• Home
• /
• Cricket

Tendulkar elated by ‘fantastic journey’

"It has taken me 19 years to get the record," the 35-year-old Tendulkar said after achieving the feat on the first day of the second test against Australia.

"It can't happen overnight," Tendulkar, who made his debut as a 16-year-old and holds the records for runs and hundreds in both tests and one-dayers, told reporters.

"It has been a fantastic journey. There have been ups and downs in the process of success."

Tendulkar, who is among the team's senior players facing questions about retirement, added jokingly: "If stones are thrown at you, you convert them into milestones."

The batsman had needed 15 runs to surpass Lara's record of 11,953 runs, a feat he achieved after tea.

Feeling good

He also completed 12,000 runs in tests before being dismissed for 88. Tendulkar missed out on the record in the first test in Bangalore, where he dug in to salvage a draw on the final day.

"I decided to just keep things simple, watching the ball, keeping my eyes on the ball and be alert," he said.

Tendulkar said he had no plans to quit, dismissing media criticism of senior players following the July-August test series defeat in Sri Lanka.

"I don't need to prove anything to anyone," he said. "All these years I didn't play cricket to prove anything to anyone, whether it was the first year of my career, 10th or 19th.

"I'm going to continue obviously. I'm feeling good. So many things have been said and written but it is not necessary they are always right. They are only opinions and what I feel is more important."

"As long as I'm enjoying it I will play. I don't need X, Y or Z to tell me when I should stop or continue. When I started playing nobody told me that. So nobody need to tell me now either."