® Team Hon3y ®
- Today, you can't talk to Anjali because she's just had an operation.
- You're going to be a cricketer like your father?
- Father's so shy, he's not looking up.
- I am scared.
- I'm concentrating very hard.
As far as I can remember...
...l always wanted to be like my father.
- Should we go to Goa?
He always told me that, "Whatever you want to be in life...
...make sure you give your best and you don't find shortcuts."
- So unaware of what everybody's doing.
"You've chosen to play cricket, that is just one chapter in your life.
Something that's going to stay permanently with you is the person that you are."
"lf people told me that he's a better person than a cricketer...
...then I would be a happier father."
What is India?
I think there is no India.
I think there are a thousand lndias
At the stroke of the midnight hour, India will awake to life and freedom!
- In a country, where there's such widespread poveny still...
...unless it is dealt with, no system will prevail.
The story of India over the last 25-30 years... is of a nation finding itself.
A nation going after a hero...
...believing that an Indian could be the best in the world.
The one sphere where India comes real is sport.
Between 1989 and 2013 we've had ten governments.
The television revolution has happened.
Amidst all of this chaos, there is one order...
There's probably never been a player...
...who's disappointed so many people, so seldom, over such a long period.
For India... Sachin is not so much an icon...
...as an emotion.
- Wow... fritters... sweets!
- Hey! Did you wash your hands? - I did... five times.
- Five times? I see...
- Here...
- Gaurav...
- Hey, Gaurav.
- Look there. A 2 rupee note! - What?
- Look there... Three steps to your left.
- What happened, son? Are you alright?
- I told him to be careful, or he'll fall into the ditch.
- But he didn't listen.
- When did you warn him? We didn't hear anything!
I come from a very simple, middle-class family.
My father was a Marathi professor...
...a writer and a poet, too.
Colours are lost in the sky.
Colours are spread in my eyes.
My brothers and sister, we were very close to each other.
Music was very important in our family.
That's why I was named...
He was very mischievous.
Children are very mischievous.
He had eaten his lunch, and...
...hid a frog in the empty lunchbox.
It was a prank for him...
...and I had no clue.
So when I opened the box I saw a frog...
...and it immediatelyjumped out.
I inherited my industrious nature from my mother.
She would work day and night...
...and never tire.
But I would never listen to her.
But whenever my brother Nitin called me...
...l would immediately run back home.
Because I was scared of him.
He would run around like he was on rollerskates.
He was never indoors.
Always on the ground.
- Always wash before eating!
Sachin would sometimes even eat outside on the ground.
He was full of energy...
...a bundle of energy.
I played a lot of pranks.
The naughtiest thing that I did...
...was when we would deflate all four tires of the car.
- Whoever has done this show himself right now.
That was very naughty.
I wouldn't want anyone to do that to my car!
- These brats have made my life hell.
- Father.
- Looks nice on you.
I remember my sister Savita...
...bringing gifts for everyone from her trip to Kashmir.
- And for me?
- Close your eyes.
- Closed?
- Now open.
I bought a small gift for Sachin...
...just to play with.
- Right hand on the base...
...and loosen your left hand.
- And... hit the ball.
- Got it?
- SACHIN!
- It's on. Hurry up.
- Come on! Lets go.
- I was only 10 years old...
...when India reached the 1983 World Cup Final.
- We don't have a chance.
- Look at their team.
- Holding... Roberts... Garner...
- And our team?
I didn't know the significance of being World Champions...
...but I felt differently...
...there was a buzz in the air.
And from there on, you know, this beautiful journey staned.
I wanted to play for India.
I wanted to play for India and then win the World Cup.
The person who understood me best...
...and guided me, was my brother Ajit.
Ajit was the first to notice the talent in me...
...that spark.
He took me to Ramakant Achrekar sir.
Feels nice to be back here at Shivaji Park again.
Brings back all the wonderful memories.
This net is where for the first time...
...l tried on pads, gloves, thigh pads, et cetera... and batted.
The main reason for taking Sachin to Achrekar sir was that...
...Achrekar sir was the coach for Shardashram School...
...which was a champion team.
I was very tensed... nervous...
I had no clue what's going on around me.
The season ball bounces differently...
...and the rubber ball, obviously has more bounce.
It comes directly on to the bat, so you can hit it better.
But I was getting the feeling that this ball was keeping slightly low.
So I couldn't do much with it.
- He must be feeling intimidated because you're watching.
- If you stop looking...
...he'll loosen up and stan playing.
- He plays really well.
So... this time when I looked back...
...l saw that sir wasn't standing there anymore.
Sir had taken charge of another net.
- What did you say your brother's name was?
Sachin Tendulkar...
What a player!
What a wonderful player!
It was a demanding routine.
Waking at 6am.
Off to school.
Reaching the ground at 3pm.
And then practice, practice until sun-down.
Sir would take him from one ground to another.
In fact on the same day Sachin would...
...end up playing in two different games.
There were times when Sachin played for 10 consecutive days.
Days spent in Shivaji park were very special.
Sir taught me..
...to play honestly and with dedication.
Do not cheat.
No player is bigger than a team.
This piece of advice became a part of my kitbag.
It helped me face the world.
- Whoever gets him out, will get this coin.
There would be at least 80 fielders around the park...
...so it was important to keep the ball on the ground.
I won many coins.
These are like gold medals for me.
Whenever I batted well...
...sir would give me money to buy Vada-Pav
And I would know, that sir was happy with me.
In fact, my breakfast was that...
...after many years these guys were wanting to serve me Muesli et cetera...
I said no-no... keep all that aside. I need 'vada-pav'
- Ticket.
- Hey wise-guy, who's going to buy a ticket for your bag?
Sunil Gavaskar or Kapil Dev?
- SACHIN!
I never had time for myself...
...so my parents and brother decided...
...that I would go and stay with my uncle and aunt.
...who lived just 2 minutes from the ground.
After coming back from practice, he would first eat...
...and then I would bowl to him.
I would get tired, but he would never get tired.
And he would say, "Throw the ball and get me out."
But how would one get him out?
That's howl learnt my back foot defence.
It would remind me of Formula One pit-stop"
...as soon as he came home...
...Sachin would fall asleep in mother's arms...
...father would massage his feet while his aunt would feed him.
This is where my career took direction and shape.
It changed me as a person... completely.
From a notorious kid to a serious... focussed cricketer.
I scored the highest partnership with Vinod Kambli...
...which was also a world-record at that time.
- He's still batting, sir.
- The bowlers are crying...
- They don't want to bowl to them
In 5 matches of inter-school Cricket, he'd made 1028 runs.
He'd only been out once.
So already Tendulkar was a well known name.
All the top Mumbai cricketers...
...were sort of quietly going across to see him bat.
Even at the age of 14-15 years...
...one could see that here's a young player...
...who will make a name for India, as well as for himself in the future.
Sachin, you must be getting tired now...
...of people asking you questions, and giving interviews a lot.
I think this is just the stan.
You prefer facing fast bowlers? - Yeah... I always prefer...
What is the reason for that?
I like to play fast bowlers because the ball comes straight on the bat.
At the CCI Nets, I think Kapil also bowled to you?
How was that?
I enjoyed... just kept on playing.
16year-old Sachin Tendulkar, child prodigy.
The youngest ever cricketer to play for his country.
At 14, he was the youngest ever cricketer...
...to play the Ranji Trophy, which included a century in his debut match.
Once in a decade, a genius is born...
...and Sachin Tendulkar is just that.
I am very proud to say that I've been selected for the Indian Team.
And tomorrow we'll be going to Pakistan.
Do you feel a little nervous about facing the Pak team?
