Age is not the factor, performance is: Sachin

Sachin Tendulkar tells Ayaz Memon that he forgets all his niggles and pains when he crosses the boundary line

In 18 years of cricket, you’ve just had your best series in terms of runs, that too against Australia. Is that about a second wind or refocused ambition?
I was always focused and knew that this would be a series in which I would thoroughly enjoy myself. Whether I scored more or less, the focus remains. I care about my cricket and making a decent contribution to the team gives more happiness and satisfaction than anything else. This was one of those tours where I played well at crucial moments so it was extremely satisfying.

In England last year you had jokingly mentioned about creaking bones and how you have to listen more to your body these days. Do you feel younger now?
After a stage, we all carry niggles and aches, but once you cross the boundary ropes you forget everything. You go out there and perform. It is difficult not to have niggles when there is so much cricket being played and you are constantly pushing yourself, but it’s all worth it if you enjoy the game.

Was the T20 win the trigger to fire up the seniors?
That victory was an achievement for India. I don’t look at it as many people do, with youngsters and seniors being differentiated. When you cross the boundary line, age becomes irrelevant. Just because you are 16, no bowler is going to bow slow to you. Nobody bowled slow to me when I was young. When I was in my teens, Imran Khan was in his late 30’s and he tried his hardest to get me out.

It seems to me wrong not to call the seniors for the felicitation ceremony in New Delhi after the team returned from Australia…
I felt the contribution from the Test squad was equally important. They laid the foundation for a wonderful One-day series. The Test team challenged the Australians on various occasions and had them on the back-foot. The ODI team capitalised on that. You cannot overlook the contribution from the seniors. But certainly the emergence of so many juniors is good for India.

But the emergence of so many talented youngsters must keep the seniors on their toes…
Yes, it is good to have healthy competition but I would like to stress again that age is not the factor, performance is.

Was there some discussion before the Australian tour that a tipping point had been reached and the champions could be beaten?
Last time in Australia we were not able to go that step further which we managed to achieve this time. It is a fantastic feeling.

Did you’ll dwell on the umpiring decisions, or the rivalry between the teams?
The tour was a tough one. Plenty of things happened on and off the field, and we were extremely determined to produce good cricket on the field. A couple of issues really spurred us on. We had various meetings after that, which were very positive. All our energy was focused on one thing.

Would you say that balance of power in cricket has shifted in favour of India?
We have to do this consistently and that is the toughest part. To beat Australia on couple of occasions is a good achievement but a better one would be to beat all the sides. That would be the real achievement.

What is your take on sledging?
A couple of words exchanged here and there, if it is in good humour, doesn’t hurt. It keeps the crowd entertained too. As long as both teams do not cross the limits, it’s fine.

Brian Lara has said that John Buchanan’s words that you were not the same as 10 years ago back and would struggle against short-pitched bowling fired you up in Australia. Did you take that as a challenge?
I don’t play to prove anything to anyone. I play because I love the sport. I always dreamt of playing for India. All I have done is gone out there and played my game to the best of my ability and not worried about what people say from the sidelines.

Does playing under different captains make a difference in your game?
In Test cricket you need a different kind of temperament than in One-day cricket. Both our captains are suited to the two different jobs and we, as a team, enjoyed both the Test and One-day parts.

A lot of money is being pumped into the game. As a senior statesman now, how has money influenced the sport since your debut?
I know people talk a lot about how money has changed the thinking of players. When I started playing in 1989, today’s money is way beyond than what I got then. But I would like to remind everyone that I didn’t start playing to make money. I thought about playing cricket when I was five or six years old, I picked up a cricket bat at 11 and thought of representing my country then. Even today I believe representing the country is the ultimate thing. It is nothing to do with money. As a six-year-old, you do not pick up a cricket bat thinking about how much money you will make with it 20 years down the line. You play well, the money comes in. So eventually it boils down to playing good cricket.

Do you think Test cricket will be affected by T20?
I don’t think so. Even after playing 400-plus ODIs, I still enjoy Test cricket. Every day is different, every session is different. You enjoy all those challenges, the different situations which sometimes you anticipate and sometimes take you by surprise. I still think that Test cricket is the ultimate thing. It requires different skills. You need to think, bat, plan and execute differently for both the formats. In ODIs you do not have that option. You need to move on with the game. That is the difference. Test cricket will never become boring.

What do you think went wrong with Yuvraj Singh?
Yuvraj, on the last tour to Australia, scored runs in ODIs. So it is not that he cannot play well in Australia. I don’t think that there anything wrong with his technique. His not scoring runs just coincided with the fact that it happened in Australia, nothing more than that.

Your opinion of Harbhajan Singh…
He is a tremendous character and soaked in a lot of pressure. He was able to rise to the occasion and has done really well. Plenty of things were said about him which he hadn’t done actually. But it was all credit to him and the team. Everyone stood behind him and that actually helped him. He managed to sustain the pressure and perform.

Is he the face of the modern Indian cricketer — those eager to give back as good as they get?
Each individual is different and reacts differently to different situations. You’ve got to respect that individualism. I don’t think being aggressive is always being vocal. Sometimes you do it with your eyes and convey to your opposition that you are going to be competitive.

But is the current team more competitive than a lot of the teams in which you have played earlier?
Yes, this team is definitely competitive and it is out there to challenge the opposition and we have been able to do that on a number of occasions on this tour. I would say that this is one of the better sides I have played in.

Do you follow all the ratings and rankings?
No, I know that my contribution is significant and I am happy with that. If my teammates think that it is significant too, that is good enough.

Do you think Indian cricket is going in the right direction?
We have found a good crop of players, but it is important not to put too much pressure on them. We have the tendency to overreact to 2-3 failures, and that does not help an individual or the team. We should encourage them to prepare better so that they perform better.

To win a Test match you need 20 wickets. Do you think that has been the biggest gain over the past year — getting bowlers who can claim these wickets?
Yes, our bowlers have been able to get 20 wickets, and importantly early breakthroughs, in recent Test matches abroad. Earlier too we would get early breakthroughs, but couldn’t finish off the innings.

How impressed have you been with the new breed, particularly Ishant and Rohit Sharma?
They look good. We should not put too much pressure on them. They should be given freedom to play their game and if they fail on a few occasions we should not be critical of them. They need a lot of encouragement and guidance.

Are you currently your son’s idol or is there someone else?
For him I have been the number one batsman in the world and when I asked him about it, he said that he is the number two batsman!

Is he seriously into cricket?
He’s enjoying playing cricket but I have given him freedom to pick and choose whatever he wants to. At his age, I loved cricket. Nobody forced me. If he decides to play cricket, tennis, hockey or whatever, if he loves that sport it will continue to grow on him. That is the beauty of sport: it’s a love affair that never ends.