Full Name: Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
Born: April 24, 1973, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Major teams: India, Mumbai, Yorkshire
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Slow medium pace and spin
Achievements:
Most runs and most centuries in ODIs
Highest number of Test centuries
First cricketer to make 10,000 runs in ODIs
Most runs in World Cup history
Highest individual score by an Indian (186 not out)
Most Man of the Man awards in ODIs
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1997
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for 1997-98
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, generally known as Sachin Tendulkar is an Indian Cricket player who is considered to be one of the all time greatest batsmen to have ever played the game of Cricket. The renowned Cricket magazine Wisden ranked Sachin Tendulkar the 2nd all time greatest Test Cricket batsman, only after Sir Donald Bradman at the 1st place in the year 2002. Also, the magazine ranked him the 2nd all time greatest ODI batsman after Viv Richards at the first spot.
Accolades
Shane Warne, the leg spinner from Australia had once remarked Sachin Tendulkar as the greatest player he has played with, and Tendulkar, also known as the Little Master has also to his credit the honor of being the only player of the current generation who was included by Sir Donald Bradman in his dream team named Bradman’s Eleven.
Sachin Tendulkar is the batsman to have scored the biggest number of runs both in Test Cricket and ODI Cricket the world over, and has also to his credit the biggest number of centuries in both the forms of the game. He has scored over 80 centuries in the game of Cricket till now, and is the first batsman ever to score more than 50 centuries.
He is the first Cricket player who has scored over 10,000 runs in the One Day International (ODI) Cricket. Sachin has been conferred upon the Padma Vibhushan award and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award for his services to the nation as a sportsperson.
Early Life
Sachin Tendulkar was born on 24th of April, 1973 in Mumbai to a Marathi Novelist, Ramesh Tendulkar. Sachin got inspired to play cricket from his elder brother Ajit, and started playing the game at an early age in his school, Sharadashram Vidya Mandir. Under the guidance of his coach, Ramakant Achrekar, he learnt the basics of the game and showed his prowess along with his school mate and another future batsman of the Indian team, Vinod Kambli.
Test and ODI Debut
Sachin Tendulkar made his Test Cricket debut with a Test match played against Pakistan in Karachi in the year 1989, in which he scored 15 runs before being bowled out by Waqar Younis, a yet another Cricketer who debuted with this match. He began his ODI Cricket career in a match against Pakistan played on 18th of December 1989 at Gujranwala, Pakistan. He could, though, not make a single run in this match and just after facing 2 balls was caught by Wasim Akram on a Waqar Younis ball.
Remarkable Achievements
Tendulkar has shown some of his best batting performances against the Cricket team of Australia, one of the strongest teams during his period. As a matter of fact, the legendry Sir Donald Bradman had at one time reportedly told her wife that the playing style of Sachin reminded him of his own game in his youth.
Sachin has always created new records and destroyed innumerable of them that had been already established. At the age of 17 years he scored his first Test century, and by the age of 25 he had scored 16 of them. At the moment he is the Cricketer with largest number of Test and ODI centuries to his credit, and outclassed Brian Lara as the biggest Test scorer in the year 2008.
Captaincy
Twice in his Cricket career, Sachin had been nominated the Captain of the Indian Cricket team, but none of them proved to be much successful. Also, the pressure of Captaincy took a toll upon his performance as a batsman.
Overall Performance
In his overall Test Career till April 2009, Sachin Tendulkar has played 159 Test matches and has scored 12773 runs in them, including 42 centuries and 53 half-centuries, with an average of 54.58 runs and a highest score of 248 Not Out. In these matches, he also grabbed 44 wickets giving away 2272 runs at an average of 51.63 runs.
In his One Day International (ODI) Cricket career, however, Sachin has played 425 matches till April 2009, and scored 16684 runs including 43 centuries and 91 half-centuries, with an average of 44.37 runs and a highest score of 186 Not Out.
Awards and Recognitions
For his great capabilities as a Cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar has been bestowed upon the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India. The Cricket magazine Wisden named him the Cricketer of the year in 1997, and according to Wisden 100, he is the 2nd Best Test Batsman and the Best ODI Bestman of all times.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Stuart Broad takes hat-trick against India at Trent Bridge
Stuart Broad revitalises England on the second day of the second Test against India with a remarkable hat-trick.
Broad, who finished with 6-46, first saw off India captain Mehendra Singh Dhoni then dismissed Harbhajan Singh before sending Praveen Kumar back to the pavilion.
