Sachin Tendulkar Honours His Three Mentors of Life on Teachers Day
The Indian cricketing genius Sachin Tendulkar has expressed his heartfelt gratitude towards his three lifelong mentors on Teachers’ Day. In the list, he thanked his father, Ramesh Tendulkar; the first coach, Ramanand Vitthal Achrekar; and his brother, Ajit, on the auspicious event of Teachers’ Day, honouring them for their unwavering support throughout his cricketing career. The cricket legend shared his appreciation and heartfelt wish through his ‘X’ and Instagram account on 5th September. Captioning, “The journey started with a coin, a kit bag, and three guiding hands: my father, Achrekar sir, and Ajit. Grateful, always. #TeachersDay,” While Ramesh Tendulkar passed away almost 26 years ago. And his coach, Achrekar, passed away in 2019. His elder brother Ajit was instrumental in shaping his early cricket journey. Under the watchful eye of coach Ramakant Achrekar, Sachin Tendulkar refined his technique and grew into one of cricket’s all-time greats. Across a glittering career, he amassed 34,357 runs in 664 international matches at an average of 48.52. Tendulkar’s list of records is unmatched. He remains the highest run-scorer in international cricket, the only man with 100 centuries to his name, and the first to register a double hundred in ODIs. He also became the first player to feature in 200 Test matches. In ODIs, he scored 18,426 runs at an average of 44.83, decorated with 49 centuries and 96 half-centuries. His Test career is even more remarkable: 15,921 runs at an average of 53.78, including 51 centuries and 68 fifties. Tendulkar’s World Cup journey began in 1992, but the crowning moment came nearly two decades later in 2011. On that night in Mumbai, when India defeated Sri Lanka to lift the ICC Cricket World Cup, Tendulkar’s lifelong dream was finally fulfilled.
Chasing One Rupee Coins to Earning ‘Zen State’ ; Puranik Scripts His Breakthrough
At five years old, Abhimanyu Puranik wasn’t dreaming of grandmasters or world titles. The present chess sensation rather dreamt of earning a one-rupee coin from each match. Growing up in Pune, his childhood chess academy awarded him with a small prize for each match he won, turning the enthusiastic Mumbai-born boy into today’s Grandmaster. The relentless competition and decades of unwavering practice and talent have earned him an International Master title in 2015, Grandmaster status in 2017, and now, perhaps, his most telling victories yet. However, in a dramatic change of events on 4th September, Puranik found himself across the board from a familiar face — 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh, fresh from her Women’s World Cup triumph in Batumi. The mentor-protégé pairing made for a rare spectacle in the first round of the Grand Swiss. Divya, the wildcard entrant, carried the aura of a rising star. While Puranik carried both experience and a point to prove. Six hours later, it was the 25-year-old who walked away with a win, his black pieces inching him closer to what he calls his “Zen state”. A month earlier, Puranik had joked to the Times of India about his Disneyland vacation: “The way I’m approaching the tournament is that I just had a month-long vacation. There’s a saying in the X-Men movies—to focus properly, you need the mental state between rage and serenity. You’re Zen, but laser-focused. That’s what I aim for.” That balance of calm and fight has been years in the making. His path to chess maturity wasn’t built on shortcuts but with continuous grinding and a lot of discipline — daily hours at Velankar sir’s class, then Jayant and Chandrashekhar Gokhale’s academy. He also stated that he has spent long evenings absorbed over Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual or Kasparov’s My Great Predecessors. When Viswanathan Anand clashed with Vladimir Kramnik in the 2000s, Puranik was a chess lover taking notes. For him, chess was never “heavy”. As he puts it, it’s like, “Slowly, I started competing in world school events and other tournaments. There was never really a question of doing something else—it just happened naturally,” he said. Puranik earned the International Master title in 2015 and became a Grandmaster two years later. Against Divya, his young protégé, Puranik displayed the same perseverance that defined his rise. And yet, even in victory, he found space for generosity. “I did whatever little I could to help her, and I’m glad. She has evolved so much, with an amazing mindset. Look at her results — national championship, Asian championship, Olympiad gold. She’s already a star, and she’ll be an even bigger one.” But this moment is also Puranik’s. With every move that changed one-rupee coins are now chasing to script history in that chess fraternity.
