It was almost fitting that it was at the SCG that he ended his run of dismissals in the 90s that plagued the second half of last year.

"It was a little different this time," the 34-year-old said of his celebrations after his 38th Test ton. "Since Ireland in 2007, I had missed a lot of hundreds. I didn't want that to continue, I wanted to move on. The beginning to 2008 was very important. The beginning was quite good, so I am relieved. It was an important innings because it came at the right time.

"It is one of my favourite grounds. I've enjoyed batting here. Sometimes you walk on the field and it gives you good vibes, this is one of those grounds."

Offering centrestage to VVS Laxman, he continued, "He has played some brilliant knocks here. He deserves every bit of praise because he set up a fantastic foundation for us."

His thoughts during the dreaded 90s? "To be honest, I didn't look at the scoreboard. Harbhajan and I kept discussing how to go about the partnership. That kept my mind occupied. For a change, Harbhajan's presence helped!" he laughed when asked if the offie had played his part in calming his nerves. "Even after the hundred, we were thinking how to extend our stand."

Offering wholseome praise to Harbhajan, Tendulkar observed, "I've always believed Harbhajan can bat. But Harbhajan has believed more than me. I told him it was the right time to prove himself by chipping in with some important runs. He didn't disappoint anyone, playing an extremely important role in an extremely important partnership."

Talking about the skin rashes that had afflicted him before the Test, he said, "I had this terrible allergy on my face. It's settling down a bit. It happened from the towel detergent, it was all over my face. I had to go to the hospital and settle it down. I'm quite happy I made it up this way."

Once again, Tendulkar deflected comparisons with Don Bradman. "I don't think anybody can be compared to Sir Don," he emphasised. Then when told that Brett Lee was the third Aussie bowler to rank him number one among batsmen he bowled to, he noted, "It's wonderful that such great bowlers have high regard. I have extremely high regard for all of them, not just as sportsperson but also as people. The friendship that I share with them goes beyond the field, that's also important."

Pinpointing the reason for India's turnaround after losing in Melbourne by 337 runs, Tendulkar had this to say, "We believe in our abilities. We knew one bad match does not mean we can't bounce back. We always have the faith in our team."