Share This Post

Fun

Win a FREE TICKET to Sachin’s 200th Test Match!!!

Updated 22nd Nov 2013

 

Well, phew!

 

What a match & WHAT a farewell !! Still have an adrenaline rush everytime i watch a clip on TV or think about it.

 

 

Glad i was able to share it with Akshay Chadha who won the contest & flew down from Bangalore for the occasion. Hopefully, this win & farewell would be amongst the most wonderful cricketing moments !!

 

 

 

 

photo1

 

Cheers!

 

 


 

ORIGINAL POST

 

Here’s a chance to win a free ticket to Sachin Tendulkar’s last International match at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai….!

 

 

 

NOTE: There is only one ticket. This ticket is valid for 3rd day only [Saturday – 16th Nov ] and will have to be collected from Games2Win office.

 

So what do you have to do to win this?

 

Quite simply, tell us a great story relating you and cricket. And why you should win this ticket. You can tell multiple stories to improve your odds. The best entry gets a prize. You must share your story right here as a comment. [Pls. note I shall judge the entries.]

 

Entries close tomorrow [14-November at 17:00hrs ]. So get going already !!

 

Quite unrelated to the contest, at Zootr, we want to enrich cricket fans’ experience through technology. Would love if you could download these cricket apps ( iOS & Android ) and let us know how it works for you!

Comments

Share This Post

31 Comments

  1. Little background: Me and my brother were huge cricket fans as kids. We knew all the players of all the countries, knew quite a lot of stats – runs scored, player average, records etc, never missed a match if we could avoid. Also, since childhood my parents have been pretty strict about academics.  

    I was in class 9th, I had half-yearly exams coming up, but it was India-Australia One day series was going on, so me and my brother were watching match. My mum suddenly gets very angry seeing us chilling before exams, switches of TV and says – “Sachin kabhi tumhari report card dekhne ata hai jo tum uski baith ke dekh rahe ho? Kabhi sachin se jake poocha hai ki kitni practice ki thi field pe ane se phle ? ” 

    She had said a lot things in that one sentence:
    1) To achieve great things in life, you have to make sacrifice of enjoyment time and focus your energies on your work.
    2) Be a doer yourself. Nothing will be achieved by stating examples of others, if that is all you do.
    3) Behind every great man is hours and hours of effort to polish his skill. 

    In one sentence she had brought the importance of the Sachin in our lives to zero. Me and my brother, still like joke about the incident ! #respectsachin  

    PS –  This was just to narrate a story, I cannot possibly be in mumbai to watch match 🙂 

  2. Thanks Nivedita for sharing this story… Yes, we’ve all been inspired by Sachin through these years in more than one way !! 

  3. My Dad played cricket for clubs. I don’t know whether it came via genes but I had an inclination towards the game since young age. Since school days, holidays for me meant only one thing i.e. cricket match. I used to be the opening batsman hitting with Wills bat (then endorsed by Sachin). I could judge the ball well and mostly hit straight drives only. Something about that shot always made me wanna play it. Later I realized that it is the way Sachin hits it and my love for it made me do it. The way he approached every ball and baller. The love for the game has made place in my heart forever. This passion for the game followed even in my college days where we played Intra and Inter college tourneys winning Silver and Bronze medals for the team. I was called 10v by my team mates coz they knew my admiration for the Master, and also that his jersey number is 10. Sometimes I wonder about how I could play cricket even when I didn’t formally got training for it. But then I was loving it. One of my best moments of playing cricket was when once after college, me and my friends went to Juhu Beach. There were these bunch of kids who were playing. Now, I have this thing for cricket, if the ball reaches me, I feel like spinning the ball. And that is what happened. Ball reached us. All we did was joined the kids and played on the beach with sun almost setting. Cricket for me is beyond stats, beyond teams. The sheer joy of watching a smiling Ranatunga on the field, or lazy Inzamam giving up couple of runs, or David Shepherd precise judgement, or Moin Khan’s constant ranting behind the stumps. Cricket for me is about moments. The straight drive that made David Shepherd almost fall, the never-heard-but-still-associated word “aila” of Sachin :), it is pure nostalgia. Now the game has changed a lot. It’s got more aggressive. But I believe it is the need of the hour.  I am very bad at stats. Pathetic actually. 😛

  4. Pratik – more than enter this contest, I’d like to chat to a fellow entrepreneur in the online cricket industry. How can I contact you? My email is harsh@dream11.com and I’m the CEO of Dream11.com, the World’s No.1 Fantasy Cricket Game.

