Tuesday, November 12, 2013

200 facts about Sachin Tendulkar ahead of his 200th Test

 

As Sachin Tendulkar is about to play his last Test as Wankhade Stadium against the West Indies from November 14, we bring to you some of the interesting facts about the Master Blaster ahead of his 200th Test.
1. Praveen Amre bought Sachin Tendulkar his first pair of international quality cricket shoes
2. Sachin used to ask Ramesh Pardhe to dip a rubber ball in water and hurl it at him to know whether he had middled the ball
3. During his school days, Sachin grew his hair and tied a band around it to copy tennis legend John McEnroe
4. Sachin’s father named him after the legendary music director Sachin Dev Burman
5. When Sachin was 14, Sunil Gavaskar gave him ultra-light pads. However they were stolen when he was at U15 camp in Indore
6. Dilip Vengsarkar gifted Sachin a Gunn & Moore bat after he was picked for the Mumbai Under-15 team
7. Sachin won 13 coins from his coach Ramakant Achrekar. He won a coin every time he remained unbeaten in the nets
8. Sachin wanted to be a fast bowler but was rejected by Australian great Dennis Lillee at Chennai in 1987
9. Sachin was a ball boy during the 1987 World Cup semi-final between India and England at Wankhede Stadium
10. Gursharan Singh played with one hand (despite a broken finger) to help Sachin get to a century in Irani Cup game of 1989-90
11. Sachin Tendulkar holds the unique distinction of scoring a century on debut in Ranji Trophy, Irani Cup and Duleep Trophy
12. Sachin was returning from England’s tour in 1990 when he met his future wife, Anjali, for the first time at Mumbai airport
13. Sachin’s father-in-law, Anand Mehta, is a seven-time national champion in Bridge
14. Sachin had to wait for 79 matches for his first ODI century on Sept 9, 1994. By that time he had scored seven Test hundreds
15. Sachin Tendulkar is the only Indian to find a place in Wisden’s all-time World XI 
16. Sachin Tendulkar features in Sir Bradman’s all time Test XI, the only player from the current generation 
17. In the team bus, Sachin Tendulkar always takes the left window seat of the front row 
18. In 2008, Sachin was conferred Padma Vibhushan – India’s second highest civilian honour 
19. During 2007 Lord’s Test, British actor Daniel Radcliffe queued up for an autograph of Sachin at the end of the game 
20. In 1999 Sachin was conferred “Padma Shri” – India’s fourth highest civilian honour 
21. In 1992, Sachin became the first overseas player to represent Yorkshire county team 
22. London Times' John Woodcock once said: "He is the best I have seen in my life. And unlike most of you, I have seen Bradman"
23. In August 1987, Sachin was ignored for Bombay Cricket Association’s Best Junior Cricketer of the Year award, Sunil Gavaskar then wrote an encouraging letter to the fourteen-year-old with the postscript: ‘Don’t be disappointed at not getting the Best Junior cricketer award from BCA. If you look at the best award winners, you will find one name missing and that person has not done badly in Test cricket!’
24. He fielded for Pakistan as a substitute during a one-day practice match against India at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium in 1988.
25. Playing for his school Sharadashram against St. Xavier's at the Azad Maidan in February, 1988, he was associated in the then world record unbroken stand of 664 runs with Vinod Kambli for the third-wicket. Both players remained unbeaten on 326 and 349 respectively.
26. He sang and whistled with Vinod Kambli during their 664-run record stand in the Harris Shield tournament in 1988 to avoid eye contact with the coach’s assistant who wanted to declare while the duo wanted to bat on.
27. Two wards in Delhi's Tihar Jail were named after Sachin and Vinod Kambli, after the duo shared a 664-run unbroken partnership in a school tournament.
28. Sachin scored a duck on his One Day International debut against Pakistan at Gujranwala on December 18, 1989
29. Sachin’s first man of the match in a Test was at Manchester in 1990 and he got Magnum champagne bottle as the prize. Sachin preserved it for eight years and finally uncorked it on his daughter Sara’s first birthday.
30. He was without a bat contract during the 1996 World Cup in which he emerged as the highest run-getter.
31. In 1992, he became the first overseas player to represent Yorkshire county team.
32. Aged 19, it made him the youngest Indian to play in county cricket
33. On November 14, 1992, playing against South Africa at Kingsmead in Durban, Tendulkar became the first batsman to have been declared run out by a third umpire.
34. In 1998 Sachin was chosen for the 1997-98 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
35. When then BCCI president Raj Singh Dungarpur was asked why was Tendulkar not seen at the presentation after Pakistan won the Chennai Test of 1999 despite a brilliant hundred from Tendulkar, a distraught Raj Singh said: "He is crying in the dressing room."
36. Tendulkar refused to do a Pepsi ad because it required him to smash cricket balls with a fly swatter. He told ad-film maker Prahlad Kakkar that this will project him as bigger than the game of cricket. The ad was modified and stumps replaced the fly swatter.
37. Launched in 2009 by a company founded by former investment banker Karl Fowler, a book on Sachin Tendulkar - Tendulkar Opus -has 852 pages edged in gold leaf with each page measuring 50cm x 50cm and weighs 37 kg.
38. In 2010, Sachin was conferred an honorary rank of the Indian Air Force which made him the first sportsperson to be conferred a rank by the IAF and the first personality with no aviation background to receive the honour.
39. In the dressing room, he chooses his spot first -Sachin always occupies a corner. Once he has exercised his choice, others rush to take their places.
40. Sachin follows Roger Federer and Formula 1 and understands music and medicine. Is fond of seafood and can hold a conversation on the merits of different wines.
41. The team has a system of monetary fines for players coming late (to the bus or a meeting or a function) and for flouting the dress code. But Tendulkar has never had to pay up in 23 years.
42. Sachin bats right-handed, bowls with his right-arm, but writes with his left hand
43. In 2002 cricket bible Wisden rated him as the second greatest Test batsman, behind Sir Don Bradman
44. In 2003 Wisden rated Sachin the greatest ever ODI player
45. In 2010 he won the ICC Award-Sir Garfield Sobers trophy for cricketer of the year
46. He is the only cricketer to receive Rajiv Khel Ratna, India’s highest sporting honour
47. Sachin features in Bradman’s all time Test XI, the only player from the current generation
48. Sachin is the only Indian to find a place in Wisden’s all-time World XI.
