'With age, my role in the team changed too' - Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar has revealed that his batting style underwent a gradual change as his career progressed and that he always took into account the team interest before shifting his methods. He reiterated that he was enjoying his batting as much as he did when he burst on to the scene as a 16-year-old prodigy and said that he was not too concerned about public opinion regarding his craft.

"I batted with a certain style when I was 16," he told The Hindu. "At 20, I batted differently. It again changed when I was 25, and again when I turned 30. With age, my role in the team changed too. It's not that my batting has assumed a new character now." Tendulkar said that he needed to adopt a different approach considering that he was one of the senior-most members of the side. "Please try to read my role and contribution in a team where I'm the senior-most," he continued. "Like others, I too think differently as I grow. Today, maybe Mahendra Dhoni would think and do what I did at 20. When I was 16 I saw Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri. They had a certain role to play, and I had my own. I'm one of the main players in the team and need to take more responsibility. I love speaking to the youngsters and guiding them through healthy discussions."

Tendulkar also admitted that age had forced him to make certain changes to his approach but added that several batsmen had gone through similar phases in the past. "It's a process that everyone experiences. In the past too batsmen have made changes when compelled by certain factors, like age. I can't fight these changes. They are natural. It's easy for these so-called experts to talk from outside. And who are these people. Look at their records. Honestly, I don't think we need to even discuss them and their comments."

With unequivocal candour, he said that he wasn't perturbed about what people thought about his batting. "I don't get rattled by what people say. I know what my job is. I know what I'm doing. As long as I'm convinced that I've done my job honestly, why should I lose sleep over what people have to say about my cricket. In any case, my team knows and judges me best. And that to me matters most. Look, I've played as I wanted to. Not to please some individuals but to serve my team and my country. I did what I thought was right for me and the team. I follow the same policy even today. It's difficult to please all the people. So why worry about them. I would rather do my job as long as I feel I have done right. What matters is the interest of the team and that's what I'll aim to serve. I'm enjoying my batting just as I did when I was 16."

His batting might have undergone a change, but he still retains his remarkable modesty that led him to say that he couldn't sit on his laurels. "I did what came naturally to me," he said, "but I must tell you that my learning process continues. I just can't sit back and reflect on past glory. I think Indian cricket is in a healthy state and hopefully things will be better in times to come."

He may think that Indian cricket is in a healthy state but the attitude of the spectators still leaves a lot to be desired. "They [the spectators] don't help the team by jeering at us," he said. "There's no harm in having high expectations but be realistic when we lose after our best efforts. I hope they realise that we try our best. And I really find it funny when our own people boo us. It hurts. I find it hard to accept. What sort of support is this! Ridiculous I must say. Let them remember that by insulting the present, you are also belittling the glorious past."