Sachin and the pain barrier

Sachin Tendulkar has revealed that 14 years of international cricket have taken a heavy toll on his body, but that he does not let that affect his cricket. His injured toe, he told India Today, will never heal. And his performance at the World Cup this year was achieved through the pain barrier, as he struggled with a finger injury that eventually required surgery.

"My toe injury is not going to heal," he said. "The bone there is broken into pieces." The bodypart in question is the sesamoid bone in his right toe, which had forced him to skip India's tour of Sri Lanka in 2001.

Tendulkar also revealed that a finger injury he picked up last season had threatened his participation in the World Cup. "I couldn't straighten my hand," he said. "While batting, I couldn't flex my fingers comfortably, couldn't pick up a cup of tea easily. Injections had not worked earlier. The only option was to live with whatever pain was there and to be on pain killers. It was a matter of only six weeks, so I wore a big plaster."

He made 673 runs in the event, the most ever in a single World Cup, and helped India reach the final. Then, he went to the US for surgery. And what kept him playing through all that pain? He hates to lose.

"The only people I have to lose to are my son and daughter," he said. "When they box me, I have to fall down. Otherwise I don't like losing against anyone in any sport."

On a philosophical note, he added, "I've been happy on various occasions, but never completely happy. I think it is a good sign. The moment I start sitting back, saying "well done", that's probably the end of things."

Tendulkar spoke of how his batsmanship and his role in the team had changed over the years. "Earlier someone else took the responsibility and I just went after the bowling," he said. "Today, being the seniormost means [I have to play] a different role. It is the youngsters who go after the bowling and play their shots."

He also said that he had not started thinging about life after cricket yet. "It is hard to imagine my life away from cricket. From the age of 10, for the last 20 years its been only cricket. It is not easy to keep playing, you have to maintain your fitness level. I ... just keep trying, not look at how many years are left in me. I have no target. I just want to play."

He was intent on India winning the forthcoming series against New Zealand, he said. "We have to beat New Zealand for sure. In New Zealand last year, there were some wickets where everything was happening. It gave false confidence to the fast bowlers and demoralised the batsmen, who began to look for technical flaws which didn't exist. It didn't disturb me because I knew we were playing on tracks that were not of international standards."

And what of the tour to Australia later this winter? "We all know what's in store for us," said Tendulkar. "It's going to be a tough series and tough men are going to survive there." Despite his broken toe and the ailments that keep cropping up, there is no doubt that Tendulkar is as tough as they come.