Cricket has always brought out child-like exuberance in me: Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar`s first press conference post retirement.

Zee Media Bureau/Suyash Srivastava and Chaitan Papnai

5:10 pm On an Indian coach and a foreign coach: There should be a coach who should be more like a friend. We all know how to play a cover drive, but when something goes wrong, who is the one you can sit and discuss it with? Coach is a coach. As long as there is a healthy relationship between a coach and a player, it is fine. ==================================================================================== 5:07 pm They say 40 is the new 20. We need to enjoy cricket to the fullest. Cricket has always brought out the child-like exuberance in me whenever I have played. I hope that is the case with everybody. ==================================================================================== 5:03 pm Q: Will you lead the campaign to include cricket into Olympics? As I said, it’s been hardly 24 hours since I retired. Give me some time to breathe, we will talk about it. ==================================================================================== 5:00 pm Best moment and most disappointing moment: The best moment of my career was when we won the World Cup two years ago. I had to wait for 22 years. I will also say that yesterday was a very special day for me. The way people reacted, I don’t know how to reach. I would thank all of them. In 2003 World Cup we reached the final, we were playing very well but were disappointed after losing the final. ==================================================================================== 4:58 pm On Arjun Tendulkar: Please let him enjoy his cricket. Don’t expect that his dad has performed so he should also perform that way. Leave him alone. Arjun choose to play cricket, he is passionate about the game. He is madly in love with the game. And please don’t put pressure on him. That is what I expect from you guys. ==================================================================================== 4:56 pm Mother’s reaction on 74-run knock? My mother was extremely happy. Earlier I thought she might come, she may not come. I was worried whether she would be able to sit there for long. But my mother stayed there to watch each and every ball. We are not someone who would get carried away. It was a very controlled and balanced reaction. She spoke to me through her eyes, and I could pick that. ==================================================================================== 4:52 pm Two favourite moments against England? 1. The first hundred I scored in Old Trafford. 2. We chased 387 against England in Chennai in 2008-2009. ==================================================================================== 4:48 pm Q: How you felt this morning when you woke up? What do you think about the Ashes? I woke up at 6:15 in the morning and I suddenly realised I don’t need to go for a match. I made a cup of tea for myself. The morning was relaxed. About the Ashes, I think it is something both the nations are looking forward to. Australia would want to bounce back and prove England wrong. Australia have Mitchell Johnson and the way he bowled here, it would be interesting to see him bowl in the Ashes. ==================================================================================== 4:45 pm Sachin on his favorite song: Music has been my constant companion. I respect all the artists. But to select one song is difficult to pick right now. ==================================================================================== 4:42 pm On injuries: I became very emotional during the time of Injuries. To overcome them and resume playing wasn’t easy. There were goals, deadlines to get fit and back to play. I recovered from my tennis elbow after four months. Those challenges weren’t easy. Sometimes I felt my career was over and I won’t be able to lift my bat ever again. After my tennis elbow injury, I wasn’t even able to pick Arjun’s plastic bat. When I went to bat at the nets, I felt as if my career was over. It was a difficult phase of my life. I would like to thank all the people who stood by me at that time. ==================================================================================== 4:39 pm It’s yet to sink in that I won’t be playing for the national from next time. ==================================================================================== 4:37 pm When I was contemplating about my retirement, I don’t think I was emotional at that time as I knew it was the right decision. I got emotional only when I received a send off from the players, when I was coming back from the ground. I wasn’t emotional earlier as I knew it was the right decision. The thought that I won’t be there to represent India in future made me emotional. ==================================================================================== 4:34 pm: Cricket academy: I will definitely spend some time with youngsters. It’s nice to share your knowledge. I will do it may be quietly. ==================================================================================== 4: 32 pm: Windies have world class players. It was one of those series where things didn’t work for them. ==================================================================================== 4: 31 pm: On Bharat Ratna: 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. 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 was the best award he got from nation Sachin once again said that the award was for his mother for all the sacrifices she has made. ==================================================================================== 4: 30 pm: Even though physically I am not playing for India, I will always be praying for India. Whenever India plays in any sport, India comes first and then the rest. ==================================================================================== 4: 28 pm: I requested the BCCI that if possible, to hold my last match in Mumbai. My mom hadn’t watched me playing live. She never told me that she wanted to see me play. I wanted to keep it a surprise for her. But she came to know after she saw all the happening on the channels. ==================================================================================== 4: 26 pm: I had been enjoying my game. But honestly I had decided that the day I feel I won’t be able to continue, I would tell you all. Talks about my retirement had been. You have to appreciate that I managed to overcome the injuries. There comes a stage where you r body gives you a message – enough of this physical load. I thought the body wasn’t able to tackle the load consistently. The training sessions were becoming an effort. ==================================================================================== 4:25 -- It’s been a dream journey for me, no regret after announcing retirement. Those 22 yards have given me everything in life. It’s like a temple to me. ==================================================================================== 4:24 -- It was quite challenging to play for 24 years for the country, but desire was so strong that I kept on going. ==================================================================================== Mumbai: After the retirement of legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulakar, the man is all set to face the bouncers of the Indian media in few minutes. Let`s see how many boundaries he will score today. On Saturday in the presence of full house Wankhede crowd, Tendulkar signed off in style as India registered another big win over West Indies in Tests pocketing the two-match series 2-0. Century was expected from the Master in the Mumbai Test. However, the 40-year-old didn’t bring a fairytale end to his career but still dazzled everyone with his sparkling knock of 74 runs before walking back to the pavilion one last time on Friday. Hours after his retirement, the Indian government announced that Tendulkar will be conferred with the prestigious Bharat Ratna, nation’s highest civilian honour. Tendulkar is the youngest and is the first ever sportsperson to receive the award. In his 24-year-long career, Tendulkar represented India in record 200 Tests while becoming the owner of numerous cricketing records. So stay tuned for the live updates of Sachin Tendulkar`s media conference.