Retired India batting star Sachin Tendulkar said Sunday he feared his career was over when he dealt with tennis elbow in 2004 and that battling injuries had been the biggest challenge in a sparkling 24-year international career.
''I felt my career was over when I had the tennis elbow injury,'' Tendulkar told a packed media conference hall a day after his last day in international cricket. ''I could not even pick my son Arjun's plastic bat when I had the injury. When I went to the ground for the first time after my surgery (in 2005), young fielders were not letting my shots go beyond 10-15 yards. I thought I can't play anymore.''
Tendulkar, who wore an India team blazer to the post-retirement press conference and was accompanied by his wife Anjali, said the secret behind such a long career had been overcoming different challenges and looking for solutions.
''I had rare injuries and it was not easy to come back. The time I suffered the injuries were the most difficult time. But the desire was so strong that I had to look for solutions,'' Tendulkar said.
Apart from the career-threatening tennis elbow, Tendulkar also suffered injuries to his heel, toe, back and thigh and is reported to have played through the 2003 World Cup in South Africa with a finger injury.
Tendulkar, the most prolific batsman in international cricket history, was given a grand farewell at his home ground at Wankhede Stadium Saturday by an emotional crowd that turned out for the second test against the West Indies.
The series was turned into the celebration of a career as Tendulkar, who had retired from one-day internationals last year, declared last month that the two home tests against the West Indies would be his last.
Asked how he'd like to be associated with the game after his retirement, Tendulkar said he'd need time to decide.
''Cricket is my oxygen and I've played cricket for 30 out of 40 years of my life,'' he said. ''So that makes it 75 per cent of my life. I will remain associated with the game though that may not be in the immediate future.
''I played for 24 years and it's just been 24 hours since I retired, give me at least 24 days to decide,'' he said with a smile.
Tendulkar said he was confident he had made the right decision.
''My body started giving the message: `enough of this physical load.' Training was becoming an effort and so I thought it was the best time to leave the game,'' he said.
Remembering a career in which he amassed 15,921 runs with 51 centuries in 200 tests and 18,426 with 49 centuries in 463 one-dayers, Tendulkar picked out two periods, both at World Cups, as his best and worst.
''The 2011 World Cup was a high point because I had to wait for 22 years to lift it. The biggest disappointment was losing in the 2003 World Cup final - we were playing so well but could not cross the final hurdle (against Australia),'' Tendulkar said.
Apart from scoring the most runs and centuries in both tests and one-day internationals, Tendulkar is also the first batsman to score a double-century in one-day internationals and the only one to hit 100 international centuries.
