Sachin Tendulkar's ton lights up SCG

Having been dismissed in the 90s on several occasions in the recent past, Sachin Tendulkar heaved a sigh of relief when he scored his 38th Test century, more than any other player in history, on Day 3 of the second Test against Australia, at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.

"I breathed a sigh of relief as I had missed eight or nine hundreds in 2007," Tendulkar, who punched the air in joy and looked towards the heavens on reaching the ton, said later.

He did not look at the scoreboard during his knock, but admitted that he asked Harbhajan Singh to run quickly for the two runs that got him to the hundred.

The veteran batsman was particularly pleased that his effort put India in a good position, with a first innings lead of 69 runs.

"I kept fighting and tried to play according to the merit of the ball and waiting for the loose deliveries," Tendulkar said.

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Tendulkar's ton lights up SCG

January 4, 2008

Tendulkar scored an unbeaten double-century on his last visit to Sydney four years ago and now averages an astonishing 326 in four Test appearances at the world's third oldest Test ground.

On Friday, he added a vital 129 for the eighth wicket with Harbhajan (63), which rescued India from a difficult situation.

"I knew Harbhajan can get runs and he put his head down today. If you give confidence to lower-order batsmen, they get charged up to prove themselves," the 34-year-old batsman added.

Tendulkar did not protect the tailenders and gave them plenty of strike.

"The field was back for me and I took the singles on offer. There was no point playing a rash shot and getting out. I thought the field would come in for the tailenders and they could hit some boundaries," he said.

Comparing his innings in Sydney with the efforts in the previous Test in Melbourne, he said, "In the first Test, there were attacking field placements and I could hit boundaries.

"Here, there were fielders on the fence and I had to pace my innings."

Tendulkar felt spinners will have a major role to play in the remaining two days of the Test.

"There is turn and bounce and the ball is also stopping on the pitch. Spinners will trouble batsmen more from here on as there is not much there for pace bowlers," he said.

He also added that the match had all the makings of a classic.

"I don't want to take anything for granted in this game. Right now it's evenly poised. There's plenty of cricket left.

"We need to put the ball in the right areas and it should be backed by good fielding for us to have a chance."