Sachin Tendulkar may have retired from cricket… but he's just getting started

(Part 1 of 2. Scroll down to watch the second part of the video)

For anyone who's followed cricket in the last two decades, the one name that comes up in any conversation about the game is Sachin Tendulkar.

Everyone knows the story: the teen star who shot into the limelight and stayed there for over two decades as the best in the game.

He holds every batting record worth holding in the game, he’s the only player to make it to the top 10 list of players for 10 years and the second best test cricket batsman after Sir Don Bradman.

Even for someone who doesn’t follow the game (like me), Sachin was an icon. And he won my respect when he hung up his boots and retired from the game at a time he chose.

So, when I met Sachin at his house in Mumbai, I was brimming with questions - about prepping for the big game, handling pressure, working towards a goal and most important - on life after retirement - his second innings, so to speak.

(Part 2 of 2. The first part of the video is at the top of the post)

“(My) second innings has just begun,” he said. “During my cricketing days, it was everything to do with cricket. All the offers which came to me, I would actually evaluate -- is it going to harm my cricket, is it going to stop me from giving (my) best on the field?”

Retirement, in a way, has been liberating and has allowed him to choose his priorities without worrying about what it would do to his game.

Read about how Sachin made the decision to retire, in his own words, here

But the passion for the sport remains. Like when he talks about preparing for a match.

“I would start my preparation by ironing my clothes in my room,” he said. “Suddenly I saw my whites.... I started thinking about who is going to bowl to me tomorrow and how I’m going to bat. What are the areas I need to focus on... my subconscious mind switched on from there.”

That was a lesson he learnt from his mentors - “my father, my coach and my brother Ajit.”

“I started playing cricket when I was 11. At that time, I did not know much about cricket, I didn’t know the intricacies , which were taught to me by my brother and my coach. (and) when it came to life lessons, my father was my guru,” he said.

So what does the “God of cricket” have to tell young professionals? True to form, he uses a cricket metaphor:

“Like (they say) in fielding, if you don’t dive, you’ll never know where you can reach. So go for it and you might take a blinder of a catch. Do it in life also, generally. Don’t be afraid of failures.”