Tendulkar Opus
Produced with the full cooperation of Sachin Tendulkar, the Tendulkar Opus is designed to be the ultimate tribute to a living sporting legend. Previously unpublished family pictures, rare memorabilia and stunning action shots complemented by the personal reminiscences of Sachin himself will ensure this Opus is the definitive work on his life and career.

Weighing in at over 30 kilos, 800 pages in length, with each page measuring half a metre square, the Tendulkar Opus will contain exclusive photo shoots and special features with Sachin (and many other famous cricket personalities) among the 1,000 images and 150,000 words. It will also be one of the first Opus editions to incorporate state-of-the-art ‘augmented reality’ technology as part of it’s content.

The Tendulkar Opus will be available from retailers worldwide as a limited edition (number of copies to be confirmed). Each copy will be numbered and personally signed by Sachin who is delighted to be involved. “From speeding balls to incessant travel, movement has been the only constant in my professional life,” he says. “Seeing that captured in static images at such large scale and high quality is a real treat and makes this unique project all the more special. I can’t think of a better way of displaying my life and career than in an Opus.”

Tendulkar Opus Midi Edition and Touch & Turn
Kraken Opus will also offer the Tendulkar Opus Midi Edition, a smaller version of the premium Opus which carries selected brilliant content. The Tendulkar Opus Touch & Turn, a digital version, with additional, music, video and narration features, can be viewed on your PC laptop or television screen.
These two exciting products will deliver the exceptional quality expected from the Opus brand at prices to suit every fan.

Fans can keep up to date with the making of the Tendulkar Opus at www.tendulkaropus.com where they can access exclusive preview material, on-location footage, behind-the-scenes stories and pictures. Also featuring insider news on Sachin, exclusive interviews, candid photos and videos, kids’ section, interactive features, plus competitions to win signed memorabilia, tendulkaropus.com is set to become the first port of call for millions of Tendulkar admirers around the world.

www.tendulkaropus.com will go live on June 18, 2009, but people can register now to be automatically entered into a prize draw to win an item personally signed by Sachin Tendulkar every day until the launch date. The sooner you register, the more chance you have to win.

Sachin Tendulkar is the first cricketer to be honoured with the Opus treatment, reflecting his unparalleled status in the game. As Justyn Barnes, editor of the Tendulkar Opus, says: “The Opus brand is all about celebrating the highest achievers in their fields – whether that is art, sport or entertainment – and Sachin is a true icon, a man who really transcends his sport”.

After smashing an unbeaten 124 against Australia on the first day of the fourth and final cricket Test, Tendulkar told journalists that the innings was a “special one”. He had never scored a hundred at Adelaide before.

Reminded about narrowly missing centuries last year, the master batsman said “it’s not like easing the pain (of last year). When I am getting it (centuries), I prefer not to count them.

“Then it’s just not about scoring centuries. There’s a lot more to cricket than just this. I want to focus on the task at hand and if I end up scoring a hundred, fantastic,” he said.

The Adelaide crowd gave Tendulkar a standing ovation when he came out to bat and at the end of the day and Australian leg-spinner Brad Hogg, whom he punished severely during the day’s play, made no secret of his admiration for the batting genius.

“It’s just fantastic to be in the same park as against someone of his calibre. He deserves standing ovation when he comes out. He’s a fantastic player to watch,” Hogg said.

“It’s a great privilege to be part of (welcome that Tendulkar gets). He is one of the greatest the world has ever seen,” he added. PTI

Wadekar’s suggestions came four days after visiting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in New Delhi that he would recommend Tendulkar for knighhtood for his accomplishments on the cricket field.

“I would like to see some of the great players of the modern era–like Sachin Tendulkar–proposed for honorary awards so that the British nation can salute their achievements,” Brown said. If that happens, the little master could be the first Indian sports Knight. PTI

“It hasn’t been a great ground (for me), so I was determined to get a big one,” he said.

“It also happens to be Sir Don’s home ground so I think it was a tribute to Sir Don,” he was quoted as saying by the ‘Australian Associated Press’.

