|
|
| CricketZone.Com | IndiaExpress.Com ApunKaChoice.Com |
 |
|
NEWS India-Australia-West Indies Tri-Series>I am not finished as a batsman as yet: Tendulkar 15th Sept 2006 10.29 IST By Agencies Batting Genius Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday said his unbeaten 141 against the West Indies in the tri-series in Kuala Lumpur showed he was not finished as a batsman as yet. "Cricket has been my life, I am living a dream," the 33-year-old Indian star said after hitting his 40th one-day hundred, which went in vain as the West Indies were declared winners on Duckworth-Lewis method following a rain disruption.
Riding on Tendulkar's ton, which contained 13 fours and five sixes, India made 309/5 in 50 overs. West Indies were 141/2 in 20 overs when rains forced the play to be called off, and the Caribbean total was 29 runs more than the par score of 112/2 at that stage. Tendulkar rated his knock highly for a combination of reasons but said he was disappointed because the team did not win. "It will be a special hundred because it came on a difficult surface and after so many months (of being away from the game)," said the Mumbai batsman who was playing in his first match since undergoing a shoulder surgery in March. It was Tendulkar's 40th hundred but the batsman said the numbers did not matter to him. "It was a very good innings but I am disappointed because we did not win. 40 is just a number," he said. Tendulkar said the innings should silence all doubts about his fitness. "I am absolutely fine. It is a challenge coming back after serious injuries, one has to be mentally strong." Tendulkar admitted that the bowlers lacked discipline - conceding 26 extras - but also defended his teammates. "Discipline is an extremely important factor which we lacked today. But it is not the first time nor is it going to be the last," he said. "Bowlers are not machine. It is not easy to bowl at that level everyday. The body and the mind has to co-ordinate. We are always trying." He said India could have been in a better position, vis-à-vis the D/L method, had the match gone beyond 20 overs. "Field restrictions would have got over after 20 overs and runs would not have come easily," he said. Tendulkar, however, did not blame the D/L formula. "Rules always favour one team. These calculations are done based on a well thought out formula, it is difficult to find a perfect formula," he said. Tendulkar rated his knock "very highly" as it had come on his return from a long injury layoff and under difficult batting conditions. "Yes, I would rate it (century) very highly because it was my first game after a gap of six months. The pitch was bit difficult to bat and I wanted to stay till the end," Tendulkar said. Tendulkar, declared the man of the match, admitted that the pitch at the Kinrara Oval was difficult to comprehend. "Initially the ball was doing a bit. There was a ridge at the good length spot from where it was difficult to figure out where the ball would go after landing. But then I played according to the (merit of the) ball," he said. Asked how did he feel on returning from the injury, he said, "It was rather unfortunate that I could not play in West Indies. (But now) the body is coping quite nicely and I was prepared for this." Also View In-Depth Coverage: India-Australia-West Indies Tri-Series Team Page: India Team Page: West Indies | LIVE CRICKET COVERAGE NEWS ~ Gilchrist has no plans to retire after World Cup ~ Ganguly's new batting approach may cost him sixer record ~ India 'squash the Orange' in World Cup warm-up game ~ Symonds gets a new hairdo for World Cup ~ Dhoni readies himself for stand-up act at World Cup (more in NEWS) FACE-TO-FACE ~ 500-mark a possibility in World Cup: Hayden ~ Minnows add charm to World Cup: Dravid (more in FACE-TO-FACE) COLUMNS ~ Will Sri Lanka replicate 1996 World Cup success? (more in COLUMNS) OFF-THE-FIELD ~ Ganguly again the darling of corporate world ~ Ganguly roped in as brand ambassador of Puma (more in OFF-THE-FIELD) PLAYERS Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble (more PLAYERS) TEAMS India, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, West Indies, Zimbabwe, England, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Kenya, Holland | 
|
|
|