Cricket is my oxygen, says Tendulkar
Mumbai: The feeling has not quite sunk in yet but batting icon Sachin Tendulkar said it was the perfect time to end his dream journey in cricket as his body was finding it tough to cope with the rigours of international cricket.
A day after bidding an emotional farewell to the game that he considers his “oxygen”, Tendulkar said that 75 per cent of his life had revolved around cricket and he had no regrets about hanging up his boots after playing for 24 years.
“It hasn’t struck me that I won’t play cricket again. It has been a dream journey, no regret that I am leaving cricket. This was the right time to stop playing cricket. It was an enjoyable journey,” Tendulkar said at a packed press conference here on Sunday.
“I had a question and when I looked for an answer, I felt it was the perfect time to leave the game.”
The 40-year-old maestro, who brought the curtains down on his career after playing his 200th Test on Saturday, indicated that he will remain associated with the game after enjoying some time off.
“Cricket has been my life, it is oxygen to me. In 40 years, at least 30 years I have played proper cricket. 75 per cent of my life has been cricket, so there will be some association with the game, maybe not in the immediate future. Still, it is only 24 hours since my retirement, give me at least 24 days to relax. Then I will see what to do,” he said.
The champion batsman answered questions ranging from his best playing moments to his tearful retirement during the hour-long interaction with the media.
Asked why he touched the wicket in reverence on Saturday, Tendulkar said he just wanted to thank the game which made him an icon.
“I knew never ever in my life I would get to do that again. And that is where my life started and those 22 yards gave me everything. It’s like a temple for me. I wanted to say thank you to cricket. I just thanked cricket for everything that I got in my life,” he said.
Tendulkar explained how his body was not responding to his desire to continue and how it was becoming harder by the day to focus on training.
“I was still enjoying cricket. I have always said the day I felt I should stop playing, I would inform you. I got that feeling, because after 24 years, you have to appreciate I had many injuries, not easy to overcome. You reach a stage when your body gives you a message, enough of this physical load. The body requires rest. The body is not able to take more load consistently,” he said.
“It was becoming an effort to continue training. Earlier, it used to be automatic,” he explained.
Reflecting on his career, Tendulkar said being part of the 2011 World Cup winning team was the best moment of his journey.
“I had to wait 22 years for it, that has to be a special moment. Yesterday, the way people responded, I don’t know how to react to that, I want to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone, so that was also special,” he said.
Asked about the most disappointing moment of his career, Tendulkar said, “The 2003 World Cup, we reached the final, we were playing so well, but we couldn’t cross the final hurdle.”
Tendulkar went on to elaborate on what he went through emotionally on Saturday.
“It was an emotional moment, I remember when I was thinking about retirement I don’t think I was very emotional because I knew it was the right decision even though my family was,” he said.
“I became emotional with the way players gave me a send off, when I was talking to the wicket. Normally I am not very emotional because I knew it was the right decision. The thought that I won’t be able to represent India again made me emotional,” he added.
Tendulkar also dedicated his Bharat Ratna award to all the mothers in the country.
“Yesterday I said that, this award (Bharat Ratna) is for my mother, because of all the sacrifices she made for me. As a child, you don’t understand life.. when you grow up, you realise all these things,” he said.
“It is not just for my mother, but there are millions and millions of mothers in India who sacrifice many things for their children. I would like to share my award with them,” Tendulkar said. (PTI)