"All my dreams have been accomplished" - Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar celebrating Mumbai Indians’ Champions League T20 victory

Mumbai Indians won the Champions League T20 on Sunday in Delhi, capping off a stupendous year which saw them lifting the IPL trophy too.

Sachin Tendulkar, taking in the applause and playing for Mumbai Indians for the last time, lifted the trophy along with his teammates in Feroze Shah Kotla, bidding goodbye to the T20 format. He has already retired from ODIs and will be featuring only in Test cricket in the near future.

Talking to Champions League T20′s official site on the achievement, he accepted that all his dreams have come true.

On being asked what his future goal was, the maestro said, “The dream was to be part of the No.1 Test team in the world, then win the World Cup, the IPL and the CLT20. All those dreams have been accomplished now.

“To win the IPL and then the CLT20 in the same year is a special thing. When the IPL season started, we wanted to win it so bad. The team has done beautifully since then, and the end result has been fantastic,” he said on Mumbai’s double success this year.

Sachin Tendulkar also completed 50,000 runs in all recognised forms of cricket during the tournament, becoming the 16th man overall and first player from the subcontinent to do so, but maintained that he was unaware of the record.

“I didn’t actually know about that landmark. I only realised it when the big screen flashed that I was two runs away from scoring 50,000 runs. That came as a surprise to me. It’s a wonderful feeling. I have enjoyed various challenges along the way. There have been ups and downs, and it’s been a wonderful journey of which I have no complaints whatsoever,” he said.

Tendulkar played his last T20 against his Indian teammate for more than a decade and Rajasthan Royals captain, Rahul Dravid, who was playing his last match as a professional cricketer.

Talking about Dravid, he said, “The least I can say about Rahul is that he is a true champion. He has been a terrific and world-class player – one of the best I have played with and against. The first time I met him was when I captained him in the Wills Trophy. Since then it has been a privilege for not only me but the entire world to watch Rahul perform so brilliantly on a consistent basis.

“I just want to congratulate Rahul for a wonderful career that he’s had and I wish his family all the very best. I am sure there are many more wonderful things that will happen in his life.”

On the question of him joining the Mumbai Indians side as a coach in future, he chose to keep the options open.

“As of now, I don’t know. We’ve just won this tournament and I want to enjoy this moment. There are still good six months and I am sure something will come along till then.

I am actually looking forward to the next season because I have been part of MI for six years now and it has been an experience I have really enjoyed,” he concluded.