Not at all.
India-Pakistan is the world's foremost sponing rivalry.
I remember one World Cup match that India won...
...and there was celebratory gunfire by the sentries across the border.
It's something other cultures might struggle to understand.
As the new dominions of Pakistan and India take over their own affairs...
...fleeing from their looted, blood-stained towns, comes a new exodus...
Overnight the countries got split.
It was one of the most violent mass migrations in history.
Unlike anything seen anywhere else in the world.
Whether it's cinema or culture or sport...
...lndia versus Pakistan gets imbued with a different kind of significance.
And cricket is the only area where the two square off against each other.
You don't want them to square off anywhere else...
...especially if the alternative is the armies.
- Long live... India!
In 1989, the conflict in Kashmir was just about to start.
At that point in time, for a 16 year old Indian to go to Pakistan...
...and play the likes lmran, Wasim and Waqar.
Unbelievable.
The first time we saw him on Karachi Grounds during practice...
...he looked about 14.
I looked at Waqar, and Waqar looked back at me.
And we said, what's this little kid going to do?
Why have they got him here?
And the next batsman looks to me to be Tendulkar.
And if one can say he's having a baptism of fire, this is it.
Coming to a situation where India are reeling and...
...the Pakistan pace attack looking almost invincible.
We were consistent 150kmh plus, with swing.
Waqar Younis to Tendulkar... it's quite a terrifying site.
The first ball to him was a bouncer, and we said to him...
"Welcome son, to Test cricket. This is not school cricket.
The only drive you'll get here is from the hotel to the ground."
This one a very airy-fairy shot from Tendulkar.
Bowled!
I felt I was completely out of place.
I thought that maybe never again.
After that Sachin's body language looked pretty negative.
He dropped his shoulder down, and he looked very disappointed.
So it was decided that I should go to Pakistan.
I remember him coming to me and saying in Marathi...
"Don't you think I was in a hurry."
So I told him...
"You must give yourself some time at this level...
...just respect the conditions."
For quite some time, my coach hadn't allowed me to wear a helmet.
He said you got to watch the ball...
...and if you get hit, then learn to get hit.
We were in a delicate situation.
Wasim-Waqar were bowling flat out.
Full throttle.
It was a gory sight.
His nose was totally smashed out of place.
The entire Pakistan team gathered around me.
And Javed Miandad said...
"Your nose has been broken..."
...you got to leave right away and go to the hospital."
By the time I reached the non-strikefls end...
...l hear a squeaky voice...
"l'll Play"-
If I had walked out it would have been a huge benefit to Pakistan.
My brother Ajit was sitting right in front of the dressing room.
I didn't want to let him... or my country down.
I wiped away the blood... applied bit of ice...
...and continued batting.
I knew the next delivery was going to be a yorker.
He was standing 2 feet behind.
In that state of mind, he anticipated.
That's a good shot. That's four runs.
That must do him a world of good.
He didn't bat an eyelid after that...
...he was like a guy who has already played 15-20 test matches.
Yes, you are gonna break some bones...
...but that won't stop me from doing what I want.
That's when we Pakistanis got impressed with this little chap.
I hit 57 runs...
...and that satisfaction for having saved the game for the India was unbelievable.
I became fearless after that.
Just 2 days later...
...Sachin was facing Abdul Qadir, the best spinner in the world.
- When Qadir had just bowled, he said something to you.
He told me that I won't let you hit it.
I think, thanks to the grace of Allah...
...not many have hit me for a six too often.
In fact, I bowled to him with my full ability.
'53 runs in 18 balls...'
'lt was a statement.'
'A legend was born.'
- And a new star in International Cricket...
India today successfully launched a long-range missile.
You can visualize India through the prism of Sachin Tendulkar.
Tendulkar on 98.
And there it is...
...first Test Match hundred for Tendulkar aged 17 years.
India's former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated today.
If you come from a nation, that has a lot of sadness...
...you need good stories around to forget yourself.
That's 50.
Beautiful 50 from this young man...
...a star of the future.
Until 1991 we were an economy that was a closed one.
- We are on the verge of a collapse.
- Time to think big.
There's a chance he'll get it.
It almost seemed as though we were present at a kind of an arc in history.
We were actually watching the possibilities of the future unfold.
Here's the youngest player to score a test 100 in Australia.
His second 100 in the series, and certainly the best.
Tendulkar's achievements overseas proved that...
...lndia is as good as anyone anywhere.
- Can you see any specific area...
- ...you might ever go getting him out?
- I think our best chance is when he's not looking!
128 years of cricket tradition were broken today...
...when Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar made his debut for Yorkshire.
- He's a fine young player, he's going to get better.
In those days, Doordarshan, the state broadcaster...
...would demand 5 lakh rupees from the BCCI to telecast a cricket-match.
In 1993, for the first time...
...the Indian Cricket Board sold telecast rights to ESPN for 650,000 dollars.
And so began a deluge of money.
The person at the centre of this telecast revolution...
...and liberalization story was Sachin.
He became the poster boy of the country.
With the young Sachin, there was a great desire to love him.
He represented the traditional middle class virtues.
H um i I ity. Modesty.
You respect your elders.
You don't chase money.
Tendulkar chased runs...
...and let the money come to him.
- Like being famous?
Not very much, but... like to be famous.
- Till now I've not become a great batsman.
- But no one can tell his future.
Gavaskafls generation invested in fixed-bank deposits.
Sachin's generation plays the equity markets.
Sachin batted like he was playing the equity markets.
- You've just got engaged to be married haven't you?
- Yeah, I got engaged the other day...
...when we got back from Sharjah.
- Were you embarrassed when you popped the question?
- No, no. Not really.
In 1990, Sachin was returning after playing...
...his first tour to England.
In those days the airpon had a viewing gallery.
So I had gone to the airpon with my friend to pick up my Mum.
There were many people standing downstairs wearing these blazers.
I thought one of them very cute.
And I was looking down.
Suddenly I saw somebody look up at me.
And I thought he's like the cutest person I'd ever seen in my life.
My friend Aparna said, "You don't know who he is? He is Sachin Tendulkar...
...and he is the youngest Indian to have scored a Test century."
I ran down from there, and...
...l was just screaming his name as I ran after him.
I didn't have the guts to wave at her and look back.
I was too embarrassed. to wave back at her.
I just looked down, and staned pushing my trolley.
The next day, every single newspaper had a photo of him.
I got every single picture, cut it out...
...and stuck them in all my textbooks.
So whichever textbook I opened...
...the first thing I would see was this picture of Sachin.
My friend got me his number, I called Sachin and I said...
"l saw you at the airpon yesterday."
He said, "Yah, I remember".
I said, "What rubbish! I'm sure you don't remember.
Tell me what was I wearing?"
I said, "An orangish-red T-shin and blue jeans."
So she said, "You did notice me."
I said, "You were the only girl...
...who was waving and screaming out there."
"How could I not notice you?"
I had never ever done this in my life.
I was a very serious medical student.
But there was something about him.
Anjali was the first girl, whom I had spoken to like that on the phone.
We met. We got to know each other...
...and then I staned dating her.
It had been about four years that we had been seeing each other.
Sachin had recently returned from his New Zealand tour...
...where he had opened the innings for the first time.
And when he came back he was on a super high.
So I asked, "What are your plans about us novfl"
I said, "l think we should get engaged."
"But I'm not going to speak to my family I am too shy about it...
...you will have to talk to them."
I said, "Okay, fine."
So I went to his house.
I made his Mum and Dad sit down, and...
...l told them that Sachin wants to marry me.
And they said, "Okay."
Anjali was the one who decided to step back from her career.
