Sachin Tendulkar\u2019s super-human feats have earned him the title of \u201cThe God of Cricket\u201d from his fans around the world. Time magazine\u2019s latest issue \u2013 which is
\nscheduled to go on the stands on May 11, 2012 – features him on the cover with the same title. This is the second time he would feature on Time\u2019s cover \u2013 the first
\ntime being in the year 1999.
\nBoby Ghosh, Time\u2019s Deputy International Editor, interview Tendulkar after the batsman achieved the phenomenal milestone of a 100 international tons. In the interview,
\nTendulkar discussed numerous facets of his personality, his ability to shield himself from pressure, carrying the burden of over a billion expectations etc. Although
\nTendulkar is known for his quiet demeanour off the field, Ghosh was surprised to find him in a \u201cchatty mood.\u201d
\nSportsmen have often spoken about \u201cthe zone\u201d which allows them to deliver their best. On the subject, Tendulkar said \u201c”I need to surrender myself to my natural
\ninstincts. My subconscious mind knows exactly what to do. It’s been trained to react for years.” He also said that he gets into such zones only 50% of the times, \u201cOne
\nwould like to be in that zone more often, but it\u2019s not that easy. It\u2019s like you are completely cut off from the crowd, from the noise they are making. Your
\nsubconscious has taken over.\u201d
\nTendulkar carries an enormous burden of expectations, but he spoke about his own, \u201cSomething which still gives me sleepless nights is, ‘How will I go out and keep that
\nstandard, and live up to my own expectations? How am I going to go out and perform?’ \u201d He said that it was this \u201crestlessness\u201d that has brought the best out of him.
\nThe pressure of expectations may prevent a player from enjoying the game and Tendulkar stressed on the importance \u201cSo much happens [on and off the field] that
\nsometimes you forget to enjoy the game. That\u2019s when things don\u2019t go smoothly\u201d. In 2006, he played a few club games after his shoulder surgery \u2013 an experience he said
\nwas a game changer, \u201cI played a couple of practice games, and there was not too much media, not too many people watching. I realized something was very different: I
\nwas enjoying cricket.\u201d
\nTendulkar\u2019s fame and stature doesn\u2019t allow him to move freely in India, particularly in his home city Mumbai. He said that it is \u201cunfortunate\u201d that he couldn\u2019t take
\nhis children for walks etc, but said that when he spends time at home he is like any other family man.
\nHe also spoke about his son Arjun\u2019s love for cricket and said that \u201cAs long as he is in love with cricket, it\u2019s fine. Then you don\u2019t look at your watch or count the
\nnumber of hours you\u2019ve practiced. It\u2019s the sheer joy and satisfaction of being on the field. And that\u2019s what I want [for him].\u201d
\nSporting greats such as Michael Schumacher, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Roger Federer have inspired Tendulkar, but he says, \u201cbut I\u2019ve still got to be myself.\u201d Ghosh\u2019s
\narticle in the Time magazine titled \u201cThe God of Big Things\u201d, unravels the phenomenon of Tendulkar and describes him as the \u201cThe World\u2019s best athlete.\u201d It compares him
\nto modern sporting greats, \u201cEvery sport has record breakers, but of his contemporaries, only Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong and prescandal Tiger Woods come anywhere
\nclose to matching him in redefining the realms of possibility.\u201d
\nGhosh also says that Lionel Messi may be the best football player in the world, but he faces a stiff competition from Cristiano Ronaldo. Tendulkar on the other hand is
\nmiles ahead of his next best competitor \u2013 Ricky Ponting who has 71 international centuries to his name.
\nThe article describes Tendulkar\u2019s cricketing journey, one that coincided with India\u2019s new economic regime. It says that for a land that is not known to produce world-
\nbeating sportsman, Tendulkar gave India a new found belief and quotes Ramachandra Guha, “Sachin showed us that was nonsense–not only could we play, we could
\nconsistently beat countries that were supposedly of stronger physical stock.”
\nTendulkar\u2019s recent nomination to the Rajya Sabha surprised many and it begs the question, \u201cwhat after cricket for him.\u201d Guha pointed out that \u201cThere is life in India
\nafter Sachin, but I don’t know what life for Sachin can be after cricket.”<\/p>\n

Courtesy of cricketcountry.com<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sachin Tendulkar\u2019s super-human feats have earned him the title of \u201cThe God of Cricket\u201d from his fans around the world. Time magazine\u2019s latest issue \u2013 which is scheduled to go on the stands on May 11, 2012 – features him on the cover with the same title. This is the second time he would feature … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[489,488,1974],"yoast_head":"\n