Hate comparing any of my innings: Tendulkar

Tendulkar's ton at centurion reminded a few of his amazing innings at Cape Town in 1997, but the Master stressed he doesn't like comparing innings or bowling attacks

Tendulkar's ton at centurion reminded a few of his amazing innings at Cape Town in 1997, but the Master stressed he doesn't like comparing innings or bowling attacks

The most profound memories of Sachin Tendulkar were of an Indian team failing to get past the line despite the little master stroking his way to a gem. Be it Perth 1992, Birmingham 1996, Cape Town 1997 or Chennai 1999.

Sachin Tendulkar celebrates after scoring his 50th Test ton on Day Four against South Africa in Centurion yesterday. Pic/Getty Images

That put in nutshell, sums up his career. And fittingly when a genius reaches the pinnacle of his feats, the song remains the same.u00a0

India required a miraculous effort to save the Test. Tendulkar obliged with a breathtaking knock (107 not out) ufffd one of his finest efforts in recent times. It didn't include his widest array of strokes, and yet rose to the occasion.

Maybe, the gods wanted the day Tendulkar reached his zenith not be remembered for yet another India loss.
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Maybe that's why there was a downpour just minutes after he reached his hundred.

It is a known fact that Tendulkar's record in South Africa is not as good as in England or Australia. Asked if this knock got that monkey off his back, Tendulkar told MiD DAY: "Every knock is going to be different. Everyday you can't go out and play in the same manner. Every time you walk out to the middle, you have to contend with different surfaces and bowling attacks. The ball is going to do something different. I always plan my knocks based on these facts. You cannot go out with a fixed set of plan."

Asked to compare this knock to his innings of 169 at Cape Town in 1997, Tendulkar said: "It (Cape Town) was a different scenario. I played a lot more aggressive strokes that day. It is important to be spontaneous and judge the situation. Need to be clever."u00a0

So, was that bowling attack tougher to contend with? "Every attack has its own strengths and weaknesses. I always try to identify that and feel good as a batsman. I respect every attack. It is not that an earlier attack was better, or worse. I don't like to compare knocks or attacks. We all evolve with time. Everything changes with time. I respect my opposition in every walk of life. That's how I have always looked at life."

When India were restricted to six down at lunch, India's innings was done and dusted.u00a0 The Press here were already preparing for India's post mortem. Having reached 95 through a beautiful hit over long-off, the crawl from 95 to 100 brought out the best in the crowd, who waited with bated breath. After every ball the crowd sighed with "ooohs" and "aaaahs".

On the contrary, it is a huge relief. Finally, the subject surrounding the milestone is dealt with. But none of it would matter to Tendulkar if India can't save the Test today.