As Sachin Tendulkar last match comes closer, India Today group organized a special event viz "Salaam Sachin" in his honour. It featured Sportsperson, Bollywood actors and corporate top bosses.
Take a look at what the speakers said:
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Javagal Srinath, Former Indian fast bowler said at the event:
"One thing which I liked about Sachin, he was so tightfisted with his compliments. He would never compliment you so easily. It's quite tough to get a compliment from him. If at all you want to know what he has said about you, it could be from others,"
"They would come to you and say 'look Sachin was telling us you batted well or you bowled well'. That's the compliment which you look up to.
"That was a good part about his captaincy also. It really raised the level in many of us. Bottom line is you got to impress your captain, you got to get that confidence from your captain. He was tough in those matters. That's something which I really admired," Srinath added.
He said Sachin was simply the best in all conditions and had a wonderful observation against all types of oppositions.
"He was accurate with his observation 90 per cent of time. Let me a recall a match, I was batting at the other end. Bowlers had plans for Sachin and had some plans for me also. I used to walk up to him, look up to him and he used to tell me that the bowler would come hard at you...would bowl a good length delivery and 90 per cent of time he was accurate.
"In Cape Town in 1996, Sachin got a brilliant 100 along with Azharuddin. I had bowled many overs and (Venkatesh) Prasad got injured. I was tired. I walked in to bat, he was batting at the other end, my right leg was looking for the leg umpire, you know what I mean because Allan Donald was bowling at the other end.
"After the match, Sachin told me 'Look Sree, I don't like it. You were running away from the stumps'. I had to accept it. He said 'Look I need more commitment from you'. Then in the next match, I got some 43 runs, I stood at the stumps and took few blows," revealed Srinath.
Srinath also recalled India's 1996 World Cup semi-final match against Sri Lanka in Kolkata, which was abandoned after the Indian fans turned rowdy when chasing 252, India slumped to 120 for eight. Sri Lanka had advanced to the final.
"It was a sad game for us and we all were emotional. After the match, I saw 4-5 players crying. When people cry, it's contagious and if I don't cry, it would look like 'my commitment to the game is less'. So, even, I started crying.
"I looked at Sachin, he wasn't crying. I walked up to him and he told me 'I cannot cry. Why should we cry? We played the game with conviction and we lost it. It's not the end of the world for us. Crying business, it's something which I don't like'. A strong line what he said. These thing you learn from people like him."
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Ajit Tendulkar, Sachin’s elder brother said at the event:
"After November 18, Sachin won't wear his India cap. It will be a big change because he has been wearing it with pride for 24 years. Throughout his career, everyone expected him to score 100s and he was under tremendous stress and pressure, but all that has been worth. After retirement, there won't be the bowlers to face or those work-outs. Perhaps he can eat as much butter chicken as he wants,"
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Suresh Raina, Indian player said at the event:
“It was amazing to see the same kind of hunger in Tendulkar during the 2011 World Cup as he first showed way back in 1989 during his Test debut.”
"His intensity reaches 200 per cent against Pakistan. I remember when we were playing our world cup semi-final against Pakistan in Mohali, we all were tense. It was a high-voltage match for us with Prime Ministers of both sides present. The body language of players on both the sides was aggressive.
"After the toss, paaji (Sachin) had told every player to remain focused on the job. He said 'the wicket is good and our record against Pakistan in world cup is perfect'. He had a meeting with the batsmen and fielders as our fielding unit was very strong. Paaji told us 'let's trouble them; they don't perform when put under pressure'. This showed his intensity”
"He was keen to win the world cup. When we were playing the final (against Sri Lanka), we did not get a good start and players started roaming around for tea and snacks. At that time, paaji told everyone to be seated and watch the match.
That shows his involvement. When we won the world cup, and the way his family, fans and the whole of Mumbai rejoiced, it was a touchy moment for every player. Paaji became so emotional after winning it. It showed how much desperate he was to win the Cup," Raina recalled.
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Brian Lara, Former West Indies batsaman said at the event:
"If I had a son who wanted to play cricket I wouldn't have told him not to watch my videos but instead ask him to look for Sachin's (videos) as he has the perfect technique against any kind of bowling. It is the best I have ever seen. Perfect for a youngster to learn from,"
"It would have been hard for the champion batsman to fulfill the huge expectations of his fans during his two-and-a-half decade career."
