One day before the start of Sachin Tendulkar’s final Test, Anil Kumble spoke at the MAK Pataudi Lecture, hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in Mumbai. The impact of his words was eventually muted by the swirling occasion of Tendulkar’s farewell.
What traction it did gain among the wider public, predictably, was gleaned from his thoughts on Tendulkar. Very few chose to broadcast the real meat of his message, which was couched in his advice to the BCCI: wear power lightly, he told them. Bully less, build consensus more.
It was an important speech, not only for what he said, but for it happening at all: very few Indian cricketers will ever publicly question the BCCI.
Yet here was an India great, a former captain, a part of the system as a former state administrator, telling the board, politely, that they should be more careful, lest their empire come crumbling down.
Kumble’s is a widely respected voice. He is a thinker, as his role in the ICC’s cricket committee and his interesting call for format-based seasons in the calendar during the speech indicate.
In 2011, his contemporary, Rahul Dravid, another Indian great, delivered an equally thoughtful, eloquent observation on the game at the Bradman Oration in Canberra.
In many ways it felt natural that these two spoke thus. Right through their careers was every inkling that they would one day; they are well-rounded men, not just cricketers, capable not only of generating but also articulating ideas about the game. In the same way it is perfectly obvious that Kumar Sangakkara is capable of delivering the kind of Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey lecture that he once did.
Tendulkar it is difficult to imagine as such an addresser, though his wonderfully touching farewell speech reaffirmed not only his deep love for cricket, but also, belatedly, revealed a speaker. It is not that he is incapable of it, but because despite being such an omnipresence, he has barely revealed in public his mind, his thoughts, his leanings. It is a curious route of the kind of extreme celebrity that afflicts Tendulkar that the more public a figure becomes, the more private they also become.
“I have taken stands before, but often whatever I say gets misinterpreted and meanings are attached to it,” he once explained. “If you know that whatever you say will become a controversy, why get into it unnecessarily?”
This is not a shirking of the authority and voice that comes with his stature, and let’s face it, nobody has attained the stature he has, not Kumble, not Dravid.
Every word he utters, starchless as it may be, does carry far more weight, but also more risk than any word uttered by any other cricketer.
In that way it is equally remarkable that he has gone 24 years in the public eye, without putting his foot in his mouth.
Another way to look at it is that it goes some way to explaining his success. He has been so devoted to the single act of batting, so closed off to everything else, that perhaps the wider game and its health has just not troubled him unduly.
That devotion was evident in the gesture on his last day as an Indian cricketer, when he broke away from the throng of his celebration, went to the pitch, bowed and touched it in respect, gratitude, prayer, honour and love.
Should Tendulkar the reticent matter? Not really, but if you think of the career Tendulkar has not only had but lived through, you cannot help but wonder at a kind of intellectual disengagement from the game itself. The impression is that he would have preferred for his career not to have been cursed by the Chinese, jinking a way through interesting times.
He was captain, after all, through the early match-fixing years; he was accused of ball-tampering; he grew through the rise of India, the BCCI and the ensuing administrative polarisation; slap bang in the middle of Monkeygate was Tendulkar’s testimony; he has seen the Indian Premier League, Twenty20 and the great upheaval that has wrought.
Yet all this remains essentially uncommented upon by Tendulkar, setting a marker during the first wave of match-fixing.
“The players should have some freedom to speak about the game, not about things like match-fixing because that’s a sensitive issue,” he said in 2000. “Anybody who opens his mouth should also provide proof. It’s important not to create controversies.
“I don’t think as an Indian cricketer I am a diplomatic person. Rather, I would say that I have always been soft-spoken. To me it’s natural not to say much beyond the game.” (In his defence, it is said he played a big role behind the scenes in ensuring tainted players could not return.)
We are a spoilt, unreasonable constituency. We expect giants not just to be giants on the field in body but off it in voice.
Who knows, we might discover another side of Tendulkar now that he is gone. He may find his own voice, long hushed in deference to the game.
Even if he does not remember, it will make him no lesser. Not for as long as the image of a Tendulkar on-drive remains, the bat in elegant recoil on impact with ball, like the first vibration of a tuning fork being hit: maybe it is just that nothing could be as pure an articulation of a man as that.
osamiuddin@thenational.ae
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
Donating your hair
• Your hair should be least 30 cms long, as some of the hair is lost during manufacturing of the wigs.
• Clean, dry hair in good condition (no split ends) from any gender, and of any natural colour, is required.
• Straight, wavy, curly, permed or chemically straightened is permitted.
• Dyed hair must be of a natural colour
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6
Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm
Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km
Price: Dh375,000
On sale: now
RESULTS
6.30pm: Emirates Holidays Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Lady Snazz, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
7.05pm: Arabian Adventures Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Zhou Storm, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm: Emirates Skywards Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Rich And Famous, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: Emirates Airline Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Rio Angie, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Emirates Sky Cargo (TB) Dh 92,500 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Kinver Edge, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
9.15pm: Emirates.com (TB) Dh 95,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Firnas, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
Winner: Shafaf, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Ahmed Al Mehairbi (trainer)
5,30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m
Winner: Noof KB, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed (TB) Dh380,000 1,400m
Winner: Taamol, Jim Crowley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
6.30pm: The President’s Cup Group One (PA) Dh2,500,000 2,200m
Winner: Rmmas, Tadhg O’Shea, Jean de Roualle
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Listed (PA) Dh230,000 1,600m
Winner: Ihtesham, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: AF Mekhbat, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
South Africa World Cup squad
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (w), JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Rassie van der Dussen.
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