LEARNING THE GAME

• SACHIN TENDULKAR

Answer the following In-Text questions:

1. Who were Sachin’s favourite players?

Sunil Gavaskar and the West Indian legend Viv Richards were Sachin’s favourite players.

2. What was special about Shardashram Vidyamandir in Mumbai?

In Shardashram Vidyamandir, Ramakanth Achrekar was the cricket coach. He gave more importance to the game of cricket.

3. What was the opportunity that transformed the life of Sachin?

Achrekar allowed Sachin to join the camp on seeing him bat well when he was given the second chance. This opportunity transformed the life of Sachin.

4. What sort of conversations did Ajit and Sachin have while travelling?

Ajit would talk about the nuances of batting while travelling.

5. What routine did Sachin follow in washing his clothes?

As soon as Sachin returned from the morning and evening session he would wash his clothes and dry it.

6. What did Achrekar inform Ajit?

Achrekar informed Ajit that Sachin had all the ability to be a good cricketer if he practiced all year round.

7. What was the suggestion given by Achrekar to Sachin’s father?

Achrekar suggested to change the school of Sachin, as the school, where Sachin studied had no cricket facilities.

8. What acted as a safety valve?

All the excess energies Sachin had were getting channeled into cricket. This acted as a kind of safety valve.

9. What did Sachin do during the thirty minute break?

During the thirty-minute break, Achrekar would often give him some money to go and have a vadapav.

 10. What is the intense ‘fifteen minutes’ mentioned?

Achrekar would place a one rupee coin on the top of the stumps. Every bowler in the camp would bowl to Sachin and Sachin had to bat without getting out to get that coin.

11. What did Sachin’s father do just to make Sachin happy?

Sachin’s father would buy a special fruit cocktail to make Sachin happy.

12. What did embarrass Sachin in the bus?

Conductors would be rude and ask Sachin to buy two tickets. More over his dirty clothes also embarrassed him.

13. What made Sachin forget, to go to the nets?

Playing with his friends at home made Sachin forget, to go to the nets.

14. What did Achrekar advice Sachin?

Achrekar advised Sachin not to waste time by playing insane games with his friends.

A. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences.

1. What was coach Achrekar’s first impression on Sachin?

Achrekar thought that Sachin was too young to play.

2. Why did Sachin feel that the schedule of the camp was ‘rigorous’?

Sachin felt that the schedule of the camp was ‘rigorous’ as the practice was between 7.30 a.m. and 10.30 a.m. in the morning and again it started in the afternoon and continued till late evening.

3. What did serve as a very personal coaching manual to Sachin?

Ajit’s note on cricket containing some valuable thoughts about batting served as a very personal coaching manual to Sachin.

4. Why was Sachin asked to change the school?

The New English School, where Sachin studied had no cricket facilities so he was asked to change the school.

5. What was the con­dition laid down by Sachin’s father for changing the school?

Sachin should assure that he was really serious about playing cricket.

6. How did the act with the one rupee coin help Sachin become a good cricketer?

Winning one rupee coin used to give him immense satisfaction and taught him how to concentrate even when physically drained.

7. What did help Sachin build his physical and mental stamina?

The rigorous training helped Sachin build his physical and mental stamina.

8. Which incident triggered the coach to be angry on Sachin?

Sachin bunked his evening practice session to watch an inter-school cricket mach. This incident made Achrekar get angry on him.

9. Why do you think Achrekar punished Sachin?

Achrekar punished Sachin in order to make him the best cricketer in the world.

10. ’I owe myself to him’ – What does Sachin mean by this?

Without Achrekar, Sachin would not be the world’s best cricketer.

B. Answer the following in a paragraph of 120-150 words:

Q 1. ‘Achrekar was a sincere coach’. Substantiate.

Ans. Achrekar was the best cricket coach of his time. On seeing Sachin’s batting, he started to coach him. He conducted rigorous practice sessions for boys from 7.30 a.m. to 7 p.m. During camp, Achrekar had told Sachin’s brother that he had the potential to be a good cricketer if he practiced all year round. Achrekar asked Sachin’s father to change him to Shardhashram Vidyamandir where Achrekar was the cricket coach, as the school where Sachin studied did not have any cricket facilities. Towards the last 15 minutes, keeping the one –rupee coin on the top of the stumps and making him run two full circuits of Shivaji Park with his pads and gloves on, showed his sincerity for coaching the boys. At times when Sachin bunked the training, the act of following him home and dragging him out for practice at the nets was simply fantastic.

Q 2. Narrate in your own words the hardships underwent by Sachin to become a great cricketer.

Ans. When Achrekar asked Sachin to bat, he did not make an impact because he was nervous. The rigorous training that Achrekar gave to Sachin from morning to evening made him exhausted at the end of the day. The travel by bus to and from home for the practice really made him feel embarrassed, as many bus conductors would be rude to him for the kitbag. They asked him to buy a second ticket, but he did not have money. He had only one set of cricket clothes He washed it after each practice session so that he could use it for the next session. But Sachin took it positively and made it a way to refine himself.