CRICKET icon Sachin Tendulkar says he is not weighed down by expectations over his 100th century as he headed home to Mumbai for next week’s final Test against the West Indies.
As millions of fans wait for him to become the first batsman in history to score a century of international hundreds, the 38-year-old appeared unruffled by the hype around the landmark.
“I feel it is just a number,” the most successful batsman in both Test and one-day cricket, told the Mumbai-based Mid-Day newspaper today.
“I am not thinking about it. I am thinking about playing good cricket. I am enjoying my game.”
Fans hope he will attain the feat on his home ground at the Wankhede stadium when the Test starts on Tuesday (November 22), but Tendulkar said he could not understand what the fuss was all about.
“When I got my 90th international century, nobody said anything,” he told the paper. “Even before my 99th century, nobody said anything. So why now? I don’t understand.
“I know everyone is talking and thinking about my 100th century. I want to be relaxed and let cricket decide its own course. I am not rushing into anything, just concentrating my normal game.”
Tendulkar said he was more excited about completing 22 years at the top level since his international debut in a Test match against Pakistan in Karachi on November 15, 1989.
“It’s a wonderful feeling,” he told Mid-Day. “It gives me immense pleasure and terrific satisfaction that I’ve been able to serve my country for such a long time.”