Bradman, who died in February 2001, had in an interview once remarked that the little Indian reminded him of how batted.

Tendulkar was also touched by the Adelaide crowd which congratulated him after the ton.

“It’s truly special and very overwhelming. Sometimes I need to look at the scoreboard to figure out if I’m batting 100 plus or whether I’m on zero, so the ovation has been truly fantastic, it is a special one and it has made my trip very, very special,” he said. PTI

Rarely do Indian teams venture over to the aggressive side of selections but by picking five specialist bowlers they have clearly shown they are prepared to risk defeat in order to pursue victory,” Waugh wrote in his column for the ‘Daily Telegraph’.

“By winning a toss that is the most important in Australia – because the surface cracks into plate-like formations that form a jigsaw on days four and five – India are now well-placed to take advantage with three quicks and two spinners when uneven bounce and sharp turn should be evident,” he added.

India ended the opening day of the fourth and final Test 309 for five and Waugh felt Tendulkar’s 39th Test ton was crucial in rattling the hosts’ skipper Ricky Ponting. PTI

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown had suggested that India’s record-smashing batsman Sachin Tendulkar be considered for knighthood for his rich contribution to the game.

“The last player knighted for services to cricket was Ian Botham in the 2007 Queen’s Birthday Honours,” informs Bill Fridnall, the game’s statistician.

“British Parliamentary Committee selects the awardees, the Prime Minister signs the letter of invitation to the prospective recipient and the Queen (or, in her absence, a senior member of the Royal Family – Prince Charles or Princess Anne) makes the presentation at Buckingham Palace”, added Frindall.

So Tendulkar, whether he travels to Australia to play next Test is doubtful, but will need to travel to Buckingham Palace to receive the honour.

Sachin will be the second Indian to receive this honour, according to BCCI’s cricket statistician Sudhir Vaidya. “Vizzy” was the first cricketer to have been knighted on June 15, 1936. No other Asian figures in the list of 25 cricketers who have been honoured with this distinction,” Vaidya added..

All of those debates were dumped in the trash as Adelaide rose as one to salute the best in the business.

The notable thing about Tendulkar’s 39th Test hundred was how he looked to be in a zone of his own. Not one other batsman looked half as much in command as him, which was a bit surprising on what is considered, at least as of now, to be a batting strip.

None of these things bothered Tendulkar, as he carved up his hundred in style. Beginning with a cracking straight drive, he played all the shots in his armoury. When he does that, the opposition can only watch and fetch the ball.

This knock was important in many ways. India, after the famous win at Perth, are keen to draw level in the series, so it is vital to have a big score to defend in the first innings. It essentially meant that the batting had to click and in view of the fact that they went in with five bowlers, it was important that one of the top order players, or two, had to come to the party.

On a personal front, this will almost certainly be Tendulkar’s last Test on Australian soil, and he wanted to leave a mark. While that applies to several other players, Tendulkar is on a plateau of his own, and by his own standards, it had to be a big one.

The knock also held the innings together, which was vital after Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly were sent back by the bowlers. What threatened to look like a moderate target for the Aussies was made a much more challenging one, thanks to Tendulkar and his fine partnership with VVS Laxman. Those 126 runs for the fifth wicket displayed some of the best batting seen on the series.

Though Tendulkar did play an odd miscued shot, especially against the spin of Brad Hogg, his focus on the job was complete, and India grew as he did, as it always has.

Well begun is half done, as they say, but at this moment it’s time to sit back a savour the moment. Players like this come once in a lifetime, and we are surely lucky that we share our time with Sachin Tendulkar.

The Mumbai batsman showed why he is considered a tour de force in world cricket as he bludgeoned 10 boundaries and three sixes in his belligerent essay. Tendulkar was particularly severe to Brad Hogg who was on the receiving end to some brutal treatment from the Indian mainstay.
Tendulkar along with VVS Laxman (51) shared a vital 126-run stand for the fifth wicket before a snorter from Brett Lee ended Laxman’s tenure in the middle. The Hyderabad batsman, in an attempt to take evasive action to a short-pitched delivery, gloved the ball into the air. Gilchrist, who had dropped a sitter when Laxman was on 40 off the same bowler, this time made no mistake.

