"It was a great relief for everybody. I've waited a long time," said Paul Collingwood after scoring his maiden Test century on day two of the first Test against India in Nagpur on Thursday.
The Durham right-hander was unbeaten on 134 as England's first innings ended on 393, after being reduced to 244 for 7 at one stage on Wednesday.
Collingwood received good support from Stephen Harmison (39), Matthew Hoggard (11) and Monty Panesar (9).
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The right-hander, who also bowls a bit of medium pace, has always looked at as a useful one-day player. Now he says he wants to change that.
"I've always been pigeon-holed as a one-day player; it's in people's minds really. It's up to me to score runs and change that," Collingwood said.
He remembered the shot that got him his first three-figure mark in Test cricket.
"I was just looking to come down the wicket and hit it straight. I knew it was going past [Sachin] Tendulkar; thankfully, it went for three and I also managed to keep the strike," he said.
He praised his Durham team mate Harmison, who hit a breezy 39 from 42 balls.
"Harmison swept [Anil] Kumble well. He played a few pulls shots too. He scored very quickly and that took the pressure off me," he said.
Collingwood said the team, though hampered by a loss of a few batsmen, believed in themselves and would continue to fight all the way.
"Anything in excess of 300 was realistic. I even thought 350, believe it or not. If you play with a dead bat on this wicket it's tough to get people out. I was just looking to keep the strike and get two's if possible and when they got the field up, I tried the big shots.
"We've been scrapping all the way since yesterday, and that's the way this England team plays. We'll continue to fight for the next three days," he said.
He also complimented Indian opener Wasim Jaffer, who led India's reply with a solid knock of 73. "He looked a compact player, and his shot selection was very good."
