Dec. 15: Despite standing on the threshhold of history, champion batsman Sachin Tendulkar seems unfazed by the media attention and the anticipation around his 50th Test century.
“I believe it is destiny. When it is destined to happen it will happen. I am not thinking too much about it. My focus is on preparation,” Tendulkar said. Should he score a ton in the three-match Test series against South Africa, the iconic batsman from India would become the first in the history of Test cricket to get to the coveted landmark.
Tendulkar, however, preferred to focus on the match and not personal landmarks. “For me one thing is very important and that is to get acclimatised to local weather conditions,” Tendulkar said as world number one India prepare to face second best South Africa.
“Preparations have been spot on and the lengthy practice session has given us that opportunity (to get acclimatised). We have had good net sessions under the guidance of coach Gary (Kirsten),” he said. Tendulkar pointed out that like India, South Africa will also have their task cut out as the series heralds the beginning of the season for the Proteas. “In South Africa, players and critics always talk about getting used to pace and bounce of wickets. For them this is going to be the start of the season, so wickets are going to be a lot fresher,” he said.
Talking about conditions in the Rainbow nation, Tendulkar said that one has to be extra careful in a high-altitude belt like Johannesburg. “While playing in Johannesburg you have to be extra careful. That is in high altitude area, so supply of oxygen is a bit of a problem,” he said.
“When tour starts and we step on the cricket field for the first time we normally start running. While completing first lap one can easily feel that the body is not getting enough oxygen. Once you get used to that kind of conditions then there is no problem,” Tendulkar explained.