ICC World Cup: India vs Pakistan game not a war, says Sachin Tendulkar

None of Sachin Tendulkars record 49 oneday international hundreds came against Pakistan in the World Cup Thats a mere statistical irony Tendulkars influence in Indiarsquos fiveoutoffive wins over the archrivals was as large as the very significance of this historic World Cup rivalry which started in the Tendulkar eraSachin Tendulkar and Shahid Afridi shake hands after Pakistans 2011 World Cup semifinal loss to India at the Punjab Cricket Associaton Stadium in Mohali on March 30 2011 PICAFPOne of the most underplayed of Tendulkars achievements could be the fact that he played a part in each of the five wins ndash from Sydney to Mohali and Bangalore Manchester and Centurion in betweenFor the record he was man of the match in three of the five gamesThis invincibility is not lost on Tendulkar who for the first time in 23 years is at home for a World CupHe spoke to SUNDAY midday before Indiarsquos opening clash in the 2015 World CupYou were part of all five World Cup wins against Pakistan Would you consider this as one of your major achievementsYes because its such an important event possibly the most important match that matters to the Indian public We have proudly held a 100 per cent record Without a doubt that is one of the top achievementsAll your World Cup wins against Pakistan were special but if you had to pick one being the most memorable which one would that beThe most memorable one has to be the victory in Centurion in 2003 I still remember how we celebrated after that win When we reached the dressing room I spoke to my family my friends and I could make out from their voice that the whole nation was celebrating dancing and jumping around Even though I was miles away I could feel that energy through their voiceWhich was the most tensionfilled World Cup game against PakistanTensionwise I would say the semifinals at Mohali in 2011 That was a very highpressured game Also because I knew that it was my last World Cup I knew we had come so close to reaching the final and the buildup to that was incredible To feel that energy inside the stadium and the kind of response that we got was unbelievable That has to be the most highpressured game of them all You felt that tension even more while fielding When you are batting you are constantly calculating and you are in the middle of the action When you are fielding at long on deep point fine leg third man mdash about 6070 yards away from the action mdash you get more time to think You think about different scenarios and that builds pressureIn that 2011 game against Pakistan I felt if we didnrsquot pick wickets we could be in trouble We really fought well in those critical moments and we won those moments In each and every match there are those critical moments and if you continue winning those moments the end result is terrific Those short steps need to be taken at regular intervals and we continued doing that while defending the 260totalYuvraj did a good job with the othersYes Yuvi I still remember Bhajji getting the wicket of Afridi It was a full toss ndash caught at cover by Sehwag Ninety nine out of 100 times Afridi would clear those kind of balls Itrsquos just that he missed this oneYou were victim of some poor umpiring decisions in your career but here the rub of the green came into play Did it compensate in a way for all those bad decisionsSometimes you think that way but this happened through the fielding side not the umpirersquos decision You speak to any batsman and he remembers a bad decision But you know eventually that evens out There were three catches dropped and it evened out when it mattered We needed that total We got off to a flyer and we lost wickets in between so we needed a reasonably competitive total 260 was a good total but I think we fell short by 20 to 25 runsWhats the kind of tension a player goes through before an IndiaPakistan World Cup gameThe 1992 World Cup was my first I didnrsquot know how highpressured these games are and what kind of reactions you get after the game When you are new to it you donrsquot realise but when you have played once or twice then you know exactly the kind of enthusiasm there is I was only 18We played with a lot of killer instinct and attitude Our approach towards the game was terrific Those days there were no big totals the format was slightly different The batsmen approached the game differently I still remember having a sore throat after the game When we went to the dressing room most of us had sore throats as we cheered for each other so much and supported each other Thatrsquos why I cracked a joke that when you have a sore throat you know that you have played PakistanTherersquos a tendency to view an IndiaPakistan World Cup game as a war Obviously you dont subscribe to that viewNo itrsquos not war Itrsquos about being competitive being competitive in the right spirit and respecting each other We definitely want to win By no means I am saying that we want to be soft there and allow them to do what they want Eventually it boils down to how nicely you control your aggressionDid you need help to sleep before a World Cup game against PakistanNo As time went by I got to know my bodys preparation before the game and this is my mind preparing before the game I got used to it When I accepted it it helped When I fought back it was difficultDo India have the best ammunition to make it six wins out of six gamesOf course we have that ammunition We have a balanced team Everyone has been talking about the combination and all that I just feel we should pick the best bowlers we have ndash those who are capable of delivering on that day and surfaceItrsquos not that the bowlers cant deliver They can deliver for sure We have to believe in our ability and what we have been able to achieve for such a long time so just continue to do what you are good atIt doesnt mean things are not going to change Things can always change There is always a turning point ndash a match a series or your career Just wait for that moment and donrsquot give up The key factor is not to give up hope because hope is something that allows you to push yourself harder