Will miss you - God of Cricket

He is all what Cricket meant to me. There is just no cricket beyond Sachin Tendulkar. Records are just numbers, pure joy was to watch him play. Its not easy to describe the joy so just pasting some records of His. He wont be playing ODI now on is a really sad news Sachin Retirement was always going to be a sad news. He is the reason why Cricket became like a religion - hence He is like God (at least for me). Here is another article from me about Him - http://smallfunstory.blogspot.com/2012/08/cricket-and-sachin.html

Records are just numbers - watching Him is pure Joy

ODI

1. Matches Played: 463 ( Most )
2. Consecutive ODI Appearances: 185
3. Most Stadium Appearances: 90 different Grounds
4. Inning appearances: 452 ( Most ). First to appear in 400 innings in ODI matches.

Sachin Tendulkar Most runs in an ODI Innings

Sachin Tendulkar holds the record most runs scored in one ODI innings. He is the one and only batsman to score 200 runs (147ball 25x4 3x6) in an ODI against South Africa

Runs scored:

1. Most runs in an ODI Innings: Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for being the first batsman to score 200 runs (147 balls 25x4 3x6) in an ODI against South Africa. It was the highest score by any batsman for a while, before Virender Sehwag scored 219 (149 balls, 25x4 7x6) against West Indies in the 4th ODI of the 2011 home series against them
2. Most runs: Sachin has scored 18426 runs in 452 innings of odi cricket at an astonishing average of 44.83 and blistering strike rate of 86.24.He is the leading run scorer in the ODI format of the game and the only player ever to cross the 14,000-15,000-16,000-17,000 and 18,000 run marks.
3. Sachin Tendulkar First player to reach 10,000-11,000-12,000-13,000-14,000-15,000, 16,000 and 17,000, 18,000 ODI runs.
4. Sachin Tendulkar has the record for scoring 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year.
5. He has done it seven times - 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2007
6. Tendulkar has scored over 1000 ODI runs against all major Cricketing nations.
7. Tendulkar is the only batsman to score over 3000 runs against any opponent (Australia). Tendulkar is also the only batsman to achieve the feat runs against two opponents - Sri Lanka is the other team.
8. After Sachin crossed the 10,000-run mark in ODIs, only seven other players have managed to cross the milestone: (Sanath Jayasuriya, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Inzamam ul Haq, and Jacques Kallis).
9. Sachin was the fastest to reach 10,000 runs taking 259 innings and has the highest batting average among batsmen with over 10,000 ODI runs
10. Tendulkar holds the record for the highest individual score in a one day international when he scored 200 not out breaking the previous record of 194 in the India vs South Africa ODI on 24 February 2010.
11. Tendulkar holds the record for the most fours ( boundaries ) in an innings. He hit 25 fours in the innings against South Africa on on 24 February 2010 when he scored double century.
12. Only player to score 5, 150+ (186*, 152, 163*, 175 and 200*)scores in ODI cricket, followed by Sanath Jayasuriya of Srilanka with 4, 150+ scores in ODI

Centuries and Fifties record:

1. Most centuries: 49
2. Only cricketer to ever score a double hundred in the ODI format - against South Africa at Gwalior, India.
3. Most centuries against an opponent - 9 vs. Australia.
4. Most centuries vs. Australia, South Africa, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Pakistan.
5. Most centuries in Final Matches 6 & India Win All Matches
6. Most centuries against One Team - Australia 20 (11 Test+9 ODI)
7. Most Fifties: 96.
8. Highest number of above fifty scores in ODIs - 141 (49 Centuries and 96 Fifties).
9. Most Fifties in World Cup Matches (21)

ODI awards:

1. Most Man of the Match Awards: 62 Man of the Match Awards
2. Most Man of the Series Awards: 15 Man of the Series Awards
    

• Calendar Year record:

1. Most ODI runs in a calendar year: 1,894 ODI runs in 1998.
2. Most Centuries in a calendar year: 9 ODI centuries in 1998
    