  5. It All relates with me and his journey.

    On 14 November 1987, Tendulkar was selected to represent Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy
    I
     born on Same Date 14th November 1987

    Sachin’s First Test 15th November 1989 against Pakistan,
    Sachin’s Last Test 14th November 2013 against West Indies

    We share Journey of 26 Years(me in my Life and Sachin in Cricket)

    Sachin Score 14 International Centuries in Month of November (See 14th November)

    ITC signs Sachin Tendulkar as co-creator”The Economic Times. 14 November 2006.

    Sachin Married on 22 (May) 1995 ~ 22/05/1995 ~22+5+1995=2022~2+0+2+2  =  6
    I married on 28 May(same Month) 2005(10 Years) ~ 28/05/2007 ~ 28+5+2007=2040~2+0+4+0            =  6

    And Top of That, I am looking for My Birthday Gift for Today’s Occasion and this Ticket Suits best.
    So I think I am Most Deserving Person on this Post as of Now.

  6. The 2 biggest lessons of my life: You will never be a master at everything and Perseverance can help you master anything.

    1.You will never be a master at everything, accept that others can be better and learn from them

     I was a typical scholar student in my school days, with P.T class being my only claim to outdoor sports/activity and sole aim to be top in class. Till around the 5th grade. (and this when I live 200 metres away from the Mecca of Mumbai cricket).That’s when I made some friends who were really into cricket. They played, followed and cricket was a quasi-religion. Slowly, I developed interest in the game, but was a pathetic player. And this when most of friends were excellent.

    And suddenly, I was in an environment where I was not the ‘scholar’ everyone turned to for help. Unnerving for someone who was always chased for help, the tables were truly turned. Thankfully,  my friends were more than happy to teach and I learnt that day that my friends ,who were average at studies, were really good at this game. I also realised also that God endows each one of us with  being excellent in some area. Maybe we just need to find it and focus on it.

    2.Perseverance can help you master anything. Even rocket science!

    Having learnt the basics, I was still a pretty average player, neither a good batsman or a bowler. I pretty much made up the numbers for the playing XI (I guess more because of my friends and sometimes because there was nobody else) Once, we lost an important match due to some really sloppy fielding by me. The loss that day awakened something in me and I decided that I would strive to become the best fielder of our side. After about a year or two of slogging away, I did manage to win a match for our side only due to my fielding. And till today, it has instilled in me that nothing is impossible to master. You just need to set your heart on it and keep at it. This has helped me master/get the confidence to handle a lot of alien situations in life and does so till today.

     I would say Cricket also taught me how to work in a team, take others along, manage expectations and much more. Today I may not be able to play or watch as much as I wish to, but I can never forget the game’s contribution in making me the person I am.

  7. The fact that this ticket converted me from a passive to an active member should count for something as well! 😉

  8. “Thank You Sachin…!!!

    Lines borrowed from the article of Harsha Bhogle”s article in todays Indian Express, when he was asked one word that described Sachin Tendulkar. He says “the most obvious were “genius”, “legend”, “master” but the one that comes instantly to mind is “humble””. I have been fortunate to witness this trait of Sachin.

    Turning the clock back by 19 years, year 1995. Back then our current PM was at his best. He had opened the economy (and occasionally opened his mouth too then ;)) and by 1995, renowned MNCs had started making their foray into Indian Market. Philips was the market leader in the old economy and was being pushed by companies like BPL, Onida and Videocon. Companies like Sony, Aiwa, Akai, JVC, Sansui had introduced their models, in collaboration with Indian companies, in the emerging market who had till then seen only archaic TVs and Music Systems. For technologically advanced models, the connoisseurs and rich used to depend on their visit to Dubai and the “imported systems”.

    It was during these challenging times for Philips that it introduced a 32 inch TV set with much fanfare, the best that was ever launched in Indian Markets and most expensive. It was priced at whooping Rs. 1,72,000/-(!!!). Ads of the same were released in the Newspapers.

    Yours sincerely had failed in First Year Engineering Exam .
    After giving Dec. ATKT exam in Dec. 1994, I had nothing to do till the beginning of next academic year still 6 months away. Deciding to utilize this free time, I joined a Consumer Durables Showroom as a Salesman at “Zarapkars”, Dadar, Mumbai which was the biggest in the region then. The shop used to have shutters down for lunch between 1 pm to 3 pm.

    Just before lunch, the showroom received a call about this TV and a very polite voice was making an enquiry. The conversation went something like this in Marathi :

    Caller : Hello, I have read an ad in the Newspaper today about the Philips TV. Your showroom is listed in the same. Do you have that TV set.

