Tendulkar slams critics who try to run him down

New Delhi: It isn't often that Sachin Tendulkar reacts to criticism. But after blazing away at Hobart with a superb half-century that knocked out the Lankans from the CB Series, the maestro had more than a word or two for his detractors.

Pretty much the same way the Hobart sun came out after a gloomy start, this man too shrugged off all the poke-talk and aspersions cast at his form. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar cut loose from the word go, as if in a bid to make up for lost opportunities.

"The last three innings, I just felt I missed out, and I don't think about the normal tendencies to get carried away because of expectations. SRT

Quite a few people were getting overtly critical about his failures. Former team-mate Sanjay Manjrekar pointed out that in the last 51 ODIs he played, Sachin averaged over 62 in 24 games where India have batted first, but he had only 26 per knock in the 27 matches in which India batted second. And his performances before Hobart haven't helped either.

"We are playing so many games in a row, so ups and downs are always going to be there. Sometimes, people tend to react a little more than what they should.

And Manjrekar went even further: "Another problem that India have these days when they bat second on a good pitch, is that their most experienced batsman, who bats at such an influential position in the batting order, becomes almost redundant. But with Tendulkar, its like the elephant in the room no one wants to talk about."

One just hopes these are nothing more than rumblings of discontent.

"The amount of performance he has given for the Indian cricket team, I think we should be very colourful about what we are speaking. We really have to weigh what we are writing about here," Indian skipper MS Dhoni says.

"It's just too many brains working at times. It's important what the team feels inside the dressing room and we are pretty confident and so am I," said Tendulkar.

But one must remember that only a Sachin Tendulkar can bat the way he did at Hobart. Indian team would do well to cherish the little pearls of genius that cascade from his willow.