Youngsters should never take shortcuts and cheat, admits Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar along with MCA President Vijay Patil and former England captain Mike Gatting announced the Tendulkar Middlesex Global Academy DY Patil Sports' center in Nerul. He met the youngsters there and shared the experiences he had as a cricketer and encouraged them to avoid taking shortcuts and focus on working hard in order to succeed as a cricketer.

"In my life I have learned so many things, one thing which I possibly missed out, talking about discipline, concentration, focus, planning, execution, but above all I think there were number of occasions when I was not able to perform to my expectations," Tendulkar was quoted as saying by TOI.

"I failed also, but sport and right team taught me to get back on my feet again and not find short cuts. There will be tough challenges along the way (but) don't cheat (otherwise) you will get exposed in front of the whole world," he further added.

Tendulkar also spoke about the two most influential people in his life who helped him a lot in becoming the great cricketer that he was- his brother Ajit Tendulkar and his coach Ramakant Achrekar.

"I started discussing cricket with my brother from day one of my career and even on the last day of my career when I was dismissed, we were still discussing how I got dismissed and what could I have done, knowing that I may not go out to bat again. So his contribution is invaluable," Tendulkar stated.

"The second person my coach Ramakant Achrekar Sir, I miss him today. He has played a huge role in my life in making me who I am today," he added.

In the end, Sachin requested the parents to help their children fulfil their dreams and not force them to do something that they do not want to do. Tendulkar firmly believed that it was important to have a proper mix of freedom and discipline to become successful in life.