Sachin Tendulkar confident about the state of Indian cricket; speaks about life after retirement

Tendulkar is confident about an Indian comeback against South Africa

Sachin Tendulkar is confident the Indian cricket team can get back to winning ways sooner rather than later, Times of India reports. The Master Blaster also spoke about how he has been spending life post retirement from the game in a candid interview, which was published in the latest edition of The Week.

The Men in Blue lost the T20 series against the visiting South African side 2-0 after losses at Dharamsala and Cuttack before the final match at Kolkata was washed out without a bowl being bowled. With the ODI series set to begin with the opening match on Sunday, Tendulkar said that though there are areas of concern, he is confident that the team is in a good state and can return to winning ways.

"Yeah, it has been moving in (a) good direction. I definitely feel we need to play better cricket and there is room for improvement. As long as there is the drive, things will be on track," Tendulkar said. "You cannot lose focus as the whole country is watching you. To meet these expectations or to get close to meeting them, you need a lot of commitment.”

Tendulkar acknowledged that the IPL has helped foreign players acclimatise to the Indian pitches much better than in older times but dismissed suggestions that the Indian players are being left behind because of that.

"No, I don't think so. The Indian Premier League has helped. Earlier, the players (foreigners) did not get enough time to play in India. Now, the top four to five players, or more, from each country are part of the IPL. The coaches are also spending a lot of time in India and they are adapting to Indian conditions,” Tendulkar said.

"We won Tests in Durban and Perth. Does that mean that South Africans and Australians are poor players of pace?" he asked.

Life after retirement

It's been nearly two years since the iconic cricketer retired from all forms of cricket. Looking back at his life so far, Tendulkar talked about how his life has changed from being an “exciting” one to a “satisfying” one before and after making the decision to quit playing.

"At first, things were about achieving targets, winning matches and doing what the team required me to do. It was exciting. The second half of my life, the second innings is all about satisfaction. I want to be able to do something for the less privileged. I have been able to do so to a certain extent and I felt extremely satisfied," he said.

Tendulkar acknowledged that the extent of involvement with cricket has gone down since retirement, but added that he would always be in love with the game.

"No, there is no detachment from cricket. I will always be in love with the game. I cannot say that I sit and watch all the matches regularly but I do try and follow them when I get time," Tendulkar said.

The 42-year-old also revealed that watching the game at home with his children has been an experience to savour.

"If there is an exciting session, I will watch. When I am at home, Arjun and Anjali sit with me and having played, I know what is going to happen. There is the excitement of what is in store, when the batsman is going to attack, what are the areas he is looking to attack and where the bowler is going to bowl. I share these things with them. The level of involvement is difficult to bring back as I am no longer an active cricketer but having been one, there is always involvement," Tendulkar said.

Tendulkar talks about future plans

Tendulkar wants leagues to come up in other sports along the lines of the ISL

Tendulkar has been quite busy post-retirement with his involvement in a number of business ventures including his foray into football with his involvement with the Kerala Blasters franchise in the Indian Super League (ISL). Tendulkar, who recently became the major stakeholder in the team, feels that leagues such as the ISL are essential to ensure the growth of games that do not have as much following as cricket.

"That is the future. we witnessed the competitiveness in these leagues. Above all, there is appreciation and following, which is the best tonic for any sportsperson. I am extremely happy that other sports are being appreciated and you are seeing the results," he said.

When asked whether he would follow in the footsteps of current players like MS Dhoni, who has invested in sports like hockey and motorsports, and Virat Kohli, who has forayed into tennis, Tendulkar said that though he doesn’t see himself as an owner, he would continue to support the cause of sports other than cricket.

"I support and follow other sports such as kabaddi and badminton. But honestly, I have not thought about being an owner in another sport. And even if I am not there in that role, nothing stops me from supporting the sport," Tendulkar said.

The Mumbaikar, who penned his autobiography titled “Playing It My Way”, post-retirement quipped that writing another book was out of the question.

"Oh my god! The first book itself was a challenge. To remember 24 years of cricket was not easy, nor was deciding what to keep and what to discard, I have added a little bit here and there about the mental aspect, but to write a book on that, I don't know," Tendulkar said.

Tendulkar is unsure whether he will ever write another book