It would have been easy to get carried away: Tendulkar

The 36-year-old batting maestro, who began his cricketing career at a tender age of 16, has so far played 159 Tests and 425 one-day internationals, without being dropped from the national squad even once in the last two decades.

"Given the things that have happened in my life it would have been easy to get carried away," Tendulkar was quoted as saying by men's fashion magazine GQ which has the batting maestro on its cover in the latest issue.

"There were times when I felt that, yeah, I should bunk practice and spend time with my friends and go out for a movie. But my coach would turn up and make me sit on his bike and take me all the way to practice," he recollected.

Tendulkar, who holds umpteen number of cricketing records besides being the world's highest run-getter in Tests and one-dayers, said success did not come automatically to him.

"I have made an effort. It doesn't happen automatically," he said.

Tendulkar said he hardly pays heed to any kind of criticism hurled at him and instead concentrates on his performance.

"People will have opinions but that doesn't mean they are correct. They are only opinions and I have bigger things to deal with. Guys that have all the time in the world to discuss these things, discuss them. I don't," he said.