Sachin Tendulkar's day was unceremoniously snatched away by Bangladesh on Friday. Tendulkar watched from the dressing room as Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim slowly took the match away from India, beating the world champions by five wickets.
Away from home, reaching a milestone that eluded him for more than a year left Tendulkar dazed. But in the end his knock was not good enough to help India win.
"I have mixed feelings (about the milestone) because I thought 290 was a good target. Till the last three overs, when they needed 33 runs, I thought we were in control. But they played some exceptional shots," said Tendulkar.
On his long wait to reach the milestone, he said, "It was a tough journey...Now that it is out of the way, things can come back to normal."
Excerpts from the press conference:
On the 100 tons
I am not god. After scoring 99 centuries, I needed a year to score another. It shows scoring a hundred from 99 is tough. It has been a huge learning process.
On playing for milestones
I don't play for milestones... There are ups and downs... I don't think I feel any more human after this. I always knew I was human and people are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them.
On playing for milestones
I don't play for milestones... There are ups and downs... I don't think I feel any more human after this. I always knew I was human and people are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them.
On the long wait 100th ton
It has been a test of my character and patience. Somebody who has not gone through this will not understand. But all this has made me a better player. It has been really challenging and I have learnt from my mistakes.
On retirement
I will tell you when I decide on that. Everyone will know. I want to play as long as I am enjoying and contributing to the team.