MUMBAI, April 4 (IANS) - Expressing his gratitude to his teammates for dedicating the cricket World Cup to him, Sachin Tendulkar said that it was a great gesture and that M.S. Dhoni was the best captain he played under.
"Dhoni stayed calm and alert. He reads the situation well, is open to ideas, and doesn't show frustration. That is his biggest strength," Tendulkar said at a press conference here Monday, his first after the World Cup victory.
"To know the likes and dislikes of every individual is very important and he has taken care of that throughout the tournament," he added.
Lauding Team India coach Gary Kirsten, who has announced that he will not continue in the post, Tendulkar wished the South African could stay on.
"Personally, I would say Gary should continue, but he has family commitments. I respect his decision. We will miss him a lot," he said.
"He has probably worked harder than anyone else in the team. He worked like a machine," Tendulkar added.
Asked about the pressure he faced during the championship, Tendulkar said that it were his own expectations from himself.
"Everyone was under pressure. We had to work as a team. If one team member could not deliver in a particular match, it became the others' responsibility to turn his failure into success by giving the best shot," he said.
"The team went into the final not thinking about lifting the Cup, but thinking of the process. We were thinking of limiting them (Sri Lanka) to the smallest total possible.
"In the knockout stage we peaked at the right time, clicked together at right time," he added.
Emphasising that good performance cannot be guaranteed, but good effort can, Tendulkar said: "We batted, fielded and bowled well. You saw the effort from all the players, from senior-most to junior-most. Performance no one can guarantee, but effort you can guarantee."
He also reminisced about the days when Sunil Gavaskar, in 1987, took the ball boy Sachin to meet his teammates in the dressing room.
"The victory was sweeter as it came at Wankhede stadium," the master blaster said.
"That was a big day but this was a bigger day," he added.
