Sachin Tendulkar's much-awaited autobiography 'Playing It My Way' was
today launched in the presence of some of his former teammates,
celebrities and family members at an engrossing ceremony here.
The
book, the first copy of which he gave to his mother Rajni earlier in
the day, was unveiled by Tendulkar himself amid thundering applause by
the gathering. At the launch, Tendulkar presented a copy to his mentor
and childhood coach Ramakant Achrekar in the presence of his daughter
Sara.
Sachin Tendulkar speaks after launching his autobiography "Playing It My Way", in Mumbai on November 5, 2014.
"I
would like to present the first copy after launch to somebody very
special in my life, Tendulkar said before handing over a copy of the
book to a wheelchair-bound Achrekar.
Before the launch of the
book, cricket analyst and host for the evening Harsha Bhogle had three
panel discussion sessions with Tendulkar's former teammates and family,
who significantly feature in the book.
The first panel discussion
was attended by former India captains Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar,
Ravi Shastri and former Mumbai cricketer Vasu Paranjape, who played a
crucial role in shaping Tendulkar's career.
Gavaskar remembered
how he met Tendulkar for the first time and was impressed by his talent
at the first look. "Hemant Waingankar and Anil Joshi introduced me to
Sachin and asked me to see him bat. Probably, I have finished my cricket
at that stage. He was batting at the Wankhede nets against Raju
Kulkarni, who was a very slippery customer. In the nets you don't really
think about no balls and Raju was doing the same. But the manner in
which Sachin was punching the ball off the backfoot towards mid-off and
mid-on that impressed me," Gavaskar recollected.
Asked what if he
would got the chance to bat alongside Tendulkar, Gavaskar said: "I think
as far as running between the wicket we would have been very good."
Former
Mumbai and Indian skipper Vengsarkar said he handpicked Tendulkar to
play for the team after watching him easily negotiating India's best
fast bowler at the time, Kapil Dev, in the Wankhede Stadium nets, where
the Indian team had come to play against the touring New Zealand team.
"I
was the captain (of Mumbai) that time and I heard a lot about him. Vasu
(Paranjape) brought him and introduced him to me. Vasu said you should
go and watch Sachin play. I said not now but Vasu said no no you should
go," Vengsarkar said.
"I was playing my 100th Test and we were
practicing at the CCI. I asked Kapil, Maninder to bowl at him and at
such a tender age he played them with ease. Then I told (Mumbai)
selectors we should pick him at least in the 15 but in the next three
days he didn't come for practice. I was a bit livid with him. I told
Vasu to ask him the reason and he said I had an exam."
Shastri,
who watched Tendulkar from close quarters during the master batsman's
classic 148 not out at Sydney in 1992, said according to him that
innings was the best of his career. "In the tour of Pakistan in 1989,
Sachin made his debut but got out early. I was lying down in the
dressing room and was livid with my dismissal. He took his time and
walked upto me after an hour. By the time I calmed down and and he said
to me 'I was in a hurry'.
"(During that innings) the time he was
at the crease he looked like a fish out of water, but a month later he
looked a big shark in the water and continued to be so for the next 25
years," he said.
Talking about Tendulkar's epic 148 not out in
Sydney Cricket Groud, his first and one of the best on the Australian
soil, Shastri, who was batting along side the master blaster said: "I
was just 22 yards away and it was the best place to witness such a
wonderful innings. I was witnessing someone just 18 was over to become
the first overseas player to score a 100 in Australia. Tendulkar's
Sydney innings was strokeplay of the highest order."
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