Great to be on top: Sachin

“It’s a dream come true, absolutely,” added the 36-year-old. “We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. The last 18-20 months have been very good for us. We have worked hard and (coach) Gary (Kirsten) has been very instrumental along with the other support staff. Along with all that, the leadership of Dhoni and the team’s effort was commendable. The whole team got together and worked hard. “The process (to become number one) started a long time back and we have to follow the same process (to stay there). We don’t have to do anything different,” he observed.

Tendulkar has steadfastly refrained from getting into the comparison game, so it was no surprise to hear him refrain from comparing this team with Indian teams of the past that he has been a part of. “I don’t want to compare because I feel all the Indian teams I have been a part of, I feel privileged to be in them and I respect all the players I played with,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to compare. We all know how good the batting line-up is. We have world-class bowlers in this team and that has been our major force.”

The rise to the top spot, the little master added, wasn’t due to one stand-out and overwhelming feature. “The batting has lived up to expectations, the bowlers have done a wonderful job, the fielders have taken the catches,” he pointed out.