Richards advises Tendulkar to play his natural game

Sachin Tendulkar may have been dubbed a Master Blaster in countless media columns around the cricketing world, but he has always remained a fan of the original bearer of that title. Finding himself in Antigua, therefore, Tendulkar was keen to meet Sir Vivian Richards.

The feeling, it appeared, was mutual. Antigua's favourite son went to the Indian dressing rooms himself to root out Tendulkar, giving cricketers like Wasim Jaffer and Sarandeep Singh, who were ready with their cameras, the chance to have themselves photographed with Richards.

Tendulkar and Richards then sat on the balcony, exchanging quiet remarks. While the Mumbaikar speaks slowly, choosing his words with care, Richards' sentences flow with the rapidity of runs from his bat. The two spoke mostly about the Indian maestro's batting and Tendulkar's worry about his scores of 0, 0, 8 and 0 in his last four innings.

When asked to comment on Tendulkar's batting, Richards said, "I feel that you are not at all enjoying your batting. It seems you have the pressure on your shoulders as well as at the back of your mind. Why increase the pressure on yourself? 'I've to score runs' - don't go out in such a frame of mind. Just go out there and enjoy your game."

Sunil Gavaskar recently remarked that a minor flaw had crept into Tendulkar's technique, so naturally he was eager to get Richards' opinion on whether any glaring deficiencies existed.

"Since you have gotten out to a particular kind of delivery, don't think that you have a fault in your technique," said Richards. "It may be there and it might not. But the one thing more important than technique is your head. It is your brain that will tell you whether to play forward or go back. Your feet are moving; keep your head straight, concentrate hard and go out to bat with the intention of enjoying the game. You seem to be over-cautious, and that is prominent in your batting. Be yourself; play your natural game."

Richards drew upon his own experiences to encourage Tendulkar further. "I remember when I was passing through such a phase, some of my friends in the media thought I had some faults with my technique," said Richards. "They even wrote that my defence was not solid. And I played 121 Tests without this quality!"

"Was it possible to score runs consistently against the bowlers of the caliber of Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson, Imran Khan or Richard Hadlee?" continued Richards. "I always wanted to dominate the bowlers and tried to break their rhythm. When the media went after me, I laughed at them, and till now I have the same feeling."

Advice, in a nutshell, was therefore forthcoming. "My request to you is - don't pressurise yourself," said Richards. "Enjoy your batting. You have so many centuries and thousands of runs against your name, and you have scored them in your own capacity. Don't forget that."

Richards himself followed that philosophy to the hilt, executing it perfectly for over 15 years in the international arena. It remains to be seen whether Tendulkar follows suit and breaks free of his self-imposed shackles at Jamaica.