Because she knew that I was playing for India...
...and every little thing that I did, the whole nation was following me.
- Don't be conscious.
He sort of said one person has to give up.
That's when I decided I was not going to pursue my career in medicine...
...even though I was an MD in Pediatrics.
- Stand straight.
For me it was extremely imponant...
...to have a life-partner who understood the immense pressure on me...
...and understood my dreams.
The 1996 World Cup is a foretaste of...
...what International Cricket is going to look like...
mbecause the world comes to India...
...rather than India having to go to the world.
It was huge...
...because everyone felt that maybe...
...lndia playing at home could repeat the glory of 1983.
We will win...!
Pakistan's going to win!
India-Pakistan match is always special.
Aamer Sohail hit Venkatesh Prasad for a four...
...and said something to him.
And on the next ball...
And Venkatesh gave him a rather special send-off.
You know that once you've played a game against Pakistan...
...then the next day you're going to wake-up with a sore throat.
India beats Pakistan to get through to the Semi-Finals...
...it almost seems as though this is bound to be their year...
...in front of their own fans.
Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
The crowds have been pouring in, since very early this morning.
The atmosphere is absolutely electrifying.
Those 252 runs required aren't going to be easily got.
The whole nation is transfixed.
And everything rides on Tendulkar's fortunes.
Can you imagine the pressure on a 22-year-old?
That was the first World Cup Semi-Final match of my life.
It was expected that I make a big score, and do something special.
Every four that he hits, there's a sense of enveloping national destiny.
Listen to the crowd.
Crowd says it all.
Really beautiful innings and we love you, Tendulkar.
Ohh, he's got him! Yes, he's got him!
I am sure he's out. This could be a vital wicket.
He's asked for the replay.
Tendulkar knows he's in big trouble here.
Wonderful, smart work by the wicket keeper
I knew that I was out.
Before I could turn back and get inside the crease...
...Kaluwitharana had taken the bails off.
Oh, he's gone.
People not knowing quite what to do.
There was just this incredible sense of disbelief.
India played themselves into a situation...
...that was not uncommon in those days.
If Tendulkar is out, India is out.
He's got that in the air.
The Indians are committing suicide.
And it pretty soon becomes clear that this is not going to be India's night.
This is not going to be India's tournament.
This is not going to be India's destiny.
And the crowd takes matters into their own hands.
All the hopes and dreams of the Indian people have all gone up in smoke.
Well, it looks to me like they are coming off the ground.
The game is gonna have to be awarded to the Sri Lankans.
I had never seen such disappointment in the dressing room.
It was too embarrassing.
Everything was over.
Selection committee felt that there was a need for change.
Tendulkar has been selected as the captain.
- Hi.
- How do you feel about it?
- Yeah... feel good.
- I'm quite happy about it.
The first Test, I was excited, all charged up.
As a captain when you win, it's an amazing feeling.
When your plans click, it gives you immense satisfaction.
But when it doesn't...
You can't sleep at night.
You keep wondering where did you go wrong.
Whenever we lost... it affected me.
And slowly, slowly I staned feeling that pressure.
People started saying that captaincy is affecting my batting.
He would just stop talking.
I would think maybe he's upset with me over something.
I would ask him are you angry with me?
I figured out slowly that it's nothing to do with me.
It's just that his mind is completely in his game.
As a sportsman...
...you have to learn to get back on your feet again and stan competing...
...but I was finding it difficult...
"because I was taking it too much to my hean and I was taking it personally.
When the team wouldn't do well...
...he would be so disturbed.
He wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
He would be setting fields, or planning to do this, do that.
All that would happen in his sleep.
He used to tell me that there's somethings not right.
These matches that we're losing, we should be winning.
I was only 23 when I became the captain.
It wasn't easy for senior players to play under me.
Azhar had led from 1990.
Of course, I have a lot of respect for him.
And I'm sure he'll listen to me and...
...there won't be any ego problems at all.
Here was Mohammad Azharuddin...
...stylish, classical, very beautiful batsman.
And here was this emerging star, this Mega Star Sachin Tendulkar.
There was bound to be some unrest in the dressing room.
Mohammad Azharuddin was also a cricketer of great eminence...
...but here's this boy who's basically become the nation's darling...
...taking everything away.
There were power centres emerging...
...and that was clearly visible.
Day 4 of the 3rd Test Match.
India requiring 118 runs to win.
Big challenge here for Brian Lara in his first Test as captain.
Here's Franklin Rose.
How do you play that? That's out.
Well, the match may well hinge around this man.
Edged... and taken by Lara.
This is a big blow for India.
He told me once that this was the lowest point of his cricketing career so far.
Especially, because somewhere he felt that...
...not everyone was playing as a team.
That's it.
The 3rd test match is over... and won in dramatic style.
- Tendulkar has been removed as a captain...
...to relieve tension on his mind as a captain...
...and to take the best out of him as a player.
I felt bad...
"because no one had the counesy to pick up the phone and tell me...
- I know I've not been able to live up to my own expectations.
- But every batsman has to go through that.
- So... I don't think because of captaincy there is any pressure on my batting.
- No. I don't feel there's a burden on me as such.
When life starts getting difficult...
...you need your family members around you even more.
. Papa»-
I did everything possible to let him have a calm state of mind.
I would never trouble him with any problems at home.
Cricket was first and we were second...
...and we accepted that.
Whenever I felt troubled over cricketing matters...
I would always seek my brother Ajit's advice.
Since the day Sachin staned playing cricket...
...there hasn't been a single day I didn't talk to him about cricket.
Or talked about anything besides cricket.
We would constantly be in touch with each other.
Whenever I went out to bat mentally he was there with me.
We both were playing that game together, not just me.
They could take away the captaincy from me...
...but cricket... Never.
Cricket was like oxygen to me...
Without it... I am nothing!
For the last 25 years, this has been my companion.
My kitbag.
My children Sara and Arjun drew this India flag for me.
All these figures are very important for me.
I'm a bit fussy about my kit.
I wanted everything to be perfect.
This is the padding that I've created myself.
I've taken various different pieces of cushion...
...and put these little pieces together, as one big package.
When you're batting, the last two fingers become important.
I've fixed more protection on the right hand.
And attached a fiber plate over here on the top.
So it is less painful.
People kept discussing about the weight of my bat.
The weight of my bat never changed in my career.
For me, the bat was a part of my body.
So why change it?
Only the shape of the bat was changed.
It is a little curvy... at the end.
And I always liked this curve.
If somebody cracked the bottom half of the bat...
...then they would ask me to repair it.
I would carry this bag with glue, sandpaper, batting grips...
...and repair the bat overnight.
I always respected my bat"
I never threw my bat... ever.
My coach would always say...
"You must learn to look after your kit...
...and the kit will look after you."
With Sachin Tendulkar facing criticism over his form...
...a nail-biting encounter between...
...India and Australia could well be on the cards.
The Australians have great depth in their batting...
...not to speak of the Golden Arm, of Shane Warne.
Warne's specialty was that...
...he used to drift the ball...
...and it would go in the air outside the leg stump and turn in.
- Warnie, you having a good time? - I am!
The 1998 tour of India there was nothing about Australia versus India...
...it was always Warne v Tendulkar.
I used to prepare for the conditions.
Not for any individual bowler.
...l had prepared myself for Warne.
Because until then...
...there was no right-handed bowler would go round the wicket and bowl into the rough.
I heard that he'd practised with roughing up pitches around the wicket.
And getting young leg spinners to bowl at him.
There are different things one has to do against world class bowlers.
I'll just tell Shane Warne...
...he's developing a secret weapon.
- Welcome to the series that we've all been looking forward to.
