Mumbai, May 11: Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, the God of cricket to millions of cricket fanatics across the world, is featured on the cover of the South Pacific edition of Time magazine’s May 11, 2012 issue. The prestigious weekly has carried an interview of the cricketer titled 'The God of Cricket' which gives an insight into the great man. Tendulkar was earlier featured on Time’s cover in 1999.
Fans have always been eager to know more about the various facets of the batsman. They have also been curious about what he will do next; and after he became the only cricketer to score a hundred international tons this curiosity has only piqued.
Speaking to Boby Ghosh, Time’s Deputy International Editor, the milestone man who has set new benchmarks with his achievements said, "I don't think I woke up one morning and felt that there was this responsibility on me and that I needed to live up to that expectation. Something which still gives me sleepless nights is, 'How will I go out and keep that standard, and live up to my own expectations. How am I going to go out and perform? That restlessness brings the best out of me, it's a healthy sign.”
Tendulkar revealed that at the start of his career, he used to "toss and turn" at night before a game. "Now I know that's normal, so I'll just get up and watch TV or something. I know it's just my subconscious mind getting ready for a game. It's about knowing yourself, and I know myself better now," he explained.
"My planning is only done match by match. I don't plan too far ahead; I've never done that. At most, I plan for the next tournament or series. I believe in approaching my targets step by step, and don't look at the larger picture,” he added.
Tendulkar was named in Time's 2010 list of 100 most influential people in the world. He was nominated last month to the Rajya Sabha.
With his growing stature, Tendulkar’s life has come under much scrutiny from all quarters. Speculation about his life and cricket has been rife and praise and criticism have come his way in equal measure. Taking the perils of being a public figure in his stride, Tehdulkar said, "Let people talk about it; me, I move forward. Right from my school days, I have done that. I know that certain things I do or say have an impact on people. People appreciate certain things that I do.”
"But any active sportsman has to be very focused; you've got to be in the right frame of mind," he added.
"I need to know when to switch on and switch off, and the rest of the things happen around that. Cricket is in the foreground, the rest is in the background", he said.
Speaking about how he keeps himself focused, he said, "So much happens [on and off the field] that sometimes you forget to enjoy the game. That's when things don't go smoothly. There have been challenges along the way, some tough moments. But I would speak to myself and say, 'It doesn't matter what the situation is, enjoy it.’”
Elaborating on his "switch-on/switch-off" process for a game, he said the "switching on" happens automatically for him.
"I know that I am going to be playing in three weeks, so I better start doing something. I get restless. Even if I am holidaying and not doing anything – training, jogging or going for walks – I feel uneasy. It's become part of me now. Whether I am playing or not, I need some activity and that helps me to be normal, otherwise I am a little restless.”
"Switching off, on the other hand, is not an instant process for him and is only possible when he has time between games. When I'm spending time with my children, that's when I actually switch off and I stay away completely from cricket. I do normal things, like any father, any family man."
On how he handles the media and discussion about him and game, Tendulkar said that when he is on the field, he has "0.5 seconds" or less "to react to a ball" and he "cannot be thinking of what XYZ has said about me. If I get to hear casually about something someone's said about me, or see something in the papers, that's fine. I don't go looking for things. In the last few years, the hype has grown because there is such fierce competition in the media."
"Earlier, you played 10 shots, and maybe a couple of comments were made; today you play one shot and there are 500 comments. The ball is in the player's court, whether you want to follow every little thing or you want to keep your mind blank and trust your judgment, trust your instincts and take decisions," he remarked.
On field, Tendulkar surrenders himself to his natural instincts, as they tend to show him the way.
"It is trained to react. At home, my family doesn't discuss media coverage. It helps, because I am able to take my own decisions not influenced by somebody saying something," he said.
Speaking about the commercial side of the sport he said, "I do [advertising] shoots, but not at the cost of compromising on my cricket. At no stage did I feel I would have to make compromises and earn an extra buck."
