I don't underestimate any bowling attack: Tendulkar

“I will not underestimate any bowling attack. The bouncers do not mean much, the scoreboard reads something different at the end of the day,” Tendulkar said.

The master batsmen also said scoring was not tough despite Bangladesh employing defensive fields at times. “There were defensive fields with a lot of fielders on the boundary. But it wasn’t difficult to get the scorecard ticking. There were patches where we scored boundaries and made sure the run rate did not dip,” Tendulkar said.

“Yes, at certain stages they bowled well. But in those overs, we (Dravid and Tendulkar) had to bat carefully and we had to be patient for the boundary balls to come,” he said.
“I was just waiting for the opportunity so I sensed the momentum changing towards the afternoon and that’s when I started playing my shots.”

On the nature of pitch, Tendulkar said, “It’s a two-paced wicket, the bounce is unpredictable as one ball is taking off and other is not. The pitch is definitely deteriorating, so it will not be easy to bat on the next days.”

Meanwhile, paceman Shahadat Hossain, whose bouncer cut short Rahul Dravid’s innings at 111, said it was Bangladesh’s plan to attack Indians with short-pitched bowling. “Dravid and Sehwag are good at leaving bouncers, not playing them. It was a good feeling to have hit a great batsman like Dravid,” he said.