Sachin Tendulkar’s longevity in international cricket remarkable: Simon Taufel

Simon Taufel said that he was always impressed by Sachin Tendulkar’s (above) humility despite the stardom that he enjoyed throughout the world © IANS

Nov 19, 2013

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Former international umpire Simon Taufel says that Sachin Tendulkar’s longevity in international cricket is remarkable, adding that it is unlikely that his records would be beaten.

Taufel told Gulf News, “I feel Sachin’s qualities of passion for the game combined with a lot of self-discipline in his practice and performance have always been his strength. He loves to play cricket and loves to bat. It’s a great lesson to everyone — do what you love and love what you do. When that happens, you are more likely to be successful.”

He added, “His longevity [time in the game at the highest level] is remarkable and many will look at his statistics [number of games], which are unlikely to be bettered. For me though, it is important to look at Sachin’s style — his ability to remain calm and focused on his role in the team. His humility has always impressed me as an icon within his country and the game, yet he does find time to sign autographs for as many people as possible.

Taufel recalled the first match of his career — Pakistan vs India at Multan in the 2003-04 season wherein Tendulkar scored a fluent 194 not out.

He said, “To be honest, his innings took a back seat to my own focus on my game. I wanted to umpire well in a high-profile series, but few may remember Sachin’s score alongside Sehwag’s triple century in that match as well. So much happened in that game that I umpired with the late great David Shepherd.”

Taufel added, “I would like to give you an extract of what I wrote in my cricket diary from that match: ‘Typical stinking hot day here in Multan…boy was it hot today. Sehwag and Tendulkar started where they left off the night before. Sehwag finished up with 309…the first time someone had scored a triple century in one of my matches and really he could have gone on and broken the record of 380. Tendulkar finished on 194* as India declared at 5/675.”

He continued, “Shep and I had to endure the last hour as India went on the attack but Pakistan finished up at 0/40. It was a very hard day at the office today — hot weather, some close decisions to make. A real master class of batting shown by Sehwag and Tendulkar — our arms are very sore from all the boundary signalling and have only been given a respite through the declaration from the India captain.”

Taufel also remembers a conversation which he had with Tendulkar, before the 2011 World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan at Mohali.

“I recall having a chat with Sachin prior to the ICC World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan in Mohali in 2011. I asked Sachin when he planned to retire and what he thought he might do after playing. His response was typically Sachin: ‘I just love to play cricket and I want to play forever. I have not thought of what I’m going to do after playing because all I think about now is this game and playing cricket’,” Taufel said.

Taufel concluded by saying that there are other Indian cricketers who can hog the limelight.

“While his departure from international cricket will leave a void temporarily, I believe that other cricketers will step into the spotlight more. We have been very fortunate to see a cricketer of his skill during our lifetime, but there are many more entering to take his spot. We look forward to seeing the likes of Dhoni, Kohli, Sharma and Dhawan carry forward the hopes and dreams of one cricket-loving nation. I wish Sachin well for the future and hope he finds a way to continue to contribute to the game in another way with all his experience and influence,” he said.