21st Jan 2008: Cricketing greats from the Commonwealth nations such as Sachin Tendulkar should be considered for traditional British honours like the knighthood, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said. Noting that cricket is one of the great things that binds the Commonwealth together, he said there was a time when top cricketers from the countries in the grouping would be recognised by the British people through its honoured system. "It used to be the case that great cricketers from the Commonwealth would be recognised by the British people through our honoured system -- we think of Sir Don Bradman or Sir Gary Sobers," Brown, who is on an official tour of India, told reporters in New Delhi on Sunday. He rued that this "function of the empire" has fallen into disrepair now that most of the Commonwealth countries have opted out of the honoured system and have their own honours. "But I believe it was a good tradition to celebrate the achievements of the great Commonwealth cricketers -- it shows we are good sports and I would like to see some of the great players of the modern era -- like Sachin Tendulkar -- proposed for honorary awards -- so the British nation can salute their achievements in one of our national sports," Brown said. "Obviously, these are issues for the independent honoured committee, but I hope they will consider it," he said. Brown also congratulated India on what he described as its "famous victory" over Australia "so away from home" in the Perth Test match. Source: Image, Courtesy: http://sachin-tendulkar-news.newslib.com/story/2111-3199687/, Sachin is the greatest of all times, admits " David Cameron" : Sachin Tendulkar is widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of his generation. On Wednesday, the British Prime Minister David Cameron described the Master Blaster as "the greatest of all times" and wished him good luck for his ongoing 200th Test match against the West Indies in Mumbai. "He is the greatest of all times. He's an extraordinary cricketer...a fantastic player. I wish him well today," he said while interacting with Indian businessmen. Courtesy: Rediff.Com. British media lauds Sachin Tendulkar for `perfect farewell: London: "There has never been a farewell to sport quite like this " -- this was the unanimous view of the British media as it gave a collective round of applause to Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, who called time on his inspiring international career at the end of his 200th Test. Tendulkar, immensely popular in this part of the world as well for his exquisite batting, was lauded for remaining extraordinarily humble despite being the most followed cricketer of his generation. "There has never been a farewell to sport quite like this, one perfectly designed to induce a billion cheers and a billion tears," said `The Daily Telegraph`, referring to the emotional farewell speech that the maestro gave at the end of his journey on Saturday. "How fitting that Sachin Tendulkar`s last performance on his home cricket field should have been among his very finest, even if it came not with a bat but with a microphone." The newspaper went on to highlight the 40-year-old`s emotional hold over his millions of his fans, many of whom were moved to tears while listening to the speech, during which Tendulkar also found it hard to keep his composure. "As all around the Wankhede Stadium eyes were being dabbed, the little man just stood on the grass, transfixing those followers one last time, only for once in silent, emotional thrall as he gave a wonderful speech charting one of sport`s most fantastical careers. `My life, between 22 yards, for 24 years,` as he put it so perfectly," it wrote. "A full-house was already celebrating that life with delirious acclaim...The crowd had whooped with delight at seeing the first never-ending, moveable guard of honour for a tearful Sachin as the little master`s young teammates kept bouncing alongside him towards the pavilion like gleeful, star-struck kids. "Yet though his worshippers wanted to honour him, it somehow felt typical of his humility that he only cared about saluting them." The newspaper lauded Tendulkar for delivering a speech so clear in its message despite the overwhelming emotions surrounding it. "Beautiful! He had given them their final cue. On this unforgettable Saturday lunchtime in Mumbai, a 32,000-strong chorus once more broke into their incessant signature chant, with `Saaachiiin! Saaachiiin!` rising up so deafeningly that you swore it could be heard all over the land from Kashmir to Kanyakumari," the newspaper said. Courtesy: ZeeNews. Cameron presents Sachin Tendulkar with special photo from British government: Bombay: British Prime Minister David Cameron hailed Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday and said the legendary cricket player has been an inspiration for young people. Tendulkar – playing his 200th and final Test at Wankhede , against West Indies – has dominated the sport for nearly 24 years. Cameron raved about Indian cricketer and said he is one of the greatest of all time . ” In terms of being a source of inspiration for young , Sachin is the greatest of all time ,” he said . The British government also sent a special gift for the Little Master – a photo of Tendulkar coming on the ground of Manchester after scoring his first Test century in 1999, at the age of 17 years. The cricketer hit from several tons and played spectacular innings in a career of 200 Tests and 463 ODIs .Courtesy: http://9cric.com/british-prime-minister-david-cameron-has-special-photo-sachin-tendulkar-with-the-british-government/, BBC: Sachin Tendulkar: A model pro and the greatest of his generation: By Jonathan Agnew BBC Cricket Correspondent: The scene was extraordinary. I can remember sitting in a commentary box in