49. The Don, rated by many as the greatest batsman of all time, considered Tendulkar to have a batting style similar to his. "Bradman was most taken by Tendulkar's technique, compactness and shot production, and had asked his wife to have a look at Tendulkar, having felt that Tendulkar played like him. Bradman's wife, Jessie, agreed that they did appear similar,” his biography records
50. Tendulkar has been on Twitter since May 2010, tweeting as @sachin_rt
51. In less than a year Sachin hit the one million follower mark to become the only Indian in the million-follower club.
52. He is the only Indian cricketer to have a waxwork at Madame Tussaud’s
53. He is one of the first sportsmen, along with Grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand to receive Padma Vibhusan in 2008, which is Indian’s second highest civilian honour
54. Sachin scored a hundred (100*) for Mumbai against Gujarat at Mumbai in 1988-89 season on his first class debut, to then become the youngest to do so on debut in Indian first class cricket and the second youngest to score a hundred at the age of 15 years & 232 days.
55. He remains the only player to score century on debut in Ranji Trophy, Irani Trophy and Duleep Trophy. His scoring sequence were: 100 not out for Mumbai against Gujarat at Mumbai in 1988-89 in Ranji Trophy, 103 not out for Rest of India against Delhi at Delhi in 1989-90 in Irani Trophy and 159 for West Zone against East Zone at Guwahati in 1990-91 in Duleep Trophy.
56. On his Test debut, Sachin Tendulkar was the third youngest debutant (16 years 205 days). Mushtaq Mohammad (15 years 124 days) and Aaqib Javed (16 years 189 days) debuted in Test matches at a younger age than Tendulkar.
57. When Tendulkar scored his maiden Test century in 1990, he was the second youngest to score a century. Only Mushtaq Mohammad had scored a century at a younger age by 1990. Tendulkar's record was bettered by Mohammad Ashraful in 2001-02 season. The record for previous youngest Indian centurion was held by Kapil Dev.
58. Sachin has played the most number of Test Matches (198) in Test cricket.
59. Sachin is the highest run scoring player in Test history with 15,837 runs.
60. Sachin has the distinction of scoring the most runs at any position in Test cricket. In 273 innings, he has amassed 13408 runs at his favourite batting position (# 4) with the help of 44 centuries and 57 fifties.
61. Highest number of Test centuries (51), overtaking Sunil Gavaskar's record (34) in December 2005 vs Sri Lanka in Delhi.
62. Sachin has scored centuries against all Test playing nations. He was the third batman to achieve the distinction after Steve Waugh and Gary Kirsten.
63. Only batsman to have scored at least TWO centuries against ALL other Test playing countries.
64. The first ball Sachin faced in international cricket was bowled by Waqar Younis. Mohammad Azharuddin was his partner.
65. Sachin’s record of five test centuries before he turned 20 is a world record, still held by him
66. Is the only player to score Test centuries more than twenty years apart. Don Bradman's first and last three-figure scores came 19 years 7 months apart.
67. His seven centuries in 2010 are the most by an Indian batsman in a calendar year.
68. 1562 runs scored by Sachin in Test cricket in 2010 are also the most by an Indian batsman in a calendar year.
69. 12 of Sachin’s Test hundreds have come after the age of 35. England’s Graham Gooch remains the only other player to have done so.
70. 15 of Sachin’s Test centuries came under Mohammad Azharuddin.
71. Tendulkar has the distinction of scoring most fifty-plus innings (51 centuries and 67 fifties = 118) which remains the world record for any batsman.
72. Holds the record of aggregating most runs in AWAY Tests (8705).
73. Is the first batsman to have aggregated 1,000 runs against SEVEN different countries in Test cricket. The only teams missing are Zimbabwe (918 runs) and Bangladesh (820 runs).
74. Holds the record of most runs in between two dismissals with 497 runs in 2003-04 season (spread across three Tests and five innings with the sequence of 241*, 60*,194* and 2).
75. First Indian to score 300 runs in a Test without getting dismissed.
76. Has crossed 150 on 20 occasions in Test cricket – most such instances for any batsman in Test cricket.
77. Has completed his hundred with a six on SIX occasions in Test cricket – a world record.
78. When he scored his 51st hundred, which was against South Africa at Cape Town, he became the first overseas batsman to have scored 5 centuries on South African soil. The previous highest was 4 Test centuries by Wally Hammond of England and Neil Harvey of Australia.
79. Sachin holds the record of aggregating most runs by an overseas batsman in two countries- Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
80. Became the first player to surpass the 12,000, 13,000, 14,000 & 15,000 Test run marks.
81. Tendulkar is the fastest to reach the following thousand-run marks in terms of innings: 10000 runs (195 innings- joint record holder with Brian Lara and Kumar Sangakkara), 12000 runs (247 innings - joint record holder with Ricky Ponting),13000 runs (266 innings),14000 runs (279 innings) and 15000 (300 innings).
82. Holds the unique record of having appeared in most WON (70) and most LOST (56) Tests for India.
83. Sachin has been dismissed stumped only once in Test matches. The only occasion was against England at Bangalore in 2002. Just 10 runs away from his century,Sachin got irritated by Ashley Giles’ negative bowling (bowling well outside the leg stump) and wicketkeeper James Foster effected a smart stumping.
84. In 2001-02 Sachin was dismissed LBW in five consecutive innings – an Indian record
85. Sachin has been involved in 23 run-outs. He was out on 9 occasions and his partner on 14 occasions.
86. Steve Smith dismissed Sachin Tendulkar with the first and (so far) only ball he has bowled to him in Tests.
87. If Sachin’s final Test goes to the fifth day, Sachin would have a career span of 24 years 3 days- fifth longest for any player in Test annals and longest ever for a sub-continent player.
88. Sachin played his first 32 Tests on different grounds.
89. Sachin’s 14 man of the match awards are the most by an Indian in Test cricket.
90. Sachin’s 5 man of the series awards are the most by an Indian in Test cricket (along with Virender Sehwag).
91. Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid put on 20 hundred-plus stands in Test cricket. This is a world record for the most number of century partnerships by a single pair in Test cricket.
92. Despite being dubbed as a unsuccessful captain, averaged 51.35 in 25 matches in which he captained India. His average is the highest for an Indian captain with at least 500 runs to his credit.
93. Sachin has played Test cricket with 593 players (108 teammates and 485 opponents) – most for any player in Test cricket
