Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Ambanis have been of great support to us: Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar in Hyderabad on Saturday.

HYDERABAD: The genius was at work. Not with the willow, for a change, but with his clarity of thought and the deft manner in steering clear of the recent controversies. No doubt, it was batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar at his best. How did he feel as captain of Mumbai Indians in the wake of Harbhajan Singh controversy? “We just tried to focus on cricket. Not bother with off-field issues as we had a goal ahead of us,” was his shrewd reply.

Sachin has an impeccable record of never being caught on the wrong foot-off the field.

When asked about the criticism of Royal Challengers captain Rahul Dravid by his franchisee officials, a visibly peeved Sachin shot back that he cannot speak for someone else.

“As far as my franchisee is concerned the Ambanis have been of great support to us. They backed us to the hilt despite the early losses. I am highly impressed by their passion for the sport. There was no panic and on the other hand it was full of encouragement,” he explained in his own style. And, the batting great turned a big fan of Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya. “I enjoy his batting against any team except when he is playing against India,”

Sachin remarked to smiles from the select gathering. “He is a genius. A very special and truly worldclass player. In fact, this IPL gave a great feeling of playing with truly great players like Shaun Pollock, Jayasuriya. They have nothing to prove but have been very helpful to me in giving valuable tips,” he explains.

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