"His longevity is amazing. He started couple of years ahead of me and ended six years after I retired. These 24 years are testimony to his skills, dedication and fitness level. His zeal while playing for India was simply amazing. I know he has had it tough playing for 1.3 billion people,"
"The felicitations for him are much deserved. He has sacrificed a lot for the nation and dedicated his entire life to the game," Lara added.
"India needed just 120 to chase in the fourth innings at Barbados. We had planned to get Tendulkar out while playing behind the wicket -- not presenting the full bat face. We blocked the mid-on and mid-off and forced him to play with a half bat. It took an outswinger from Ian Bishop to induce an edge from Tendulkar and I caught the ball at slips. We folded the Indian batting for just 81 that day," he said when asked about his encounter with the sachin.
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Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar, the two former Pakistan pacers said at the event:
Shoaib termed him as the "greatest player in the world".
"He has changed the history of cricket. He's the world's greatest player. I felt great when I got him out and I take pride when he did not hit me out of the park. He's the hero of the world (of cricket)," Shoaib gushed.
Waqar said the Indian batting superstar was "right at the top" in the world"
"From being a boy (when he made his debut in 1989 against Pakistan), he went on to rule the world of cricket. All the four Tests of that series were played on greenish pitches and he played very well. He's right at the top - the top 3. He has made many runs in and outside sub-continent. His statistics tell us what he has done," Waqar added.
Sushil Kumar, India wrestler, who had won
double Olympic medalist for India said in
the event:
“It doubled my happines, after winning the
second Olympic medal and then getting the call
from Sachin. It was just speechless; I could not
talk to him. He congratulated me and I was
very delighted to get a call from him.”
____________________________________________________________________________
Sania Mirza, Indian Tennis star said at the event:
“The fact that he kept performing regardless of what was going
around him that is amazing. Sachin in the last 10-12 years
demands that respect (from the media) where he should not be
taken up for doing things like going to a party. We all do that.”
Take a look at what the speakers said:
______________________________________________________________________________
 |
| Javagal Srinath |
"One thing which I liked about Sachin, he was so tightfisted with his compliments. He would never compliment you so easily. It's quite tough to get a compliment from him. If at all you want to know what he has said about you, it could be from others,"
"They would come to you and say 'look Sachin was telling us you batted well or you bowled well'. That's the compliment which you look up to.
"That was a good part about his captaincy also. It really raised the level in many of us. Bottom line is you got to impress your captain, you got to get that confidence from your captain. He was tough in those matters. That's something which I really admired," Srinath added.
He said Sachin was simply the best in all conditions and had a wonderful observation against all types of oppositions.
"He was accurate with his observation 90 per cent of time. Let me a recall a match, I was batting at the other end. Bowlers had plans for Sachin and had some plans for me also. I used to walk up to him, look up to him and he used to tell me that the bowler would come hard at you...would bowl a good length delivery and 90 per cent of time he was accurate.
"In Cape Town in 1996, Sachin got a brilliant 100 along with Azharuddin. I had bowled many overs and (Venkatesh) Prasad got injured. I was tired. I walked in to bat, he was batting at the other end, my right leg was looking for the leg umpire, you know what I mean because Allan Donald was bowling at the other end.
"After the match, Sachin told me 'Look Sree, I don't like it. You were running away from the stumps'. I had to accept it. He said 'Look I need more commitment from you'. Then in the next match, I got some 43 runs, I stood at the stumps and took few blows," revealed Srinath.
Srinath also recalled India's 1996 World Cup semi-final match against Sri Lanka in Kolkata, which was abandoned after the Indian fans turned rowdy when chasing 252, India slumped to 120 for eight. Sri Lanka had advanced to the final.
"It was a sad game for us and we all were emotional. After the match, I saw 4-5 players crying. When people cry, it's contagious and if I don't cry, it would look like 'my commitment to the game is less'. So, even, I started crying.
