London: England captain Andrew Strauss on Wednesday admitted that his team would be doing everything to stop Sachin Tendulkar from scoring his 100th international century in the Lord’s Test, starting here on Thursday.
“I’m sure Sachin would like to get it here and it’s our job not to let him do so. If it’s a distraction for him, it’s great for us,” said Strauss.
The skipper also said that he considered Tendulkar a key to India’s plans.
“He’s been an outstanding ambassador for the game. The statistics speak for itself. You don’t have to rush out with platitudes and superlatives. It’s all there — the longevity, the consistency. He is one of the greatest ever and as ambassador of the game there is no one better,” said Strauss.
Insisting that his team would adopt a cautious approach against Team India, Strauss said, “They are world’s No. 1 team. You don’t become number one unless you do well away from home. That’s the greatest improvement they have shown over the last 2-3 years. They are now far more consistent away from home.
“We understand it would not be easy. They are going to be a very strong opposition. But we are prepared for the challenge and ready to overcome it.”
The 34-year-old left-handed batsman termed his side as a far better unit than the one which lost to India in 2007.
“We’ve done better than possibly any other side in the world as we have won seven of the last eight series we played. But we are not finished yet. We could become number one. But for us the ultimate goal is to be acknowledged by everyone as number one. And that’s our long-term goal,” he added.
India’s bowling attack will be spearheaded by Zaheer Khan and Strauss said his side wouldn’t make a determined effort to dismantle him.
“With Zaheer or anyone else, it’s pretty simple — watch the bad ball and hit it. He’s very good but there is no reason to complicate things,” said the captain.
Meanwhile, England have Stuart Broad in their ranks, who could be termed as “enforcer” and whose steepling bounce is expected to pose a threat to the Indians. “Broad has a very good bouncer, which can make life very difficult for the batsmen.” (PTI)