Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar on Mumbai cricket and his vision

The Mumbai Ranji Trophy team will kick off their season with an away clash against Andhra from October 1 Time and again Aditya Tare amp Co will be reminded of Mumbais rich cricketing history having won the Ranji Trophy 40 timesHis masters voice Sachin Tendulkar in an animated discussion with the Mumbai Ranji Trophy and under23 squad at BKC ground yesterday PicSuresh KKHowever Mumbai and India stalwart Sachin Tendulkar does not want the young side to be put under pressure of past achievementsTendulkar spent nearly three hours with the Mumbai Ranji Trophy and U23 players during their practice session at the Bandra Kurla Complex ground yesterdayMumbai coach Chandrakant Pandit arranged for an interaction between the legendary Indian batsman and the players Tendulkar not only monitored the practice session but also passed on tips to help the players finetune their skills He also had oneonone sessions with several youngstersTendulkar took out some time to talk to midday about Mumbai cricket and his visionOn his interaction with the Mumbai teamIts a young team Certainly the players will have to work hard to make it count to be able to have a successful season Its a journey where there are going to be ups and downs The players will have to stay together and be prepared to ride those ups and downs as a team They have to play as a team If you are batting dont think you are batting for yourself You are batting on behalf of the teamhellip you have a nonstriker guy Think about building partnerships rather than about I am going to do this It is not about me it is about we Bowl in partnerships field as a team and put pressure on the opposition That is where things start changing When you are going through tough times these are small things which will add to making a big contribution as a team That is what the good teams doOn Mumbais semifinal finish in last Ranji seasonI wasnt surprised Mumbai cricket has a terrific history The track record has always been that even if we were in a difficult situation we were known to overcome those obstacles and fight till the end I am not against losing There are two teams ndash one is going to win and the other one has to lose You have to put up a good fight but not surrender and Mumbai is not known to surrender Mumbai is known to fight till the end so I wasnt surprised with last years turnaround We have done that earlier too I just feel if players stick togetherhellip there are a couple of them who have been around like Abhishek Nayar There are promising youngsters like Surya kumar Yadav Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane obviously wont be there but Dhawal Kulkarni is there Aditya Tare is there too If all these players get together and keep the team tighter and closer we have the talent to do something That unpredictability factor and uncertainty of the sport will always be there but it is all about how you prepare yourself I am sure the preparation is going to be good Players have plans to play some preseason practice matches in Hyderabad which is a good sign These kind of matches where you play as a team allows you to be better preparedOn the pressure of being 40time Ranji championsWhatever we have won so far we have to take confidence from it and move forward There should be no pressure but confidence that the earlier generation has done this There is no reason why we cant continue doing it These feats are not easy to achieve and repeat You have to work very hard for it and these players are ready to work hard By focusing only on the results every time it becomes difficult The focus shifts Your focus should be on the process and not on the result Results will followOn Mumbai being supply line for the Indian team at one pointAt no stage are you consistently going to have five to six players in the international team from one state Its a cycle which keeps changing You cant always be at the top but the question of how quickly you can get there again is something we need to find out As long as we are making a sincere effort to get there again it is fine One feels proud that Mumbai cricket has contributed significantly as far as Indian cricket is concerned It should continue but there shouldnt be any pressure It should be an enjoyable journey where the players feel good about reaching to the top And then to stay there is more important Playing for the country is the first innings but the second innings is a longer innings which requires more commitment and effortOn which aspect of Mumbai cricket needs attentionMumbai cricketers need to have more matches and more opportunities I have said this earlier and that starts from grassroot level Thats the only reason I had said this a few years ago that 13 14 players should get to play It is all about giving more chances and more match practice Things will not change overnight but there will be a changeOn Dr HD Kanga Cricket League being played in monsoon againKanga League gave us a different format to enjoy At no stage you will get an outfield with grass oneandahalf feet high You are not going to get those sorts of wickets in firstclass matches either Adapting and adjusting to those conditions was fun It teaches you to play with softer hands I have fond memories of thatOn other states producing good resultsIt is a positive sign for Indian cricket that other teams are also performing well You never grow by pulling down someone else You grow by doing what the other teams are not being able to do How we can do better than others is what everyone should think I would like to give credit to the BCCI for spreading the game and developing it in rural areas With the help of role models youngsters get an impetus to make it as their career Cricketing goods are now available in small towns as well which wasnt available earlier