The sports icon and heart of millions Sachin Tendulkar talks many things on his interview with
TIME correspondent Nilanjana Bhowmic.
Here are some important things he said on interview
On how much attention he pays to the outsize impact he has on his countrymen:
For me there was [always] a simple formula: be focused on cricket and
the rest of the things will happen. Let people talk about it; me, I
move forward. Right from my school days, I have done that. I know that
certain things I do or say have an impact on people; people appreciate
certain things that I do. But any active sportsman has to be very
focused; you’ve got to be in the right frame of mind. If your energy is
diverted in various directions, you do not achieve the results. I need
to know when to switch on and switch off: and the rest of the things
happen around that. Cricket is in the foreground, the rest is in the
background.
On how much attention he pays to media hype around him:
If I get to hear casually about something someone’s said about me, or
see something in the papers, that’s fine. I don’t go looking for
things. In the last few years, the hype has grown because there is such
fierce competition in the media. Earlier, you played 10 shots, and maybe
a couple of comments were made; today you play one shot and there are
500 comments. The ball is the player’s court, whether you want to follow
every little thing or you want to keep your mind blank and trust your
judgment, trust your instincts and take decisions.
I get 0.5 seconds to react to a ball, sometimes even less than that. I
can’t be thinking of what XYZ has said about me. I need to surrender
myself to my natural instincts. My subconscious mind knows exactly what
to do. It is trained to react. At home, my family doesn’t discuss media
coverage. It helps because I am able to take my own decisions not
influenced by somebody saying something.
On his expectations of himself:
I don’t think I woke up one morning and felt that there was this
responsibility on me and that I needed to live up to that expectation.
Something which still gives me sleepless nights is, “How will I go out
and keep that standard, and live up to my own expectations. How am I
going to go out and perform?”
That restlessness brings the best out of me, it’s a healthy sign. At
the start of my career, when I used to toss and turn at night, I was
fighting that feeling and wanting to go to sleep. Now I know that’s
normal, so I’ll just get up and watch TV or something. I know it’s just
my subconscious mind getting ready for a game. It’s about knowing
yourself, and I know myself better now.
On the importance of enjoying his cricket:
So much happens [on and off the field] that sometimes you forget to
enjoy the game. That’s when things don’t go smoothly. I only realized
that in 2006, after I after my [shoulder] surgery, during my rehab. I
played a couple of practice games, and there was not too much media, not
too many people watching. I realized something was very different: I
was enjoying cricket. In retrospect, it was important for me to play
those games. That was game changer for me. I didn’t even realize it had
become so much about commitment and pressure, and doing this correctly.
Since then, there have been challenges along the way, some tough
moments. But I would speak to myself and say. “It doesn’t matter what
the situation is, enjoy it.”
On his inner monologue while batting:
Sometimes I chat to myself, sometimes I don’t. Most of the time, it’s
my subconscious mind that’s working. I don’t have time to complicate my
mind, so I try to keep it empty. Being in “the zone” is when you’re not
thinking of anything, merely reacting.
One would like to be in that zone more often, but it’s not that easy.
It’s like you are completely cut off from the crowd, from the noise
they are making. Your subconscious has taken over.
I feel it’s the conscious mind that messes things up. The conscious
mind is constantly telling you, this might happen or that might happen,
even before it has happened. Your conscious mind tells you the next ball
might be a out-swinger, but when it’s coming at you you realize it’s an
in-swinger… so literally, you’ve played two balls.
On how often he is in “the zone,” and how he gets there:
I would say 50% of the time I’m in that zone. Sometimes I am there
instantly, sometimes I get there through a couple of shots, and
sometimes I’m fighting to get that feeling. You focus on your breathing
and all those kind of things. But it’s not a guaranteed formula that
works always
On whether there’s a direct correlation between “the zone” and the runs he scores:
Not really. You might be feeling unbelievably good, but you still get
out. Sometimes you are not feeling good, but you struggle and struggle,
and the runs come.
On whether getting into “the zone” is a matter of personal enjoyment, rather than achieving an outcome:
It is. But I would want an outcome.
On his “switch-on/switch-off” process:
Switching on happens automatically. I know that I am going to be
playing in three weeks, so I better start doing something. I get
restless. Even if I am holidaying and not doing anything—training,
jogging or going for walks—I feel uneasy. It’s become part of me now.
Whether I am playing or not, I need some activity and that helps me to
be normal, otherwise I am a little restless. I like to go and hit a few
balls, even if it is for half an hour. I need to see the ball coming
towards
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