There has been much talk that this may be Sachin Tendulkar’s last Test series. I do enjoy bowling against him as testing yourself against the best is what playing at this level is all about. And there is no question in my mind that he has been one of the best batsmen — if not the best — for 20-odd years.
But we have to make sure we do not treat him with too much respect in the middle.
I heard an interesting quote from Freddie Flintoff recently about what it felt like to bowl against Sachin.
He said: ‘I wanted to get him out, for sure. But I wanted to earn his respect as well. I wanted to impress him.’
It almost sounded like Freddie was looking for the Tendulkar seal of approval.
I cannot relate directly to what Freddie said, but I know what he is getting at.
I do know that people have said they love watching him bat and maybe too much of that kind of admiration could dull your competitive edge.
I’ve never been aware of succumbing to that myself but maybe subconsciously, because you respect him for what he has done in the game — 100 international centuries is some achievement — and the way he has conducted himself, you want to get him to respect you back.
The Sachin factor is quite something to experience. I’ve played in games here in which the Indian supporters seem more interested in his batting than how their team are doing, when Sachin getting out is the signal for a mass exodus.
I heard of one game where he was due to come in next but, unbeknown to the crowd, had dropped down the order.
When the batsman walked out to the wicket and the crowd realised it wasn’t Tendulkar they booed the other guy all the way to the crease, then cheered when he was out.
Larking about: Tendulkar watches Virender Sehwag kick a football aboutI will be seeking to make myself pretty unpopular with the locals in the weeks ahead.
The bottom line is that we treat everyone with the same respect, whether they’ve played one Test or 100 — and that goes for trying to earn their respect, too.
Swann's dash home offers us all a poignant reminderGraeme Swann’s trip home to be with his wife and baby is a reminder to us all of the kind of issues our families back home have to deal with.
We all appreciate that we are very lucky to be doing what we are doing but, as I know from personal experience, things like this show how tough it can be for all concerned to be away from home. None of us had any qualms about Swann going home to support his daughter, who has been poorly. Family always comes first.
We are hoping and expecting he will be back with us in time for the first Test — but, if he needs more time at home, we are 100 per cent behind him.
Hopeful: Graeme Swann has gone back home to be with his wife and baby, but Anderson hopes he may returnIncredible recovery
The return of Yuvraj Singh to the Indian side will complete a remarkable story, after all he has been through since the Test series against us at home in 2011.
I cannot begin to understand how devastating it must have been for him to be told he had lung cancer. Not so long ago, such a diagnosis would have been akin to a death sentence and it is incredible that he can be playing top-level cricket again so soon.
More... Immaculate timing from Compton as England opener scores another half-century ahead of first Test with India As England prepare for the First Test in India, an incendiary new book poses a question that will stun cricket… was the World Cup semi-final fixed?