Lee and Hogg struck for Australia in the post-lunch session claiming Virender Sehwag (63) and Sourav Ganguly (seven). Both batsmen were unlucky to be dismissed. Sehwag departed soon after lunch edging a Lee delivery to the slips but replays showed the Aussie spearhead overstepping by a long margin.

Ganguly was adjudged leg-before to Hogg, a decision which was dubious to say the least as the ball struck the southpaw’s front pad outside the line of the off-stump.

Laxman and Tendulkar then began their revival as the the Indian top order failed to capitalise on a batsman-friendly pitch at the Adelaide Oval.

Tendulkar defied the Australian bowlers for more than four hours to chalk up his 38th test hundred and guide the tourists to 424 for seven at tea on day three, just 39 behind Australia’s first innings total of 463.

Tendulkar reached the interval unbeaten on 106 with tailender Harbhajan Singh not out 41 and India in a strong position to ruin Australia’s bid for a record-equalling 16th straight test win.

The Australians crushed India by 337 runs in Melbourne last week but have found their match this time on a flat Sydney pitch offering little assistance to the bowlers.

Express paceman Brett Lee briefly threatened to run through the Indian lower order when he picked up three quick wickets either side of the lunch break but none of the Australians could find a way to get rid of Tendulkar.

The 34-year-old scored an unbeaten double-century on his last visit to Sydney four years ago and currently averages more than 300 in four test appearances at the ground.

He received great support from former Indian skipper Sauruv Ganguly, who cracked a half-century in the morning session to get the Indians off to a flying start after they resumed on 216-3.

Ganguly struck seven boundaries and a six but his enthusiasm got the better of him when he threw his wicket away on 67, miscuing a drive off spinner Brad Hogg straight to Mike Hussey at mid-off.

India lost a second wicket before lunch when Lee trapped Yuvraj Singh lbw for 12 then two more after the resumption as the tourists slumped to 345-7.

Wicketkeeper Mahendra Dhoni and skipper Anil Kumble both departed for two, caught by Adam Gilchrist, who joined Mark Boucher as the only wicketkeepers to take 400 test dismissals, off the bowling of Lee.

However, Tendulkar and Harbhajan steadied the innings with an unbroken partnership of 79, with Tendulkar drive Stuart Clark through the covers to reach his hundred off 160 balls, raising his arms in triumph.

Another big series, a very important season ahead. How are you looking at it?

I am looking forward to it. It’s obviously a big series, against Pakistan. The whole team is up for it. We’ve had this little break but I am sure everyone has been preparing for it. It’s going to be competitive, no doubt about that. I am sure people will enjoy it.

How are you preparing for it?

I am just doing basic practice, started about 10 days ago. Only when the team gets together and we have a couple of meetings we will plan our strategy. Otherwise, it’s just normal preparation. Going to the nets, getting a feel of the ball, the rhythm and all that. Just trying to get those things back after the break.

How do you rate India’s chances against Pakistan without Inzy and Asif? Will we start favourites?

In a home series, you obviously have a few things in your favour. The crowd support, for example. So yes, we have a good chance. But then, in a One-day series everything depends on how things pan out on that particular day. How you play those 100 overs. I think we are confident, but not over-confident.

What about against Australia, when we go there? After all they don’t have McGrath and Warne either.

Australia will be the next step. For the time being, I want to focus on this series as it is an extremely important one. But yes, when somebody like Warne or McGrath — both world class bowlers — is not there, a team would surely miss them. But Australia have the bench strength. It’s not that if they are not there things are going to be easier. It’s still going to be very tough.

What is it about Australia that makes them so formidable?

They are very skillful players, to begin with. Their standard of domestic cricket is very high too. I was watching a few games on TV and you can see they play it hard. So we know whoever scores runs or gets wickets will be good. It’s not easy for somebody to get into the Australian team either. It doesn’t happen overnight there; it’s not about three-four good games and suddenly you are in the team. It’s a slow process but when they are brought in, they get a fair chance, a long enough run.