    Salesperson : Yes Sir.

    Caller : Can I come at 2 pm to check out the same.

    Salesperson : Sorry Sir. The showroom is closed for lunch between 1 and 3 pm.

    Caller : No problem. Last question, do you accept cheques?

    Salesperson : Yes Sir, but we can give the delivery if TV only after the cheque is realized, which takes three days.

    Caller : No problem. That’s fine with me. Will see you in the Showroom.

    Salesperson : Sir, can I take down your contact details for records? Can I please know your name?

    Caller : Sachin Tendulkar…

    Salesperson was visibly shocked and took a while to regain composure.
    Showing presence of mind, he transferred the call to the owner Mr Zarapkar. Needless to say, the showroom was opened at 2 pm (shutters closed again after he was ushered in), a time I think Sachin requested so that he would have less crowd around. And the delivery of the TV set was given immediately against cheque without waiting for its realization.

    A person of his stature could have easily made it an “Event” with Press in tow. He didn’t do it.

    Sachin was humility personified. Smartly dressed in casuals, accompanied by 3 bubbly friends, he was very respectful to all and didn’t deny autographs to Showroom Staff. He was in Showroom for 25 odd minutes. Learned few basic functions of the TV set, made payment and took the delivery in his car, a welcome change to arrogant “ghar bhej do” tone that we were used to hear from others who could afford such sets.

    I didn’t speak to him or asked for autograph. I thought that as a person he deserved his space and deserved to shop with least irritation. I just observed him from a distance like other salespersons and I don’t regret this to date. I was fortunate to be a witness to the whole episode.

    I am convinced that besides the repertoire of strokes that Sachin has, and many others perhaps had it too, it’s his humility and his persona of having his feet firmly on ground at all the times has deservedly got him all the adulation and love.

    While we the staff at Zarapkars were considering ourselves as very lucky and talking endlessly about this visit of a legend, another celebrity (?) landed up in showroom within next week. His only claim to fame was a role that got popular in B R Chopra”s Mahabharat. He walked in like a star (which he wasn’t), talked in most arrogant manner, asked all nonsensical stupid questions and expected 2-3 salespeople to be around him to answer his senseless queries. For records, he bought a 14 inch color TV that was priced at Rs. 9000/- and took two hours when not one autograph was requested from him (that perhaps pissed him off even more)

    These two starkly opposite experiences brought out the difference between Sachin and others who occupy a mindshare of people. If greatness of a great person is how he carries himself, Sachin is greatest…I have seen it personally.

    Thanks Sachin for wonderful memories, on the field and off it…


    (For records: Few days after this Sachin was appointed brand ambassador of Philips)”


    ***This is not my experience but one of my friends experience “Rahul Bhusari ” So i think he should see the Match by getting this ticket 🙂 so shared it here

  9. My first cricket memories go back to the 1996 Worl Cup, and I have been in love with this sport ever since. 

    The most vivid memory of this dazzling sport would be the fourth day of the India-Pakistan test match at Chennai in 1999. India were set up a target of 280-290 odd runs. I profoundly recall that I was at my maternal grandparents house during that test match. India were some 40 for 2 at the end of third day’s play, and I excitedly prepared myself to watch the next day with my maternal grandfather, an avid cricket fan. The spectacle that I witnessed , was nothing close to my expectations. India were struggling at 100 for 5, when Sachin suffering from back pain, scored one of his finest centuries against an equally spirited Pakistan bowling attack, with Saqlain Mustaq at his prime. Sachin’s legacy was set up in the 1990s, and this knock was a testimony to that.That day of cricket was the most complete match I have ever seen- skills, Ind-Pak drama, fightback, injury, sporting Chennai Crowd. Enough to catch the fancy of a nine year old boy, and make him fall him love with this sport.I would strongly recommend this match for an outsider to introduce cricket, and to understand the legacy and class of Sachin.

    India lost that match, and the loss affected me in a manner I did not expect. I realised it is the Indian losses that I have seen which have affected me far more than the famous Indian wins. The loss made me realize how this game, just a game, greatly impacted me. Retrospectively it is this loss, India’s loss to Zimbabwe in 1999 world cup, the final loss to Australia in 2003 world cup, the 2007 world cup setback loss, which have greater vivid memories than India’s most famous wins, the Natwest final, 2003 Adelaide win, 2007 T20 world cup win, and maybe, even the epic 2001 Eden Garden test match.

    Sachin Ramesh Tendulakar. One last time.

