Mirpur, Mar 17: “I am not god, I am Sachin Tendulkar”—said the iconic Indian cricketer who watched in dejection as his 100th international century, which he described as the “toughest” of his career, was overshadowed by the team's shock loss to Bangladesh in an Asia Cup match here.
“I am not God. I am Sachin Tendulkar,” said the 38-year-old right-hander after India lost by five wickets despite posting 289 on board.
“Yes, I have to be honest. I am human and I have emotions so I was frustrated. It does play on your mind,” Tendulkar told reporters at the post-match press conference.
It took him 36 balls to go from 80 to 100 last night and his 114-run knock came off 147 deliveries in all but the veteran insisted that personal milestone was the last thing on his mind.
“The hundred was not the only thing on my mind. I was thinking about getting a good total for the team. When I looked at the scoreboard, I was looking at the run-rate and what we needed to do; I was avoiding looking at my personal score,” he said.
Tendulkar, who endured a year-long wait to reach the 100th century, said the delay made him realise the value of a century and admitted that his patience was tested.
“After scoring 99 tons you are made to realise the value of a hundred. It's not easy, it was a testing period, but there were many people who helped me.
“There are opinions, some for some against. I don't read them, I have a job to do. Ups and downs are a part of life, there is no person who has not experienced it, and they teach you a lot in life,” he said.