Sachin Tendulkar Partnership Records in Cricket history

1. Sachin with Sourav Ganguly hold the world record for the maximum number of runs scored by the opening partnership. They have put together 6,609 runs in 136 matches that includes 21 century partnerships and 23 fifty run partnerships. The 20 century partnerships for opening pair is also a world record.Most century partnerships for opening pair in the cricket history- Ganguly and Sachin put together 20 century partnerships as opening pair.
2. Sachin and Rahul Dravid hold the world record for the highest partnership in ODI matches when they scored 331 runs against New Zealand in 1999 at the LBS, Hyderabad
3. Sachin Tendulkar has been involved in six 200 run partnerships in ODI matches - a record that he shares with Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.
4. Most runs (2,278 at an average of 56.95 as on 9 April 2011) in World Cup Cricket History including 6 centuries & 15 fifties with a best score of 152* against Namibia in 2003 world cup * 673 runs in 2003 Cricket World Cup, highest by any player in a single Cricket World Cup.
5. Player Of The World Cup Tournament in the 2003 Cricket World Cup.
6. 5239 runs in the 1996 Cricket World Cup at an average of 87.16, making him the highest run scorer in the 1996 World Cup and setting the then record for the highest runs by any player in a single Cricket World Cup - subsequently bettered by himself in the 2003 World Cup
7. Of 462 matches Sachin Tendular has played, India has lost 200 matches.
8. He has opened Batting 340 times in ODI cricket which is a record.
9. He has 96 fifties to his credit. Most by any Batsman.
10. He has scored 50+ runs 145 times in ODI cricket.

Sachin Tendulkar World Cup Records

1. Most Runs. (2120 Runs)
2. Most Fifties. (13 Fifties)
3. Most Hundreds. (6 Hundreds)
4. Most runs in a series. (673 runs in 2003 World Cup)
5. Highest Partnership runs for 3rd wicket. (237 Runs with Rahul Dravid). Game Appearances:

Test

1. Tendulkar has played the most number of Test Matches (192).
2. On his Test debut, Sachin Tendulkar was the third youngest debutant (16y 205d). Mushtaq Mohammad (15y 124d) and Aaqib Javed (16y 189d) debuted in Test matches younger to Tendulkar. Since then, there have been 2 players who were younger than Sachin on their Test Cricket debut: Hasan Raza - Pakistan (14y 227d), the current youngest debutant, and Mohammad Sharif - Bangladesh (15y 128d).

Runs Scored:

1. Highest run scorer in the history of Test cricket with 15562 Test runs.
2. Career Average (1989–2012, 192 Tests, 15,562 runs) at 54.60
3. Became the first Indian to surpass the 11,000 Test run mark and the third International player behind Allan Border and Brian Lara. Lara took 213 innings, Sachin 223 and Border 259.
4. Second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar to make over 10,000 runs in Test matches.
5. Tendulkar and Brian Lara are the fastest to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket history. Both of them achieved this in 195 innings.
6. Sachin Tendulkar (8145) world record of runs scored in Tests away from home.
7. Sachin Tendulkar (29) world record of Centuries in Tests away from home.
8. First player to reach 12,000-13,000-14,000,15000 Test runs.
9. Holds the record for scoring most 1,000 Test runs in a calendar year. He has done it Six times - 2010 (1600), 2008 (1063), 2002 (1392 runs), 1999 (1088 runs), 2001 (1003 runs) and 1997 (1000 runs).
10. Sachin Tendulkar is the fourth highest run-getter in a single calendar year in Test History. He has scored 1562 runs in 2010 and is behind Mohammad Yousuf (1780 runs in 2006), Viv Richards (1710 runs in 1976) and Graeme Smith (1656 runs in 2008).
11. Sachin Tendulkar created yet another record on 8th November 2011 when he became the first cricketer to score 15,000 runs in Test cricket, during the opening Test match against the West Indies at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi.
12. Sachin Tendulkar created a world record" Sachin Tendulkar sets one more world record for aggregating most runs in Tests". Cricket Country. Retrieved 11 November 2011. for aggregating most runs in the fourth innings in Tests, going past Rahul Dravid's tally of 1507 runs during India's second innings of the first Test against West Indies.

Centuries:
 

1. Highest number of Test centuries(51), overtaking Sunil Gavaskar's record (34). On October 10, 2010 in Bengaluru (Bangalore) against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar trophy's second and final test match Sachin Tendulkar reached a milestone. With a single to third man, Tendulkar reached his 6th double century and his 49th test century.
2. Highest number of 150+ score in Test Cricket (20)
3. When Tendulkar scored his maiden century in 1990, he was the second youngest to score a century. Only Mushtaq Mohammad had scored a century at a younger age by 1990. Tendulkar's record was bettered by Mohammad Ashraful in 2001/02 season. The record for previous youngest Indian centurion was held by Kapil Dev.
4. Tendulkar's record of five centuries before he turned 20 is a current world record.
5. Tendulkar holds the current record (217 against NZ in 1999/00 Season) for the highest score in Test cricket by an Indian when captaining the side. Gavaskar held the previous record (205 against West Indies in Bombay - 1978/79 season)
6. Tendulkar has scored centuries against all Test playing nations. He was the third batman to achieve the distinction after Steve Waugh and Gary Kirsten. The current list also includes Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Adam Gilchrist and Marvan Atapattu.
7. Tendulkar's 37th century against Bangladesh during the 2nd Test , made history as the 1st time the top four batsmen of any team had all scored centuries in a single innings. Dinesh Karthik (129), Wasim Jaffer (138) and Rahul Dravid (129) were the other centurions in the innings.
    

