At 29, Sachin Tendulkar is not just the youngest to have reached 100 Test matches, but also one of the best. Two days ahead of the Oval Test, whereIndia are presented with a semi-historic opportunity to win a series outside the subcontinent, Tendulkar fielded a range of questions from the press.

Confident, even chatty, the little curly-top who would barely squeak when he first began being assaulted by media at the age of 12 seemed quite literally from a century ago.

Sachin, a hundred Test matches, how does it feel?
I think reaching 100 Test matches is always going to be special for anyone because not many players have got there; I will be only the fourth Indian player. It's a proud moment for me. Having played for 13 years, I've learnt a lot and there are a lot more things to be learnt. I've enjoyed each and every moment, and it was one of my dreams to play 100 Test matches for India. It's one of the moments when as a player you feel that you've achieved something in life, and performed to the best of your abilities.

How many Tests more do you think are still to come?
I really don't know. When I started playing I didn't want to count the number of Test matches I wanted to play. I just wanted to go out and enjoy every moment and face every challenge. That's what I've been taught by my coach and my brother. They had clearly told me that there are no shortcuts in this game. If you look for shortcuts it's going to be the end of your career; don't even think of competitive cricket.

As long as I'm playing it's still going to be very strong. The day I feel that `it's ok', I'll quit. There's no point in playing cricket like that. It's a team game and even if there is one person who is not sure of what he wants to achieve, then that affects the team. I don't want to be a burden on the team, where others start thinking that this guy is not 100 percent.

What has been the finest moment of the last 13 years?
I think the hundred I scored against Australia at Sharjah [in 1998] that helped us to win the tournament, and the previous one as well which helped us to qualify for the final. I think those two would always be right up there. In Test cricket, I scored 114 in 1991-1992 at Perth. I thought Australia had a very good bowling attack, the wicket obviously had life in it; that really helped my confidence. Overall, I think the last Test at Headingley was very good. It's kind of an ideal Test match one would hope for. You bat, you score big runs, you get the opposition out. There were some good catches taken as well. It was a perfect Test match.

You are at a stage now that you keep going past the records of your heroes, Sunil Gavaskar and Viv Richards. How does that feel?
Well, heroes are always going to be heroes whether you break their records or don't break their records.

How do you compare yourself with the all-time greats?
I think from my side, what I always wanted to become was to be regarded one of the best players in the world, and leave the rest to the people to decide. My job is to go out and perform, and the spectator's job is to decide who is the best and whatever. All I wanted to be is one of the best players in the world. I've never liked comparisons. I've always maintained this. When you start comparing – if you say player A is better than B, then you are kind of degrading the other guy indirectly. I've never believed in that. I believe that if there are couple of players who have both scored more than 8000 runs, they both have achieved something great in life. It's important to appreciate what they have been able to do for so many years rather than look at the negatives.

You were 16 when you made your debut, and now there's a 17-year-old [Parthiv Patel] in this team. What has been your advice to him?
I've been watching Parthiv and I think he's got a great heart, he's got a temperament which he obviously proved at Trent Bridge in the second innings. He spent those crucial 90 minutes at the crease, and that's a very good sign for Indian cricket. Seventeen is surely very young to start but if somebody is talented enough, why not? We are quite proud to have him in the side and I'm sure he'll serve us for a long, long time.

What do you remember of your debut innings?
I was in terrible shape because I was only 16 and didn't know what to do. We were playing in Pakistan and they had a top bowling attack. I remember when I went in there I didn't know what was happening around me. My feet were not moving. Just the hands were moving and I was going for everything that was outside the off stump. I thought I was a bit out of place - but the recovery came very soon. The next Test I batted, scored some runs, and that's when I realised that I could make it.

How has the weight of expectation affected your cricket?
I think it's always good when the players and the countrymen are expecting something from you. Life would be quite boring if nobody expected anything from you, and you carry on with no meaning as such. I think that has really helped me, though at times the expectation has been very, very high. I try and live up to my own expectations, and set achievable targets for myself. If you're trying to live up to people's expectations it's always going to be very, very tough. I just want to be realistic.

So what are your own expectations?
I usually set targets for each tour and sometimes per game.

What is it for this Test?

(smiles) Maybe you'll come to know maybe on the fifth day...

Is this going to be a normal Test for you?
It's not going to be normal, of course, because the game is followed back home in such a big way. If you ask them to name the top 10 sports in India, it will all be cricket, which is very unfortunate. The tennis players were doing well, the hockey was good, table-tennis, badminton, so it's important for the other sportsmen to actually be noticed. It's rather unfortunate that [Pullela] Gopichand, who won the All England Championships, didn't get so much attention when I felt he really deserved it. But coming back to myself, it's not going to be normal because cricket is that big.

How difficult has all the pressure been on your family?
It's been difficult. I can't take them out in public and do the things that a family would normally end up doing. I try and do it discreetly and privately as much as I can.

How has the death of your friend and agent Mark Mascarenhas affected you?
It was very unfortunate. It was shocking news but things are pretty close to normal - though it can never be normal without Mark. WorldTel have backed me all the way, and this is the time I should stick to them and make it work.

The Indian team seems to be undergoing a transition ...
I think we have a better-balanced team and the players have really chipped in when the situation demanded. That's what winning is all about: when the situation demands, you deliver. That's what we've been able to do recently. We've been working hard on our fitness. Adrian le Roux, who is our fitness trainer, and Andrew Leipus and John Wright, we've all been working hard as a unit. I believe if you work hard physically it makes you stronger mentally as well.

Is there anything special about beating England?
It's not who the opposition are. We have to keep one thing in mind, that we're playing for India. If it's England or Australia or Bangladesh or Kenya, we'd still like to win. Winning at international level is special and that's what we want to carry on doing.

How do you see India's chances in this Test?
It's not going to be easy. Five days of cricket are left, probably the most important five days of the series. We have to play the same type of cricket that we played at Headingley. Things might be different out there, but we just have to wait for our opportunity and grab it. I'm sure England will be better prepared – even they want to come out and deliver the goods.

How significant will be this overseas series win if it happens?
It's so important because it's something we have been trying for so many years. Now the time has come where we stand a chance, a fair chance. We hadn't won outside India for quite some time and we've been doing that now quite regularly. I think this is going to be another hurdle.

Rahul Bhattacharya is a staff writer with Wisden.com in India.

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