DHAKA: Had life not blossomed on the pitch, Sachin Tendulkar - described as the `God of cricket` - would have perhaps been busy with operations and patients at a hospital.

The cricketer, who was in the city yesterday for a private school function, revealed, "If cricket had not happened, I`d have maybe become a doctor. Now, it`s difficult to imagine life without cricket. But I think I`d have been a sportsman for sure - as my second love was tennis, I`d have perhaps become a lawn tennis player."

Even as the 5000-plus students present cheered him on, the soft-spoken batsman, who was accompanied by wife Anjali, had some words of advice to offer them.

He said: "When I first played for India, my dad took me aside and asked me - You have reached a landmark, so what next? I said I`d continue to play for India. He told me that everything in life will be temporary - you can play cricket for ten, twenty years but that`s still temporary. The only thing that will stay with you till your last breath is the person you are. When you play cricket, people will appreciate. But I will be happy if people appreciate you for being a good person. And I hope you `priceless diamonds` too follow that. Don`t find shortcuts - follow the right path always. In tough times, tough men last."

Sachin shares a special link with Chennai, having scored some memorable innings at the MA Chidambaram stadium. Heaping praises on the city and its sport-crazy fans, he stated, "Whenever I played cricket in Chennai, it was the most disciplined crowd. They know their cricket. I have to admit that this city knows how to back the Indian cricket team - it`s not that other cities don`t know - but as far as discipline is concerned, Chennai is No. 1."

Source: The Times of India
BDST: 1048 HRS, JAN 18, 2014
AIA/RS