The Hindu : Sport : ‘One-dayers taking its toll’

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Tuesday, Sep 04, 2007
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Sport

‘One-dayers taking its toll’

I still think I’m a young boy at heart, says Tendulkar

— PHOTO: AP

TOO MUCH TO TAKE: The problems of a hectic international schedule coupled with advancing age have begun to show on Sachin Tendulkar physically, if not mentally.

London: Sachin Tendulkar has for the first time admitted that it is increasingly becoming difficult for him to play one-day cricket with long recovery time after matches taking a toll on his body.

“I enjoy every moment I have on a cricket field, but the recovery times between games these days are difficult, especially for one-day internationals, and that’s my major obstacle,” he said.

“It does take its toll on the body. When you are 22 or 23, you recover a lot more quickly. But at 34, it’s not so easy,” he was quoted as saying by The Times on Monday.

Tendulkar recently opted out of the Twenty20 World Championships but refused to agree that he was old enough to call it quits. “My body will tell me when I have played enough cricket, but I don’t feel old just yet. I still think I’m a young boy at heart.”

He, however, confirmed that this was likely to be his last tour of England. “Whatever cricket is left in me, I would like to make the most of it. I don’t know what the future has in store, but I don’t think I’ll be touring England again, because that will be in four or five years,” he said.

Pat for Warne

Tendulkar, rated as the greatest batsman by legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne in his list of top 50 cricketers, has duly returned the compliment by describing the Australian as “as good a bowler as I faced”.

While Warne’s rankings were being debated for the lowly rating of former Australia captain Steve Waugh and the absence of Australians in the top three, Tendulkar said he would always treasure this.

“That’s special. That’s very special. I will absolutely treasure this,” Tendulkar said.

“I’ve been around for 18 years and Shane has played against me all that time. It feels wonderful when someone of his stature appreciates your performances,” he said.

Real challenge

Tendulkar said Warne was always a challenge to play. “Every time I played against Shane, he was always extremely challenging and competitive. He was as good a bowler as I faced. But his greatness was that, even when he was not taking wickets, he was still coming at you all the time. “If he hadn’t taken a single wicket throughout the day, I still felt I had to focus as much on the last ball as I had on the first few balls of the day. So I always preferred to be on my toes.” — Agencies

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