Sachin Says...

...on the World Cup
It’s always a dream for every cricketer to play in the World Cup, and that’s mine too. It’s always a dream for every team to win the World Cup and that’s what the whole team is currently targeting. We all want to go out and compete.

...on his memories of the 1983 win
Back then, I did not understand the game so well. I used to watch the game with others and when they jumped, I would do the same. When any wicket fell or when they discussed how it happened, I did not know anything but just joined in and celebrated.

...on the three Pool A teams likely for Super Six
We are sure about India’s (chances) and India’s batsmen. The other two slots is a toss-up between Australia, Pakistan and England. Out of the three, I see stiff competition between England and Pakistan.

...on how Kumble should be used
The beauty of having Kumble in your side is that you can use him whenever you want and wherever you want. If the captain is looking at getting wickets, then you can bring him on and have a silly point, short leg and slip, and try to put pressure on the batsmen so that he can get wickets and get you a breakthrough. And if you are looking for bowling maiden overs or dot balls, Anil is the man! So many times we take him for granted. You need a wicket, "Give it to Anil", he is there. You need to bowl maiden overs, "Oh, Anil is there".

...on Saurav, Sehwag, Dravid, Mongia, Yuvraj, Kaif
It is surely the strongest batting line-up. In the top order, we have Saurav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag. Saurav’s major strength is in his mind. He sets the bowler up and before the bowler realises it, he’s already played a big shot. The bowler is set up in a manner that he feels, ‘Yes, I’m going to get him’, or ‘Yes, I’ve been bowling good dot balls and that’s what I want to do’. By the end of the over, he realises that he has given away 9-10 runs.

Sehwag, as we know, is a big hitter of the ball. He picks up the length so early that even if it is pitched at the right spot, he will find a shot. Dinesh Mongia loves to score his runs through boundaries and he is a good runner between the wickets. Moreover, he is a terrific player of spin bowling.

Rahul Dravid is as solid as anything. Solid player, super temperament. Always. His wicket-keeping has really opened up options for us. If you want an extra bowler, we have an option to do it. And if we want to play with seven batsmen, we are doing that. That’s what made the difference at Lord’s (NatWest finals).

Yuvraj and Kaif are obviously good. Yuvraj is a good hitter of the ball and Kaif is excellent under pressure.

...on which opener should take the initiative
Well, right now I firmly believe in sticking to horses for courses. Right now, Virender Sehwag is striking the ball well. But a year back, Saurav was striking the ball in South Africa. So I would say that when we reach the World Cup, whoever is in the right form and striking the ball well should take the initiative.

...on the huge expectations at home
I think expectations are always going to be there. You can’t treat it as a help or a hindrance. You have to learn to live with it, leave it aside and live up to your expectations. As a team, we should set a realistic target for us to achieve. And that’s what we should try and focus on. We should try and achieve those targets.

...on Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan is fitter now. He bowled well in Kenya in the icc Championship. But after that he kind of lost it in between. I thought his fitness level had dropped a bit. Now, for the last 7-8 months, he has really worked hard on his fitness, thanks to Andrew Leipus, trainer and physio. He’s been very sincere, going to the gym and working out, swimming and what not. I think all that has really helped him. He has lost weight and become stronger. All this has contributed to bringing his rhythm back.

...on his own targets
Well, people are never going to be happy. If you score a 100, they will say "Why not 200?" If you take five wickets, they will say, "He should have got eight."

...on Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan is a very confident cricketer with a very big heart. He bowled at crucial stages even in the icc Champions Trophy. He would come on in the tenth or eleventh over and bowl three important overs inside the first 15 and continue to do a good job. And towards the end, he would come to bowl and give us the breakthrough that was so important for us. At no stage did he give more than 45 runs. I think that’s wonderful.

...on India using both spinners
Yes, it is possible. Because in the match which we won against South Africa at Centurion, we played with a couple of spinners and they put a lot of pressure. Harbhajan bowled a beautiful spell. Anil got some wickets and in the end even Sehwag got some wickets.

...on Muralitharan
I remember that in the first five years of his career Murali kept bowling pure off-spin. Now, in the last two years or so, he has developed that ball which also leaves the right-hand batsman. That’s where Murali has developed his strength because now batsmen cannot plant their foot forward and pad up to him. They have to use their bat and play.

...on Mahela Jayawardene
He seems very talented. He likes to play the big shots, and he’s a good puller and cutter of the ball. He likes to play so many shots—and if he’s capable of playing so many shots, then there are going to be times where he will try and do extra. And while doing that, he might lose his wicket, but that’s okay.

...on whether Murali & Co will click in South Africa
It’s going to be a little different for them because all their batting all-rounders are spin bowlers. Same is the case with India as well. I think seamers have to deliver with the harder ball—and spinners are not going to find that easy except Murali.

...on Stephen Fleming
I think he is one of the top captains I have played against. He doesn’t have too many resources, yet with those available, he has made the most out of it. And for him to do that, one surely has to be a good captain.

...on Chris Cairns
He can play as a bowler in the side. Or if you want, make him play as a batsman who doesn’t want to bowl.Like in the 2000 icc Championship, he had a knee problem. He came and bowled 10 overs with a short run-up. But, basically, he played that game as a batsman. I wasn’t playing that game. I wasn’t fit. I was watching the game from the dressing room. And he hit one shot off Robin Singh which I saw. The connection was excellent. I said, "Where’s the ball gone?" It was covered by the clouds and I lost the ball. All of a sudden the ball took off and it was against the clouds, and I said, "That’s a big hit!" And the ball kept going and landed in the last row. Had it been India, it would have cleared any stadium. I think the swing of his bat is so good that he need not hit very hard. He just goes through the swing and he’s a great timer of the ball.

...on Brian Lara
We first met in 1990. West Indies were playing Rest of the World, and I was in the Rest team. He didn’t get too many but I knew that here was somebody special because to play for West Indies was something big itself. But to play with Courtney Walsh, Curtley Ambrose and Malcolm Marshall, he had to be good. Ever since I have shared a lot of chats with him. I think he’s got a very shrewd mind and his calculations are very good and that’s what really sets him apart from the other better players. Plus, there’s that body balance and hunger to score runs at a rapid pace. He doesn’t let other bowlers to get on top at any moment. He’s always working on his mind. And his great ability to hit the gap—it’s god’s.

(All views of Sachin Tendulkar excerpted from ‘Sachin Speaks...’ aired on espn Star Sports, with the permission of the channels. Copyright reserved.)