Mumbai, Sep 2 (IANS) Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar’s “Playing It My Way – My Autobiography” will be released Nov 6, the publishers announced here Tuesday.
“I knew that agreeing to write my story would need me to be completely honest, as that is the way I have always played the game. It would require talking about a number of aspects I have not shared in public before.
“So here I am, at the end of my final innings, having taken that last walk back to the pavilion, ready to recount as many incidents as I can remember since first picking up a cricket bat as a child in Mumbai 35 years ago,” Tendulkar said about his book.
The autobiography is being published by Hodder & Stoughton and will be simultaneously released globally through Hachette India.
“Over the past 25 years, Sachin Tendulkar’s colossal batting triumphs for India have singled him out as one of the greatest players in cricket history. He is universally admired and respected and, most impressively, remains a very modest man,” said Hodder & Stoughton editor Roddy Blookfield.
The darling of millions of cricket lovers worldwide, Tendulkar retired from the game in 2013 after playing for 24 years. The most celebrated Indian cricketer and the highest run-scorer in the history of international cricket, Tendulkar was honoured with Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, on the last day of his cricket career.
His autobiography details his remarkable story, from playing in the by-lanes of sub-urban Mumbai to his first Test cap at 16, to his 100th international century capped by the emotional final farewell that brought India to a standstill.
The boisterous Mumbai youngster’s boundless energy found expression in record breaking batting exploits as a schoolboy upon which was launched the career of a cricketing phenomenon.
Before long, he was the cornerstone of India’s batting line-up, his every move watched by a cricket-crazy nation.
Before Tendulkar, never did a cricketer perform at international level for so long and with style, scoring so many runs and centuries in both Tests and one-dayers, with the burden of so many expectations.
He brought together a shocked India by defiantly scoring a Test century shortly after the Mumbai terror attacks of Nov 26, 2008. Some of his crowning achievements for India include World Cup and India topping the World Test rankings.
Despite his international celebrity status, Tendulkar has always remained a very private person, devoted to his family and country.
“Playing It My Way: My Autobiography”, will provide an insight into his personal life and promises a frank and revealing account of his sporting life, the publishers say.