Sachin's Ton Dedicated to Mumbai

If at all there is one point that is held against Sachin Tendulkar, it has to be his lack of big scores in run chases in Test cricket. The master blaster conquered that peak on Monday with a clinical show. After the Mumbai terror attacks, Tendulkar had made no secret of the difficulty of seeing things the same way. Sachin opened out after his 41st Test hundred an innings that also made him only the third batsmen to score 1,000 runs in a calendar year on five occasions. Excerpts:

On the discussions he had with Yuvraj and memories of the 1999 Test against Pakistan: Yes, that Test did occur in my mind and that is when I actually went and told Yuvraj the job is not done till the last run is scored. On a track like this when you lose a wicket it can become hard for the new batsman. The odd ball did keep a bit low and also kicked up a few times. Chennai, 1999 and Barbados, 1997 will always be a disappointment though, we have to ensure the mistakes are not repeated.

On the emotional quotient after the Mumbai attack: I play for India more than ever especially after what happened. In no way am I trying to say that this will make everyone forget the incident. I would like to thank England for coming back to play. We witnessed a wonderful Test match. People are again enjoying cricket the way it’s meant to be. It was unfortunate and I don’t think by India winning or me scoring a hundred, people who have lost their dear ones would feel better. It’s a terrible loss for all of them and our hearts are with them. All I can say is that we will try and make them feel better with our efforts.

On how the terror attacks affected him personally: From my point of view, I look at it as an attack on India, not on Mumbai. It should hurt every Indian, that is how I look at it. I would like to dedicate this hundred to all those people who have gone through such a terrible time.

On India’s continued good show: It’s extremely important to continue with this momentum. From the start of the Australian series all our boys have played some fantastic cricket and it’s important to keep performing in the same vein.

On Yuvraj’s knock: People have been talking about whether Yuvraj is a Test player or not and I think they are just loose statements. He is a terrific player who has got important runs and three Test hundreds to go with it. Today he again proved all the people wrong.

On Rahul Dravid’s form: Rahul is going through a bad patch and that happens to everybody. This is not the first time this is happening to someone in the game. It is nothing to worry about. He is not just a good player he’s a great player. These cycles happen in a long career. I don’t think Rahul’s form or what people are saying about him is a worry for us. He will definitely come back strongly.