So given their strengths and their record, was the 4-2 result in the just-concluded series fine?

Ideally, we would have liked to win the series. But I thought the games in Baroda and Nagpur were disappointing. We made only 145 in Baroda and messed up the second part in Nagpur. But they were close matches. If we had played a little better, it could have been a different story. We are obviously not happy with the result although it was good we managed to win the last one in Mumbai.

Do you think not having a fixed batting order, especially against a team like Australia, hurts the team?

I think not losing early wickets is more important. It’s very important against a team like Australia to go through the initial overs without too much damage. Whenever we have not lost early wickets, we have piled up good totals and done well against them.

Yet, India managed to easily beat them not once but twice in Twenty20. How was that possible?

Twenty20 is a kind of game where everything happens so fast. If you do well in those three hours, you can beat anybody, win against anyone. But if you are caught on the wrong foot, by the time you realise it the game is over. Don’t forget, we played very well too. You have to give credit for that.

Personally, do you like the format? Do you enjoy it?

Oh, I enjoy it. When I played in Ahmedabad, I got runs and I really enjoyed it. I played my first Twenty20 game in 2002 in New Zealand, and I scored 77. It was fun. I played another game in South Africa. I had fun there too. It’s nice and enjoyable. You have to think of two or three shots for every ball.

Your game was made for a Twenty20 game. You would have been a huge hit at it too…

Oh yes, I would have liked to play it a little more. But then you have to take certain decisions and this was one of them. I felt I could probably step aside this time and let the youngsters play. Nobody asked me to step aside, not the BCCI, not the selectors. Nobody told me to pull out of it. It was my decision entirely.

But you were in good form, and you can’t really be called old either?

Well yeah, I am 34 but I have played over 400 One-dayers and 140 Test matches. That is a fair amount of cricket. I just felt this was the right decision. And no, I am not regretting that I missed out on the opportunity to win a world title. It has always been a dream to be part of a world champion team. But as an Indian I am very happy that the Cup is with us. I am very proud of it.

What do you like about the team that played the Twenty20 World Cup? Is it the attitude? Better fitness? More skill?

It’s a very good team. We had the ammunition, the firepower to go out and deliver. It has always been there. It’s not that we suddenly found it in Twenty20. It’s just that everything happens much, much faster here. Our players also have the natural ability to hit the ball and that’s very important in this format.

Would you say the team won because it had so many younger players?

It’s not really a totally young team as such. Don’t forget the same players are playing in ODIs too. There is Gambhir and Sehwag; both have been around for some time. Then there are others like Yuvraj, Harbhajan; they have been around for a little longer. Dhoni and Irfan have been playing for three-four years too. Uthappa is the only one who has been at it for just over a year. They all have played a fair deal of cricket. So the experience was important too.

Is it possible to incorporate some of these things in One-dayers or even Test cricket, basically play with the same spirit?

No. I don’t think so. It’s just not going to work. It’s a different game altogether. You need a different mental setup, different technique. The approach, the preparation is also different. Everything is different. Comparing Test cricket to Twenty20 is like comparing the North Pole to the South Pole, with the One-dayers somewhere in between.

Coming to you, at what stage of your career are you at the moment?

I don’t know really (laughs). I wish I knew. But I have never looked at it that way. Not when I was 20, not 25, nor 30. Maybe when I was 16, things were different. Then, I just wanted to go out there and do lot of things. I still want to do those things. I have always believed that whenever I go out to play, I should give my best, deliver and do my job for the country. Everything else is secondary.

You have achieved almost everything there is in cricket, virtually all the batting records. What more do you want to achieve?

I just want to continue to do the same things. I didn’t start playing cricket so that I could achieve something, or break records. I started playing because I LOVE this game. And even today, I LOVE going out there. It’s not about records; but you walk out there to do well. I do not want to play to break records; I want to play because I love playing cricket. The enthusiasm, passion is still there. The day I feel I am slacking or something like that, I would think about my options. There is no reason for me to think about it at the moment. Absolutely not.

But there might be days when you wake up and feel, ‘My god, another day of waking up at 6, and being in the field for a full day.’ Isn’t it?

