‘Humble’ Tendulkar on verge of striking 100th international century

Sydney: As veteran Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar gears to score his 100th century in international cricket, stalwarts have revealed significant insights about his personality.

Indian captain MS Dhoni has praised Tendulkar in the foreword to a new book, Sach, written by senior Indian cricket writer Gautam Bhattacharya. "There are plenty of things to learn from Sachin. To start with his humility, how he carries himself, the effort he puts in on the field even after playing for 22 years," Dhoni writes. World Cup-winning Indian coach Gary Kirsten pointed out that Tendulkar’s success is a result of his tremendous hard work. "People only talk about his genius. They don`t get to see the backroom. I do. And I only see intense preparations, hours and hours of practice, sweat, hard work, leaving nothing, absolutely nothing to chance," The Herald Sun quoted Kirsten, as saying. Indian pace bowler Zaheer Khan is impressed by Tendulkar`s approach to the game. "He never, ever loses his temper inside the dressing room. I am yet to see Sachin throw the bat around even when given out wrongly. Maybe he will have an extra bowl of ice cream, and that is when you realise he is pretty upset," Zaheer said. Tendulkar’s long Test career has even surprised India`s greatest batsman Sunil Gavaskar. "Sachin`s appetite does amaze me. I was mentally finished with cricket the day I retired. Not for a moment did I want to come back. They are playing so much cricket now, still to retain that boy-like enthusiasm for cricket after having played for 22 long years is mind-blowing," Gavaskar said. Two cricket legends Brian Lara and Ian Botham dubbed Tendulkar as the most watchable cricketer. "I love to see Tendulkar bat. I love to see so many of them bat, but if it comes to a question of pay and watch, I would say I shall only pay to see Tendulkar bat," Lara said. Bureau Report