Sachin Tendulkar, who joined the elite 10,000 runs club on day 1 of the second Test against Pakistan on Wednesday, rates his latest achievement higher than his record of highest runs (13,497) in One-Day Internationals.
"I value the 10,000 runs in One-Day Internationals also, but Test cricket is a different cup of tea. My Test 10,000 runs would be right up there over the 10,000 runs in ODIs," the master batsman said.
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Incidentally, it was also against Pakistan that Tendulkar made his Test debut as a 16-year-old, at Karachi in November 1989. He scored 15 before he was bowled by another debutant, former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis.
He was, however, quick to dismiss talk that he was disappointed at not being able to break Sunil Gavaskar's world record of 35 Test centuries, after he was dismissed for 52.
In the first Test at Mohali, he was within striking distance of the record but was out for 92.
"I'm not at all worried that I didn't get to the 35th century. There is more to cricket and life than that. If I keep thinking about it, I won't be able to play," he said.
"It will happen when it has to happen. And when I get it, I'm going to feel great," he added.
The master batsman said the 10,000 runs would not have been possible had it not been for the support from his family and friends.
He went on to inform that the milestone was not on his mind as he was concentrating on his batting, and never realized when he scored the 10000th run.
"The crowd was suddenly cheering loudly. I asked Rahul [Dravid] what was on the scoreboard. He asked me, 'Do you want me to tell you?' I said no."
"The crowd's reaction was different because they knew I was getting there, but I was pretty relaxed. I tried to forget about what was going to happen and just played on.
"I am extremely happy and thrilled. It is a reflection of the type of cricket I have played. It is nice that it has come in a big series against Pakistan. Hopefully, I won't stop here, as I have plenty of cricket left in me."