Maybe, the bowlers feel that way…

You mean, the opposition bowlers…

(Laughs) No, I mean… more than the batsmen, the bowlers might feel that ‘it’s going to be a long, hard day.’ You know when the wicket is flat, and you have two well set batsmen, and you know you really have to work hard to get them out. That’s when probably the bowlers feel that way. It happens.

What is it that really turns you on even after a 17-year grind?

I think I still like to do a lot of things on the cricket field. When I am bowling, I would want to do something more, surprise the batsman, beat him with a little bit of extra seam or some spin or whatever I am doing. That excitement is something else. Even today when I do that all that I feel happy. When you hit a cover-drive, a straight-drive or a cut, whatever, the feeling touches your soul. The sound of bat hitting the ball, even hitting it exactly where you want to do it, those feelings are special. I enjoy that feeling, I live for it. The moment I feel I am losing it, then I can start thinking in the other direction. Right now I don’t want to think like that.

But recently you spoke about your body and the rigours of One-day cricket that triggered speculation about your future. What exactly did you mean?

I was asked a question ‘is your body the same since you started playing cricket at the age of 16′ and I simply said ‘no, it is obviously not the same, that it takes a little longer to recover after all these years, and matches’. That is all. You know, so many times we carry niggles; it’s not only me, everybody does but you go out there and push yourself. That is a common thing. As long as I can get up in the morning and go out and give my best I won’t even look in that direction.

So it wasn’t a hint about your future at all? No revelation about what you were planning?

Not at all. I wasn’t thinking of any such thing. I just made a simple statement in response to a question. As far as I am concerned there was nothing complicated about what I said. It all came straight from my heart. If somebody wants to read between the lines, I can’t help it. But from my side I wasn’t trying to say anything.

What role do you see yourself play in One-dayers?

I just go out there and try and read the surface and play accordingly. You know we do that all the time, have a look at the pitch and say we should get so many runs on this track, that so many will be a fighting total, and so many a winning one. Then as the match progresses, we keep revising our targets. I just play my part in it, the way I feel is the best thing for the team. I have been doing that for some time now and that’s what I want to do in the future too.

Do you see yourself play fewer games or only one version of the game some time in the future?

I have honestly not thought about that. That I only need to play one version of the game to play the other longer. As I said earlier I am enjoying whatever I am doing at the moment. The moment I feel I am not enjoying myself, I will start thinking about it. Right now I am very happy with myself and my game.

To put it bluntly, you have neither thought of retiring from One-dayers nor are you thinking about it right now.

Absolutely. At this point of time I just want to keep things like they are. I have no reason to think of my future.

Two years ago, you told me you were 16, 16 years ago. How much has life changed since then? How much has your batting changed since then, if at all?

A lot. My batting has changed for the good, I would like to believe. You know, there is no person in this world who doesn’t want to get better. Similarly, I want to continue to get better. The way I look at things if I find one positive thing every year that I play I will be happy. I won’t be able to pinpoint but I know that when I got out in the middle now I do things a little differently. Things that I was not able to do earlier. You continue to raise that bar, to get better. I definitely feel there have been a lot of changes; my shot-selection has improved. I can say out there in the middle I have more options now. If somebody is bowling a particular ball, maybe earlier I had only one or two options; now I may have four or even five options. And I am able to pick the best option for that particular moment and I go for it. ”

To put it more simply, are there any strokes that you play a little less or a little more?

No. Not really. But more or less I play whatever strokes I feel more comfortable playing at that particular moment. Everyday your body or your mind doesn’t feel the same. There are times when you feel you are not connecting the ball as well you’d like to, or there are times when you are not picking the ball off the wicket nicely or you are not moving well enough. Those are the times when you can’t be adamant and say ‘no, no I will still go and play the same strokes.’ With experience you learn to curb yourself occasionally and that helps. You know it’s all about experience, as you look at things differently. It’s part of growing up.

But does it upset you when people say you have slowed down? You are not the same anymore?

