Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday said India's victory in the second Test against England at Trent Bridge was a complete team effort.
"This victory is quite special and it is an occasion to celebrate for the team. It has been a combined effort by the entire team; some have contributed more, some have contributed on a lesser scale, but everyone has contributed in one department or the other. So I will call it a good team effort and we all are happy," a delighted Tendulkar said after the match.
It was an extraordinary comeback by Team India after being on the verge of defeat in the first Test at Lord's, which they escaped because of rain.
In the space of a week, the team dished out a spirited display to catch the hosts off-guard and clinch the second Test in convincing fashion.
"We were extremely confident after that lucky breakthrough [the draw at Lord's] because God was with us. After that we knew if we bat well, we will end up doing well in this match. I thought our batting really delivered... there were many good partnerships. Nobody scored a hundred, but there were partnerships all along, which helped us to get to a strong position. After that the bowlers took over," Tendulkar said.
The master batsman played a key role, top-scoring with 91 in India's first innings during which he also scaled the magical 11,000-run mark in Test cricket.
"I am very happy on getting 11,000 runs, but a bit disappointed that I got out on 91. But these things happen in life and it does not mean that I should sit and cry the whole day. I prefer to leave these things behind me and look forward and try to play a major role in the next match too.
"Whatever happened here [getting out on 91] is a personal thing, so I would not bother about it," he affed.
The 34-year-old emphasised that the team is now focused on the third and final Test, which begins on August 9, at the Oval, as it looks to win its first ever Test series in England since 1986.
"Our focus is on the next match. Whatever has happened is in the past now. We will like to confidence from this victory into the next match, but, obviously, we will not be overconfident," he said.
The maestro also came down hard on reports of division in the team and urged people not to spread rumours and create any unnecessary controversy.
Recently, a news channel had reported that all is not well between Tendulkar, captain Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, after the trio's exclusion from the Twenty20 World Cup.
"There has always been unity in the team. I don't think there were ever any divisions in the team; it is the opinion of some people and I want to clear these opinions. I just want to say that there is always unity in the team and please do not start any sort of controversies. The atmosphere in the dressing room is always good as you can see now.
"Whether the team wins or not, we always stay united, because when we lose it is not that a particular individual has lost; it is the team has lost; and when we win, it is the team that wins. So everybody gets happy and everybody gets sad. There is unity in the team and nobody should question it," he said.
Thanking team manager Chandu Borde, Tendulkar said the veteran's experience proved very useful in England.
"Chandu Borde is a very experienced player. He has played a lot of cricket and also seen a lot of cricket. His experience is always useful to us. He is a very positive person and a nice human being. We all respect him a lot and he is a terrific person to be part of the team.
"My first manager, when I started in 1989, was Chandu Borde, and today also when I see him with the team, I feel happy. I only want to say that his support and good wishes have helped me a lot."
The batting maestro also made light of the jelly beans incident, involving Zaheer Khan, stating that India had no problems with it since it fired up the left-arm pacer.
"Zaheer did not tell me anything about the jelly beans. But he has given a few interviews and the colours seem a bit different in each of them. I think these things happens and they tend to inspire players. If it inspires a player then why not? He has bowled well throughout the match and not just a spell or two. It is terrific and inspiring.
"Everyone has their own opinion on sledging -- some prefer to play hard, some play it normally. But good humour sometimes is very necessary in matches. If bowlers say something in good humour it should be taken in the right spirit as long as we don't cross the limit," he added.