94. Sachin played 47 of his Tests under the captaincy of Mohammad Azharuddin - more than any other captain
95. Sachin has played 146 Tests with Rahul Dravid, 122 with Anil Kumble, 120 with VVS Laxman and 103 with Sourav Ganguly
96. Sachin hit 2 sixes off his first two balls in India’s fourth innings successful chase against Australia at Chennai in 2013.
97. Eleven bowlers have dismissed Sachin as their first wicket in Tests. They are: Hansie Cronje (South Africa), Ujesh Ranchod (Zimbabwe), Ruwan Kalpage (Sri Lanka), Mark Ealham (England), Neil Johnson (Zimbabwe), Jacob Oram (New Zealand), Monty Panesar (England), Cameron White (Australia), Peter Siddle (Australia), Peter George (Australia) and Andy McKay (New Zealand).
98. Sachin has never batted at number three in his entire Test career. He has opened once, batted 273 times at number 4, 29 times at number 5, 20 times at number 6 and 4 times at number 7.
99. Sachin has top-scored on 53 occasions in a completed innings- more than any other Test player.
100. Between November 1989 and June 2001 Sachin played 84 consecutive Tests without a break.
101. Sachin has played on 59 different Test grounds - more than anyone else
102. By an odd coincidence Sachin has aggregated same number of runs (5068) in match’s first innings as well as second innings. Incidentally Sachin holds the record of aggregating most runs in first and second innings of a Test. He has also scored most runs (1625) in match’s fourth innings. His tally of 2996 runs is the third highest in third innings of a Test.
103. Sachin has batted for 41113 minutes (685 hours 13 minutes) in Test cricket. Only Rahul Dravid has batted longer.
104. Six times Sachin has hit winning runs in a Test – most by an Indian. Only Ricky Ponting (9) and Desmond Haynes (7) have done this more often in Test cricket.
105. On his ODI debut, Sachin Tendulkar was the second youngest debutant at 16 years 238 days. Only Aaqib Javed had made his ODI debut at a younger age (16 years 127 days) than Sachin Tendulkar.
106. Sachin scored ducks in his first two ODIs, he ended his ODI career with innings of 114 and 52.
107. His 463 matches are the most by any player in ODI history.
108. Between April 1990 and April 1998 Tendulkar played 185 consecutive matches – a World record.
109. Sachin played ODIs on 96 different grounds – most by any player.
110. First to play 400 innings in ODI matches.
111. Most runs: 18426 runs at an average of 44.83
112. He is the leading run scorer in the ODI format of the game and the only player ever to cross the 14,000, 15,000, 16,000, 17,000 and 18,000 run marks.
113. First player to reach 10,000-11,000-12,000-13,000-14,000-15,000-16,000-17,000 and 18,000 ODI runs.
114. 15,310 of his runs have come while opening the innings with the aid of 45 centuries and 75 fifties in 340 innings- most by an opener.
115. Was the first batsman to score a double century in ODIs (200* against South Africa at Gwalior on Feb 24, 2010).
116. Is the only player to have made three scores of 175 or more.
117. Is the only player with five scores of 150 or more.
118. Holds the record for scoring 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year on most occasions. He has done it seven times - 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2007
119. Scored over 1,000 ODI runs against all major teams.
120. Is the first batsman to score over 3,000 runs against an opponent (3,077 runs against Australia).Since then he has also done this against Sri Lanka (3,113 runs).
121. His 49 centuries are easily the most by any batsman in ODIs. Ricky Ponting is distant second with 30.
122. His nine centuries against Australia are the most by any player against a particular country. He occupies the second place too, with eight centuries against Sri Lanka.
123. Is the only Indian to score a century on ODI captaincy debut (110 v Sri Lanka at Colombo RPS on 28-08-1996).
124. Most Fifties: 96
125. Highest number of 50+ scores in ODI's - 145 (49 Centuries and 96 Fifties).
126. First player to have scored over 100 innings of 50+ runs.
127. Most Man of the Match awards: 62
128. Most Man of the Series awards: 15
129. Most ODI runs in a calendar year: 1894 ODI runs in 1998.
130. Most Centuries in a calendar year: 9 ODI centuries in 1998
131. Sachin Tendulkar with Sourav Ganguly holds the world record for the maximum number of runs scored by the opening partnership. They put together 6609 runs in 136 matches that include 21 century partnerships and 23 fifty run partnerships. The 21 century partnerships for the opening pair is also a world record.
132. Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid hold the world record for the highest partnership in ODIs when they scored 331 runs for the second wicket against New Zealand in 1999-00 at the Hyderabad.
133. Sachin was the first Indian player to score a century and capture four wickets in the same ODI (v Australia at Dhaka on October 28, 1998).
134. Had the longest career span (22 years 91 days) for any player in ODIs.
135. Sachin played ODIs with 866 players (123 teammates and 743 opponents) – most for any player in ODI history.
136. Sachin was dismissed on 99 on three occasions in ODIs – most such occasions for any batsman. Interestingly all these instances came in 2007.
137. In his first two ODIs Sachin was unable to even open his account. He got out off the second ball in both the matches.
138. Sachin’s first six in ODIs was against England at Leeds in 1990 (off Eddie Hemmings) in his sixth match.
139. The 3113 runs scored by Sachin against Sri Lanka are the most by any player against a particular country in ODIs
140. In 1998 Sachin scored 12 international hundreds – most by any batsman in a calendar year.
141. Sachin’s first six in Tests was against South Africa at Cape Town in 1993 (off Omar Henry) in his 32nd innings.
142. In Tests, December has been Sachin’s most productive month. The little master aggregated 2866 runs in 36 Tests averaging 47.76.
143. In Tests, Sachin has scored most centuries in the month of January- 10. His average of 72.91 is also his best for any month.
144. In ODIs, March was Sachin’s most productive month. He aggregated 2818 runs in 61 matches at an average of 51.23 in this month. Sachin also scored most centuries (8) in March.
145. Sachin has crossed 150 or more in ODIs on five occasions– most by any player.
146. In ODIs, July was Sachin’s best month average-wise. In 25 matches Sachin’s average was 52.33 while aggregating 942 runs. March (51.23) and June (51.20) were the other months in which Sachin averaged 50 or more.
147. Sachin was the first batsman to score a double century in ODIs (200* against South Africa at Gwalior on Feb 24, 2010).
148. Sachin remains the only Indian to score a century on ODI captaincy debut (110 v Sri Lanka at Colombo RPS on Aug 28,1996).