- To the Chidambaram Stadium here in Chennai, it's hot...
...humid, and steamy all over again.
This is what the crowd has come to see.
Two tremendous young players here pitted against each other.
Our plans for Sachin, early, were to try and go after him.
Intimidate him verbally.
When you get out like this...
...you want to go the dressing room and slap yourself really hard.
He was so dejected, he just went into the room...
...and locked himself away for almost 2 hours.
For me, the game is all about getting into your opponent's head.
If I am stuck with my technique...
...how am I going to watch the bowler?
From the opposite end, the bowler constantly asks you questions.
At a crunch moment in the Test series, he came round the wicket to me.
I always felt that I should have more than one method.
First, how to hit the pad and make the ball dead.
And second, howl should attack if I wish to.
He also put pressure on me then.
And all of the rest of the bowlers to think...
...well, if he can do that, what else has he got?
If someone's generally getting on top of you...
...you seem to think, well he can't just keep doing that.
He did do it.
After the game, he graciously came up to congratulate me.
And from then on, we became good friends.
Went over to his place a few times.
Dinner would stan about 12 o'clock.
And I'm sort of saying... I'm ready for a kip, I got to bowl tomorrow
I don't know if it was strategy or not...
...but it was fun.
He loved Dire Straits...
...and he had this fantastic sound system.
Music has always been my secret weapon...
...to control my emotions.
There were many times I would listen to a single track over and over...
mthroughout a game.
In 1998, just... kicked out the jams...
...and goes to a new level, and he shows what he is capable of.
I never saw myself play...
...but I feel that this fellow is playing...
...much the same as I used to play.
You can ask anyone from that generation...
...about which was Tendulkar's best innings.
And they will all say...
There's a desert storm brewing here.
He was hitting Kasprowicz out of the park.
Shane Warne... coming in, going out.
The way he batted on
...l used to bat the same way when I went outside.
The way he shook his neck or standing like him, or...
...delivering a back-foot punch like him.
Wonderful 100 from Sachin Tendulkar.
He's taken India single-handedly into the finals.
I would tell people, you know when...
...Sachin comes into bat, please let me know.
When he came into bat, we would stop work.
"Wait... we'll do it later."
"We won't get to see this again."
I used to have a fixed position in front of the TV, and I would not move.
Would not eat, would not drink...
...while he was batting.
- Sara, who's come?
"What's the score?"
Okay so many runs for so many wickets"
"ls Sachin still batting or not?"
That used to be our question.
That would give us some reassurance.
I used to try and copy him.
Like hitting fast bowlers for a six with a straight bat...
...without follow through.
Back then it was like... what is this?
We've never seen anything like this.
...Mark Mascarenhas has asked me...
"How good is that is that Tendulkar?"
"l'd like to represent him."
He was like one of those American Agents.
But he always thought two-steps ahead.
He knew how to turn Sachin Tendulkar into a brand.
Sachin represents what millions of young Indian kids wanna be.
He was the one that we were all looking up to,"
...and we were all chasing.
And it wasn't just me, Lara, Kallis and those guys.
We all wanted to be like Sachin Tendulkar.
Everybody wants to know what have you've been having for breakfast?
- Let it be a secret.
We've no means of entertainment in our village.
Not even a talkies (Cinema Hall).
For us, entertainment means Sachin's batting.
And that innings against Pakistan.
It was one of his best innings of all time.
During the last 30-40 runs, he couldn't even bend.
Cricket was a platform that every advertiser could come...
...to use a face that was a known face.
75 percent of this market went to Sachin.
There were a few articles criticizing me, saying that I am chasing money.
Money is important for everyone.
You want your family to be secure...
...but not at the price of cricket.
- Sara, who's come?
- Father and daughter getting ready in the morning.
He used to be away so much...
...that we would be happy just to be together.
He didn't spend much time with Sara...
...but whatever time he spent, he was amazing.
- Sara, go close and show your tongue.
He would have lots of energy... and he would play with her the whole day.
- Now show four.
- Four
He said one thing I'll never do is change diapers.
- Sara bowling.
- And bat.
- How does papa raises hi hand after a century?
- Daddy when he scores a hundred.
Sara doing her first 'Rangoli'(design).
I always wanted to create the same relationship with my children...
...as I had with my own parents.
I always found my father so calm.
In my younger days, I would be watching him closely.
I was grasping so many things.
He treated each and every person with equal respect.
If I could be 50 percent of my father...
...then I'd consider myself a good human being.
As the Indian Team left for the World Cup...
...the hopes of a nation went with them.
This was my third World Cup...
...and England has always been a special place for Indian Cricket.
India had already won in 1983...
...and this team was sort of similar to that team.
I was excited about our chances.
Our second game was to be against Zimbabwe.
And at 2 o'clock in the morning, I heard a knock on the door.
I was surprised when I opened the door.
My wife Anjali was there.
She came inside the room and said...
"Sit down, there's something I want to tell you."
She said your father has passed away.
He's had a massive hean attack and passed away.
The whole journey is a blur for me.
I'd just gone numb.
I can never forget that sight of my mother sitting in the corner of the room.
Alone.
For the last 20 hours, she'd been sitting facing the wall.
She had not moved from that spot.
I was extremely close to him.
From now on...
...my father was not going to be a part of what would happen in my life.
That one thought was hurting me.
It was difficult to come to the reality that he's no more alive.
Everyone at home felt that I should go back...
...l should go back and join the team.
So, I somehow managed to catch a flight back.
I got back to England and went straight to the ground.
Every little thing that I thought of him...
...brought tears to my eyes.
Yeah, I am back because of my family and all the countrymen.
Errr... It was my mother who actually told me...
...that I should go back and play the World Cup.
And try and get the cup back home.
My wife, my brothers and sister...
...and all the rest of the family members also, they are totally behind me...
...and if my father was alive, he would've wanted the same thing, so...
...l am back here to play.
Even while batting, I was thinking of him.
I somehow controlled my tears.
When I scored 100 before that, I would thank God...
...but from that day forward, every time I looked up...
...l would thank my father too.
"L have not forgotten you, my dear.
I remember everything very clear.
Our bond today with the unknown...
...is beyond the boundary of the horizon.
My eyes will hide my silent tears alone...
...and leave behind for you the rainbow to own."
- Aditi, Sachin speaking.
- It's a boy.
- Thank you very much.
- He's smiling.
- Sachin has a name.
- Decided the name? - Pet name.
- Mini Me.
Our son Arjun was born only 4 months after Sachin's father passed away.
His family always felt that...
...this was Sachin's father coming back.
Arjun is also very much like Sachin's father.
Very sensitive boy... very caring...
...and loves his family a lot.
And he's very close to Sachin.
- Which muscle is this? - Which?
- Glute.
- You know, even here you can stretch well for the glute.
Sachin was very particular...
...Arjun should practice well.
- Does that make a difference? - Yeah...
- Good to go... come on.
- That's your target.
- Six balls.
- See... this is the last, it's better.
- Slightly better, yeah.
- It's like this, right.
- Pull this back.
- Nice ball.
- See, without looking here, I said.
Our coach, Mr. Achrekar, was very loving, very caring...
...and at the same time he was very strict.
He must be a student of this game...
...he must know what I told him...
...but afterwards he has to use his mind.
- Adjust your mind-set, nothing else.
- If batting was that easy...
...then everyone would be world champions.
- Suppose now the ball pitches here somewhere...
...then you'll have to turn your front foot...
...that time your head will be above that...
...and bat will be as straight as possible.
- Suppose the ball pitches here somewhere...
...then don't try and play it here.
- Hold your position.
- Yes, much better.