He becomes the 12th Englishman to take a Test hat-trick, while his spell helped dismiss the tourists for 288.
Available to UK users only.
Broad, who finished with 6-46, first saw off India captain Mehendra Singh Dhoni then dismissed Harbhajan Singh before sending Praveen Kumar back to the pavilion.
He becomes the 12th Englishman to take a Test hat-trick, while his spell helped dismiss the tourists for 288.
Available to UK users only.
My aim is to be a good Test player: Rohit Sharma
Aware of the difficulties of breaking into the star-studded Indian Test middle-order, talented Mumbai batsman Rohit Sharma is optimistic of grabbing the chance with both hands whenever it comes his way.
"Right now there is only one place in the top seven available. Rest all is covered. There are four-five players competing for the same spot. So it is a little bit difficult (to make it to Test team). But ultimately my aim is to be a good Test player," the 24-year-old batsman said.
While he did not take any names, he was apparently referring to the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Chesteshwar Pujara and himself.
Sharma, who narrowly lost out a chance to make his debut in the longer version of the game against South Africa at Nagpur due to a freak injury just before toss while playing football in 2010, said it was a disappointing moment for him.
"It was a big disappointment. You can't predict injuries. Injuries are not in your hand. It can happen anytime. Like it happened with Zaheer (Khan) in the first Test (at Lord's). It was unfortunate."
"Right now there is only one place in the top seven available. Rest all is covered. There are four-five players competing for the same spot. So it is a little bit difficult (to make it to Test team). But ultimately my aim is to be a good Test player," the 24-year-old batsman said.
While he did not take any names, he was apparently referring to the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Chesteshwar Pujara and himself.
Sharma, who narrowly lost out a chance to make his debut in the longer version of the game against South Africa at Nagpur due to a freak injury just before toss while playing football in 2010, said it was a disappointing moment for him.
"It was a big disappointment. You can't predict injuries. Injuries are not in your hand. It can happen anytime. Like it happened with Zaheer (Khan) in the first Test (at Lord's). It was unfortunate."
"It (my career) would have been different had I scored runs in that match. Let's just say I will be a more mature player when I make my Test debut. It's not about when you play your first Test match, it is how mature you are when you do that," said the batsman, who has scored 1,505 runs in 66 ODIs.
Sharma, player of the tournament in the just concluded five-match ODI series in the Caribbean, said he had started practicing for ODI leg of the ongoing England tour, for which he is expected to be selected.
"I have been working on my batting as of now. I have been practising at the BKC premises (in Mumbai) and am working on a few strokes. In England, the conditions will be difficult. There will be bounce and swing. Luckily, we have two-three practice matches before the one-day matches. Hopefully, I will acclimatise soon," said Sharma.
He had scored 257 runs in five matches, including an unbeaten 86 in a difficult chase at Antigua in the third ODI, to help India secure a 3-2 win.
Sharma expressed confidence and said that the Indian squad, which lost the first Test against England at Lord's by 196 runs, will bounce back. He also mentioned that the No 1 team could take inspiration from its 2010 tour to South Africa where they fought back after a similar loss in the opening match.
"I'm sure India will bounce back. The next Test is at Trent Bridge where we won the last time around with Zaheer picking up about 4-5 wickets in each innings. Though he may not be around we have got quite a few other good bowlers."
"There is no doubt about India's batsmen. They must have acclimatised by now. They didn't have many practice games (before the first Test) and England bowlers also bowled very well."
"If you look at India's tour of South Africa, India lost the first Test (at Centurion) and won in Durban and almost won the series. Conditions are similar in both places. I'm sure India will do well here too," he said.
Stating that not being part of the World Cup winning side was the biggest disappointment of his life, Sharma said missing out on the mega-tournament gave him time to work on his skills and fitness.
"It was the biggest disappointment for me. It has gone now. India have won the World Cup. It's not the end of the world for me. I have to move forward."
"(The omission) It also helped me in a lot of ways as I got time to work on my skills and fitness which showed during the IPL and the West Indies tour," he added.
Stating that scoring runs in the West Indies was satisfying, the right-handed batsman said playing in the Indian Premier League helped him adjust to the conditions.
"It was very satisfying. I was very much looking forward to the West Indies tour after IPL. It was important that youngsters took the responsibility as many senior players were rested. And we did well to win the ODI as well as the Test series."
"The conditions (in the West Indies) were similar to what we had here. I would like to mention that playing in the IPL in the hot conditions too helped as the weather was similar there," he said.
