Sachin Tendulkar getting leaner for T20 in USA

Sachin Tendulkar plays an off-side shot at the BKC ground yesterday

Sachin Tendulkar retired from all forms of cricket in 2013, but there were hardly any signs of rustiness as the batting legend kicked off his preparations for the upcoming tournament, Cricket All Stars, a T20 concept of Tendulkar and Shane Warne devised to promote the game in the United States of America.


Sachin Tendulkar plays an off-side shot at the BKC ground yesterday. Pic/Nimesh Dave

Tendulkar has gone back to his diet schedule in order to get fitter for the exhibition matches. "A little bit (dieting) yes, I wanted to lose some weight so I had to check my diet. It's fine. We are all retired cricketers, we want to enjoy, we want to promote cricket.

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We want to get competitive as much as we can be, as much as the body allows us to be. So it's about having fun, getting our fans closer to us, giving them an opportunity to watch live cricket, get more engaged with cricket," he said about his new venture.

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Tendulkar, meanwhile, is looking to play with those batsmen whom he could never partner. "There are so many players. Matthew Hayden is someone I have not batted with; Michael Vaughan, (Kumar) Sangakkara and (Mahela) Jayawardene I haven't so there are quite a few players whom I haven't batted along with.

I have always had them in the opposition camp. To bat alongside them would also be an experience, it is something I have not done," Tendulkar said.