I went to Sachin's house one day...
...and Arjun had scored 100 in a local match.
His first reaction to me was...
"Don't praise him."
- Because that goes to their head.
That is the Tendulkar ethos.
- 4 balls, how many runs to win? - Seven.
- I've got a fine leg up, and third man up.
- Long-on, deep midwicket, deep square leg.
- The rest of the guys in the ring saving single.
- This one you win!
If Arjun doesn't succeed as a cricketer...
...he's gonna have to deal with it.
We can't change the fact of who his father is.
I've gone through so many years of stress with Sachin that I've decided...
...l really can't go through this all over again.
- Papa, leave him. Leave him.
- Okay, you come... you come on this side.
1999, I was asked again to be captain.
I said, "Please don't recommend my name".
The way I was dropped from the captaincy...
...l didn't want to experience that again.
And the next day...
- Sachin Tendulkar was back this week as India's Cricket Captain...
...nearly two years after he was replaced by Mohammad Azharuddin.
I could not believe... because I had clearly declined that.
- Has Sachin come under considerable pressure to accept captaincy?
- No I don't think... I think he's been used to, you know, being captain.
- He was the captain of the Indian team earlier.
- He has been captaining the Mumbai Cricket Team for quite long.
- So I don't think that he has come under pressure.
- I don't know from where do you get this feeling?
He had a choice and we discussed it...
...he was not sure how will it be perceived that you're giving up captaincy.
Is it that you're thinking about your own performance...
...and not caring about the country?
- Sachin, to the outside world...
- ...the feeling is still that you're a reluctant captain.
- That you don't want to be somehow captain...
- ...and you've been almost forced to become captain.
- I had spoken to the selectors earlier.
- And... I just felt I was not mentally prepared.
- What I expect from the players is hundred percent involvement on the ground.
- Some players may not perform up to their expectations...
...but that's fine. As long as they have put in a lot of effort.
- I'll be very happy with that.
- Again Sachin, there have been rumours that you weren't...
- ...keen to lead the side while Azharuddin is still playing.
- Any truth in that?
- I think it's better we just leave them as rumours.
- And you know... stick to the reality.
After being appointed captain the second time...
...we left for Australia.
It wasn't a great tour at all.
- I do not want to offer any excuses for our poor performance in Australia.
- But I, as captain, take the moral responsibility for our failure.
- I feel sorry for not living up to the expectations of my countrymen.
- And I've decided after a lot of thought, to step down from the captaincy...
...after the forthcoming two test matches against South Africa.
Whatever was not in his hand, we had to just go ahead and accept it.
Something didn't feel quite right.
During the entire revelation of match-fixing...
At the end of it all, when it actually came out...
...the man most disillusioned was Sachin Tendulkar.
The Indian Police claim to have evidence that Hansie Cronje...
...had agreed to fix the result of international games.
The cricketing world's elite got around the table to day to address a game in crisis.
- Scotland Yard is not releasing any details...
Investigation is taking an international dimension.
- What scares me is just how far up the line this corruption goes?
What is match-fixing?
You will pre-determine the result of a match...
...by buying out the services of X number of players who will under-perform.
Not just results, but individual events in the game as well.
Runs scored off a particular ball.
Or runs conceded during a particular spell.
There's just no end to the possibilities...
...to make money once you stan thinking about it.
Every test playing country in the world is currently being investigated for corruption.
- Whatever is the truth, should come out.
- It is very important that we must clean up our own house first.
- There's also sufficient evidence to establish an Inquiry of this type...
...that there was match-fixing.
- Who are they? - All five of them.
Senior players were banned by the BCCI...
...while they continued to protest their innocence.
This was the darkest phase of Indian Cricket.
I couldn't believe that such things were happening.
It was shocking.
People keep talking about, "Why hasn't he spoken?"
Because I don't know enough.
If I know with evidence, then it makes sense.
When you're playing for your nation...
...then it's nothing less than 100 percent.
Nothing less than 100%.
And I believe that such mistakes should be non-pardonable.
- We'll avoid it now.
- ...stop watching or listening to matches, altogether.
- Now, I am really confused...
...which one was real and which one was fixed.
- Earlier we used to worship cricket...
...now we really doubt it.
For me, playing cricket was like going to a temple.
I always wanted to win...
...Never wanted to lose at any cost.
I would call my friends and discuss all my problems with them.
We knew deep down how hurt he was with the whole episode.
So we never spoke about it, knowing how disturbed he already is.
Everyone would be supportive all the time.
They would always make me see the brighter side of life.
"Give me some sunshine."
"Give me some rain."
"Give me another chance..."
want to grow up once again."
Sachin is a pretty simple guy.
He's never changed.
And he doesn't want us to change either.
We're still like we were 25 years ago.
Maybe that's why we're still good friends.
I would always say Sachin you're so weird.
There was a bottle of Polo, Ralph Lauren.
I said to Sachin, "This smells funny."
He had mixed 25 after-shaves in it.
It might be an injury, it might be a prank.
He loves to have a laugh at the cost of his friends.
He's always like a kid, even now.
- Let's drive little rough.
- Come on. - Rough.
- If you come in the way, bad luck.
Sometimes Sachin is under immense pressure.
Or he has a good feeling about a particular day.
He keeps playing the same song over-and-over again.
Of Bappi Lahiri.
Sachin is very competitive.
It's hard to beat him...
...it may be at any sport.
Life is nothing without good friends.
You should have those special friends.
And I am really, really fortunate to have the set of friends around me...
...who I know for sure, that they will stand by me in difficult times.
Post the revelations in 2000...
...lndian Cricket desperately needed someone to pin their faith on.
There was a clean up.
There was action taken.
...and what you saw, turn of the century.
Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Javagal Srinath...
...Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble.
These were people you could pin your faith on.
And Sachin Tendulkar was the flag bearer of the faith.
We needed something extraordinary...
...to get cricket back on track.
The challenge that we faced...
...if we lost a match, people would say we didn't try hard enough.
If we played well and won, they would still say...
...that the other team isn't trying hard enough.
All the more reason why we needed an India vs. Australia.
- They have been in tremendous form.
- They have won 14-15 test matches in a row...
...which is a tremendous achievement.
It was our final frontier if you like, as well.
To go to India and finally break the drought and win over there.
Was what we'd been gearing ourselves for, for so long.
That's it... Australia have won 16 test matches in a row.
Australia steam-rolled India in the First Test.
They looked absolutely unassailable.
They power through the Second Test.
He's bowled him.
He's cleaned him up here.
India follows on and it looks like Indian cricket's on it's last legs.
Rahul Dravid gets together with VVS Laxman...
...and turns the tide in absolutely unforgettable and irrefutable fashion.
And all this in a way which can never be forgotten or neglected.
The way they scored those runs...
...and played those important spells, their focus was incredible.
But we still had to bowl them out.
While I was attacking...
...we needed someone to give another break through from the other end.
Whenever the wicket turned we called in Tendulkar to bowl.
When Australians came to bat we would want him to bowl to them.
He's got everything.
If he bowl's off-spin, he'll be probably better than me.
I really thought he had a lot of talent as a leg spinner.
He'd bamboozle people.
He had a good wrong-un, He had a good leg break...
...he spun the ball.
I think that one day took India way past the events of the previous year...
...and brought the great spirit back.
That series changed the Indian team completely.
India have won the test match.
India have won the series.
Everyone believed that we can defeat the best teams in the world.
Such a performance against Australia was extremely necessary...
...to make everyone think differently.
To win their hearts back.
So that we can celebrate cricket again.
A throw and a miss... ...they are gonna get back for two.
India home... Lords goes wild!
