Money is not necessarily a bad thing but youngsters should not fall for its lure and, instead, should play the game in the cleanest possible way, Sachin Tendulkar said on Friday.
The batting maestro, who was conferred the rank of honorary Group Captain by the Indian Air Force at a function in the capital on Friday, said that playing the game in the right spirit was of utmost importance.
“If there is more money in cricket, there is no harm… But you also have to keep in mind that the priority has to be to play cricket in the cleanest way and in the right spirit,” said Tendulkar.
Asked how youngsters can resist the lure of money, Tendulkar said: “When I started playing cricket, I did not think of making money. I started playing cricket because I loved it and even today, that is the case.
“It’s not about money. If I make more money than the runs I score, I would not be able to sleep at night. When I score runs, I sleep well at night,” he said.
According to Tendulkar, representing the nation remained his biggest passion. “It has been my passion to play cricket for India and do well. I can stick my neck out and tell you that players who play for India are committed, determined and always waiting to go out and give their best,” he said.
“When we play, we always play to win, whether it’s the first match or the final. Our motto has always remained the same,” he added.
Tendulkar strongly backed the youngsters saying that they are a wonderful lot with a bright future. “In Sri Lanka, we made the final with some wonderful youngsters. We played good in patches and, sometimes, we were not up to the mark.
“May be we had committed some mistakes… But such things do happen in cricket and we have to correct them,” said Tendulkar.
“Sometime we react (too much). We will have to make sure that the players get all the confidence. And when we will have identified who will play in the World Cup, they will have to be given a reasonable role so that they feel confident and up for the contest,” he said.
Asked whether he was expecting the Bharat Ratna, Tendulkar smiled and said: “Which Indian does not want Bharat Ratna? It’s a great honour… in fact, it is the country’s greatest honour.”
On his association with the Indian Air Force, Tendulkar said: “Only time in my life I got into a fighter plane was in South Africa, in 1996... It was very scary. This is a special day and I will cherish this moment for the rest of my life... Whenever we are in Mohali (for matches), we would see fighter planes passing by. It is a very fascinating sight.”
In 2008, India’s World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev had received the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the Territorial Army.