Ahmedabad, with a view over the city, when Sachin Tendulkar came out to bat. All of a sudden, a cloud of red smoke erupted. It was caused by thousands of Indian cricket fans on motorbikes that churned up dust and blew out fumes in the surrounding streets as they rode up to the ground to see their hero bat. That is the kind of attention and adoration that Tendulkar has attracted in his homeland throughout a long and successful career. The man is such a big celebrity that leading a normal life has been impossible. And yet, under enormous pressure caused by a nation's weight of expectation, he delivered consistently. Tendulkar's career will come to an end after the second Test against West Indies in November when he retires from all forms of cricket. It is something that has been talked about for a long time, and there's a perfect symmetry to it. He'll finish with his 200th Test match, which I'd say is nailed on to be played in Mumbai, although it's not been confirmed yet. It will be the perfect place for an outstanding cricketer and a model professional to bow out. I would call him the best of his generation. Some people might say Brian Lara deserves that accolade, and there is no doubt that those two were the best of their time. It is true that Tendulkar and Lara are completely different players, so comparing them is a difficult task. And in no way would I wish to belittle Lara, who was a
wonderful player. But if you were to put me on the spot to pick one above the other, the records show that it has to be Tendulkar. His record has been absolutely astonishing, and he's done it under much more scrutiny. He first came to the attention of the English cricketing public at Old Trafford in August 1990, when a magnificent unbeaten 119 salvaged a draw for India in the second Test. He went on to prove he could play in all conditions. He was phenomenal. He could bowl and bat. He had some great battles with Shane Warne. The only thing that would be a slight disappointment was his captaincy. He had 25 Tests as a captain; a relatively small number for a player of his profile. Of those, he won only four and lost nine. Captaincy didn't affect his batting, but he didn't have a happy time in the job. It's hard to explain why, but it just didn't work, and it was the right move when Sourav Ganguly took over. All-time Tendulkar, though, is rightly lauded. In India, you will never hear a single dissenting voice about him. He's up there on a pedestal. And off the field, he's always been an absolute joy to deal with. I've interviewed him on a number of occasions, and done a couple of question-and-answer events with him in London, and he's a lovely man. I have many great memories of Tendulkar's batting. He scored an amazing century to win a Test against England on a wearing pitch in Chennai in 2008; our first visit to the country following that year's terror attacks in Mumbai. He was never a flamboyant batsman, and he wasn't on that occasion either. But he played some beautiful back-foot strokes and demonstrated great skill against the spinning ball. There is no doubt that his time to retire has come. His last century was 39 innings ago, and that's too long for a top-level batsman. Had it been anybody else, he would have had a tap on the shoulder before now and been told it was time to move on. But, in India, that would have been an impossible thing for Coach Duncan Fletcher to do. The end was always going to be on Tendulkar's terms, and I don't think anyone would begrudge him having carried on for a little longer than perhaps he should have done. He Always wanted to reach 200 Tests and to go out in Mumbai, which would be the perfect place for him to finish. It will be fascinating to see what he does next. He has already entered politics, having taken his oath in the Rajya Sabha - the upper house of the Indian parliament - last year. There's charity work that he does too, I'm sure he will carry on with that. He will also continue to take a keen interest in the progress of his 14-year-old son Arjun, a promising cricketer who plays for some of the year in London for Ealing. Sachin comes over to coach him and is very happy with the way he's coming on. But there's an enormous pressure on Arjun too, simply because of who his father is There will also be pressure on the young India players looking to follow the great man. There will be feverish debate as to who will