India have won the Natwest Series Finals by two wickets, here at Lords.
In one of the most incredible one-day matches...
...the country has ever seen.
We had a very good team going to South Africa.
We were very sure we're going to do well.
And hopefully win the tournament.
And fulfil my dream.
We said what is it which can motivate us?
And remind us...
...when we walk out in the middle to play for India...
...of the responsibility we carry.
So that's why we started signing this before every game.
We wrote, "l can, We can!"
Because it was essential to gel the team together...
...and for all of us to give 100 percent on the field.
The tri-color is always the the motivating factor.
My preparation would stan 15 to 20 hours before a game.
I would fold my clothes a particular way...
...putting them in my kitbag in a specific order.
I would even iron them myself.
I hated anybody wishing me good luck before I went out to bat.
Often the coach would come up and say...
"Good luck, do well."
But that was the last thing I wanted to hear.
I would just walk off.
He's superstitious, like if he's scored a century after drinking green tea...
...then he'll drink green tea throughout the series.
Even if Sir Don Bradman comes in and offers him a coffee...
...he will not drink it!
And he'll get it.
A fourth 100 in World Cup cricket for Sachin Tendulkar.
During that entire World Cup...
...he never batted a single day at the nets.
I asked, "Are you sure you're okay with everything?"
He said, "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry!"
He got 600 runs in the tournament!
My mind was always at the bowler's end.
I would play a few deliveries in a particular way...
...to make sure the bowler bowls the next delivery exactly where I want him to bowl.
So again the master batsman reading the bowler's mind.
All set.
We had to come out with some cunning plans to try and keep Tendulkar quiet.
If Tendulkar's quiet...
...the nation's quiet.
I don't think there's any point sledging Tendulkar.
Here's a man who's already got a billion people in his ears already.
What exactly do you say to Sachin?
Whenever we went out to bat together...
...it felt like I'm stepping out with the king of the jungle.
Everyone's attention would be on Tendulkar.
That would make it pretty easy for me to score runs with him.
He would normally stan at the non-strikefls end.
But that day, as he was going out to bat, he felt...
...Wasim Akram might have too many tricks for a young player like Sehwag.
So he said, "You stay here, I'll take the strike".
If we get Sachin Tendulkar, we would have won the game.
That was the plan.
But, I suppose Sachin had a different plan!
After that shot off Wasim. He felt this was his game.
Shoaib Akhtar, the Rawalpindi express into the attack...
...the fastest bowler in the world up against the best batsman in the world.
He goes after that one and it's a six.
That was the first time I saw Shoaib Akhtar panicked.
- And the way Sachin played, it's been outstanding.
- I've never seen better innings for a long-long time.
- Me neither.
He used to be so full of confidence that...
...he would say, this match is mine, I am going to win it for the team.
- Sachin, thank you for entertaining us today.
- Yeah, this has always been a special game for us.
- And it's the 4th World Cup we've beaten them in a row.
- And nothing means more than this to us.
And this is an emphatic win for India.
So a journey that started on the 12th of February...
...has ended up with them being in the Final of the World Cup.
We were all charged up looking forward to the Final.
The biggest game of my life...
So Australia have got 359 for 2.
I knew it was a Herculean task to chase those runs.
We wanted to sort of break that target down...
...and achieve smaller goals.
The question was, can we hit 50 boundaries in 50 overs?
Difficult... but we can.
Now we're left with 250 balls.
Can we score 160 runs in 250 balls?
Yes, we can.
I played one pull shot...
...and the ball took the top edge of the bat and went right up in the air...
I am like praying... please let him drop the catch.
Sometimes they drop.
One in a hundred.
Unfonunately, none of the other batsmen also scored.
Everyone was trying to play shots and getting out.
That's in the air, should be taken.
World Cup for Australia.
A comprehensive win here by 125 runs.
- And the Man of the Tournament is Mr. Sachin Tendulkar.
When I got back from South Africa...
...friends who had come to receive me asked...
"Where is the gold bat you won?"
I said, "What gold bat?"
They said, "The Man of the Tournament Bat that you got."
I had just packed and checked the Golden Bat in.
The other trophy meant everything to me...
...and it was in their dressing room. Not ours...
My body was not in a great shape at that time.
I was finding it difficult to keep myself injury free.
For him, God is very, very important.
Maybe things have happened that have made him believe.
He started playing international cricket at 16.
Before his body was ready.
It was either his knee, or groin, or his back...
...the injures kept coming.
He's got a crack in his toe that will never heal.
Can you imagine playing international cricket all your life...
...without being able to take weight on your toe?
The toughest injury to deal with was my tennis elbow injury.
That pain was excruciating.
Even opening the door, or picking up a glass of water was painful.
Everyone was suggesting something...
...and I was prepared to try anything.
Sachin won't be able to play in the match against Pakistan.
Troubled with tennis elbow...
...Sachin Tendulkar just recently had a scan in London.
- Are you sticking to your old trusted heavy bat?
- I am sticking to what I feel comfonable with...
...not what other people feel comfonable with.
- It's all been done in consultation with the doctors...
...who have actually examined my injury.
- Because there have been a lot of doctors who have not even met me...
...and they know what is wrong with my elbow.
- I really find that funny.
Everytime Tendulkar got an injury...
...lndia got to know a little more about human anatomy.
No one knew what a tennis elbow was for heaven's sake...
...until Tendulkar got a tennis elbow.
10 or 12-year-old kids...
...would stop the ball 10 yards away from me.
That particular experience gave me nightmares.
I thought, my carrier's over.
I would have to tell him that...
...you've played for so many years.
Nobody else has played so long.
Your body has supported you for so many years...
...think positively.
I used to call my friends and say that I want to see you.
I would say, "Bloody hell what's he doing awake at 4am?"
I would pray to God...
...that please don't let my career end like this.
You've to give me another chance.
A famous father and his son enjoying a game of cricket.
It was a forced rest forSachin Tendulkar...
...after his tennis elbow surgery.
Nearly three months later he began short sessions with the bat at the nets.
His physios would give him fixed programs like...
...he must play 40 balls in a day.
He would end up playing 140 balls in a day!
He would climb 10 storeys up and down for fitness...
...so that whenever he recovers from his elbow injury...
...he's match-fit.
For the average Mumbaikar, Sachin back at the nets...
...after a tennis elbow injury, means good news for Indian cricket.
- Sachin's come through today pretty well.
- We just need to see how he responds to that the next day.
While I was walking out on the field to bat again...
...l looked up and thanked God for this moment in my life.
The crowd was aware that I was returning after an injury.
I got a loud, standing ovation.
There's no bigger moment than this for a sportsman.
This is what he lives for.
Back then, along with congratulating him...
...l also said that now I am raising the bar for you.
You must now score 100 centuries.
He laughed as he went in.
- Even I didn't know, until I switched on the TV.
- My picture with Sachin in the papers"
- He's scored thirty-five 100s. What a man!
- Say something on Sachin.
- Let me think... Next!
- He can't bat.
- Great feeling.
- A special day for him, for a special person, special champion.
- I saw his first 100 as well, I was on the balcony.
- I heard Adidas gave him a shoe.
- It said Sachin 35.
- They are making another one, Anil 35...
...but that's my age.
- Well, he's been great, you know... for Indian cricket.
- But I am better.
- I think Boost is the secret of his energy.
- Thank you, guys-
- It's a wonderful team, and we've been through ups and downs.
- But every time the team has stuck together.
- I hope we continue to do this.
- And we'll all get the World Cup in 2007, which is...
...my dream, and I am sure it is our dream.
- Hopefully, we will do that.
- Thank you so much.
