What’s the difference between Sachin Tendulkar and other youngsters of his age and what made him so special as a 15-year-old?
This was the question the Australian Broadcasting Corporation asked one of Mumbai’s leading cricketing personalities, Vasu Paranjape, a few years ago while starting work on a Tendulkar documentary.
Practice makes perfect
A well-known coach at the local and National level, where he conducted BCCI coaching camps, Paranjape was to the point and pertinent. He told ABC: “Sachin has played at least 10,000 more balls than any other boy. That was a fact. He used to bat at 7/8 nets in a single day. He went from one net to another. The improvement had to be there. If you keep grinding a stone you are bound to find greater success.”
The 78-year-old, who played a major part in shaping Tendulkar’s career, was fielding questions during the Legends Club function celebrating Tendulkar’s 44th birthday at the Cricket Club of India here on Monday.
Describing Tendulkar’s terrific ability at a very young age, Paranjape said: “He was ready to play shots and had the will to do it. Add these two habits with a bit of technical knowledge and one can go a long way. Without doubt Tendulkar was born to become what he eventually became in cricket.
Solid defence
“I always believed that he had such a solid defence that he almost never defended. Certainly, there was no gap between his bat and pad. The way he scored his hundred on debut against Gujarat said it all. On the morning of the match, I told him that it should be a good day for him and that he should get it (century). He was cool. He played a square cut off a left-arm spinner to reach his century. We were wisely telling him don’t play against the line... that much for advice to him!”
Paranjape also recalled an anecdote relating to the same match. “I asked his father (Ramesh Tendulkar) if he would be coming to watch Sachin’s first Ranji Trophy match. And he said: “No... no... if I come he will get out early.”