"I looked at Sachin, he wasn't crying. I walked up to him and he told me 'I cannot cry. Why should we cry? We played the game with conviction and we lost it. It's not the end of the world for us. Crying business, it's something which I don't like'. A strong line what he said. These thing you learn from people like him."
_______________________________________________________________________________
 |
| Ajit Tendulkar |
"After November 18, Sachin won't wear his India cap. It will be a big change because he has been wearing it with pride for 24 years. Throughout his career, everyone expected him to score 100s and he was under tremendous stress and pressure, but all that has been worth. After retirement, there won't be the bowlers to face or those work-outs. Perhaps he can eat as much butter chicken as he wants,"
______________________________________________________________________________
 |
| Suresh Raina |
“It was amazing to see the same kind of hunger in Tendulkar during the 2011 World Cup as he first showed way back in 1989 during his Test debut.”
"His intensity reaches 200 per cent against Pakistan. I remember when we were playing our world cup semi-final against Pakistan in Mohali, we all were tense. It was a high-voltage match for us with Prime Ministers of both sides present. The body language of players on both the sides was aggressive.
"After the toss, paaji (Sachin) had told every player to remain focused on the job. He said 'the wicket is good and our record against Pakistan in world cup is perfect'. He had a meeting with the batsmen and fielders as our fielding unit was very strong. Paaji told us 'let's trouble them; they don't perform when put under pressure'. This showed his intensity”
"He was keen to win the world cup. When we were playing the final (against Sri Lanka), we did not get a good start and players started roaming around for tea and snacks. At that time, paaji told everyone to be seated and watch the match.
That shows his involvement. When we won the world cup, and the way his family, fans and the whole of Mumbai rejoiced, it was a touchy moment for every player. Paaji became so emotional after winning it. It showed how much desperate he was to win the Cup," Raina recalled.
________________________________________________________________________________
 |
| Brian Lara |
"If I had a son who wanted to play cricket I wouldn't have told him not to watch my videos but instead ask him to look for Sachin's (videos) as he has the perfect technique against any kind of bowling. It is the best I have ever seen. Perfect for a youngster to learn from,"
"It would have been hard for the champion batsman to fulfill the huge expectations of his fans during his two-and-a-half decade career."
"His longevity is amazing. He started couple of years ahead of me and ended six years after I retired. These 24 years are testimony to his skills, dedication and fitness level. His zeal while playing for India was simply amazing. I know he has had it tough playing for 1.3 billion people,"
"The felicitations for him are much deserved. He has sacrificed a lot for the nation and dedicated his entire life to the game," Lara added.
"India needed just 120 to chase in the fourth innings at Barbados. We had planned to get Tendulkar out while playing behind the wicket -- not presenting the full bat face. We blocked the mid-on and mid-off and forced him to play with a half bat. It took an outswinger from Ian Bishop to induce an edge from Tendulkar and I caught the ball at slips. We folded the Indian batting for just 81 that day," he said when asked about his encounter with the sachin.
________________________________________________________________________________
 |
| Waqar (Left) and Shoaib (Right) |
Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar, the two former Pakistan pacers said at the event:
Shoaib termed him as the "greatest player in the world".
"He has changed the history of cricket. He's the world's greatest player. I felt great when I got him out and I take pride when he did not hit me out of the park. He's the hero of the world (of cricket)," Shoaib gushed.
Waqar said the Indian batting superstar was "right at the top" in the world"
"From being a boy (when he made his debut in 1989 against Pakistan), he went on to rule the world of cricket. All the four Tests of that series were played on greenish pitches and he played very well. He's right at the top - the top 3. He has made many runs in and outside sub-continent. His statistics tell us what he has done," Waqar added.
____________________________________________________________________________
 |
| Sushil Kumar |
double Olympic medalist for India said in
the event:
“It doubled my happines, after winning the
second Olympic medal and then getting the call
from Sachin. It was just speechless; I could not
talk to him. He congratulated me and I was
very delighted to get a call from him.”
____________________________________________________________________________
 |
| Sania Mirza |
“The fact that he kept performing regardless of what was going
around him that is amazing. Sachin in the last 10-12 years
demands that respect (from the media) where he should not be
taken up for doing things like going to a party. We all do that.”
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