Boria Majumdar
There has been much talk about the naming of the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy, and in all of this, Sachin Tendulkar decided to stay silent. In fact, against the backdrop of the Ahmedabad tragedy, he insisted that there should be no celebration over the renaming. Finally, he decided to open up on the entire issue, and also helped set up the England-India series in this exclusive conversation with Boria Majumdar for RevSportz.
Boria: Sachin, there has been much controversy over the naming of the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy. You have stayed silent all this while. How do you look at it?
Tendulkar: Yes I have [stay silent]. Let me then tell you the full thing. First things first, the decision to retire the trophy rested with the BCCI and the ECB. Only after they had taken the decision did they communicate that to me. As far as the Pataudi family is concerned, I am conscious of the contribution they have made to Indian cricket. Pataudi senior played for England and for India, while Tiger Pataudi captained India with distinction. I did not see them play for I wasn’t born, but I have indeed heard stories and those stories inspire us all.
That’s why I was determined to ensure that the legacy was kept intact. When I got to know, I called the family and had a conversation. Thereafter, I spoke to Mr Jay Shah, the BCCI and the ECB, and mentioned to them that something had to be done to ensure the legacy stayed on. They heard my point of view, and thereafter we got on a second call where it was decided that the Pataudi name will be associated with the series and the winning captain will be awarded the Pataudi medal of excellence. I have always respected my seniors, and did everything in my power to make sure that the Pataudi legacy continues to be associated with this series.
Boria: That’s excellent to know. But also tell me about how it feels to have the trophy now in the name of Jimmy Anderson and yourself. So much of your cricket has been played here, and you must be feeling proud.
Tendulkar: Not many know that the first-ever flight that I took was also to England in 1988 as part of the Star Cricket Club team. Thereafter, my first international hundred was at Old Trafford, and was a match-saving one which kept the series alive. I was the first non-English cricketer to play for Yorkshire, where you are now. Also, my mother-in-law is English, so there is a family connection there as well. So, England was a very strong connection in my 24-year-long career, and as I said, I also have an opposition supporter within my family! So, in every way, I feel humbled that the trophy was named after Jimmy Anderson, who has been one of the greatest players to play for England, and myself. But again, I repeat, I’d never show disrespect to my seniors and that’s why I did what I did and spoke to the Pataudi family to make sure that the Pataudi name also continues to be a part of this series.
Boria: Also, I am told you insisted that there should be no real celebration against the backdrop of what happened in Ahmedabad. I think it is the perfect thing to do.
Tendulkar: Yes, you are right. It was all planned for the 14th, but then all of us decided that it is not proper to go ahead with any kind of celebration. Our heart goes out to every person impacted by this tragedy and you feel a sense of numbness. There was no way we’d do anything to celebrate at this point. So, it was a very natural and logical call to cancel all the celebrations.
Boria: Sachin, I am in Leeds at the moment and you have played a lot of cricket here. It is unnaturally hot here at the moment. Set up the series for me, please? Does the heat influence team selection? Your batting manual for Leeds?
Tendulkar: In England, you always keep three things in mind when you play. First, the overhead conditions. Second, the air quality, and third, the pitch condition. Each one of these factors influences how you should play. There will be phases of play when you will find it very difficult to play shots. So you need to be careful and identify such phases. It is not a defensive act to leave balls. Rather, it is also a show of intent to be able to correctly leave balls and play for the right time.
And then, when the sun is out, it is a beautiful track to bat on where the batters can score a lot of runs. That’s when you cash in and be positive and aggressive. Like you said, it is hot in Leeds at the moment and I am sure the ground staff will make the pitch accordingly. They will keep grass [on], and batting up front will be challenging. In England, it is always the case. But then, that’s where you need to stay positive in the mind and be patient. Accept the challenge and stay out there. You need to know your time will come and conditions will ease. And that’s what Test cricket is all about.
There will always be challenges in Test cricket, and good teams and good players need to deal with these challenges and overcome them. So my advice is stay positive and deal with the challenge. And when I say stay positive, being defensive at times is also staying positive. Identify the areas where you can score runs. And play to the situation and the conditions. That’s how you succeed in England.