To be honest, I don’t listen to them much. I do my own things. I feel if somebody wants to tell me something, if he wants to really help me, he will contact me and tell me personally instead of doing it through newspapers or television. I would appreciate that. I don’t worry about what is being said or being written about me as long as I know I am giving my best, that I am doing the right things for the team.

So does this raging debate over young vs old hurt you? Do you think you can ever choose between youth and experience?

No, it doesn’t bother me. But I don’t think it should be like that. If somebody is performing, he should be in the team. As simple as that.

So age should not really matter

Yes, I believe that. I believe in that very strongly. As long as you are playing well, as long as you are delivering and you are fit, nothing else should matter.

You had a couple of interesting battles in England recently, one with Sidebottom when he bowled a long and brilliant spell at TrentBridge, and then with Anderson who attacked you with short-pitched bowling. What do you remember about them?

I thought on both the occasions I went into bat at the most crucial moments in the Test matchec. In the second Test (against Sidebottom), if I had lost my wicket at that stage, we would have been on the back foot. Even the result might have been different. I am not saying the batsmen behind me would not have done the job. I am just saying we would have been under more pressure. At that particular stage it was important that we didn’t lose any wicket. Just play out that spell and gradually start building our innings again. In the third Test as well, that evening spell (by Anderson) was very crucial. I thought if I could just hang in there it would put us in a better position. I knew he won’t be able to go on and on with that line and length. And that’s exactly how it worked out. Later on when the other batters came on, the pressure had eased out.

So basically it’s a question of slogging it out? Doing some hard work

Yes, there are times in a Test match, when some players have to do the hard work. They have to work harder than the other guys. That is when you do well as a team. It’s all about strategy and team work. But yes, the top players in the team, basically the main batters, if they can take more pressure, the later players can go out and play their strokes, even swing their bats. It then becomes difficult for the fielding side to get control over the game. That is what happened in England, during those crucial phases of the series.

You took so many blows on your body against Anderson. That was a different Tendulkar that we saw…

It was all intentional. I took them on my body because I though that was the best way of playing at that point. He was trying to intimidate me and I said fine, ‘try it as long as you want.’ I had basically used a different technique, a different approach to overcome it. I don’t know how to express this but I was like ‘if you are gonna do this I will handle it like this.’

Didn’t you feel the urge to hit the ball, to hit him?

Not at all. They had fielders there for that specific shot and if I mistimed even one shot they would have been successful in their plan. And I wasn’t going to let that happen. Here it is not a battle between Anderson and me; it is about the team. About England and India and you can’t afford to bring ego into it. I was looking at the big picture all the time.

Ten years ago, you would have hit him? Taken it differently…

(Laughs) That’s what I said. The thinking changes. I have more options now and I take whatever I feel is the right one now. It may not always be the correct one but I never think twice about it; I just go by instinct. Probably 10 years ago I would have played my strokes, tried to dominate. I didn’t mind not doing it that time.

They were not typical Tendulkar-knocks but were those two extra special because they helped the team win the series?

No doubt about it. I was extremely, extremely happy at the end of the series as we had actually won in England after 21 years. We all were very excited because we fought very hard and we played tough cricket. There were some difficult times on the field, some big challenges but as a unit we were able to overcome them and cross those hurdles. It was all very satisfying.

Just before those two knocks, you might recall former English cricketers particularly were saying that you had slowed down, that you are not the same batsmen anymore. You silenced them, didn’t you?

It’s not the first time somebody has criticised me. It won’t be the last time either. Everyone will have his own opinion. But it might not be the right one. I can’t anyway go by all their opinions. I have my own opinion, at least for my own batting. And as long as I know what I am doing and what I am trying to achieve, it’s fine.

Everything seemed to be all right with Indian cricket but then suddenly Rahul decided to give up captaincy. Were you surprised?

Frankly, it won’t be right for me to comment on that.

But you were offered the captaincy again. You didn’t take it up…

Well yes, there were feelers towards that end, nothing official really. But I felt I probably wasn’t up to it. My feelings about captaincy were still the same. I am happy to be performing as one of the players…

What about Test captaincy? Are you ready for it?

It won’t be appropriate for me to say anything at the moment.