149. In his ODI career Sachin Tendulkar played with 123 different team mates. 20 of them had made their ODI debut before Tendulkar, while 101 made their debut after Tendulkar. Two players- Salil Ankola and Vivek Razdan- made their ODI debut along with Tendulkar.
150. Sachin played 245 ODIs with Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid, 238 with Sourav Ganguly, 223 with Mohammad Azharuddin and 204 with Javagal Srinath.
151. Venkatapathy Raju played all his 53 ODIs alongwith Sachin!
152. Only six Indian bowlers have taken more four-wicket hauls than Sachin’s six in ODIs.
153. Nearly 25% of all centuries made by ALL Indian batsmen in ODIs had come from Sachin’s bat when he retired from this format in 2012.
154. Is the only batsman to aggregate 1,000 or more runs in a calendar year in ODIs on seven occasions (in successive years from 1996 to1998, in 1994, in 2000 and in 2003).
155. Holds the distinction of scoring most runs and hundreds in a calendar year in ODIs. Tendulkar aggregated 1894 runs in 34 matches with nine hundreds in 1998.
156. Only the second player (after Javed Miandad) to appear in SIX World Cups – from 1992 to 2011.
157. Most runs (2278) in World Cup history including 6 centuries & 15 fifties with a best score of 152 against Namibia in 2003 world cup.
158. 673 runs in 2003 Cricket World Cup, highest by any player in a single World Cup.
159. Player of the Tournament in ICC Cricket World Cup 2003
160. His 6 centuries are the most hit by any batsman in the World Cup.
161. His 21 fifty-plus scores (6 hundreds & 15 fifties) are the most by any batsman in World Cup.
162. Is the only batsman to aggregate 400 runs in a World Cup on THREE occasions – in 1996, 2003 and 2011
163. Only player to aggregate 500 runs in two editions of the World Cup (673 in 2003 and 523 in 1996).
164. Has won 9 Man of the Match awards in the World Cup – most by any player.
165. Only player to score four consecutive 50s on TWO occasions (in 1996 & 2003).
166. Holds the record of scoring the fastest fifty by an Indian in the World Cup (off 26 balls v Bermuda in 2007).
167. Holds the record of hitting most fours in a single edition of World Cup– 75 in 2003
168. Holds the record of hitting most fours in all World Cup matches (221)
169. Holds the record of involvement in maximum century-partnerships (12) in World Cup
170. Has most man of the match awards (8) in World Cup
171. Sachin ended a one-dayer on winning note with a six on two occasions - against Sri Lanka at Sharjah in 1995 (off Champaka Ramanayeke) and against England at Kanpur in 2002 (off Jeremy Snape) .
172. The most runs Sachin has scored in one over in ODIs is 24 off New Zealand’s Chris Drum at Hyderabad in 1999-00. Sachin hit one six, four boundaries and a couple. The four extras made it a 28-run over for team India. During the World Cup game against Sri Lanka at Delhi, Sachin scored 23 runs off one over from Ravindra Pushpakumara.
173. Sachin’s 134 against Australia at Sharjah in 1998 still remains the highest ODI score by any player on his birthday.
174. In 1998 Sachin won 12 man of the match awards in ODIs – most by any player in a single calendar year.
175. Sachin’s fastest knock in ODIs is 57* off 29 balls (SR 196.55) against Bermuda at Port-of-Spain in 2007.
176. Sachin was involved in a record 99 century partnerships in ODIs with 21 different partners– most for any player.
177. Sachin also holds the record for scoring most boundaries in ODIs
178. He is the only player to have taken 150 wickets and scored more than 15,000 runs in ODIs
179. During the Australian tour of India in 1998 Matthew Hayden said: "I have seen God. He bats at no. 4 in India in Tests”
180. 16 bowlers dismissed Sachin as their first ODI wicket!
181. In 39 innings in tournament finals Sachin aggregated 1851 runs (at an average of 54.44) – more than any other batsman in ODI history.
182. Sachin’s six centuries in ODI finals are also the maximum for any batsman. No one else has scored more than three.
183. Sachin has hit the most boundaries in international cricket. Second-placed is West Indian Brian Lara, with Ricky Ponting in third.
184. He holds the record for the most Man of the Match and Man of the Series awards in international cricket (all three forms combined). Till date, he has won the MoM award 76 times (14 times in Tests, 62 times in ODIs) and the MoS award 20 times (5 times in Tests, 15 times in ODIs). Both are world records.
185. Between 25th April 1990 and 24th April 1998, Sachin Tendulkar represented India in a total of 239 matches (54 Tests and 185 ODIs) without missing a single game. Till date, this remains a world record for the most number of consecutive matches for a team.
186. Tendulkar’s best bowling in international cricket came in a one-day international against Australia at Kochi on April Fool’s Day in 1998.
187. Tendulkar made his international debut at the age of 16 years. He is still the youngest debutant for India both in ODIs as well as in Tests.
188. Sachin set the record for most runs in an IPL season in 2010, scoring 618 runs in 14 innings with the Mumbai Indians.
189. Sachin has aggregated 2000 runs in international cricket in a calendar year on four occasions– More than anyone else.
190. Only batsman in cricket annals to score over 100 centuries in international cricket.
191. First batsman in history to score over 50 centuries in international cricket.
192. In all international cricket Sachin has aggregated 34273 runs – easily the most by any batsman. Ricky Ponting is distant second with 27483.
193. Holds the record of getting out the maximum number of times on 90s in international matches. He has been dismissed 27 times (17 in ODIs and 10 in Tests) on scores of 90-99. On one occasion in ODIs he remained unbeaten on 96. The 18 nineties in ODIs is an ODI record too.
194. Holds the record of aggregating most runs against a particular opponent in all forms of International Cricket (Tests, ODIs and Twenty20s). Sachin has aggregated 6707 runs against Australia in all international cricket with 20 centuries and 31 fifties at an average of 49.68
195. Sachin’s 20 centuries against Australia are the maximum by any batsman in all forms of international cricket against a particular country, surpassing Don Bradman who had made 19 Test centuries against England.
196. Has also hit most number of sixes (264) in international cricket for India
197. The 50108 runs scored by Sachin in all recognised cricket (first-class, list A and Twenty20s) are the most by a sub-continent player.
198. The 81 centuries scored by Sachin in first-class cricket are the most by any Indian (with Sunil Gavaskar).
199. Brett Lee has dismissed Sachin in international cricket on 14 occasions– most for any bowler.
200. In his last game across different formats (Tests,ODIs, T20Is, IPL, CLT20, Ranji Trophy) Sachin has ended on the winning side.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

