If I do quit, it will be from ODIs first: Sachin

New Delhi, September 18, 2007: Sachin Tendulkar in an exclusive interview to NDTV has said that he may stop playing One Day Internationals (ODIs) before retiring from Tests as ODIs put a lot of pressure on the body. He however said that he hasn't yet taken a decision on retiring and was bewildered by the rumours of the Lord's ODI being his last one. Sachin was speaking to NDTV in Kolkata where he has gone to participate in an exhibition match with Sania Mirza as part of a Tennis tournament.

EXCERPTS FROM THE INTERVIEW Q. Ticket prices for the lords ODI went through the roof because rumour was that was your last ODI, but your wife clarified that if you were retiring from ODIs she would have been there to watch the match?

"I don't know where the rumours about me retiring after the Lords ODI started. I did not say anything, I spoke to my wife Anjali and she told me this news had started back home, I never said anything. I just had to focus on the game at hand. People were saying this is my last game in England, that may be possible, but certainly not my last One Day International."

Q. Can I pin you down and ask you if you were to decide to give up one form of cricket which would it be, like all purists, from the records it appears you would rather miss ODIs than tests?

"Test cricket is more challenging. One Day cricket puts a lot of load on the body, but if I make a decision I will let everyone know. At this stage I don't know, but One Day cricket puts a lot of pressure and there are more chances of injury, so One Day cricket is what I may stop playing before Tests."

Q. Did you watch the Twenty20 bowl out versus Pakistan? The Indians did a great job.

"Greatly enjoyed the bowl out versus Pakistan. The 3 stumps suddenly looked narrower. Harbhajan, Robin and Sehwag did a fantastic job and I especially enjoyed Uthappa's reaction."

Q. When you think about the England tour, does it bother you that there were six occasions when you narrowly missed scoring 100's?

"The fact that I missed the opportunity to score six hundreds on the England tour is definitely there at the back of my mind, but what's more important to me is that India won on those occasions. Hundred is only important if India wins, and for me the excitement was there because we won."

Q. After the England tour you must have gone to the Siddhi Vinayak temple and prayed for better umpiring decisions, you got quite a rough deal during the tour.

"It's part and parcel of the game. If the relationship between the players and umpires is good the game moves forward. The Umpire actually came and apologised to me, that was very nice of him, how many guys walk up and say they are sorry."

Q. Who has given you the best compliment ever?

Best compliment I ever received was from Sir Don Bradman.

Q. You will be playing an exhibition match and Sania will be on the other side...

"I want to play against Sania not on her side because I want to get a feel of just how hard she strikes the ball."

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