The little master Sachin Tendulkar has reiterated that he is not quitting from ODIs and will still like to continue playing in the shorter version of the game.
Tendulkar has opted out from the forthcoming five One Day International series against Sri Lanka due to commence on July 21, 2012. He requested The Board of Control for Cricket in India to release him for the series as he wanted to spend time with his family and the board had no hesitation to accept the request. The master batsman said,
“I just wanted to spend time with my family, as simple as that. I spoke to the BCCI and requested them. To be able to spend time with my children is also important.”
The 39-year-old has played just one Twenty20 for the country vs. South Africa on December 1, 2012, at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg that was won by the Blue Shirts by a margin of six wickets. He opened the innings and scored 10 runs off 12 balls with a couple of fours and held the important wicket of Justin Kemp. He believed that the Indian team performed well even without him in 2007 though he was a part of that and later decided to call it a day in the shortest versions of the game. He commented,
“I felt I shouldn’t be part of the Twenty20 squad in 2007 and I had been asked (to stay on) but I felt I should not be part because the team did well. When I get that feeling in one-day cricket may be I would take that decision.”
Sachin Tendulkar made his debut in the ODI cricket vs. Pakistan on December 18, 1989, at Municipal Stadium, Gujranwala, Pakistan, but was unable to open his account and the hosts won the match by seven runs. He never looked back after that and has ruled the world while becoming the highest run getter by hammering 18426 runs. It is a unique world record which seems difficult to be broken in the near future as the next batsman to him is Ricky Ponting with 13704 runs and has quitted from the ODIs. The little master has scored the most centuries and fifties in ODIs and is currently at the top of the chart.
Tendulkar has played 463 ODIs and thrashed 18426 runs at an excellent average of 44.83, the best of unbeaten 200 with 49 centuries and 96 fifties. He has grabbed 154 wickets averaging 44.48 runs per wicket with the best of 5-32 runs.
Sachin Tendulkar is the most devastating batsman in the game and runs start flowing off his blade as soon as he takes guard. He has the ability to score runs against any type of bowing all around the world and the bowlers get relaxed once he goes back to the pavilion. He has scored the most runs in Test cricket by smashing 15470 runs and has scored 100 hundreds in the international cricket.
The legendary batsman believes that he will continue playing the ODIs as long as he feels himself suitable for the typical version of the game. He confirmed that by saying,
“It’s not what XYZ think, it’s what I feel and I feel as long as I am enjoying and I feel like being part of it, I’ll continue (playing ODIs).”
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