"Cricket Is Important, Not Making Money"

SACHIN Tendulkar would have been pardoned if he took the Saturday before theWills Cup final off. He had been in five diff e rent cities in four days, and playedscintillating cricket in three of them. Was practice before a domestic final necessary forIndian cricket’s genius, that too on the eve of the third and final Test matchagainst New Zealand? But not for nothing is the just-married 22-year-old where he is—on the field and off it. While wife Anjali Mehta wrote her final-year medical exams,Sachin posed for Visa cards, called the Wills XI squad for nets and answered questions onwhat is the biggest deal in Indian sports involving an individual. Excerpts:

How does it feel now that you are India’s highest-paid cricketer?

Great.Cricket has always been good to me; now it has become better. With a guy likeMark (Mascarenhas) and a company like WorldTel behind me, it’ll become even better. Iwon’t have to worry about negotiating contracts, modelling or endorsing products anylonger.

Were these things affecting your performance?

No. Till today, nothing has come between me and my cricket. But yes, advertisingagencies offering something or the other always used to be at the back of my mind. Now theworry is no longer there. It’s the first time such a contract has been signed by anIndian cricketer.

It’s said that the deal you signed is bigger than that of Brian Lara andShane Warne.

I don’t know. Lara is Lara and Wa rne is Wa rne. Let me be myself. I don’tlike comparisons. If you start comparing there will be no end to it.

How did you celebrate?

I didn’t. I never had the time. I signed the deal in Bangalore after the secondTest match in Madras. Then we had to go to Rajkot and Ahmedabad for the Wills Trophymatches. Now I’m in Bombay for the final and am flying off to Cuttack the next day.Anyway, celebrations are not in my nature. I feel happy, yes, but I don’t feel likejumping with joy.

Won’t your contractual obligations place too much pressure on you?

On the contrary, I think it will take o ff what little pressure was there. NowI’ll just have to think about my game and my family. Cricket is the most importantthing in my life, not making money.

You now have your name, fame and all the money that any 22-year-old would want.What is the motivation to perform?

In cricket, one should be happy with one’s performance, but never satisfied. Whenthat happens, complacency sets in...I’m not for setting targets for myself. Idon’t tell myself I want to break this record or that. All I do is go out andplay— and try to win. Records come on their own; they happen, they’re not made.

Aren’t you too young for all this?

No, this is the right time for these things to happen. Even though I’m just 22,I’ve been on the international cricket circuit for six years now, let’s notforget that. It’s just that age is on my side.