of the game and will always attract the purists.
Whatever SMG might have done, we shall never see another SRT.I consider myself priveleged to have lived in the same era as him. Cricket watching will never be the same once he leaves the game...

Mukul,
This is a really sad article - making as little as is possible in so many words.

There's a human condition that market researchers & psychologists call "the recency fallacy". This is what humans to say that "this is the best ice cream they have ever had", or "this is the best movie ever" or "this is the best concert ever".

In market research, we know of this human tendency and so wait for time to pass before we make reliable conclusions based on what people say.

Sachin was probably exhibiting such behavior. And I can't believe that its led to this article.

Mukund

In the recent test series against Australia,Tendulkar has got two centuries and two fifties. Mukul's statement in this matter is hence incorrect.

Mukul,
This is a really sad article - making as little as is possible in so many words.

There's a human condition that market researchers & psychologists call "the recency fallacy". This is what humans to say that "this is the best ice cream they have ever had", or "this is the best movie ever" or "this is the best concert ever".

In market research, we know of this human tendency and so wait for time to pass before we make reliable conclusions based on what people say.

Sachin was probably exhibiting such behavior. And I can't believe that its led to this article.

Mukund

MukulBhai,
Your attempt at irreverent humor (Sachin not going to college) misfired. He is God.. Most of us didn't find it funny. But you are pardoned because of the fabulous Rest of the article was worth a read.. interesting perspective.. but probably not accurate.

Kesavan, you never listen when people tell you that you over-rate test cricket. So you only sit yo and notice when a cricketer tells you that. You've had the misconception that test cricket is for intellectuals - at least now, put this to bed.

It is actually very simple - when Alain Prost was asked once whether his win at the just concluded Monaco Grand Prix was his best ever, he replied "The last one is always the best, no?".
Same with Tendulkar.

When will you learn to accept that cricket (test cricket or any other form) is not an intellectual sport as you keep harping on. Bring the hype down a little bit. You sound like a deluded old man. You may have spent your entire life writing on it - that does not make it a brainy sport. Tendulkar has brought you down to earth with his statement - stay down.

in addition to you lack of substance in your thinking, your writing is not great either. "The dismay was defensible...". Yuck.

even as an Indian, I think "Ugly Australians" is a new low even for you. In terms of pure cricket, the Australians are the closest to the Brazil of football. Nobody comes and has come close to the way they play the game. Cricket is not regarded as beautiful game, but any beauty in the game can only be ascribed to Australia. Just shows that like the rest of us, you are jingoistic.

c'mon Mukul, that was probably a comment made in passing. Even I was a little taken aback when I heard what Sachin said in reply to Gautam Bhimani's (Star Sports) question. But this was right after the game, end of an acrimonious series won a high with a victory and when he was sorrounded by all the young guns celebrating and having fun. And for all you know he must have meant the greatest one-day victory he's been a part of. I cant think of a greater one-day series victory for India with Sachin in the team. The '04 series against Pakistan in Pakistan maybe, being joint winners of the Champions Tropy with SL.

Man!!?? If you can stretch one remark so much, what's wrong with a man, who is celebrating the sweetness of rising from being written off, stretching his personal euphoria just a little bit? Must Tendulkar analyze even the most naturally beautiful emotions before expressing them? He is not a machine, and thank God for that!!!

Haven't you heard this before,"enjoy each day as its the best in your life and you ll feel a lot better about yourself". Extend that to cricket and you'll want to say "Enjoy each wins as its the best". That might have what Sachin thought and I think he did it right. Though we say he is God in cricket, we have to realize he is just another human being with extraordinary cricketing skills.When you compare Sunil and Sachin and say ""This is what comes of not going to college"". May one this come out too, Sachin's temperament and focus. He is one of the few that maintains a great manners at the field that adds to the player that he is now. I have never seen him walk out of the cricket like Sunil did against some country and called off the game.Also Realize that that, not all great men that you see and have heard of, have gone to college, Sachin Tendulkar adds to the list.

Mukul, you should have screened your comment about Tendulkar not going to college. That is an irresponsible, untrue, illogical, irrational and crass comment. You seemed worse off after that statement, perhaps because you DID go to college. You may have gone to college like the rest of us since it was the best thing for us to do after high school, but remember that 16 year old was busy at that time in his life representing India (the start of an illustrious career). You give him that cr*p instead of the kudos he deserves for having served India and his fans so well?

Shame on you. If your statement had made any sense in the first place, it would have made me feel so much worse off for having gone to college instead of having done what Tendulkar has done for India. What's so great about going to college? A true education is not held back by pre-requisites of degrees and diplomas. Tendulkar has learnt his lessons by fire. He's free to feel any way he wants about his innings. Txs.

vkrg, not everybody who submitted comments misunderstood Mukul! It is clear that Mukul is bowing to the greatness of Tendulkar. However, the reason behind the comments is the unnecessary analysis of an unlikely association between a joyful expression and the history of test cricket as a whole!

Haven't you heard this before,"enjoy each day as its the best in your life and you ll feel a lot better about yourself". Extend that to cricket and you'll want to say "Enjoy each wins as its the best". That might have what Sachin thought and I think he did it right. Though we say he is God in cricket, we have to realize he is just another human being with extraordinary cricketing skills.When you compare Sunil and Sachin and say ""This is what comes of not going to college"". May one this come out too, Sachin's temperament and focus. He is one of the few that maintains a great manners at the field that adds to the player that he is now. I have never seen him walk out of the cricket like Sunil did against some country and called off the game.Also Realize that that, not all great men that you see and have heard of, have gone to college, Sachin Tendulkar adds to the list.