'This century is special,' says Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar's 34th Test century came to him like a cool breeze on a hot, humid day. It brought relief from a run of form that included just three double-figure scores in ten innings, and alleviated the throbbing pain in the elbow that had dogged him in recent times. "This century is special, because I was coming back from injury and this was a bad injury," he said. "I'm still not 100% pain-free. It was tough, I also had to play the ball and at the same time fight this pain. There are plenty of things that people don't know, I was fighting against all those things. It's never an easy task. It's been a great challenge and quite satisfying."

Tendulkar's tennis elbow laid him low for more than six weeks, and there were times when it seemed to outsiders that he might never be able to play at his best again. Some even speculated that he might never get to that 34-century mark. But that wasn't a thought that Tendulkar entertained. "I was getting frustrated with my injury, wasn't able to hold the bat properly," he said. "I wasn't allowed to pick up the bat the way I normally do, and hit the ball. To do all that you need strength, and I just didn't have strength in my left arm."

When Tendulkar did make his comeback, it was widely believed that he was 100% fit again and raring to go. Today, after reaching his 34th Test century, Tendulkar let on for the first time that he was still battling pain. His spending 361 minutes at the crease for an unbeaten 159 will have tested the elbow thoroughly. "It's been tested, I just have to wait and see how it feels tomorrow," he said. "The physio thinks it is going to be stiff in the morning. I hope it doesn't get as stiff. I've been through this. One learns to deal with all this."

Even though his was a cocktail of sensations - physical pain, relief at reaching the record, and happiness at achieving what he has - Tendulkar remembered to thank those who have helped him most in his journey. "I am extremely happy. I am thankful to my family, father, mother, brothers and sister. I am happy to get to this 34th hundred. My beginning in cricket was in my 11th year, when stayed with my aunt and uncle. I cannot forget that. They have all been part of this. And finally my coach: it's a combination of all these. Everything helped me to play all these years that I played. It's only because of this support that I am here."

This century also made Tendulkar the third person - after Gary Kirsten and Steve Waugh - to score hundreds against all the other nine teams currently playing Test cricket. But, as much as these records will tickle statisticians and budding quizmasters, it was not been on Tendulkar's mind when he looked to the heavens after taking that special single that got him to three figures. "The first person I thanked was my father, I looked up and thanked him." He explained the gesture that has become the norm for him since the time he made a century against Kenya in the 1999 World Cup soon after his father died: "This was for him. He would have been a happy man. And then I thanked plenty of people who have always been a great support and inspiration for me through my ups and downs. Specially the family, my brother, my wife. They have played a huge role. The kids when I go back help to unwind."

The congratulatory messages from the family will no doubt begin to pour in, but it was Sunil Gavaskar who got to him first when he walked off the field, as Sourav Ganguly was dismissed on the stroke of tea. Gavaskar did not quite walk onto the field a la Garry Sobers when Brian Lara broke his record of 365: he waited just outside the boundary rope, put his arm around Tendulkar and said a few words. "He said, 'It's good to get to 34 but you should not stop here. Go further and further and get to 50'," explained Tendulkar, when asked what Gavaskar told him. But, he would not be drawn into speculating on whether 50 Test centuries was a realistic possibility. "I don't want to say whether it is possible or not right now. It's not that I'm going to go for 50 hundreds, I'm just going to go out there and play the way I've played."