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Harish Kotian in Trent Bridge/Rediff
 
Trent Bridge, Aug 1:
Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday termed the victory of the Indian team in the second Test against England at Trent Bridge as a complete team effort.

"This victory is quite special and it is an occasion to celebrate for the team. It has been a combined effort by the entire team, some have contributed more, some have contributed on a lesser scale, but everyone has contributed in one department or the other, so I will call it a good team effort and we all are happy," a delighted Tendulkar said after the match.

It was an extraordinary comeback by Team India after being on the verge of defeat in the first Test at Lord's, which they escaped because of rain. In the space of a week, the team dished out a spirited display to catch the hosts off-guard and clinch the second Test in convincing fashion.

"We were extremely confident after that lucky breakthrough (the draw at Lord's) because God was with us. After that we knew if we bat well, we will end up doing well in this match. I thought our batting really delivered... there were many good partnerships. Nobody scored a hundred, but there were partnerships all along, which helped us to get to a strong position. After that the bowlers took over," Tendulkar said.

The master batsman played a key role, top scoring with 91 in India's first innings during which he also scaled the magical 11,000-run mark in Test cricket.

"I am very happy on getting 11,000 runs, but a bit disappointed that I got out on 91. But these things happen in life and it does not mean that I should sit and cry the whole day. I prefer to leave these things behind me and look forward and try to play a major role in the next match too. Whatever happened here (getting out on 91) is a personal thing, so I would not bother about it," he said.

The 34-year-old emphasised that the team is now focused on the third and final Test to begin on August 9 at the Oval as it looks to win its first ever Test series in England since 1986.

"Our focus is on the next match. Whatever has happened is in the past now. We will like to confidence from this victory into the next match, but obviously we will not be overconfident," he said.

The maestro also came down hard on reports of division in the team and urged people not to spread rumours and create any unnecessary controversy. Recently, a news channel had reported that all was not well between Tendulkar, Captain Rahul Dravid  and Sourav Ganguly after the trio's exclusion from the Twenty20 World Cup.

"There has always been unity in the team. I don't think there were ever any divisions in the team, it is the opinion of some people and I want to clear these opinions. I just want to say that there is always unity in the team and please do not start any sort of controversies. The atmosphere in the dressing room is always good as you can see now.

"Whether the team wins or not, we always stay united because when we lose it is not that a particular individual has lost, it is the team has lost and when we win it is the team that wins. So everybody gets happy and everybody gets sad. There is unity in the team and nobody should question it," he said.

Thanking team manager Chandu Borde, Tendulkar said the veteran's experience had proved very useful in England.

"Chandu Borde is a very experienced player. He has played a lot of cricket and also seen a lot of cricket. His experience is always useful to us. He is a very positive person and a nice human being. We all respect him a lot and he is a terrific person to be part of the team. My first manager when I started in 1989 was Chandu Borde and today also when I see him with the team, I feel happy. I only want to say that his support and good wishes have helped me a lot," he said.

The batting maestro also made light of the jelly bean incident involving Zaheer Khan stating that India had no problems with it since it had fired up the left-arm pacer.

"Zaheer did not tell me anything about the jelly beans. But he has given a few interviews and the colours seem a bit different in each of them. I think these things happens and they tend to inspire players and if it inspires a player then why not. He has bowled well throughout the match and not just a spell or two. It is terrific and inspiring.

  

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Comment on this article

  • Nelson Lewis, Kingdom of Bahrain

    Fri, Aug 03 2007

    They keep on losing and when they have an isolated victory outside India, that too against a none-too-strong side, they behave like supermen. And the funny thing is that the media pander to them by swooning and crooning to the utterances of these "once great" but today "washed out and totally faded" players.

    Today, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Saurav Ganguly are not the players that they were in heydays. Though, Sunil Gavaskar, behaves like Don Quixote when he says that he would like Tendulkar to play the next World Cup in 2011, I wonder if anyone of them would there to play that event considering the fact they have been over the hill.

    In fact in the recent years, Tendulkar has been hit numerous times by fast bowlers. One has to only wonder if he would have survived in old days, when there were no helmets and other superior body gear that we see today. Just wonder what would have happened if he was not wearing the helmet in the 1st Test played against England during the first innings. Would he have been fit enough to give the subsequent press conference to the media?

    The problem with Tendulkar is that he is not ready to accept facts, but behaves like an old man who tries to fool himself and the world by wearing a wig, false dentures, toning up his face by plastic surgery, etc. As simple as that. One has to be realistic and accept facts, though some diehard fans may like their idol to play till his ripe old age.

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  • Sannu, Pangla

    Thu, Aug 02 2007

    One win against an average performing team and everyone goes ga ga about. We want to see consistent wins against teams like Australia and South Africa. Only then we can term the India cricket team is good.

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  • Brian Rodrigues, Mangalore, Dubai

    Wed, Aug 01 2007

    It is indeed a great victory for Team India. I sincerely hope they continue performing as an united team more consistently, unlike the last tour to South Africa, where they won the 1st test and then lost the series.

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