On being in and out of the team in the past, Sharma said, "It was a difficult phase. Every cricketer has to go through that. I'm not special. I have learnt a lot from that phase. Having said that I don't want to let go off the opportunities I get."
Sharma, player of the tournament in the just concluded five-match ODI series in the Caribbean, said he had started practicing for ODI leg of the ongoing England tour, for which he is expected to be selected.
"I have been working on my batting as of now. I have been practising at the BKC premises (in Mumbai) and am working on a few strokes. In England, the conditions will be difficult. There will be bounce and swing. Luckily, we have two-three practice matches before the one-day matches. Hopefully, I will acclimatise soon," said Sharma.
He had scored 257 runs in five matches, including an unbeaten 86 in a difficult chase at Antigua in the third ODI, to help India secure a 3-2 win.
Sharma expressed confidence and said that the Indian squad, which lost the first Test against England at Lord's by 196 runs, will bounce back. He also mentioned that the No 1 team could take inspiration from its 2010 tour to South Africa where they fought back after a similar loss in the opening match.
"I'm sure India will bounce back. The next Test is at Trent Bridge where we won the last time around with Zaheer picking up about 4-5 wickets in each innings. Though he may not be around we have got quite a few other good bowlers."
"There is no doubt about India's batsmen. They must have acclimatised by now. They didn't have many practice games (before the first Test) and England bowlers also bowled very well."
"If you look at India's tour of South Africa, India lost the first Test (at Centurion) and won in Durban and almost won the series. Conditions are similar in both places. I'm sure India will do well here too," he said.
Stating that not being part of the World Cup winning side was the biggest disappointment of his life, Sharma said missing out on the mega-tournament gave him time to work on his skills and fitness.
"It was the biggest disappointment for me. It has gone now. India have won the World Cup. It's not the end of the world for me. I have to move forward."
"(The omission) It also helped me in a lot of ways as I got time to work on my skills and fitness which showed during the IPL and the West Indies tour," he added.
Stating that scoring runs in the West Indies was satisfying, the right-handed batsman said playing in the Indian Premier League helped him adjust to the conditions.
"It was very satisfying. I was very much looking forward to the West Indies tour after IPL. It was important that youngsters took the responsibility as many senior players were rested. And we did well to win the ODI as well as the Test series."
"The conditions (in the West Indies) were similar to what we had here. I would like to mention that playing in the IPL in the hot conditions too helped as the weather was similar there," he said.
On being in and out of the team in the past, Sharma said, "It was a difficult phase. Every cricketer has to go through that. I'm not special. I have learnt a lot from that phase. Having said that I don't want to let go off the opportunities I get."
© PTI
Kevin Pietersen - 6000 by numbers
That Kevin Pietersen is a special player has never been in doubt. Whenever he's been faced with a challenge, he usually comes out on top. Before the first Test against India got underway, there were some murmurs about his flashy lifestyle, his liking for fancy cars and the odd grumble about not enough runs in recent times (his average in 8 innings after a double hundred at Adelaide was just 31.5). In the event, Pietersen rose to the occasion magnificently. Playing against the best sides always brings out the best in him and he reached 6000 test runs during the course of his superb unbeaten double ton.
Pietersen is now the 12th Englishman to reach the landmark, and while he doesn't have the same imposing average that the great Sir Len Hutton or someone like Ken Barrington had, he still averages almost 50. For someone who has had to deal with sky high expectations from the time he made his debut, Pietersen has done well so far to live up to them.
Englishmen with 6000 Test runs
It is true that Pietersen has endured a slump of sorts recently, but some of that can be attributed to injuries too. Losing the captaincy in demoralizing circumstances also played a part in Pietersen losing some of his dominating touch. However, the best always bounce back and the unbeaten double ton against India showed how tough Pietersen is mentally.
Amongst all opponents he has had, Pietersen has enjoyed batting against the Aussies and the Windies the most, while his stats against India have also received a major boost courtesy the 202 not out. He hasn't had the best success against Pakistan though.
Pietersen against all opponents
Pietersen started his Test career with a bang with an Ashes winning 158 at the Oval in his first series. Big knocks followed regularly after that, but Pietersen hasn't been the same batsman ever since he was thrown out of the captaincy after the tour to India in 2008. Since the beginning of 2009 and before the Lord's game, he had played in 30 tests and had scored only two tons. His average which hit the 50 mark for three consecutive seasons from 2006-08, had come down to the forties. A drop of about 10 points in the average showed just how much he was struggling to reproduce the big knocks which used to flow consistently earlier.
