Hard work, commitment key to earn respect from others : Sachin Tendulkar

A team man to the core in his illustrious cricket career spanning more than 23 years now, senior batman Sachin Tendulkar has a piece of advice for the youngsters - hard work and commitment can earn a person respect from colleagues.

"Competition should not bother you, you should only think about your commitment, effort and contribution. This is what I tell my son -- don't worry about what others are doing. When you do the right thing, the team will follow your example. Competition will always there," Tendulkar said.

"When you work hard, luck swings your way. There will be challenges in life but when you work hard, you can overcome the challenges. So, don't think about luck, just focus on hard work. Performance will never be consistently upwards but strong people can overcome the lows," he said at the 'Support My School' programme of the NDTV.

On the importance of team work, Tendulkar said, "All the obstacles can be tackled when your are together. Even in the (2011) World Cup, we took it as just another tournament. We decided to stick to each other."

Talking about challenges in life, Tendulkar, a Member of Parliament, said, "Balancing cricket and studies was my biggest challenge in my school days but my parents and my school, cooperated with me. It was challenging.

"Once I played against Glenn McGrath and he bowled 6-7 maiden overs to me. I kept leaving the ball to try and be there."

He said spending time with children cannot be bought by money and he simply loved to spend time with them.

"When I went there and spent time with children, it was a wonderful moment and something that you cannot buy. I am still young I would like to believe," he said.

© PTI