> Age has caught up with tendulkar

In yesterday nights cricket awards function, "Castrol awards", interacting with reporters, Tendulkar said, "I have kind of realised that my body is different now. It's not a 17-year-old body anymore, its a 33-year-old body".

"I guess these changes do take place in everybody's life and we have to be brave enough to accept that, and try and use your body as smartly and cleverly as possible," Tendulkar added.

This is first time sachin has admitted that age is finally catching up with him. The above comments were made after the little master, Gavaskar, said players like Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting were breathing down the neck of Tendulkar but he could make it "virtually impossible" for them to catch up with him if he continued playing till the 2011 World Cup, to be hosted by India and three other Asian countries.

Sunny also mentioned that people like Ponting and Lara are close on his heals and only by playing till 2011, he can make sure that the records stay with India.


Well, there is nothing new in all this. We already know this is no longer the Sachin that was and a string of failures has put immense pressure on the maestro.

^ IIRC, i have heard him say the same thing before. Of course, his body cannot be in the prime, age has to catch up - not to forget 17 years of cricket is going to take a toll on you and your body.

If he sticks with this attitude 'try and use your body as smartly and cleverly as possible' then he might just make it 2011

I just hope to see him play some positive and aggressive cricket. Wish him all the very best.

PS: Question to the thread starter - this thread is supposed to be of positive or negative connotations. Can't make up my mind by what you have posted

why can't it be neutral

Frankly, i am sorry, but this statement, in whatever form and way has been said, is a bad one. There have been players before him who have played at a greater age, who never made such statements. How many times has Lara said this. Lara still goes and demolishes the balling. Someone watched the six over extra cover in yesterday's match? imo, he is just so depressed with his own form, that he is feeling the heat and coming with such excuses.
I can tell you some other statements he said yesterday, not shown on TV (don't think i was present there btw ), timesnow mentioned them.
He said he plays a shot and and then get out. Thinks about it for a couple of days and concludes that he is now too old to play that shot.
^^if thats the way he is thinking, he sure is not in the right frame of mind. Take inspiration from Gooch, Waugh, Lara; and improve your mindset. You are losing it in the mind tendu.

^ About that mindset part i agree wholeheartedly. But then trust me i would say its an incurable disease among the Indian Team. We are just not mentally tough.

As i said, wish i could some positive and aggressive cricket from him for the remaining time he plays Cricket. I don't want him to fade away - rather go with a bang, leaving a legacy behind for others to emulate. Not that he has not already done it but then we always want more

oh btw, as happened with dada, this country just needs one firangi to lambaste Sachin's mindset, and trust me, no one will care one bit about his legacy but about his failings. Its nothing new. We have a habit of showing the door to our heroes with least respect. His case won't be any different if he continues playing with this mindset.

Dont see the age thing as such.... Lara started playing international cricket at what age ??

Tendu started playing at the age of 16...

ya age certainly matters but its even the wealth of experience which Tendulkar has.......which certainly is very imp!

just being there with the team he gives then a big moral boost.. .which is a great thing!!!
but yeah he's getting old no doubt, and is plagued with injuries too... you cannot blame anyone if they think like the way safin mentioned , especially after everything that he's done for teh cricket ...
maybe yeah he'll retire after the world cup .. maybe after one last bout of greatness he shall retire in peace with the the tag of a "legend" .. .....