NEW DELHI: This weekend, TIMES NOW ? India?s No. 1 general English news channel presents its viewers with a special episode of ?Frankly Speaking?. In a candid interview with TIMES NOW‘s Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, India?s God of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, discusses his retirement, memorable moments of his career and shares exclusive insights into his personal life.

In the interview Sachin reacts for the first time to statements made by Sunil Gavaskar that state how he has been bowled twice consecutively and how that is a bad sign for the batsman. Sachin responded to the comment saying, ?Sunil Gavaskar has also said positive things about me. When there have been a lot of positive feedback as well, why keep harping only on the negative comments? Ultimately, if I am out, I am out. I can‘t get stuck on one article about me and try to create something that the person is hoping to create out of it. I need to stay focused on the game and constantly keep finding ways to improve myself. There is no stage in which one ceases to learn about cricket. One remains a student of this game for ever.

On being asked about his plans for retirement, Sachin shared, ?I am 39 and I don‘t think I have plenty of cricket left in me. But it depends on my frame of mind and my physical ability to deliver. At this stage, I don‘t think I will be playing the next World Cup.?

Commenting on the match versus Pakistan in 2004 where he hit 194 not out when the match was declared, Sachin shared, ?I was asked a question in a press conference just after the match if I was surprised by the declaration. I said yes. Then I was asked if I was disappointed. I said, "Yes, I‘d be lying if I said I wasn‘t disappointed." But that is all that I had said. After the declaration, I got to the dressing room, quietly put my bat aside and sat down. I had my pads on. After a couple of minutes, I washed my face, went up to John Wright, our coach then and said, "I will take some time to get back on the field because my back is a little sore. I will go after a while." That is all that happened.?

Discussing the test match versus Pakistan in 1999 where India lost by 12 runs, Sachin said, ?It was disappointing. Yes I cried. I felt bad because we were so close to winning the match but couldn‘t cross the final hurdle. I have to admit that I was not able to receive the Man of the Match award then because I was in tears.?

Responding to accusations about playing the game only to continue commercial endorsements associated with him, Sachin said, ?My manager tells me that there were a couple of articles about this issue. As a matter of fact, there was an article in The Economic Times? I‘d call this irresponsible journalism by a journalist who has vested interests.?

Mumbai: Cricket in India is a religion that begets utmost excitement and unifies the whole nation. From a school kid to a retired man, men in blue have millions of ardent fans. The charisma of cricket is such that every victory is celebrated with as much zeal as that for any other festival in India. But one never thought that dark days would return to haunt Indian cricket again. Gone are the days when Indian cricket team brought laurels to the country by winning trophies, particularly post the World Cup. In the recent times, the continuous defeat of Indian team has left the fans in dismay leaving the stadiums empty. The 4-0 clean sweep in England was bad enough given the Indian team‘s lofty reputation. And just when one thought it couldn‘t get any worse, comes another disaster down Under. Eight straight away defeats outside sub-continent. It?s a roller coaster ride for the cricket fans!!

Aiming to highlight the concerns associated with Indian cricket, NewsX will hold a panel debate titled ?Hitting The Right Pitch? . The discussion scheduled to be held in Amity College, Noida will seek to explore the possible reasons behind the current state and the measures which could be taken to brighten the future of the game. Ace cricketers like Javagal Srinath and Aakash Chopra along with veteran sports journalist, Ayaz Memon will participate in the discussion. The debate will be moderated by Shamya Dasgupta, Sports Editor, NewsX.

The debate will also dwell on areas like exploring new talents such as fast bowlers, whether playing more county cricket matches as compared to domestic league & IPL would help and the possible reasons behind Indian cricket team?s poor performance outside the Indian sub- continent .

The panel debate will take place on Friday, 17th February,2012 at F2 auditorium, Amity College, Sector-125, Noida.