Tendulkar wants to enjoy England tour, not thinking of 100th ton

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Tendulkar insists that enjoying the game is the key to success. (TOI Photo)


LONDON: A billion-plus fans in India would be expecting a record 100th ton when Sachin Tendulkar walks out to bat against England in the first Test at Lord's but that is the last thing on the batting maestro's mind as he simply wants to enjoy during the tour.

Tendulkar, who is on a vacation in London with his family, insists that enjoying the game is the key to success.

"I am not thinking of records," Sachin was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph.

"I am just thinking of enjoying this tour. The secret to any performance is not in chasing records. I think about, 'What is the best way to enjoy the game, and how can I enhance that enjoyment factor?'

"If I enhance the enjoyment then, naturally, the standard of play becomes higher. To me, that is more important. If I am playing well, things can happen. I don't need to go around chasing them. It is a process. You construct a solid foundation and build on it."

Besides spending time with family, Tendulkar has been training here for the four-Test series while his team mates are set to join him soon from the West Indies.

Tendulkar said that being in England enables him to balance life by doing thing he will not be able to do in India due to the crazy fan-following.

"When I spend time in England, it is different. I get to do certain things that I wouldn't be able to do in India: to go into the park with my children, to do whatever they want to do, whether it be a game of soccer or cricket. I enjoy the best of both. The idea is to balance life in India with life away from India, to get the best of both and to be a happy man."

When asked about retiring from the game he has played for over 20 years, Tendulkar said: "I haven't. I am enjoying every moment. It has been fun. In fact, I am looking at how to enjoy the game more and how to improve the standard of play. It is about getting better. Nobody knows what is going to happen tomorrow. At least today I know that I want to enjoy cricket, to enjoy the moment."

Tendulkar wants to enjoy England tour, not thinking of 100th ton

India look to youngsters with only T20 lined-up

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MANCHESTER: India will try to put the humiliating whitewash in the Test series behind them when they take on England in the one-off Twenty20 cricket match on Wednesday, hoping that their young batting brigade will be able to counter the seaming conditions.

After the Test series debacle, India began well on the path of redemption by scoring three consecutive victories in the warm-up games but they face an uphill battle against England, who are reigning Twenty20 world champions.

Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have looked in good touch in the warm games in the last one week as they shouldered the burden of carrying India home in those games.

Importantly, they have not been part of the losing side yet after putting their feet in England and the confidence and positive attitude of the duo can turn it around for India.

Left-handed Parthiv Patel also got into the groove by top scoring in India's win against Leicestershire on Tuesday.

However, India have run short of batsmen and they are left with no option but to ask its two most senior batsmen, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, to pad up for the game.

The present squad in all has eight batsmen but opener Gautam Gambhir is as good as ruled out and Ajinkya Rahane is too wet behind the ears to be given the India cap.

It brings both Tendulkar and Dravid into equation - two giant of batsmen in modern era who, ironically, have only one Twenty20 international between them.

Tendulkar played India's inaugural Twenty20 international match in Johannesburg against South Africa on the 2006 tour but since then has often asserted he doesn't want to be part of India's Twenty20 group of players.

The highest and the second highest run-scorers in the history of Test cricket, however, would be required to respond to the call of the team.

It's an irony that a team, which only four years ago had won the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa on the vim of young talent, is now knocking at the door of two 38-year-old veterans to bail them out.

Tendulkar and Dravid, in a way, wouldn't mind turning up for India. Tendulkar has only shown glimpses of his batsmanship on the present tour.

Dravid needs to adapt his batting to the shorter formats of the game of which he hasn't been a part, well almost, for over three years.

Being champions, they would also like to exact revenge against an England side which whitewashed them 4-0 in the preceding Test series and disrobed them from the honours of world's number one Test side.

India look to youngsters with only T20 lined-up