Frustrated at being sidelined due to an elbow injury, Sachin Tendulkar has said that he would not mind playing in the second Test against the Australians in Chennai even if he had not recovered fully.
"It is very, very frustrating to wait on the sidelines. I am tired of waiting. It's 50:50 for me now and I honestly do not mind taking a chance at Chennai and playing the game. However, it all depends on how the muscles cope and how much of pain I can take," Tendulkar said.
Lack of match practice does not bother the batting maestro who is battling the injury for the last eight weeks.
"I do not bother if I play a Test without match practice. I know it is tough but I really want to play. You would not know how sad I feel sitting in the dressing room. Earlier, I would pad up and get ready to bat. But now, I wait to see how fast I can put my pads on."
Tendulkar also said he was pained to see India's batting failure in recent matches and suggested that the top order must convert half chances into centuries if the side hoped to bounce back in the series.
"They need to score more runs. We need more runs on the board if we have to bounce back in this series. We can bounce back. The boys need to concentrate more on staying on the wicket for a little longer," he said in an interview to ESPN-Star Sports to be telecast on Friday."The tailenders are functioning like a well-oiled machine, so are the bowlers. Now is the time for the batsmen to realise that they are the ones falling behind," Tendulkar said.
"We have a good track record against the Australians. It is not that we cannot beat them. All we need is to concentrate, time our shots and get some good opening stands."
Tendulkar, who has had long sessions with team physio Andrew Leipus in Bangalore, other orthopedic specialists and even met Satya Sai Baba at Puttapurthy recently, admitted his batting style has changed over the years but argued that it would be wrong to term it cautious.
"I have changed my hitting rate marginally... it has come down to 85 from 88. That is not worrisome and that does not mean I am playing safe. Such criticisms do not bother me. The main idea is to cut down on risky shots and be as consistent as possible."