The New iPad

 

Likes:

 

The Retina Display

Apple’s Retina Display has been a big hit on the iPhone and the iPod Touch. And now, it’s coming to the new iPad. According to Apple, the new iPad’s Retina Display will be the most impressive screen we’ve seen yet, and something that could put all other tablet makers far behind. Chances are that Apple will be spot-on with that prediction.

 

iOS 5.1

When Apple launched iOS 5 last year, just about everyone was happy to see it arrive. It delivered a host of enhancements that improved usability and security. With the new iPad, Apple has launched iOS 5.1, which, like its predecessor, delivers design and security enhancements. It’s not a major step up, but it’s a notable one, for sure.

The A5X

The A5X is not the A6 processor, which everyone was hoping to see in the new iPad, but it’s a significant jump over the iPad 2’s A5. The A5X comes with quad-core graphics and dual-core CPU performance, enhancing battery life but improving gaming and application capabilities. It’s a nice addition.

4G LTE

For well over a year now, critics have been calling on Apple to bring 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) service to its iPhone and iPad. Thankfully, Apple did just that with the new iPad. For enterprise users, especially, 4G LTE is a major selling point. Look for those devices running the LTE chip to be first to go when Apple’s new iPad launches.

New Camera

The new iPad’s new camera is a welcome addition to the device. According to Apple, it’s a 5-megapixel iSight camera, featuring auto-detection, flash and a host of other improvements designed to make the new iPad a worthwhile companion on road trips. It also helps that the device can record 1080p video.

Dislikes:

 

The Same Old Design

Apple’s new iPad comes with the same, basic design as its predecessor, the iPad 2. It’s unfortunate. Apple had the chance to deliver a unique new design with its new iPad, but instead decided to keep things as-is. It was a mistake.

 

Same Storage

In a world where digital music, movies and other entertainment content is being bundled with tablets, isn’t it time that Apple offer up more storage than just 64GB? Apple should have launched a 128GB new iPad, alongside its other options. At this point, having anything less than 32GB makes no sense.

 

Not Quite Siri

Apple has added voice dictation to the new iPad, but don’t for a minute think it’s Siri. For now, Siri is still exclusive to the iPhone 4S, and could very well stay that way for the foreseeable future. It would have been awfully nice if Siri came to the new iPad, but it looks like that’s just not in the cards.

 

4G LTE Pricing

As with anything else in the Apple world, for every nice new feature, there is something that can be considered a drawback. As nice as 4G LTE is, buying an iPad that comes with it will cost customers $130 more than the WiFi-only alternative. What’s more, the pricing plans themselves range from $15 to $50 a month. In other words, it’s no bargain.

 

The Name

And now we come to what might be Apple’s oddest decision with the new iPad: its name. Instead of calling the new iPad the iPad 3 or the iPad HD, Apple decided to go with a name that could very well confuse customers in the coming months. Moreover, what will Apple actually call the next iPad?

 

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Sunday, November 13, 2011

10 Steps to Moving to the Cloud

Virtualization and cloud computing increase efficiency and flexibility in providing data and applications to users, yet managing performance of applications and transactions in the cloud is neither simple nor easy. When you add another layer, particularly one that is highly dynamic in nature, assuring a high quality user experience gets trickier when applications misbehave. It’s harder to determine where an application or transaction was working when the failure or slowdown occurred, since virtual machines are provisioned and decommissioned continually according to business priority and demand. You can no longer monitor an application in the context of its server.

1. Think End-to-end
The traditional server-centric monitoring approach is no longer relevant. Focus on applications and transactions instead.

2. Fix First
Application problems don't go away in the cloud; address them before making the move.

3. Prioritize
Map out your business priorities by application so you can focus on infrastructure and monitoring.

4. Establish Baselines
Set performance baselines before migration, so IT can accurately characterize user issues in the cloud.

5. Define Metrics
Establish core metrics for the cloud, such as response time for critical transactions.

6. Monitor QoS.
Watch for degradation of quality of service during and after migration.

7. Watch for Contention
Resource contention on virtual machines is a common problem that IT should monitor.

8. Balance Java Clusters
Beware that adding nodes/capacity to an unbalanced cluster has detrimental effects.

9. Weigh Performance
Compare the performance history of your app in the cloud to the performance history while the app was "on iron".

