Cricket QuoteBook: What They Said, Really Meant and Definitely Did Not

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Sachin Tendulkar makes news whether he's playing or not.

This time, the master batsman hit the spotlight because former hockey players dispute his right to a Bharat Ratna ahead of all-time hockey great DhyanChand.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, weighs in with his opinion on the matter at a felicitation for former Olympians.

In other newsy quotes, Ricky Ponting, Michael Holding, Mike Brearley and Mahendra Singh Dhoni have much to say about other matters.

What they said, really meant and definitely did not.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan Bats for Hockey Great Dhyanchand

Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Source: Wikimedia)

What he said:

"In my view, Sachin Tendulkar should not play in IPL if his name is being considered for Bharat Ratna."

Madhya Pradesh (MP) Chief Minister (CM), Shivraj Singh Chouhan, believes that Sachin Tendulkar should “deservedly” receive the Bharat Ratna if the rules are changed to accommodate sportspersons.

This remark was made following demands from the hockey fraternity that if a sportsman is to receive the award, first in line should be Olympian legend Major Dhyanchand.

The MP CM added:

“When players like Sachin Tendulkar are sold and bought, it really hurts. A player plays for the country and not for companies.”

 

What he really meant:

“The Bharat Ratna is the foremost honour the country can bestow upon its citizens. It should not be trivialised. It cannot be auctioned nor is it for sale.”

 

What he definitely didn’t:

“More free publicity for my party and me. Thank you, Sachin. Thank you, Dhyanchand.”

Ricky Ponting Has Footy on His Mind

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What he said:

 “If you were averaging 35 when I was playing your dad would go and buy you a basketball or a footy and tell you to play that.”

Ricky Ponting illustrates that the standards of Australian cricket have dropped in recent times with an apocryphal anecdote.

 

What he really meant:

“If you’re not averaging 40+ in Shield cricket, then you might as well pack it in.”

“Hmm, I wonder what I would have aggregated if we were playing T20 then.”

 

What he definitely didn’t:

“Now that explains why Australian rules football is more popular than cricket. ”

Michael Holding Didn't Care for Black or White or Brown

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What he said:

“We wanted to beat everyone and whether they were white, black, green, pink, Australian, English, Pakistani—we just wanted to beat them.”

Former West Indian fast bowling great, Michael Holding, does not agree with the portrayal of the West Indian side of the 70s and 80s in the documentary, “Fire in Babylon”.

Holding said:

“It is very powerful, very political.I can’t say I’m 100 percent with the final product to be honest, because I think the race thing was overplayed a little bit.”

He added:

“Some of the interviews they did with some of the Caribbean personalities didn’t really reflect how we as cricketers thought, but perhaps we are the sidelines.”

“At no time that I played in that team did I ever get the impression from anybody that we were playing against these people because they were former colonisers, I didn’t get that impression.”

“We were just playing cricket.”

 

What he really meant:

“We just wanted to be the best side in the world and play our best cricket. If we had to knock heads over, so be it. Race, colour and creed mattered little. We were secular—in that respect.”

 

What he definitely didn’t say:

“We loved having opposing batsmen turn all shades while facing us. Green (sick), white (fear) and red or purple (bruised).”

Mike Brearley Loves Character in Characters

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What he said:

“Now look at Sreesanth, he’s much more disciplined, much balanced but looks less like getting anyone out.”

Former English captain, Mike Brearley, is convinced that the Indian team’s focus on individual tasks has drawn their attention away from what the team has to accomplish.

He said:

“One quality is to be able to build relationships in the team and get them to play the best they can. Get everyone thinking about the team’s task and not just individual tasks.”

 

What he really meant:

“Sreesanth is less volatile and so are the opposition’s wickets.”

 

What he definitely didn’t:

“I love the new balanced Sreesanth. He’d make a great gymnast or trapeze artist.”

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Is Afraid of Needles

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What he said:

“In principle, I’m okay with the brain mapping, but not if needles are poked everywhere.”

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is fine with Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ranchi, mapping his cricketing brain to decipher the ‘reasons’ behind Team India’s World Cup triumph.

 

What he really meant:

“The mapping should be painless. What if they poke the wrong nerve?”

 

What he definitely didn’t:

“After succumbing to pressure (India lost its World No.1 ranking) and suffering a fractured ego, do you really think I want to submit myself to acupressure or acupuncture, in whatever guise?”

Disclaimer

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Disclaimer:

All "What They Said" quotes are true and attributed.

All "What They Really Meant" and "What They Definitely Didn't" are fictional.