  10. If I get this ticket I will give it off to my cousin who is a cricket fanatic.

    I’m the poorest of cricketers, the highest score ever made by me in gully cricket is 10 runs, but I was a great spinner and a fielder, I used to jump and dive in to the open gutters to at times to win a match. 

    but I remember when i was at my cousin’s place and the T20 world cup was going on, we were sitting on top of the sofa’s as it was the last over and the way we won was crazy.

    In the same way when We won at Wankhede in 2011, it was an awesome moment, I was at Carter’s that night, and we had the most craziest moment, it was magnificent the crowd, the screams, and also a bit disappointed that Sachin Tendulkar was bound to play his last World Cup and he couldn’t end it with a not out or a century, to make it highly memorable.

    So cricket and I run on parallel tracks, while I like the game I’m not a super fanatic.So a bad player asking for a ticket to gift it to my younger sibling to let him enjoy the Legend play for the last time in front of him, which he may not be able to experience again. 

    Thank You,

    if I win, I thank you for giving this opportunity.

  11. okay folks! time’s up!! this contest is OFFICIALLY CLOSED! 

    pratik – would you be so kind enough to declare the winner pls?

    thank you much much!!

  12. Hey Harsh,

    Can reach me : pratik@zootr.co – have sent a mail. Cheers!

  13. Hey Govind,

    Interesting co-incidences. Have a great birthday ahead. Sachin sure seemed to be enjoying his innings!! 

  14. Hey Jignesh,

    Most definitely, cricket and sachin in particular has taught us a lot. Hope you’ve continued playing cricket actively ! 

  15. Yep, absolutely. Added that to your score 😀

  16. Very interesting story Yunus! Most definitely Sachin along with Dravid come across as the most humble sportsperson around. Felt great when perceptions are validated with off-field real-life stories! 

  17. Awesome stuff! Reminded me of the Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Ghum story of Hrithik Roshan hitting a six !! 

  18. Thanks Karan! We all screamed our lungs and hearts off during the WC 2011 finals – can never forget those moments!

  19. Hey Akshay,

    I can’t agree more on the Pakistan match in Chennai. I was in Pre-university and was studying for an exam ( atleast tried to ) and everytime i would stop studying for a bit – a wicket would fall. So i forced myself to study despite knowing that a great match was unfolding.

    But as we lost 4-5 wickets, i was just way too tense to study. I kept everything aside and started watching the match. I can never forget Srinath’s “forward defense” – with ball hitting the middle of the bat & still managed to get bowled. 

    Heartbreaking !! 

  20. Hi Tanvi,

    Thanks for sharing your story. Cricket definitely is made of little moments that we cherish for a long time. Like today’s ovation when Sachin came out to bat. It was surreal. Can never forget that moment !!

    cheers!

  21. Thank Pratik for the opportunity, just gave a try to win it, but not sad, and Congrats to who ever wins it 🙂 

  22. I had goosebumps. And then strikes that it’s his last match today. Unbelievable. I was choked. But what a knock it was, even today. Splendid!

  23. Whoa !! This was an incredible experience.I’m just returning from the stadium and still on a high with what i saw in the stadium. It was surreal.

    Never thought that judging this would be soo difficult – really touched with the stories shared here. Since i have only one ticket to give away – i’ll pick Akshay Chadha . So congratulations Akshay !! – do collect the ticket from the Games2Win office. 

    To everyone – here’s to Sachin’s last innings and may he enjoy this innings the most !! 

    Yes, indeed. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. One last time !!

  24. congrats akshay!!!

    i believe you live in bangalore??!!!

  25. Wow !!! Thank you guys.

    Yes, I will be flying to Mumbai. Please share me the details.

    Unbelievable !

  26. AWESOME!!! 

    this is the office addy: speak to Manoj in case you need directions.

    Games2win India Pvt. Ltd.

    42, Film Center, 4th Floor, 68, Tardeo, Mumbai – 400034

    Call: +91-22-23511497 / 98

    pratik – who should akshay collect the ticket from? can u pls be in touch with me at asha@rodinhood.com ? many thanks!

  27. akshay – pls collect your ticket from MANOJ YADAV at the g2w front desk. he is trhs co-ordinator 🙂

    write to manoj@rodinhood.com cc asha@rodinhood.com if you have any queries!

    pls take lots of pix and post them here!!!

  28. Yaa…very true…:)

  29. akshay – pls email me & manoj the name of the person who is collecting your ticket on your behalf. pls ask him to carry a photo ID as well.

    have a great trip and enjoy the match!!!

  30. Congrats Akshay … enjoy the match …. cheers ….. 

  31. Updated the discussion with the match pic 😀

Comments are now closed for this post.

Lost Password

Register