Tendulkar to play in Irani Cup

• Sachin Tendulkar confirmed on Saturday that he was fit and will play the Irani Cup tie for the Rest of India against Delhi at Vadodara later this month.
• "I will be participating in the Irani Cup. I feel just fine now," he said during a promotional event, when asked about his physical fitness.
• Selection for the Test squad will take place between September 24 and 28 and the master blaster's name is certain to feature.
• Tendulkar had to miss the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, after being a part of the Test squad under Anil Kumble that lost the series to the home team 1-2, after sustaining an elbow injury while fielding in the third and final match at Colombo. He returned home and was replaced in the ODI squad by S. Badrinath.
• Asked about the debate regarding senior versus junior players in the Indian squad, Tendulkar opted for the diplomatic approach, saying, "We should show maturity regarding the issue and not drag it out."
• The Little Master wished the Indian Olympic team the very best for their next endeavour and congratulated the medal winners. Showing concern at the lack of infrastructure that faced the players, he said, "It is a very big thing that we could win three medals and it is a moment of pride for not just the winners but every Indian resident across the globe.
• "This is just the beginning. We will surely bring home more medals. So I feel that the concerned associations should take the responsibility to provide infrastructure to the players. After one achieves success, the effort is applauded but there is a long period before the event that the player put in their heart and soul before the final display."
• He also felt that winning on the Olympic stage took a lot of effort and hard work from the player's point of view. It was not just practice but the preparation towards it that also played a huge part.
• Tendulkar was of the opinion that if the preparation was not solid, the outcome would not be good as well. "Hence if we want our players to bring home more medals then they should be given the necessary backing from the people involved," he added.