10. Optimize Staff
Deploy IT staff according to business priority so you don't under-staff a critical application.

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10 Best Global Companies to Work For

 

What makes for a great workplace? Quality of life, access to senior managers, and clear career paths were among the attributes cited by workers in a “World’s Best Multinational Workplaces” survey from consultancy Great Place to Work. To be considered, companies must employ at least 5,000 people worldwide, with no less than 40% of them working outside of the home country. These are organizations that demonstrate a focus on improving the work and life experiences for the rank-and-file, and finding innovative ways to make good things happen. "This list recognizes global companies that have demonstrated a truly serious commitment to creating workplaces that foster trust, pride and camaraderie amongst their employees," said Jose Tolovi Jr., global CEO of Great Place to Work. The research is based on surveys in which more than 2.5 million workers took part. The top 25 can be found here; this slideshow includes the top ten companies, along with some perks from their global locations.

1. Family Affair

Microsoft
Microsoft invites its Norwegian employees on maternity and paternity leave—and their kids—to a quarterly “Junior Lunch.”

2. Business Education

SAS
SAS community-based education programs are used by more than 50,000 U.S. teachers at no cost.

3. Gracious Gesture

NetApp
Vice Chairman Tom Mendoza averages 30 “thank you” calls to employees a week.

4. Time to Innovate

Google
Engineers spend one-fifth of their time on projects of their own choosing, leading to innovations like Gmail, Google News and AdSense.

5. Career Opportunities

FedEx Express
European employees use the company’s Career Hub to manage careers and find new opportunities from within.

6. Front and Center

Cisco
CEO John Chambers invites workers for informal, candid group Q&A sessions that are held closely to their birthdays.

7. Accommodating Arrangement

Marriott
New hires in Mexico get to stay at a location for a night to experience its customer service first-hand.

8. Reaching Out

McDonald’s
McDonald’s UK works closely with the government and partners to provide jobs for the long-time unemployed, disabled, disadvantaged and military veterans.

9. Maternal Instinct

Kimberly-Clark
The company celebrates Mother’s Day with a catered breakfast or lunch for all moms in the company.

10. No Meeting Time Zone

SC Johnson
In Italy, directors/managers cannot call meetings before 9:30 a.m.

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Sunday, June 12, 2011

10 reasons why Chromebooks will be a huge success

As June 15th nears, the folks at Google must be busy biting their nails off. This is the big G’s first step into the world of operating systems, and they want everything to go just right. With the release of Chromebook, they will be competing with 3 operating systems which have been around for a very long time. Whether Google will manage to topple them or not, only time can tell; however, there are a few reasons that this might work out pretty well for them. Here are ten such reasons why Chromebooks will be a huge hit.

Backing from vendors: One reason Ubuntu has failed (uptil now) to give Microsoft a tough time is that it lacks backing from enough vendors. We can blame Microsoft some other time for that, but for now, having good vendor support is a must for a new Operating System. And luckily enough, as with Android, Chrome OS has a good backing from reputed companies like Acer, Samsung, Toshiba and Dell. Having such a big backing is definitely a huge head start for Google Chrome OS, no matter what happens afterwards.

Faster bootup times: For people who are always on the run, nothing is more annoying than a device that boots really slow. Windows and Macs, despite being so popular haven’t been able to make any significant leaps in this area. Google Chrome OS on the other hand, boots in almost 10 seconds; which, to the less tech-savvy sounds like a huge miracle in computing. And considering a major chunk of the computing userbase is a guy/girl who doesn’t know what a browser is, Chromebooks might be just what they need.

Another option for frustrated Windows users: Viruses, fragmentation, malware, crapware, bloating, BSODs, Windows has got it all. Chromebooks on the other hand, don’t happen to suffer from all these problems. It is a novel device that gets rid of the vulnerable middle man, that Microsoft has been making money off of for years. Now, there’s a big debate whether this is a good move or a bad one, and honestly, only time will tell whether it will work as Google envisions it to.

Apps galore: The lack of cross-platform applications is one major reason Windows users haven’t switched to Linux yet. As of now, Chrome OS doesn’t include any major switch-worthy applications, but the amount of applications that have been added to the Webstore recently is making the naysayers take back their words. Also, among the apps that are essential for any desktop user, Google claims that it has them all. For office junkies, there is Google Docs as well as MS Office Live; for music lovers there is Google Music and for gamers there are popular games like Angry Birds. In other words, if you aren’t a stickler for feature-loaded desktop applications, Chromebook will be enough to get you through the day without calling tech support.

Android encore: When Apple announced the iPad, many tech enthusiasts derided the product. However, iPhone fanatics and Apple fanboys in general were going to buy the device no matter how it was. Android, like iPhone, has managed to gain quite a lot of popularity in a short time. For the Android and Google fanboys, Chromebook is a must-have device, no matter what the critics say.

Great secondary device: These days there has been a sort of buzz about secondary devices. Secondary devices like tablets and netbooks are not only convenient but also affordable for many people who already own a desktop or laptop. When it comes to choosing as to which secondary device is the best one, there are a lot of people who would prefer Chromebooks. The reason is Chromebooks are cheaper than the much coveted iPad. Moreover, they are easy on the pocket. The iPad does make a good secondary device; however, the heavy price point is a turn off for many.

Web addicts: If you spend your whole day in a web browser, Chromebook is something you should consider buying. Having the whole operating system wasted on a chronic web addict must have been a good motivation point for Google to come up with a product like this.

Cloudlust: Be it Apple, Microsoft or Canonical; everyone’s going crazy about the cloud. Google however, wants you to pack all your belongings and just move to the cloud right away. With almost every Google service including Music, Docs and Books running directly from the cloud, the big G expects to make big breakthroughs in this area with the release of Chromebooks. Moreover, Google offers some pretty cheap storage upgrades for normal Google accounts. For anyone who is itching to get a taste of the cloud life, Chromebooks are (hopefully) a perfect entry point.