Another reason for his average show during the past three years has been his performance against left-arm spin. Overall, he has been dismissed 20 times by left-arm spinners during his Test career, and it came as no surprise that he found the Indian attack in the first Test to his liking, since there was no left-arm spinner in it.
Pietersen had been very consistent till 2008, but the next two years were relatively dull ones for him. 2011 too seemed to be following the same script, but he has turned it around with the double century.
Pietersen over the years
A measure of Pietersen's dominance in his early days as a Test cricketer could be seen in the way he raced to his 1000th, 2000th and 3000th test runs - doing so in his 12th, 22nd and his 33rd Tests respectively. But since then, there has been a slight dip in form, which have delayed the corresponding landmarks. While he took 12 Tests to go from 3000 to 4000, it has taken him 15 tests to subsequently get to 5000 and another 15 to 6000.
Pietersen's run progression summary
It is perhaps no surprise that Lord's was the venue for him to roar back to form, because Pietersen has a special affection for Lord's. In 13 test matches at the home of cricket, he has made 5 tons including a double ton. He averages almost 70 and crossed 1000 runs at Lord's during the course of his double ton. He is the 6th Englishman to have achieved that feat after Gooch, Stewart, Strauss, Gower and Boycott.
Pietersen's tons at Lord's
Pietersen chose his moment well, reaching the landmark of 6000 runs in the 2000th Test. His return to form was well timed in the context of the series also, with the third ranked England looking to usurp the top rank from India. For Kevin Pietersen, the signs look good at the moment.
© CricbuzzPietersen is now the 12th Englishman to reach the landmark, and while he doesn't have the same imposing average that the great Sir Len Hutton or someone like Ken Barrington had, he still averages almost 50. For someone who has had to deal with sky high expectations from the time he made his debut, Pietersen has done well so far to live up to them.
Englishmen with 6000 Test runs
| Player | Span | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | 100 | 50 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GA Gooch | 1975-1995 | 118 | 215 | 6 | 8900 | 333 | 42.58 | 20 | 46 | 13 |
| AJ Stewart | 1990-2003 | 133 | 235 | 21 | 8463 | 190 | 39.54 | 15 | 45 | 14 |
| DI Gower | 1978-1992 | 117 | 204 | 18 | 8231 | 215 | 44.25 | 18 | 39 | 7 |
| G Boycott | 1964-1982 | 108 | 193 | 23 | 8114 | 246* | 47.72 | 22 | 42 | 10 |
| MA Atherton | 1989-2001 | 115 | 212 | 7 | 7728 | 185* | 37.69 | 16 | 46 | 20 |
| MC Cowdrey | 1954-1975 | 114 | 188 | 15 | 7624 | 182 | 44.06 | 22 | 38 | 9 |
| WR Hammond | 1927-1947 | 85 | 140 | 16 | 7249 | 336* | 58.45 | 22 | 24 | 4 |
| L Hutton | 1937-1955 | 79 | 138 | 15 | 6971 | 364 | 56.67 | 19 | 33 | 5 |
| KF Barrington | 1955-1968 | 82 | 131 | 15 | 6806 | 256 | 58.67 | 20 | 35 | 5 |
| GP Thorpe | 1993-2005 | 100 | 179 | 28 | 6744 | 200* | 44.66 | 16 | 39 | 12 |
| AJ Strauss | 2004-2011 | 85 | 151 | 6 | 6111 | 177 | 42.14 | 19 | 24 | 13 |
| KP Pietersen | 2004-2011 | 75 | 128 | 7 | 6030 | 227 | 49.83 | 18 | 23 | 7 |
It is true that Pietersen has endured a slump of sorts recently, but some of that can be attributed to injuries too. Losing the captaincy in demoralizing circumstances also played a part in Pietersen losing some of his dominating touch. However, the best always bounce back and the unbeaten double ton against India showed how tough Pietersen is mentally.
Amongst all opponents he has had, Pietersen has enjoyed batting against the Aussies and the Windies the most, while his stats against India have also received a major boost courtesy the 202 not out. He hasn't had the best success against Pakistan though.
