Unfit Indian batting ace Sachin Tendulkar says he is suffering sleepless nights and frustration in a bid to return to international cricket.
NEW DELHI: Unfit Indian batting ace Sachin Tendulkar says he is suffering sleepless nights and frustration in a bid to return to international cricket.
"Thinking is everything in this game. It is hard to express what it is like, but there have been sleepless nights," Tendulkar said in an interview with this month's issue of Cricinfo magazine.
"There have been days full of frustration where you just want to get back in action but the body does not cooperate even if your mind is ready to go out there and do it."
Tendulkar, who underwent shoulder surgery in March, was forced to skip seven one-dayers at home against England before being ruled out of the ongoing tour of the West Indies.
"It is not like a fracture where you know it will heal in four weeks," said Tendulkar, 33.
"It is not easy to forget injuries. There are times when you spend some time in the middle and the body complains."
Tendulkar, who has spent 16 years in international cricket, has been plagued with injuries in recent times, including a tennis elbow that also required surgery two years ago.
He described his latest battle with fitness as the "greatest test of character" but added he was determined to win.
"If you are unlucky, you will get injured even if you are the fittest guy in the world. What I don't want to lose is the desire to get back in action and the hunger to go out there and perform," he said.
"When you are constantly attacked by injuries, it is not easy to start thinking like a 24-year-old with a fit body. It's got a lot to do with rhythm as well.
"Sometimes, when you get it going your way, you forget about injuries and think differently. Once you cross that hurdle, there is no looking back."
Tendulkar said he is fortunate to have a coach like Greg Chappell who understands.
"Greg Chappell was a top cricketer, one of the best to have played this game. It is important to have someone around who has played a lot of cricket at the highest level," he said.
"Technically, to a certain extent, one can progress, but mentally you can get better each time you go out into the middle. That is where Greg chips in.
"It is the thinking of someone who has played and seen this game for over 40 years now. He understands the highs and the lows and he himself has experienced it."
Tendulkar is the fourth-highest scorer in Test cricket with 10,469 runs in 132 matches and a record 35 centuries. He is behind only West Indies skipper Brian Lara, and Australian duo Allan Border and Steve Waugh.
He is also the leading run-getter in the shorter version of the game with 14,146 in 362 one-dayers and 39 hundreds, but has yet to be part of a World Cup-winning side.
The batsman said getting back into action as soon as possible was the main priority at the moment rather than the next year's World Cup in the Caribbean.
"I don't want to put too much pressure on myself thinking about the next World Cup," he said.
"It would be a dream come true if we can pull it off, but there are plenty of steps on the ladder."
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