Combined (ODI & Test & T20I) records

1. First batsman in history to score 100 centuries in international cricket. He now has 100 Centuries (51 in Tests and 49 in ODIs), which is the record for the highest number of centuries in international cricket.
2. First batsman in history to complete 33,000 runs in (ODIs+Tests). He has now scored 33969 runs [ODI(18426)+Test(15533)+T20(10)]
3. Most overall runs in international cricket, (ODIs+Tests+Twenty20s), with 33,000 + runs overall ( in Tests, in ODIs)
4. Record of getting out the maximum number of times in the 90s in international matches. He has been dismissed 27 times (17 in ODIs and 10 in Tests) on scores of 90-99. The 18 nineties (dismissed 17 times and not out once) in ODIs are an ODI record too.

More to come, hopefully.

Table with an umbrella at CCD

Hanging out with friends at CCD, I always get fascinated by many things; most of which others find weird. This time, I wanted to have a table with an umbrella set.

My place has a room size balcony. Most of the time, it is unused. What will suit best in it is a table with an umbrella along with maybe four chairs. This may be expensive so I am even ready to drop the chairs part and can sit just below the umbrella lowering the table base. Sounds good, right.

at CCD Pune

But, every good sounding thing has a not-so-good sounding price tag. A normal table+bench+umbrella set costs about Rs. 7000 - Rs.8000 minimum(Yes, I had it checked few months ago). Here at CCD, the table and umbrella which I saw, wow it was. A heavy, sturdy and great looking metal stuff with granite round table as base and even the umbrella was made up of metal. Guessing the price - at least around Rs. 20000. So I started hoping that there is a shop with second or even third hand sale for this kind of stuff. Or may be the CCD itself sell out the tampered/damaged table with an umbrella stuff.

Question arises - what can really damage such a heavy metal piece. It is nearly impossible to be damaged by natural rains/thunder or even small run-over accidents that can happen over the coffee at CCD. But there has to be something that can damage. If there is something, I would love to do anything to make it happen. CCD sells it or not is a later part.

So I was looking around, 360 degree search for something with ability and capability to damage a dinosaur strength like table with an umbrella at CCD. India's must win and win big cricket match was going on against South Africa in T20 world cup but we were not even bothered. My friends and me were literally eavesdropping on every possible candidate who could result in damage of the table with an umbrella at CCD.

Table with an umbrella

And we found her. She was a fair, smiling girl - shouting at the boy she was with. She was banging her hands on the table and I got my hopes up that "Yes, she is the one. She is the one who can do what I want with that table". (what are you thinking about; dirty mind. All I am hoping is that she will be damaging the table). I am hoping, praying that she gets more furious. She was talking funny things but I was more interested in her damaging talent than talking talent. Sadly she went without any fruitful result.

There was another contender in the race of damaging the table with an umbrella at CCD. Her English and Marathi was - well.. how do you spell "disgaaasting". But she was more a "disaepoeinthing" than anything else.

In this way - I am still looking for a table with an umbrella; chairs optional.

So, more to come, hopefully.

Cricket and Sachin

Cricket is a religion in India

With the India-New Zealand test series on the way, I thought of writing something about cricket in India. If you want to know why cricket is called a religion here, just try to talk to any Indian about cricket. For the starters - here is a list of top 3 topics that will fetch you maximum attention:

1. These cricketers should concentrate on game than advertising
2. Can India do good in the upcoming series (especially if the series is world cup/against Aus or SAF or End)
3. Dhoni is best captain ever (after this, beware of Ganguly fans - they are still out there)

Why this happens - because everyone is an expert in cricket whether or not they ever played it. Even a mother back home would say on a misfield or a boundary - he should have made a jump to stop it.

As I said - 
Cricket is a religion in India and hope you know that Sachin Tendulkar is God

For maximum attention on this, all you have to say is "I think Sachin should retire". 
Warning: Those might be the last words of your life.

Sachin Tendulkar - God of Cricket

Want to witness the divine following for Sachin - just hop in any place when he is batting. If he is approaching a century - you are about to witness how many people can be stressed for same reason at the same time.

Personally, I feel the stress even when I am watching a repeat telecast. His every shot, every miss, every hit, every camera appearance - I guess you got my point. I mean, whatever he does fetches a applause in stadium.

Stadium, right - Go watch a match having Sachin in it at any part of India. Then I am sure, you will believe, if you don't already believe that Cricket is a religion and Sachin is the God.

FYI: Do not at any cost be involved in a discussion which is against Sachin. You can say anything you want against any other player in the team and world in any sport, but never anything against Sachin. This may be harmful for your life.

More to come, hopefully.