Feels good that I lasted for 50 overs, says Tendulkar
By IANSWednesday, February 24, 2010
GWALIOR - After scoring a record unbeaten 200 here Wednesday, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar was happy that at the age of 36 he was good enough to last 50 overs.
“It feels good that I lasted for 50 overs, a good test of my fitness. I’d like to bat another 50 overs at some stage and see that the fitness level doesn’t drop.
“I’m enjoying my cricket. I’ve always played the way I felt was the right way to play, always done what I felt was good for the team. There have been times when I’ve made some bad decisions as a batsman, but as long as in my heart I know that whatever I’m doing for the team at that moment, I’m going to go ahead with that,” said Tendulkar after India won the second one-day international (ODI) against South Africa by 153 runs.
Asked about his extra-ordinary feat Tendulkar said: “I don’t know how to react to this. I was striking the ball and timing the ball well, it was coming on to the bat nicely. Yusuf (Pathan) came and changed the momentum and MS (Dhoni) really struck the ball well; it was due to their big hitting that we were able to put up such a big score. It was only when I got closer to the score that I realised that I had an opportunity and I could take the singles to give MS the strike.”
Skipper Dhoni had special words for Yusuf who hit an important 36 off 23 balls.
“Once Viru (Virender Sehwag) got out it was important to get some runs. Dinesh (Karthik) and Sachin batted really well. We were eyeing 350 when they were going strong. But Sachin batted through the innings and he played really well, using the pace of the ball when he got tired. Yusuf was sent up the order and with the talent he’s got, he can be a great asset to the side. I have changed my batting, but the situation demanded that kind (attacking) of innings. The ground is a small one, and we were a bit worried about the dew factor. But once they lost 3-4 early wickets, it was difficult for them to get back into the game,” he said.
South Africa captain Jacques Kallis said that his boys didn’t get their act right from the start.
“The toss was quite vital. Our basics were just weren’t good enough today. We were outplayed. We lost wickets at crucial stages, or basics let us down. A fantastic innings by Sachin; he took advantage of some good conditions and he played superbly. We let us down in some areas,” he said.
The Gwalior Division Cricket Association gifted Tendulkar with a silver bat, a Rs.1 million cheque and a pavilion at Captain Roop Singh Stadium will be named in his honour.