be the next Tendulkar and whichever player assumes that mantle will be under a huge amount of scrutiny. But I think India, as a team, will move on very positively. There are some amazing players coming through. Tendulkar can look back on an astonishing career. He is the only player to have scored 100 international centuries. He holds the record for the most hundreds in both Test and one-day cricket. And what is more, he never blotted his copybook off the field. You can Google everything you like about him and you will never find a bad headline. He has been a great ambassador for India and a great ambassador for cricket. He was wonderful to deal with and great to watch. Sachin Tendulkar has been a model sportsman. Jonathan Agnew was speaking to BBC Sport's Mike Whalley. In a special BBC Radio 5 live programme on Monday 14 October at 21:00 BST, Mark Chapman is joined by BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew and Indian commentator Prakash Wakankar as they look back at the career of Sachin Tendulkar. Source: Article, Image: flickr.com
wonderful player. But if you were to put me on the spot to pick one above the other, the records show that it has to be Tendulkar. His record has been absolutely astonishing, and he's done it under much more scrutiny. He first came to the attention of the English cricketing public at Old Trafford in August 1990, when a magnificent unbeaten 119 salvaged a draw for India in the second Test. He went on to prove he could play in all conditions. He was phenomenal. He could bowl and bat. He had some great battles with Shane Warne. The only thing that would be a slight disappointment was his captaincy. He had 25 Tests as a captain; a relatively small number for a player of his profile. Of those, he won only four and lost nine. Captaincy didn't affect his batting, but he didn't have a happy time in the job. It's hard to explain why, but it just didn't work, and it was the right move when Sourav Ganguly took over. All-time Tendulkar, though, is rightly lauded. In India, you will never hear a single dissenting voice about him. He's up there on a pedestal. And off the field, he's always been an absolute joy to deal with. I've interviewed him on a number of occasions, and done a couple of question-and-answer events with him in London, and he's a lovely man. I have many great memories of Tendulkar's batting. He scored an amazing century to win a Test against England on a wearing pitch in Chennai in 2008; our first visit to the country following that year's terror attacks in Mumbai. He was never a flamboyant batsman, and he wasn't on that occasion either. But he played some beautiful back-foot strokes and demonstrated great skill against the spinning ball. There is no doubt that his time to retire has come. His last century was 39 innings ago, and that's too long for a top-level batsman. Had it been anybody else, he would have had a tap on the shoulder before now and been told it was time to move on. But, in India, that would have been an impossible thing for Coach Duncan Fletcher to do. The end was always going to be on Tendulkar's terms, and I don't think anyone would begrudge him having carried on for a little longer than perhaps he should have done. He Always wanted to reach 200 Tests and to go out in Mumbai, which would be the perfect place for him to finish. It will be fascinating to see what he does next. He has already entered politics, having taken his oath in the Rajya Sabha - the upper house of the Indian parliament - last year. There's charity work that he does too, I'm sure he will carry on with that. He will also continue to take a keen interest in the progress of his 14-year-old son Arjun, a promising cricketer who plays for some of the year in London for Ealing. Sachin comes over to coach him and is very happy with the way he's coming on. But there's an enormous pressure on Arjun too, simply because of who his father is There will also be pressure on the young India players looking to follow the great man. There will be feverish debate as to who will be the next Tendulkar and whichever player assumes that mantle will be under a huge amount of scrutiny. But I think India, as a team, will move on very positively. There are some amazing players coming through. Tendulkar can look back on an astonishing career. He is the only player to have scored 100 international centuries. He holds the record for the most hundreds in both Test and one-day cricket. And what is more, he never blotted his copybook off the field. You can Google everything you like about him and you will never find a bad headline. He has been a great ambassador for India and a great ambassador for cricket. He was wonderful to deal with and great to watch. Sachin Tendulkar has been a model sportsman. Jonathan Agnew was speaking to BBC Sport's Mike Whalley. In a special BBC Radio 5 live programme on Monday 14 October at 21:00 BST, Mark Chapman is joined by BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew and Indian commentator Prakash Wakankar as they look back at the career of Sachin Tendulkar. Source: Article, Image: flickr.com
