SACHIN TENDULKAR TWEETS THE BEST GIFT HE RECEIVED ON COMPLETING A YEAR AS AN EX-CRICKETER

You can take a sportsperson out of sports but you can't take sports out of a sportsperson. And India's greatest ever cricketer is no exception.

Sachin Tendulkar completed his first year away from cricket on Sunday, having retired on November 16, 2013, in what was a fortnight-long celebration ending in a gut-wrenching farewell speech 12 months ago.

While the world re-lived those moments and Sachin's cricket journey on Sunday, what brought the most joy to the sportsman in Sachin was India's overwhelming success in the sporting arena, with an icing on the cake provided by Sachin's football team Kerala Blasters winning another game in the Indian Super League (ISL).




After Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth created history by bagging the women's and men's singles China Open titles, where the latter defeated two-time Olympic Champion Lin Dan in straight games, Virat Kohli's army went on to complete a 5-0 whitewash against Sri Lanka on the cricket field.

And when his team Kerala finished the 1-0 win over Delhi on the football field, a joyous Sachin came out expressing himself on Twitter, hinting that he has got the best gift on his special day.

Here's what an elated Sachin tweeted:

 

SACHIN TENDULKAR VISITS HIS ADOPTED ANDHRA VILLAGE

Sachin Tendulkar was on Sunday accorded a warm welcome as he visited the tiny village of Puttamrajuvari Kandrika which he has decided to adopt under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana.

For the villagers of Puttamrajuvari Kandrika located in Gudur mandal it was a morning with a difference, when the cricket icon and Rajya Sabha member arrived around 9am in their sleepy village and mingled with them.

Tendulkar was given a warm welcome by the residents of the village that was colourfully decked up. Banners and hoardings welcoming the legendary player dotted the roads leading to the village right from Gudur.

A large number of people, including women and children from the neighbouring villages and the district thronged Puttamrajuvari Kandrika to catch a glimpse of Tendulkar. They jostled with one another to take photos of him.

Venkateshwarlu, a fan of Tendulkar who came from the neighbouring Chennur village, said he had distributed over 1,000 paper masks of the master blaster ahead of his visit.

"Puttamrajuvari Kandrika has now become popular after Tendulkar adopted the village. Earlier, even people living in the neighbouring villages or in the district had not heard about the village. I have never seen Tendulkar earlier, but now I have got an opportunity to see him personally. I am happy about that," an elated Venkateshwarulu said.

Tendulkar interacted with the villagers, who told him about the lack of proper roads, sanitation facilities, and also about the power supply scenario in the village and said they wished to see it turn into a model village after getting the necessary basic amenities.

Tendulkar laid foundation for the construction of Rs 2.79 crore worth developmental works (in the first phase), including a community centre, Anganwadi school with kitchen, a play ground, waiting halls and toilets, among other things.

The retired cricketer is also scheduled to administer oath to the villagers asking them to shun tobacco and alcohol. He is also scheduled to play a friendly cricket match with the village children.

PRIOR COMMITMENT FORCES SACHIN TENDULKAR OUT OF PM'S TOUR TO AUSTRALIA

Sachin Tendulkar was invited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be part of the official delegation for the Australia tour in mid-November, but the cricket icon has expressed his inability to make the trip due to prior commitments.

According to sources, the Prime Minister's Office had reached out to Tendulkar, also a Rajya Sabha member, when he was in London for the launch of his autobiography 'Playing It My Way' but he had to decline the invitation as he would be in Andhra Pradesh at that time.

"He (Tendulkar) had already committed to be in Nellore in Andhra Pradesh for adoption of Puttamraju Kandriga in Nernuru Panchayat in Gudur mandal for Adarsh Gram Yojana during the period apart from other commitments," a source said.

Tendulkar was in Australia in the last week of October for being honoured by the Bradman Foundation. The legendary cricketer, a brand ambassador of Indian Air Force, on Wednesday honoured two CISF personnel just before the Indian Super League football match between his team Kerala Blasters and Mumbai City FC in Kochi. He paid glowing tributes to the 'discipline, dedication and selfless approach' of the defence forces in the country.

In what seems to be a smart cricket diplomacy, Prime Minister Modi has roped in former captains Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar to be part of his official delegation to three Australian cities -- Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.