- This is the most exciting job in cricket.
- One of the most challenging jobs in cricket and I look forward to...
...the opportunity and the honour to coach India.
There's no doubt that Greg Chappell is a very accomplished coach.
He's not a warm and fuzzy figure by any means.
Perhaps he didn't understand as much about Indian cricket politics as he thought.
When he had joined the team, few senior players were telling me that...
...l don't think this coach is doing any good to our team.
He should change his attitude.
- I've had about a gutful...
- If I see one more batsman just waste his time in the nets...
...l'm going to scream.
He was like a school headmaster.
His theory was very simple...
...divide and rule.
- It's a tough job.
Today Greg must tell India's biggest superstar...
...Sachin Tendulkar, he won't be opening the batting.
- If he wants to be difficult, ermm...
...then that's just what I have to do.
- Ermm, I have to convince him... or tell him that...
...for the next few games at least that's the way it's going to be.
The complete batting order was reshuffled...
...30 days before the World Cup.
There was no logic behind that.
The other teams stan planning for the World Cup...
...10-12 months in advance.
Before leaving for West Indies, I had told one of the board members...
...that the atmosphere is not right in the team.
And I don't see this team going too far.
There was no trust in each other.
That belief was not there.
We were there as a team, but we were not a team.
I never thought we would lose against Bangladesh.
- Everyone's a bit disappointed, but, err...
...there's still two games to go, so there'sno point being too upset.
- Just got to put it behind us and play well in the next two.
We knew if we didn't win that game...
...then we were out of the tournament.
That's a great catch.
Brilliant! Muttiah Muralitharan holds on this time.
That's the end of the great Sachin Tendulkar.
Many of us, after the match was done...
...we went to the washroom and we cried.
- Don't you think you're also answerable to the one million fans in India?
- And you should say something now at this point?
- We didn't play well enough.
- Is that all you think?
- We didn't play well enough.
- Can you explain the reason behind that?
- We didn't play well enough.
Team India... Down! Down!
The kind of response we got when we landed...
...was as if we were criminals...
...as if we had killed 100 guys and we've come back.
There were 40 commandoes posted below my house.
There were also a couple of commandoes who stayed inside the house.
It was... difficult.
I was very depressed.
I didn't leave home for 7 days.
That becomes a defense mechanism.
Because it's easier... because you can just handle yourself at home...
...and with your children and your family.
He wouldn't want to go out of the house for days.
There were even articles saying that...
...l should take a look at myself in the mirror and decide...
...whether I should continue playing cricket or not.
People who've got nothing to do with Indian cricket had opinions.
He was so stressed...
...l mean... that was a terrible, terrible time.
- Ian Chappell said he should look at himself in the mirror.
- Why doesn't he look at himself in the mirror first? That'll be fun.
There was constant criticism of Sachin in the media.
There were even reports that Sachin was booed off his home ground.
Suddenly, the sport that had given me everything in life...
...had made me experience the worst day in my life.
I also contemplated retirement.
It was while I was at my lowest ebb, that my childhood batting hero called me.
I said to him that... not to retire because...
...there is so much still left, and what he could achieve...
...not just for himself, but also for India.
He told me that... your career is not over.
There are brighter things to look forward to.
- Mama, it's deep.
- These photographers will catch you if you're crying.
- Mama, I don't want to go...
- Everything is safe.
- Father...
- Sleeping or standing?
- Standing.
- You'll hurt my back.
- Not my back. You'll fall down.
I told both my children, when you go to school...
...people might say things to you and they may blame your father.
You have to be calm and not say anything back.
Next day, when the kids came back from school Sara said to me that...
...you know someone told Arjun that we were knocked out from the World Cup...
"because of your father.
And I thought, I've prepared my children so well...
...and I am sure Arjun mustn't have said anything.
Arjun put him down on the floor and was sitting on his chest.
And said, "Now you repeat what you said."
So I said, "Did you punch him?"
He said, "No, this time I let him go...
...but next time I will."
My brother, he told me...
...2011, there's this big tournament coming to India...
...World Cup.
And the Final will take place in Mumbai.
Can you imagine holding that beautiful trophy in Mumbai?
And that's where my next journey had begun.
I staned chasing my dream.
2011 World Cup.
- Throw 3 to 4 balls in front.
I always practiced to be a better player.
My day would be good the day I bat well.
I've practiced for thousands of hours.
Nothing could stop us from playing cricket...
...even the monsoon.
He's doing target batting with his eyes closed.
He's placed cones, Gary is feeding him balls.
And he hit it absolutely perfectly.
And his view was, once I have seen the ball initially...
I should be able to move to...
...where I need to move to, to hit that ball.
Ball sense, you know, that ability, that intelligence about the game.
That was just unbelievable.
There's this feeling that Tendulkar is delivered by the gods to do well.
Tendulkar's story is one of extraordinary dedication, tremendous hard work.
Of course, it helped that he was gifted...
...but so are other people.
It's what Tendulkar did with his gifts that made him a legend.
The England team returned to India after their tour was abruptly abandoned...
...in the wake of the horrific terrorist attack in Mumbai on 26/11.
The Indian team takes guard today in the First Test match at Chennai.
You see what we needed the next day was a nervous India to come out...
...what we got was Sachin Tendulkar absolutely dominating.
And India wins!
Well you can sense that this is for Mumbai.
- 100s and all these things will give certain amount of happiness to people, but...
...what has happened in Mumbai, it's very hard to recover from that.
People saw Sachin as a Super Hero. He brought a smile to their faces.
Indian cricket at that time was moving to the next level...
With the Indian Premier League.
It's about Tamasha.
It's about entertainment... and its about money.
An IPL without Tendulkar is unthinkable.
Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani is now the richest person in the world
BMW India has signed Sachin Tendulkar as it's first brand ambassador.
- The United States sees India as... a global power.
- There is a lot to learn from Sachin Tendulkar.
- The whole world is connected to his accomplishments.
- The whole world is proud of him.
Children at a blind school today were given words of encouragement by Sachin Tendulkar...
- And one day when you become famous singers...
...don't forget to give me your autograph.
_ okaY-
He calls me his mother...
...and that is why I am here to ward off the evil eye.
- Sachin for me is someone...
...who is the collective consciousness of the pride of India.
He kept pushing himself.
You know, he's pushed all the limits.
First man on the planet to reach 200...
...and it's the Superman from India.
Sachin Tendulkar.
200 from 147.
Every month he's got a problem.
Wrist problem, finger problem, knee problem.
Before every game, he will come to me for an hour.
He will get all the maintenance work done.
And in 3 years he got 18 international 100's.
- If you mention the word boxing, you have to mention Muhammad Ali...
- mbasketball, Michael Jordan.
- And when you speak about cricket, I would speak about Sachin Tendulkar.
- What happened in match number 130?
- You scored 16 and 128 runs not out against England.
- In number 80?
- You scored 76 and 65 runs against Australia in Mumbai.
You've got a billion people would throw themselves in front of a train for this man.
His only release was to walk on the cricket field.
Probably the only time he didn't have 200 people within 5 metres of him.
I love cars.
I feel relaxed while driving.
I like travelling in every ways.
Being a Tendulkar is a pressure.
So going away has always been an escape route.
- Once you're inside. - Come on, 1-2-3 jump.
- I am notjumping.
- Don't delete the video.
- I am scared.
- Go-go...
- Now give him that.
- I am feeling dizzy.
In my kids' company...
...l'd recall my father's words.
Cricket is just one chapter of your life.
But until I had fulfilled my dream I was not ready to turn the page...
Though I knew this would be my last chance to fulfill it.
- India will definitely win.
- India is the best.
