He might have been fluent and aggressive in his innings of 62 today, but Sachin Tendulkar batted defensively for Rahul Dravid’s slow approach at the top of the order while iterating that the match is not over yet. Excerpts: On Rahul Dravid: Not always are you going to strike the ball like you want. Sometimes the balls are not in the areas where you can put them away regularly. It was one of those days. And there was not enough strike rotation. But it’s not the first time it’s happened in Test cricket. Some days you just have brilliant spells. Rahul has done well at all numbers. So let’s wait for the series to end.On India’s position:Yesterday we were in a good position. It’s not the same today. The match is not over yet. We will have to get 10 wickets early and break it down to session by session.On his dismissal: It was a turning point. The partnership (with Sourav Ganguly) could have made a huge difference. The ball came a bit slower than I expected. I knew there were ten minutes for tea and the idea was to play out a few balls. On his batting style today:I went in with a positive frame of mind. I’d decided if the ball was there to be put away, I would do it. Attacking Hogg wasn’t part of my plan. I picked the line and length early and thought I should play my shots. Sometimes I feel I should hang around and not go bang, bang, bang. If I get good balls in the right areas, I’ll leave them alone, be flexible.On injury concerns today: It’s just a minor strain in my quadracep muscle.On the pitch: I don’t think it’s a bad track. I don’t know why people round the world think a soft track is bad for cricket.Together Brett Lee and Stuart Clark made India sweat with their pace and movement, forming a lethal combo. They shared their thoughts.Brett Lee: On his 250th wicket:It is a fantastic feeling. To get to the 250-club is pretty special. I was pleading and praying that Gilly had caught the ball and when he said he had, I was delighted. On his current form: Sometimes, when the going is good, you think of the time when you were away from the national side for 18 months. It makes you appreciate the good times. Not playing the World Cup was a painful experience. But I am in a great state of mind now. I am enjoying myself.On the Indian batting: You’ve got to treat their batsmen with respect. When someone like Stuart Clark picks up Tendulkar, then Yuvraj and Dhoni in next to no time, it makes you job easier. But at the end of the day, irrespective of who the batsman is, you have to focus. Stuart Clark: On ‘slow’ MCG pitch:Nothing has changed. If you bowl badly, you can go for plenty of runs, but it’s flat, low and slow. What was in our favour was the ball scuffed up nicely and we got some reverse-swing, which made it easier to bowl.On Tendulkar’s wicket:He was batting beautifully. Anytime you get him out is a very good moment. He is a great player. But I believe that if you create pressure over a period, you can make batsmen find ways to get themselves out.
