talk of sachin in presentation ceremony............. All my friends, settle down let me talk, Ill get more and more emotional. My life between 22 yards in these 24 years, its hard to believe that its coming to an end. I would like to thank all the people who have helped me in my life to get here. I have a list in my hand, please forgive me if I miss out on a few names. First, my father, he passed away in 1999. He was very key for my career. He gave me freedom, told me to chase your dreams and dont find shortcuts. He also told me to be a nice human being which I hope to try and continue being for the rest of my life. My mother, I dont how she dealt with such a naughty like guy me. She took care of me and made sure I was healthy and fit. She started praying for me even before I started my career and I think those prayers gave me my strength. In my school days, I used to stay with my uncle and aunt as my school was far away. They treated me like their son. My eldest brother, he used to tell me, I know youd do everything right, give your 100% and I have the confidence in you. My sister, she gave me my the first bat - a Kashmir Willow bat. Even now, she continues to fast when I bat. Ajit (Tendulkar), I dont know what to to talk about him. It all started from the age of 11, he took me to Achrekar sir my coach. And my life changed. Even last night, he called me and we were discussing my dismissal. Various things we agreed upon such as my technique. I have had a lot of chats with him. If I had not done that, I would have been a lesser cricketer. The most important one was in 1991 - I met my wife, Anjali. I knew she was a doctor. When we decided to make it a family, she said, you continue with your cricket and Ill take care of the family. Without that, I think I couldnt have played so much cricket. Thank you for all that youve done and this was the best partnership Ive had in my life. Then, Sara and Arjun, the two precious diamonds in my life. The daughter is 16 and son is 14, time has flown by. I wasnt able to be with them for the birthdays, annual days and stuff. Thanks for understanding all that, both of you have been so special to me. Ive not spent enough time with you but I promise you the rest is for you. My in- laws too have been supporting. I discuss various things with them, we have a strong family and most importantly, thank you for allowing me to marry Anjali. There have been a lot of friends who have supported me. Leaving their work and coming to bowl at me when I called them. I thought my career was over when I was injured, but my friends called even at 3 AM and made me believe that it was not over. My career started at 11. My brother took me to Achrekar sir and that is the best to have happened to me. Sir would be taking me on his scooter all over Mumbai to ensure that I get enough match practice. On a lighter note, hes never said well played to me so that I dont get complacent. My cricket started right here at this ground. The dream was obviously to play for India. BCCI was fantastic, they believed me at the of 16 years and selected me. Thanks for the support and the freedom, without that, my career couldnt have happened. I have played with many senior cricketers, thanks to everyone for helping me out. I see, Rahul, Laxman, Sourav and my teamates, you guys are like my family. It is going to be difficult without that dressing room, sharing those special moments. When Dhoni gave me the 200th Test cap, I just said, we are all proud to be here as a team and I believe that you guys will take care of this country. Play on in the right spirit and to the best of your abilities. I believe in you and all the best for your future. Thanks to all the doctors, physios, without your special efforts, I couldnt have been fit. I dont know how you all kept me in good shape. My dear friend, late Mark Mascerenhas, my first manager. Without him I couldnt have achieved all this. All those sponsorship deals etc. thanks for your support. I miss you. My present manager Vinod Naidu, hes more like my family. Hes given me so much time, leaving his family to work with me. In the school days when I played well, the media backed be a lot. Youve been doing that till now. Thank you to all of you, all those photographers. Those moments will remain with me forever. I thank all the fans who supported. Whether I scored a 0 or a 100. Ive met a lot of people who do all sorts of things for me, thank you for all that youve done. Sachin, Sachin will reverberate in my ears till I stop breathing. Thank you very much. I am sorry if I have missed out on anything. Good bye!
Posted on: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 17:40:19 +0000