The host and one of the favourites for the title...
...are getting primed for the World Cup.
The pressure was immense, but for Sachin...
...it was a very different level, because that was literally the last chance.
To lift the cup.
Everyone just said one thing, please win the cup, please win the cup.
It became something that started to bind the entire team together.
We have to do this because Tendulkar can't end a career without a World Cup.
Down the track.
Five World Cup hundreds for the Little Master...
...more than any other player in the history of cricket.
He is a genius.
Great shot, and it's going to be six.
Sachin Tendulkar... 99 international 100's!
India into the Semi-Final of the World Cup.
We flew to Mohali where we were playing the Semi-Finals against Pakistan.
- Long Live Pakistan!
Possibly one can say the most tensed game of my life.
We went to the ground... security issues, the food couldn't come.
So the players were upset.
I said, "The entire nation's hopes are on us."
"lf you're so hungry...
...then go out on the ground and feast on runs and wickets."
"Satisfy your hunger out there."
Coming from him, everyone would listen.
The guy that we've always looked up to...
...you don't want to let him down.
I asked him, "When you walk into the ground...
...and 100,000 people are shouting "Sachin-Sachin", what do you feel?"
And he said, "They remind me of my responsibility."
We scored 260 runs... few short.
But it was a fighting total.
With India-Pakistan game, it's always about absorbing pressure.
Suddenly we were in the Final.
We were very excited.
Because the whole country was waiting for this.
- Obviously we want to celebrate...
...but I don't think it's going to do us any good...
...if we stay up till 6 o'clock this morning.
- So let's just be careful...
...how we manage ourselves over the next two days...
...knowing that we still have a mission here.
- Okay? And that mission is two days away.
- The travel day, and a practice day...
...and then its the Final of the World Cup.
The flight to Mumbai was a special one.
Lot of security to receive us and I told my wife to join me.
I've known him through each World Cup.
I knew that was the most important thing.
I knew that this was going to be his final World Cup.
The day I was thinking about in 2007.
That moment has come...
...and just the final hurdle is left.
Final challenge.
The reason I staned playing cricket...
...that moment was a few hours away from me.
And all roads in Mumbai today leading to the Wankhede Stadium.
This is the biggest game you'll have in four years...
...the World Cup Final.
People have been queuing up since morning, trying to get into the ground.
- India playing in India...
...Sachin Tendulkar playing the match.
- It is his last World Cup.
- I won't see such a match in my lifetime.
The World Cup, I did not watch Sachin bat live.
I was alone at home, watching on my lucky seat and my lucky television.
When you are standing in the middle of a ground, National Anthem being played...
...that is the proudest moment.
You get goosebum ps.
Sangakkara winning the toss and batting first...
...you can't help but think that is a big advantage.
In the slot.
Whacked away. What a way to end the innings!
Momentum for Sri Lanka, they believe.
Sri Lanka believe.
Mumbai was where I started...
...l thought that I had completed that circle...
...that I was destined to do that.
/The Little Master, of course, India's highest run scorer in this tournament for a third time...
...and the all time leading run-maker in World Cup History.
I just went blank...
...Shocked!
As if everything has come to a hault.
I was shattered... I was completely shattered.
I kept crying-
The immediate feeling that I had was...
..."Shit." I am walking in and he's walking out.
And I felt like I am walking into a graveyard.
People are so connected to him...
...they are only reacting on what's happening with him...
...such is the impact that he created.
Before the World Cup I was struggling with cancer...
...nobody knew, I didn't know.
My body was hurting.
And I told Sachin, I don't know what to focus on.
And he told me, "You're going to matter when it matters the most...
...remember my words."
I was sitting inside the dressing room.
I had Sehwag next to me, and I said you're not leaving this place.
So I sat there and we talked, but...
...l had no clue that he wouldn't let me get up through the entire match.
So I controlled my urge to pee for a really long time.
I said, "What you see on television, is exactly what's happening out there...
...so you sit here, you're not moving...
...we'll only go out when the last run is scored. "
We were so happy.
We all ran outside, jumped and celebrated, cried happy tears.
I was looking at these pictures, and I said...
...l've known this man since he was 14, I haven't seen this kind of emotion.
Winning that World Cup was his dream and it took him about 24 years to achieve that.
I mean, you know how special is that?
- We did it for Sachin.
- Our one dream was to do it for Sachin and the whole of India...
...and we did it for him.
Ask Sachin about the biggest moment in his life.
I think above all his 100s, above all his achievements...
...he will say that World Cup.
It was something else.
The whole night, it was like some sort of dream.
It was one of the most wonderful days of my life.
- Sachin, last World Cup.
- He deserved the World Cup.
- Indians won the World Cup only for Sachin Tendulkar!
- Hard to express what I feel today.
- I've waited for 22 years, so...
...it's been a long time, surely the proudest day of my life.
Well, he's carried the burden of the nation for years...
...so its time we carried him on our shoulders.
My life, it's been fantastic.
I don't want to change one bit.
Whatever has happened, I am 100 percent happy with it.
Yes. I constantly used to be under pressure.
I'm extremely proud to have played for India.
I think after a while, great sportsmen do so much...
...they kind of answer all the questions that we have.
And there's only one question left over...
...which is how long are they going to stay?
Works it away... and that is it.
It's an absolutely mind boggling event this:
One hundred 100's in international matches.
Outstanding achievement and richly deserved...
...for someone who's been so special in this world of cricket.
I cannot complain about anything, because...
...how can you complain when people love you?
Whenever I heard "Sachin-Sachin" inside the stadium...
...those moments are priceless.
Tendulkar's exit was a national event.
No other discussions. Only one thing happening in India.
And it was saying goodbye to Tendulkar.
We knew Tendulkar's going to go.
It suddenly hit everybody.
Is this the last we're going to see of Tendulkar?
All of India was in tears.
- Settle down, let me talk.
- I'll get more and more emotional.
- My life between 22 yards for 24 years.
- It's hard to believe that wonderful journey is coming to an end.
- But, I would like to take this opportunity...
...to thank people who have played an important role in my life.
- The most important person in my life, and I've missed him a lot.
- My father.
- Without his guidance...
...l don't think I would have been standing here in front of you.
- Sol miss him today.
- My mother.
- Since the day I staned playing cricket...
...she just prayed and prayed and prayed.
- And I think her prayers and blessings have given me the strength...
...to go out and perform.
- Ajit, my brother. We've lived this dream together.
- And it all staned from the age of eleven...
...when he took me to Achrekar sir, my coach.
- Achrekar sir has never, ever said well played to me...
- "because he thought I would get complacent and stop working hard.
- Maybe he can push his luck and wish me now.
- The most beautiful thing happened to me in 1990...
...when I met my wife, Anjali.
- Thanks for bearing with me...
...and always staying by my side through the ups and downs.
- You're the best partnership I've had in my life.
I was crying and crying and crying.
I was really, really worried for him.
You know, what's his life going to be like without cricket?
- Then the two precious diamonds of my life, Sara and Arjun.
- On special occasions like their binhdays...
- Their annual day, spans day...
...l've missed out on all those things.
- I promise you, the next 16 years or even beyond that...
- meverything is for you.
- I know my speech is getting a bit too long...
...but this is the last thing I want to say.
- Time has flown by rather quickly.
- But the memories you have left with me...
...will always be with me forever and ever.
- Especially "Sachin-Sachin". That will reverberate in my ears...
...until I stop breathing.
I'm proud of all my children...
...but of course I am proud of Sachin.
So no doubt again... he's an excellent person...
...but something more than that I find...
That's why every person feels that he is... their family member...
...which is a great thing of pride for me.