Sachin Tendulkar on Gold Toss coin

The specially-designed gold coin for toss in Sachin's 200th and last Test. (BCCI)

Hope Sachin sign off on high-Rahul Dravid

MUMBAI: There is perhaps no one who can claim to have spent more time with Sachin Tendulkar on the cricket field. Having shared numerous partnerships with him in the middle, having seen him bat since the maestro was 15, Rahul Dravid, a batting colossus himself, sure knows the legend and his game inside-out. "What he has accomplished is difficult to replicate," Dravid said at a promotional event in the city on Monday.

"He has never let his standard come down. His love for cricket has been consistent from the age of 16 to even now at 40. I would like that he does well in his last two Tests and signs off with a good performance. I hope he enjoys both these games. He has worked hard for so many years now, so he deserves a good farewell," Dravid felt. "I just want to wish him all the best and say 'thank you' for all that he has done for Indian cricket for the last 24 years," Dravid added.

Would he come to the Wankhede Stadium to watch his final match for India? "I hope to be there. I hope to do some media work around that time," he said.

Dravid felt that while it was impossible to replace a batsman of Tendulkar's class in the Indian team, there are talented batsmen around who can help fill that void to some extent. "There are some good young talented players around. What Virat has been able to do in one-day cricket and Test cricket is quite exceptional. I think India's one-day batting is good as I have ever seen it. Our top six-seven are just sensational," he said.

Dravid has sympathy for Indian bowlers who have disappointed during the on-going ODI series against Australia. "It's been a tough series for the bowlers. It's hard to blame them. I won't be too critical of our bowlers. They are young and inexperienced. With all these field restrictions coming in, it's not easy to be a bowler. What needs to be an acceptable bowling performance for them probably needs to be re-assessed."

AC Milan defender Philippe Mexes gets four-game ban for punching

Rome:  AC Milan central defender Philippe Mexeswas banned for four games on Monday after punching Juventus' Giorgio Chiellini in a Serie A clash in Italy's Turin city on Sunday.

The Rossoneri centre-back's violence went unnoticed by the match officials, but was captured by TV, according to which the Italian football authorities decided to hand him a retrospective four game suspension.

Chiellini had complained about Mexes' assault and demanded that he be punished.

It means the French international will miss the games against Udinese, Parma, Lazio and Fiorentina.

Sachin Tendulkar first Indian to reach 50,000 runs in all formats

In Mumbai Indians' semi-final against Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday, Sachin Tendulkar reached another landmark by completing an astounding 50,000 runs in competitive cricket across all formats.

Needing 26 runs on the day to reach the mark, Tendulkar tucked the ball towards midwicket for a single off left-arm spinner Yannick Ottley to reach another milestone in a glorious career spanning close to two-and-a-half decades.
He scored 35 off 31 balls before being dismissed by Lendl Simmons.
Tendulkar now has 50009 runs in 953 competitive matches, which includes 551 List A matches, 307 First-class matches and 95 T20 games.

Tendulkar has so far scored 25,228 runs in 307 First-class matches, including a staggering 15,837 runs in 198 Tests.

The 40-year-old has 21,999 runs in 551 List A matches which includes 18,426 runs in 463 ODIs.

Having scored 2747 in the 94 earlier T20 matches, the Master Blaster scored the necessary 26 runs with ease.

Tendulkar has had an ordinary 2013 CLT20 tournament till the semifinals and could score only 20 runs in four matches with a highest score of only 15. (Mumbai beat Trinidad, enter final)

Sachin is also standing on the cusp of another rare feat of becoming the first player in the history of the game to play 200 Test matches, which in all likelihood will be completed in the upcoming two-Test series against the West Indies.

Sunil Gavaskar says, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid my best students

New Delhi:  Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar hailed Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid's contribution to Indian and international cricket. He however told NDTV that choosing the better player is impossible.

Both Tendulkar and Dravid played their final T20 match on Sunday in the Champions League T20 title clash. They may have been playing the match for opposite teams but Gavaskar said their combination for India has been phenomenal. "Both are my absolute favourites. I would not even dare to take sides because it's like the left and the right hand and you need both your hands to perform. And they themselves agree - Rahul at three, Sachin at four have saved India so many times," he said. "The two have fed off each other and have been wonderful," he added. Dravid and Tendulkar hold the record for most number of century partnerships - 20 - in Tests.Dravid, in particular, did get Gavaskar's special accolade for his leadership skills. Leading his team through the Indian Premier League spot-fixing controversy was a brave and successful endeavor, he said. "If you look at how he rallied the team after what happened in May, to be able to build the confidence among each other in the dressing room is a huge thing."Gavaskar further said that he feels Dravid will be an able cricket administrator, moving forward. "Because he is such a great one for preparation, I think somebody like him would be fantastic as far as administration is concerned. He would certainly bring a lot of thought into it and that's what every administration needs," he said.

