``We are going to Sri Lanka to Win'' - Tendulkar (17 August 1999)

17 August 1999

"We are going to Sri Lanka to Win" - Tendulkar

Anand Vasu

On the second day of the preparatory camp in Chennai, newly appointed captain Sachin Tendulkar spoke to the press. As expected, Sachin looked forward to the tour of Sri Lanka and said that he was positive about the team's chances. He said that he was leading the team to Sri Lanka with the aim of coming back with the trophy.

In his second term as captain, Sachin said that he expected each player to give a hundred percent. Tendulkar added that it was not possible for any team to win all the time. He said that there would be times when players had bad days. There would also be days when the Indian team is completely outplayed by the opposition. What he expected of his team was that they all gave their best at all times.

When asked about what he would do differently this time around, Sachin replied that he would continue doing what he did best. He said he would stick to his strengths. When asked whether taking over the captaincy was difficult, Sachin said that playing international cricket was hard enough and that being captain was an added responsibility.

The question of Kambli's inclusion eventually came up and Sachin seemed to answer it with ease. He said that his friendship with Kambli was strictly off the field and that as a captain he had to be neutral. He said that the selectors preferred Khurasiya over Kambli during the World Cup and he was glad that Kambli was now back in the team. When asked whether he wanted more of a say in selection matters, Sachin said that he was not after more say, and that he was only concerned about the team's interests.

When asked whether Robin Singh would be used higher up in the batting order, Sachin said that things like that were matters of team strategy and that he would not like to talk to the press about them.

Source :: CricInfo