Date:18/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/18/stories/2008051856101800.htm

Sport - Cricket

Pressure will keep us focussed: Sachin Tendulkar

Abhijit Sen Gupta

Hyderabad: Sachin Tendulkar, captain of Mumbai Indians, is aiming at keeping up the momentum when his team takes on Deccan Chargers in the DLF-IPL tournament here on Sunday. “It is extremely important for us to keep up the winning habit,” he said while speaking to the media in Hyderabad on Saturday.

“We are confident but not overconfident,” he said about his team’s approach. “We prefer to take each day as it comes and not look too far into the future. Every time you win it builds up expectations and puts you under pressure. But this pressure motivates players to stay on their toes and remain focussed. And that is what we want to do,” he said.

About his role as skipper, Sachin said that it was not his effort alone which mattered. All players including the seniors had contributed a lot.

“As a captain I have received help from all the senior members of the team including Shaun Pollock and Sanath Jayasuriya. And it is a very good experience to play alongside some of the world’s best players. For the youngsters, it is beneficial for they can learn a lot,” Sachin said.

He said that the Twenty20 format is very exciting and the fact that some players who are now in their thirties are doing well, shows that age is no bar. “I believe that any player who is doing well should be picked, regardless of his age,” he said.

Sachin felt that the Twenty20 format would not affect other formats. He said that the initial setbacks that Mumbai Indians had faced had not demoralised the team.