Exposure trip, especially playing against Iraq developed the players’ ‘self-belief’ says Moosa
Sudeep Pakrashi: A day before India’s under-23 men’s football team’s crucial tie against host Qatar in the ongoing under-23 Asian Cup qualifiers, national coach Naushad Moosa seems to have gained the belief, saying, “Despite the fact we do not have any video footage of Qatar’s recent matches, we are prepared mentally. We need points from this match.” The blue colts have already started their campaign on a winning note, drubbing Bahrain 2-0. The emergence of a ‘new kid on the block’ like Mohammed Suhail, whose crafty goal against Bahrain has already drawn the attention of the legend in Indian football like IM Vijayan has also added the ‘self-belief’ among the other footballers. But the former Indian international and the experienced coach feels this self-belief was instilled into the footballers during the team’s exposure trip to Malaysia. “Playing against the stronger team, like Iraq, played a crucial role in generating the ‘self-belief’. We lost both the friendly matches against Iraq. But the footballers realized they al so could also fight even against a stronger team and deliver their best. The reflection was against Bahrain.” The blue colts have been deprived of three experienced footballers like Techam Abhishek Singh, Dipendu Biswas and Suhail Bhat as they were not released by Mohun Bagan Super Giants. Moosa did not seem perturbed. Rather he explained, “It is true that the team would have been stronger. But, the new boys who have been debutants with the national jersey like Mohammed Suhail’s performance have also been inspiring and looking forward to the feature these boys can asset of senior national team also. These boys might not have had chances of coming in the first eleven if the experienced MBSG footballers had joined the team. So I feel it has been a significant journey for these boys.”
Jatinder Singh eyes Asia Cup glory in the UAE
Under the bright UAE lights, Jatinder Singh will walk out carrying a burden he has never shouldered before: the hopes of an Oman side stepping into uncharted territory. For the Ludhiana-born cricketer who moved to Oman as a teenager, this Asia Cup is more than just another tournament—it is both a personal milestone and a historic leap for Omani cricket. Once a boy who dreamt of facing India and Pakistan, Jatinder now stands as captain, entrusted with leading a new-look squad against two of the biggest forces in world cricket. The road to this moment has been anything but smooth. A year ago, a bitter fallout between the Oman Cricket Board and its players tore through the camp, with 11 members of the T20 World Cup squad suspended following central contract disputes. From that turbulence emerged Jatinder, the team’s most prolific run-scorer, chosen to chart a revival. He succeeds Zeeshan Maqsood, the stalwart who spent more than a decade shaping Oman’s rise from obscurity. But unlike in 2016, when Oman bowed out in the qualifiers, the team this time will walk into the Asia Cup main round as debutants—drawn alongside India, Pakistan, and the UAE in Group A. Their campaign begins on 12th September in Dubai, with Pakistan as their opening test. For Jatinder, this is not just another series—it marks the beginning of a new era and a chance to prove that Oman belongs on cricket’s biggest stage. Having already featured in two T20 World Cups and with more than 1,300 international runs to his name, he understands the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. While speaking to India Today Jatinder sums up his mission: ‘My aim is to make Oman proud at the Asia Cup.’
Emotional Messi says goodbye in Argentina, ‘will think’ on World Cup!
Lionel Messi got emotional after playing his final competitive match in Argentina in a 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Venezuela on Thursday at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, saying that finishing in front of his home fans was something he “always dreamed of.” Messi scored two goals and Lautaro Martinez added another as the Argentina star signed off in style in his last official match in the country. When asked about whether he would play in the World Cup next summer in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, Messi responded that he hasn’t made a decision yet and will consider it in the coming months. “There are so many emotions, I’ve experienced so many things in this field,” Messi said after the game. “It’s always a joy to play in Argentina with our people. We’ve been enjoying match after match for many years. I’m very happy; being able to finish in this way here is what I always dreamed of. “For many years, I have had the affection of Barcelona, and my dream was to have it here, too, in my country with my people. For many years, a lot of things were said, but I’ll stick with the good. All the good things about the group that tried it were that they couldn’t get it and concentrate. “Then, I was given it and some of the players in the roster and the past one. Everything we lived was beautiful. Today was the last one for points here.” Argentina entered Thursday’s match leading the CONMEBOL standings with 35 points in 16 games, having already qualified for the 2026 World Cup. Messi expressed his desire to play in the World Cup but emphasized he will assess his physical condition before making a final decision on whether to participate.