Low price: Unless you are living in a mansion somewhere or are a fanatic Apple fanboy, price is probably the first thing you’ll see before buying any new product. And after looking at Chromebook’s price, many people won’t be disappointed. If you consider the wifi-only model Acer provides, 350 $ isn’t too costly when compared with the 16 GB Wifi-only iPad 2 which costs 500 $. So, if most of your usage happens at home or a coffee shop with wi-fi, Chromebook can be a great deal. As far as the 3G versions are concerned, they’re a bit on the costlier side.

Good Battery Life: The Samsung model boasts of a 8.5 hour battery life with continuous usage. Now, that can be quite useful for someone who travels a lot.

Conclusion: Despite having absolutely no experience in the field of operating systems, Chromebook promises to bring a completely new concept to the desktop users. Only time will tell whether they’ll be as successful as Google wants them to be.

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Saturday, April 2, 2011

Software Update News

Scribus 1.4.0 RC3

Posted: 01 Apr 2011 04:44 AM PDT

Scribus is an open-source program that brings professional page layout to Linux/Unix, MacOS X, OS/2 and Windows.

Flash Player 10.3.180.65 Beta 2 (Non-IE)

Posted: 31 Mar 2011 10:19 PM PDT

Adobe Flash Player is the high performance, lightweight, highly expressive client runtime that delivers powerful and consistent user experiences across major operating systems, browsers, mobile phones and devices.

Flash Player 10.3.180.65 Beta 2 (IE)

Posted: 31 Mar 2011 10:18 PM PDT

Adobe Flash Player is the high performance, lightweight, highly expressive client runtime that delivers powerful and consistent user experiences across major operating systems, browsers, mobile phones and devices.

Adobe Air 2.7.0.19200 Beta 1

Posted: 31 Mar 2011 10:13 PM PDT

The Adobe® AIR, runtime enables you to have your favorite web applications with you all the time. Since applications built for Adobe AIR run on your desktop computer without a web browser, they provide all the convenience of a desktop application.

uTorrent 2.2.1 Build 25154

Posted: 31 Mar 2011 09:09 PM PDT

µTorrent is a small and incredibly popular BitTorrent client.

The Bat! Home Edition 4.2.44

Posted: 29 Mar 2011 04:53 AM PDT

The Bat! mail client has a lot of vital benefits and useful features that make your email experience simple and convenient. All these features perfectly fit any Windows OS. Moreover, The Bat! is the first and only email client Certified for Windows Vista by Microsoft Corporation. “Certified for Vista” logo guarantees the highest level of compatibil...

Orbit Downloader 4.0.10

Posted: 29 Mar 2011 04:51 AM PDT

Orbit Downloader, is a download manager specifically designed for the new generation Web (Web 2.0). You can use Orbit to download video/music/files from Myspace, YouTube, Imeem, Pandora, and Rapidshare, or on any site to make general downloading easier and faster.

ooVoo 3.0.2.6

Posted: 29 Mar 2011 04:23 AM PDT

With ooVoo, you can connect with anyone, anytime, with video calls, video messages, phone calls, text and more. Use ooVoo to get face time with people you can't meet in person (and save travel time and money!). ooVoo makes life easier and more fun.

Windows 7 Codecs 2.7.9

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 10:23 PM PDT

All the codecs you need for Windows 7 to play AVIs, DVDs and more!

EA Download Manager 7.3.5.7

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 10:14 PM PDT

EA Download Manager (formerly EA Link or EA Downloader) is an application that enables you to download games and related content directly to your computer. This application also provides one location for you to manage and organize your EA digital content.

Recuva 1.40.525

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 05:48 AM PDT

Recuva (pronounced "recover") is a freeware Windows utility to restore files that have been accidentally deleted from your computer. This includes files emptied from the Recycle bin as well as images and other files that have been deleted by user error from digital camera memory cards or MP3 players. It will even bring back files that have been del...

FileZilla 3.4.0

Posted: 27 Mar 2011 10:45 PM PDT

FileZilla Client is a fast and reliable cross-platform FTP, FTPS and SFTP client with lots of useful features and an intuitive graphical user interface.

FastPictureViewer 1.5 Build 182 (32-bit)

Posted: 27 Mar 2011 10:41 PM PDT

FastPictureViewer, an image viewer designed for photographers. Now with powerful workflow tools helping to automate file management duties like copy, move, delete, save-for-web and more.

Rainlendar 2.9 Beta 104

Posted: 27 Mar 2011 10:12 PM PDT

Rainlendar is a customizable calendar that displays the current month. It is a very lightweight application that doesn't use much system resources or take much space on your desktop.

ZoneAlarm Free 9.2.106.000

Posted: 27 Mar 2011 10:06 PM PDT

ZoneAlarm Free Firewall blocks hackers from infiltrating your home PC by hiding your computer from unsolicited network traffic. By detecting and preventing intrusions, ZoneAlarm Free Firewall keeps your PC free from viruses that slow down performance, and spyware that steals your personal information, passwords, and financial data.

WinZip 15.0.9411

Posted: 27 Mar 2011 12:06 AM PDT

WinZip is the most trusted way to work with compressed files. No other compression utility is as easy-to-use or offers the comprehensive and productivity-enhancing approach that has made WinZip the gold standard for file-compression tools.

FastStone Image Viewer 4.4

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 11:31 PM PDT

FastStone Image Viewer is a fast, stable, user-friendly image browser, converter and editor. It has a nice array of features that include image viewing, management, comparison, red-eye removal, emailing, resizing, cropping and color adjustments.

FluffyApp 1.0 Beta 6

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 11:24 PM PDT

FluffyApp is a simple and lightweight utility that was designed to help you instantly upload your pictures or other files to CloudApp. You only have to sign into your account and drag the files onto the application’s icon. CloudApp is a simple app which sits on the menu bar and allow drag-and-drop file uploading complete with an auto-shortened URL ...