Retiring from Test cricket made me more emotional: Rahul Dravid

NEW DELHI: He has been the finest ambassador for India in the traditional form of the game and Rahul Dravid, after calling time on his cricket career, remained true to his first love -- Test cricket.

"It was (emotional) in some ways. It's when you give up Test cricket, that's when you feel emotional," Dravid said when asked whether he felt emotional turning up for Rajasthan Royals against Mumbai Indians in the last match of his professional career.

"It was a privilege to lead such a bunch. The franchise has gone through a lots of ups and downs. It has been the same group and there was great working environment," Dravid, who captained Rajasthan Royals to the final of Champions League T20, said.

As he has done on many occasions, Dravid did mention that the spot-fixing scandal involving India international S Sreesanth was "very disappointing".

"It wasn't an ideal thing to have happened. I don't want to comment specifically but those were extremely challenging times," Dravid told in an interview to a TV channel.

Dravid felt that the spot-fixing incident is a lesson for the cricket establishment that one needs to be "vigilant".

"Look, people who want to corrupt the game are not going to go away. It's a lot about the choices that an individual makes. We have to be vigilant."

Dravid gave a logical answer as to why he came in at No 8 during the final last night.

"Chasing a target with an asking rate of 11 per over is certainly not my strength at 40 plus," he laughed.

"It has been a memorable journey with the Royals. It started three years back and last two years, I have been a captain. The whole campaign has been excellent. Yesterday was a good night and I got a lovely reception from the Delhi crowd."

He was all praise for veteran Praveen Tambe who grabbed 12 scalps in the tournament to emerge as highest wicket-taker.

"While we play international cricket, we must never forget that we have the Praveens of the world playing for along with us in the club matches. It's a heart warming story of Praveen's skill, fortitude and attitude."

The best part about retirement according to Dravid "is not having to practise anymore".

"I will get to spend more time with my family. I haven't planned about my second innings. Right now however, I need a holiday."

Mumbai Indians beat Rajasthan Royals to win CLT20 2013 title

NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians made it a golden Twenty20 season for themselves winning the Indian Premier as well as the Champions League T20 title in the same year. The Rohit Sharma-led side defeated Rahul Dravid's Rajasthan Royals by 33 runs to win the CLT20 for the second time at the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium on Sunday.

Scorecard | Match in Pics

Chasing 203 to win, Royals were in with a chance till Ajinkya Rahane (65) and Sanju Samson (60) were in the middle but Harbhajan Singh (4/32) and Kieran Pollard (3/31) cut short the chase.

Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar dazzled all-too-briefly in his last T20 game but his teammates put up a frenzied display of power-hitting to enable Mumbai Indians to reach a seemingly insurmountable 202/6 after being put in to bat.

With RR skipper Dravid playing his last competitive game, it was a day of farewells at the Ferozeshah Kotla. The hapless Royals bowlers, though, were left scratching their heads as MI's million-dollar baby Glenn Maxwell finally got it together to lead the late charge, smashing 37 off 14 balls (4x4, 2x6), including two fours and a six off James Faulkner's 19th over.

It was again Dwayne Smith, though, who got the innings going with a belligerent 44 (39b; 5x4, 1x6) before RR's 41-year-old leg-spinning sensation and the tournament's highest wicket-taker Pravin Tambe (4-0-19-2) got rid of him in the 12th over.

Tambe's efforts were undone somewhat as Shane Watson and Stuart Binny kept bowling loose deliveries, and after Ambati Rayudu departed for a 24-ball 29, the stage was set for another Rohit Sharma-Kieron Pollard spectacular.

The MI skipper didn't disappoint, pulling Binny over deep midwicket for maximum before both batsmen targeted Kevon Cooper, the 16th over yielding two sixes and a four and 20 runs before Faulkner uprooted Pollard's leg-stump in the next.

Sharma's belligerence too seemed to take a hit and he went soon after for 33 off 14, but Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik (15 off 5 balls) ensured no let-up in the rampage.

The final itself threatened to turn into a sideshow, though, as Tendulkar and Dravid hogged all the pre-match attention before Tendulkar took guard for what could be the last time at the Kotla.

Just when it seemed Tendulkar would stamp his authority on Watson, though, the bowler sent his off-stump cartwheeling. A subsequent guard of honour from MI players and a muttered "thank you" from the batsman brought the curtains down on Tendulkar's innings in coloured clothing.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians 202/6 (Smith 44, Maxwell 37, Rohit Sharma 33; Tambe 2/19) bt Rajasthan Royals 169 in 18.5 ovs (Rahane 65, Samson 60; Harbhajan 4/32, Pollard 3/31)