Mumbai: Sachin Tendulkar didn't watch Mahendra Singh
Dhoni's winning shot, a six over long on off Nuwan Kulasekara, that
clinched India the World Cup final against Sri Lanka on Saturday night.
The
batting maestro was inside the dressing room, his hands clasped, eyes
shut and prayers on his lips. It was the deafening roar of the capacity
crowd that shook him and made him realise that his life-long dream had
been realised. "I was not listening to anything at that time. I was not
watching too. I was just praying to God. I realised that we have won the
Cup when the entire stadium went up in a cheer," Tendulkar said when
MiD DAY caught up with him outside the dressing room at the Wankhede
Stadium on Saturday.
He played in five World Cups before without
success. His dream was fulfilled on his home ground , the Wankhede
Stadium. Then, in a matter of a few moments, he moved from being
immersed in himself to being lost in the frenzy of celebration. "I am
really speechless. I don't know what to say! It's a feeling which I
can't explain in any language," he said.
"It is a different kind
of feeling. I am on a high. I believe now I am living in a different
planet. It feels as if I am flying high." As he hugged his teammates one
by one, tears rolled down his cheeks.
Then, as he has done on
every occasion of reaching a milestone, he remembered his late father.
"Khushi ke aansu bhi hote hain. Yeah, if he were here, he would have
been the happiest person. He is always in my mind," Tendulkar said.
True
heroes
Tendulkar was touched when the group of NSG commandos tasked
with protecting him requested to be photographed with him and his
family. Tendulkar immediately went into the dressing room and returned
with son Arjun. Father and son posed with the commandos for the picture.
"They are the real heroes. They defend our nation," the premier batsman
said. The members of the Indian team might disagree, though. For them,
he was God, the reason they played and won the coveted title. "I am not
at all a special person. It was a nice gesture by the teammates. If you
are talking about special, our nation is special. The people of our
nation are special. We won the World Cup for them," Tendulkar said.
Tendulkar
praised man of the tournament, Yuvraj Singh: He has been absolutely
wonderful," he said.
ESPNcricinfo staff
April 4, 2011
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Related Links Players/Officials: MS Dhoni | Sachin Tendulkar Matches: India v Sri Lanka at Mumbai Series/Tournaments: ICC Cricket World Cup Teams: India | |||
Two days after India were crowned World Champions, Sachin Tendulkar has rated MS Dhoni as the best captain he has played under during his 22-year cricket career.
"He [Dhoni] is the best captain I have played under," Tendulkar said in Mumbai. "He is very sharp and always alert. He reads the situation well and is open to sharing ideas. He always has discussions with bowlers, batsmen and senior players separately."
Tendulkar, who has played under six captains, including Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble, praised Dhoni's ability to maintain his composure whatever the match situation. "He is always calm and never shows his frustration. These are some of the human qualities which have made him such a good captain. He is a fantastic captain."
India beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in the final in Mumbai after coming through the knockout stages with hard-fought wins over Australia and Pakistan and a patchy performance in the group matches. Tendulkar said that India had "peaked" when it mattered the most. "In the knockout stage we peaked at the right time; it was most important. We knew either the batting was clicking, or bowling, or fielding but everything was not clicking together, but [apart from] in the last three games. Everybody contributed, right from seniors to the juniors in the team. No one can guarantee results but efforts can be [guaranteed]."
After India's victory in the final, Dhoni had said the team had felt the pressure of expectations right through the tournament. Tendulkar said the key to handling that pressure lay in focussing on individual performances. "Pressure and expectation are always there, we were thinking that as individuals we should perform our best. We were not thinking that if a bowler fails, others will take wickets like that; we wanted to do our individual best and perform as a team.
"The responsibility is on all the team members equally. Like me, it was the dream of all the team members to get this World Cup."
Tendulkar said that while lifting the trophy was on the players' minds, the focus was on restricting Sri Lanka to a gettable target and "go through the process and finish the game". He said the pre-World Cup preparatory camp the team had in Bangalore also played a key role in the team's preparation.
Tendulkar paid tribute to the efforts of outgoing coach Gary Kirsten, saying that while he would like Kirsten to continue, he respected his decision to leave, and that the team would "miss" him.
Two days after India were crowned World Champions, Sachin Tendulkar has rated MS Dhoni as the best captain he has played under during his 22-year cricket career.
"He [Dhoni] is the best captain I have played under," Tendulkar said in Mumbai. "He is very sharp and always alert. He reads the situation well and is open to sharing ideas. He always has discussions with bowlers, batsmen and senior players separately."
Tendulkar, who has played under six captains, including Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble, praised Dhoni's ability to maintain his composure whatever the match situation. "He is always calm and never shows his frustration. These are some of the human qualities which have made him such a good captain. He is a fantastic captain.".
