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InDepth headlines national business sports cricket regional entertainment technology world travel autos health | in-depth coverage > Sachin Tendulkar > I rate this hundred very highly: Sachin Tendulkar 23.00 IST 02nd Mar 2008 By Agencies 
Sachin Tendulkar, who defied pain to score his first one-day century in Australia in his 18-year career, rated his effort "highly" but said he did not want to prove anyone wrong.Tendulkar remained unconquered after scoring 117, which helped India to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three finals, setting a platform for their first-ever one-day Tri-Series win Down Under. "In the last series, I missed a few centuries. I was also struggling with a groin strain for some time. But these things are part and parcel of the game and one has to carry on. I rate this hundred very highly," Tendulkar said after guiding India to a six-wicket victory at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Tendulkar's less than stellar one-day record while chasing in recent times had set some tongues wagging but the batsman said he was not aiming to prove anyone wrong. "I play the game for passion and love. People have been writing all sorts of things and I don't want to prove anybody wrong," he insisted. Tendulkar hit back at his critics who questioned his inability to strike form in one-day cricket of late, saying he did not bother about the comments of those without any credibility. Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 117 to guide India to a six-wicket win against Australia in the first match of their best-of-three finals of the cricket tri-series. "A lot of those people who can't do certain things themselves, they talk, so let them talk," Tendulkar said. "I look at the credibility of the person who is writing. I prefer to listen to those people who matter to me. They do pick up the phone and tell me," he said. Tendulkar said he was thrilled to get the century and more so because it was a match-winning effort. "Yes, to score a century in Australia was something I wanted to do. It was also a terrific occasion to do so," said Tendulkar, whose unbeaten 42nd century sank the hosts. Tendulkar also said he was happy about his long stay in the middle today as planned. "It was wonderful to end on a winning note and be there when victory was achieved. The century was secondary. The next match (in Brisbane on Tuesday) is very important now," said the master batsman, who may be playing his last ODI series in Australia. The 34-year-old cricketer agreed that he wanted to get his first one-day hundred in Australia but felt victory in the first final made it a secondary objective. "I wanted to get the hundred today. We had never beaten Australia in Sydney, and there was no better occasion than today to change that," Tendulkar said. He also talked about the niggles which hampered his progress during his innings as well as the beamer from Brett Lee which hit him smack on his shoulder. "There has been a niggle in the groin which hasn't been allowing me to move freely. Still you try to push yourself. It was little difficult as I was cramping also. "As for the beamer, I know Brett pretty well. It wasn't intentional. I jokingly told him that when he comes to play the IPL, he would have to face one from my son who is a great fan of his. There surely are no hard feelings." Tendulkar was very impressed by the batting of youngster Rohit Sharma (66) who stitched a match-winning stand of 123 with Tendulkar to take India to the doorstep of victory. "It was a terrific effort and the partnership was very crucial. He (Rohit) is calm and has a great temperament. He's got a great future," Tendulkar said. "I've played a few games with him (Rohit) but this was the first time we had a long stand. He is extremely calm and composed and that's his strength. He showed terrific character and has a wide range of shots. What's more his shot selection was also very good. I definitely think he has a great future." On the youngsters in the side, Tendulkar said they "are extremely talented... Being a senior you want to share your knowledge. They also come and tell me a lot of things." Asked if he felt lonely in the dressing room being such a senior pro, Tendulkar replied "as for being lonely, once you are selected to play for India, you have got to do certain things. I have always tried to be open and friendly and they are also allowed to crack jokes." Tendulkar said he did not want to publicly specify the important aspects of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's leadership. "Dhoni has done a terrific job, without any doubt, and we all have enjoyed," he said. The little master did not think it was uncomfortable at all to open the innings with different partners. "I am prepared to open with anyone, you can't stick with the same idea all the time. There are different ideas and to implement them you do certain things," Tendulkar added. in-depth coverage > Sachin Tendulkar > |
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