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I was determined to score a century: Tendulkar

Special Correspondent

Adelaide: Sachin Tendulkar said he was “determined” to score a century at the Adelaide Oval, one of the few Australian venues that had eluded him before Thursday, but added there was more to cricket than hundreds.

“I knew that Adelaide hasn’t been a great ground for me,” said Tendulkar after his sixth Test century in Australia. “In 1999 I scored 65 runs here and that was my best, so I was determined to get a big one here. It also happens to be Sir Don’s home ground. I wasn’t thinking about that while batting out there but am very pleased to have got a hundred at this venue.”

Crafty

The master batsman then provided rare insight on the craft of his batting. “The first straight drive off (Brett) Lee gave me a lot of confidence. I middled it and the shot went exactly where I wanted it to go. In the next over I repeated it (against Mitchell Johnson). So I took it from there.

“There are days when you are moving well, days when you’re not. There are also days when you middle the ball and days when you don’t. You need to wait for that moment. And then you know what to do with it. I’ve felt those moments off and on in my career. But, there’s lot more to cricket than scoring hundreds and that’s what I’m looking at.”

Asked if it was one of his more complete centuries in terms of the composition of attack and defence, Tendulkar said, “Any hundred is special but when the team really needs one, it means more.

“Today there were big shots in between and a defensive approach too. It was important we (Laxman and him) just stayed there and played according to the merit of the ball. We needed to play out the good spells properly.”

Very special

On the standing ovation he has received in every Test this series, he said, “It’s truly special, and sometimes I need to look at the scoreboard to figure out whether I’m 100-plus or zero. It means a lot to me and would like to thank each and every person for treating me like this. It makes every trip of mine very special.”

Tendulkar said “a big total in the first innings would be the key. Later on I think the wicket might have some big cracks. Ideally we would like to score as many runs (as possible) tomorrow. The first session will be very important. Anil (Kumble) and Harbhajan (Singh) will come in because there’s bounce.”

Brad Hogg, who Tendulkar hit for two of his three sixes, said, “It was a joy to watch though I’d rather he scored against someone else. It’s a great privilege to play against Sachin who is one of the greatest of all time.”

Did the left-arm wrist spinner think Tendulkar targeted him?

“No, not really. If the ball was there to be hit, he hit it. But, he also hit my best delivery for six, so.”

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