The PM will be in Australia for the G-20 summit and will also visit the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which will host the 2015 World Cup final. The Indian cricket team will also leave for Australia later this month to play four Tests starting December 4.

SACHIN TENDULKAR SAYS HE IS NOT A CRICKET GOD, JUST BLESSED WITH LOVE FROM FANS

Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar may be cricketing God for many of his fans but the batting legend has stressed that he is "normal". "I'm no cricketing god. I've made lots of mistakes on the field. I've loved playing cricket, but I'm normal Sachin and that's how it should be," he told BBC Sport in an interview released here on Tuesday.

"I consider myself fortunate that people like me, people love me. It's a special thing. I'm blessed I think. God has been kind to me. I don't want to take anything for granted. I am only thankful to everyone for being so kind to me and it's never enough," he added in reference to a question on hero worship.

The highest run-scorer in the history of international cricket was at the Lord's Cricket Ground last week for the official launch of his autobiography 'Playing It My Way'.

During an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live channel he described his life after retirement as "hectic". "I'm getting to know a different side of life.

For 24 years I was focusing on cricket and nothing else. I feel the first innings of my life was playing cricket and chasing my own dream - and the dream was to win the World Cup. The second innings of my life, the post cricketing years, is to try and give back something to the people who have wished well for me," he said.
Tendulkar also reiterated his faith in the lengthier form of the game, describing Test cricket as the "main course" and other versions like "starters and desserts".

"Out of 10 cricketers, if you asked, I wouldn't be surprised if eight say that Test cricket is the top, then comes the rest," he said. The former Indian captain also singled out his century against England in 2008 in Chennai soon after the terror attacks in Mumbai as his "most meaningful".

"It was a difficult period for all Indians across the globe. I felt really proud that I could do something to allow people to think about something else for a while. It allowed people to smile, which was an even greater satisfaction," the 41-year-old said.

Asked about his legacy being taken forward by his son, he added: "First cricket has to be in your heart, then it gets to your brain. The key is to be madly in love with cricket, which he is."

SACHIN TENDULKAR DIDN'T WANT TO RETIRE BEFORE 2014

Sachin Tendulkar, who called time on his illustrious career after the two-Test series against West Indies in India last year, revealed he was keen to go on the South African and New Zealand tours that followed.
The BCCI had invited the West Indies for a hastily arranged home series, and soon after Tendulkar announced his retirement from international cricket. The second and final match in his hometown marked the Little Master's 200th and farewell Test.

Now, almost a year later, Tendulkar said he would have played on till the end of 2014 but decided against it during the course of a family discussion.

"I was looking forward to the tours to South Africa in Dec 2013 and New Zealand in early 2014. But when the BCCI announced a two-Test series with the West Indies in Nov 2013, I had to rethink my plans. It was then - and I don't know exactly how and when - that the thought of retirement came to me," Tendulkar told the Times of India.

Tendulkar's decision to end a glittering 25-year-old career marked the end of an era, handing over the reins of the Indian team completely to Gen Next. There were tough international tours to follow but Tendulkar weighed his options and decided to bring the curtains down in front of eager and emotional home fans, who had thronged the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to watch the Master Blaster in action for one last time.

There were fitness issues to be considered as well. Tendulkar said he was not sure if he could fight off injuries for another 12 months.

"I started to wonder whether those two Tests against the West Indies should be my last. I remember discussing it with (wife) Anjali and (brother) Ajit. We were sitting on the first floor lounge of my house when I told them that I was thinking about retiring after the West Indies series. The second Test would be my 200th and I would not have another opportunity to retire on home soil till the end of 2014, and I wasn't sure if I could battle with injuries for that long. There was no point in dragging things out if my heart wasn't in it," Tendulkar told TOI.

Tendulkar did not disappoint a packed Wankhede, which also included his mother Rajni, wife and children Sara and Arjun. A stylish 118-ball 74 refreshed memories of exploits in the past. Tendulkar bowed out with an emotional speech after India had whitewashed the West Indies.

Tendulkar's 15921 Test runs and 51 hundreds were missed on the tours of South Africa and New Zealand, where India were subjected to defeats despite promising performances by some of the younger players.