Pietersen against all opponents
| Versus | Span | M | Inns | Runs | HS | Avg | 100 | 50 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| v Australia | 2005-2011 | 17 | 30 | 1476 | 227 | 52.71 | 3 | 8 | 2 |
| v Bangladesh | 2010-2010 | 4 | 7 | 342 | 99 | 68.4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| v India | 2006-2008 | 9 | 16 | 912 | 202* | 60.80 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| v New Zealand | 2008-2008 | 6 | 10 | 445 | 129 | 44.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| v Pakistan | 2005-2010 | 11 | 19 | 688 | 135 | 36.21 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| v South Africa | 2008-2010 | 8 | 14 | 598 | 152 | 42.71 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| v Sri Lanka | 2006-2011 | 9 | 15 | 648 | 158 | 46.28 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| v West Indies | 2007-2009 | 11 | 17 | 921 | 226 | 57.56 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
Pietersen started his Test career with a bang with an Ashes winning 158 at the Oval in his first series. Big knocks followed regularly after that, but Pietersen hasn't been the same batsman ever since he was thrown out of the captaincy after the tour to India in 2008. Since the beginning of 2009 and before the Lord's game, he had played in 30 tests and had scored only two tons. His average which hit the 50 mark for three consecutive seasons from 2006-08, had come down to the forties. A drop of about 10 points in the average showed just how much he was struggling to reproduce the big knocks which used to flow consistently earlier.
Another reason for his average show during the past three years has been his performance against left-arm spin. Overall, he has been dismissed 20 times by left-arm spinners during his Test career, and it came as no surprise that he found the Indian attack in the first Test to his liking, since there was no left-arm spinner in it.
Pietersen had been very consistent till 2008, but the next two years were relatively dull ones for him. 2011 too seemed to be following the same script, but he has turned it around with the double century.
Pietersen over the years
| Year | M | Inns | Runs | HS | Avg | 100 | 50 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8 | 16 | 674 | 158 | 44.93 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2006 | 14 | 26 | 1343 | 158 | 53.72 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| 2007 | 11 | 21 | 1007 | 226 | 50.35 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 2008 | 12 | 20 | 1015 | 152 | 50.75 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 2009 | 11 | 17 | 760 | 102 | 47.5 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 2010 | 14 | 22 | 831 | 227 | 41.55 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| 2011 | 5 | 6 | 400 | 202* | 80.00 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
A measure of Pietersen's dominance in his early days as a Test cricketer could be seen in the way he raced to his 1000th, 2000th and 3000th test runs - doing so in his 12th, 22nd and his 33rd Tests respectively. But since then, there has been a slight dip in form, which have delayed the corresponding landmarks. While he took 12 Tests to go from 3000 to 4000, it has taken him 15 tests to subsequently get to 5000 and another 15 to 6000.
Pietersen's run progression summary
| Run progression | Opposition | Venue | Match date | Debut date | Time | Matches | Inns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 | Sri Lanka | Lord's | 11th May 2006 | 21st Jul 2005 | 294 days | 12 | 23 |
| 2000 | Australia | Melbourne | 26th Dec 2006 | 21st Jul 2005 | 1 year and 158 days | 22 | 41 |
| 3000 | Sri Lanka | Galle | 18th Dec 2007 | 21st Jul 2005 | 2 years and 150 days | 33 | 63 |
| 4000 | India | Mohali | 19th Dec 2008 | 21st Jul 2005 | 3 years and 151 days | 45 | 83 |
| 5000 | Bangladesh | Dhaka | 20th Mar 2010 | 21st Jul 2005 | 4 years and 242 days | 60 | 107 |
| 6000 | India | Lord's | 22nd July 2011 | 21st Jul 2005 | 6 years and 1 day | 75 | 128 |
It is perhaps no surprise that Lord's was the venue for him to roar back to form, because Pietersen has a special affection for Lord's. In 13 test matches at the home of cricket, he has made 5 tons including a double ton. He averages almost 70 and crossed 1000 runs at Lord's during the course of his double ton. He is the 6th Englishman to have achieved that feat after Gooch, Stewart, Strauss, Gower and Boycott.
Pietersen's tons at Lord's
| Versus | Runs scored | Ground | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | 158 | Lord's | May 2006 |
| West Indies | 109 | Lord's | May 2007 |
| India | 134 | Lord's | July 2007 |
| South Africa | 152 | Lord's | July 2008 |
| India | 202* | Lord's | July 2011 |
Pietersen chose his moment well, reaching the landmark of 6000 runs in the 2000th Test. His return to form was well timed in the context of the series also, with the third ranked England looking to usurp the top rank from India. For Kevin Pietersen, the signs look good at the moment.
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