'Been a tough phase for me' - Tendulkar(16-03-2012)

Sachin Tendulkar has admitted that he went through a "tough phase" to reach the milestone of a hundred international centuries. At the same time, Tendulkar, who last made an international hundred in the 2011 World Cup, said he had not been weighed down by his pursuit of the record, blaming the media for all the hype around it.


"It's been a tough phase for me," Tendulkar told television commentator Ramiz Raja during the mid-innings break in Mirpur, after helping India post 289 against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. "I started off the season batting reasonably well. I was luckless. I am not playing only for my hundredth hundred. It doesn't matter how many 100s you score, you still put your head down, grind it out and do the job for the team.


"I was not thinking about the milestone, the media started all this, wherever I went, the restaurant, room service, everyone was talking about the 100th hundred. Nobody talked about my 99 hundreds. It became mentally tough for me because nobody talked about my 99 hundreds."


Tendulkar said that his sole aim has always been to excel for his country, even during the lean phase over the past year. Despite the struggle to get to his 100th hundred and the pressure that that had built up around it, Tendulkar was able to joke about having finally achieved it, saying he had shed "50 kilos" with the 114 he made today.


When Ramiz asked Tendulkar what message he wanted to send to a youngster who witnessed him make history, Tendulkar said it was important to never give up on chasing your dreams. "Enjoy the game and chase your dreams," he said. "Dreams do come true. I had to wait for 22 years for India to win the World Cup."


"On Scoring 100th Century against Bangladesh on 16-03-2012"