Bengaluru: "I was living my dream when Sachin Tendulkar reached his 14,000 run mark," remarked an elated M. Vijay, who is unbeaten on 42 and is involved in an unbeaten 90-runs partnership with Tendulkar on day two of the second Test at the Chinnaswamy stadium.
Vijay was answering to a query from Gulf News as to what he felt like to be with Tendulkar who had crossed yet another land mark of his career. "Tendulkar is my childhood hero and I enjoyed every moment with him. It is a nice feeling to be partnering him in such a great moment," he added.
Vijay went on to praise Virender Sehwag's innings too. "It is great to be batting with legends like Tendulkar and Sehwag because there is a lot one can learn from them closely. Batting with them is indeed a great honour for me and one day I too hope to be able to bat like them."
Vijay is of the opinion that the wicket is deteriorating. "It is not easy to bat on this wicket and it is deteriorating. We have a lot of work to do and put up a good score. Towards the end the day light was very bad and I felt the umpires should have called off play atleast three overs before. It was hard to pick even the spinners."
What was his approach to batting under such conditions? "I tried to keep it simple and gave my 100 per cent," was his simple response.
Australia's batting hero Marcus North described his knock as a satisfying one. "I was not under pressure because I was not getting much runs. My aim is always to enjoy the Test. Sometimes it could be difficult and sometimes under great pressure. I always try and give my best," said North who registered his highest Test score beating his earlier best of an unbeaten 125 against England.
Did he have to bring about a change in his rhythm or approach to the game in this Test? "It was a good batting surface and I think the wicket has improved after drying up."
Talking about Tendulkar's 14,000 run mark, he said: "It is a special feeling to be on the same ground with such a great batsman. He is a world class player and we have to try and get him out quickly tomorrow."