Any Video Converter 3.21

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 11:02 PM PDT

Any Video Converter is an All-in-One video converting tool with easy-to-use graphical interface, fast converting speed and excellent video quality. It allows you to effortlessly convert video files between every format! It can convert almost all video formats including DivX, XviD, MOV, rm, rmvb, MPEG, VOB, DVD, WMV, AVI to MPEG-4 movie format for i...

Fresh View 8.16

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 10:38 PM PDT

Fresh View gives you the ability to organize and view multimedia files (images, audio, video). Watch movies, listen to music, and view graphics in a slide show. Image files in a folder can be displayed using a number of views, including a thumbnail view that lets you quickly see what your images are without having to open them.

Miranda 0.9.18

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 12:08 AM PDT

Miranda IM is a multi-protocol instant messenger client for Windows. Miranda IM uses very little memory and is extremely fast. It requires no installation and can be fitted on a single floppy disc. Its powerful plugin system makes Miranda IM very flexible. Only the most basic features are built in, but there are currently more than 350 free plugins...

Maxthon 3.0.22.1000 Beta

Posted: 25 Mar 2011 04:57 AM PDT

Maxthon Internet Browser software is a powerful tabbed browser with a highly customizable interface. It is based on the Internet Explorer browser engine (your most likely current web browser) which means that what works in the IE browser will work the same in Maxthon tabbed browser but with many additional efficient features:

Google Chrome 12.0.712.0 Beta

Posted: 24 Mar 2011 11:29 PM PDT

Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier.

Freemake Video Converter 2.1.1.1

Posted: 24 Mar 2011 10:56 PM PDT

Freemake offers free program for video converting - developed as alternative to popular paid software. “Free, easy and of high quality” are the fundamental principles of Freemake.

Sandboxie 3.54

Posted: 24 Mar 2011 10:30 PM PDT

Tired of dealing with rogue software, spyware and malware?

CCleaner 3.05.1408

Posted: 24 Mar 2011 05:27 AM PDT

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that...

Foxit Reader 4.3.1.0323

Posted: 24 Mar 2011 02:49 AM PDT

Foxit Reader is a free PDF document viewer, with incredible small size, breezing-fast launch speed and rich feature set. Its core function is compatible with PDF Standard 1.7.

VLC Media Player 1.1.8

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 10:37 PM PDT

VLC media player is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols without external codec or program.

uTorrent 2.2.1 Build 25130

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 10:07 PM PDT

µTorrent is a small and incredibly popular BitTorrent client.

SeaMonkey 2.0.13

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 09:41 PM PDT

SeaMonkey is a web-browser, advanced e-mail and newsgroup client, IRC chat client, and HTML editing made simple -- all your Internet needs in one application.

FrostWire 4.21.5

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 02:46 AM PDT

FrostWire, a Gnutella Peer-to-Peer client, is a collaborative effort from many Open Source and freelance developers located from all around the world.

Firefox 4.0

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 05:59 AM PDT

The Web is all about innovation, and Firefox sets the pace with dozens of new features to deliver a faster, more secure and customizable Web browsing experience for all.

Google Chrome 11.0.696.16 Beta

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 11:31 PM PDT

Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier.

Orbit Downloader 4.0.9

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 02:06 AM PDT

Orbit Downloader, is a download manager specifically designed for the new generation Web (Web 2.0). You can use Orbit to download video/music/files from Myspace, YouTube, Imeem, Pandora, and Rapidshare, or on any site to make general downloading easier and faster.

Adobe Air 2.6.0.19120

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 10:30 PM PDT

The Adobe® AIR, runtime enables you to have your favorite web applications with you all the time. Since applications built for Adobe AIR run on your desktop computer without a web browser, they provide all the convenience of a desktop application.

EA Download Manager 7.3.4.4

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 10:17 PM PDT

EA Download Manager (formerly EA Link or EA Downloader) is an application that enables you to download games and related content directly to your computer. This application also provides one location for you to manage and organize your EA digital content.

Soluto 1.1.1445 Beta

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 10:12 PM PDT

Soluto's goal is to bring an end to the frustrations PC users encounter. Soluto developed technology that tackles this problem from two different directions:

Flash Player 10.2.153.1 (Non-IE)

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 09:54 PM PDT

Adobe Flash Player is the high performance, lightweight, highly expressive client runtime that delivers powerful and consistent user experiences across major operating systems, browsers, mobile phones and devices.

Flash Player 10.2.153.1 (IE)

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 09:52 PM PDT

Adobe Flash Player is the high performance, lightweight, highly expressive client runtime that delivers powerful and consistent user experiences across major operating systems, browsers, mobile phones and devices.

Sandra Lite 2011 SP1a (17.43)

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 05:19 AM PDT

SiSoftware Sandra (the System ANalyser, Diagnostic and Reporting Assistant) is an information & diagnostic utility. It should provide most of the information (including undocumented) you need to know about your hardware, software and other devices whether hardware or software.

GPU-Z 0.5.2

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 04:34 AM PDT

GPU-Z is a lightweight utility designed to give you all information about your video card and GPU.

Vista Codec Package 5.9.2

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 11:23 PM PDT

All the codecs you need for Vista to play AVIs, DVDs and more!

FileZilla 3.4.0 RC1

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 11:15 PM PDT

FileZilla Client is a fast and reliable cross-platform FTP, FTPS and SFTP client with lots of useful features and an intuitive graphical user interface.

Windows 7 Codecs 2.7.8

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 11:08 PM PDT

All the codecs you need for Windows 7 to play AVIs, DVDs and more!

Foobar2000 1.1.6 beta 1

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 10:56 PM PDT

foobar2000 is an advanced freeware audio player for the Windows platform. Some of the basic features include full unicode support, ReplayGain support and native support for several popular audio formats.

phpMyAdmin 3.3.10

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 10:32 PM PDT

phpMyAdmin is a free software tool written in PHP intended to handle the administration of MySQL over the World Wide Web. phpMyAdmin supports a wide range of operations with MySQL.

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