Commenting on his injury, Tendulkar said, "It is very, very frustrating to wait on the sidelines. I am tired of waiting. It’s 50:50 for me now and I honestly do not mind taking a chance at Chennai and playing the game. However, it all depends on how the muscles cope and how much of pain I can take."

"I don't bother if I play a test without match practice. I know it is tough but I really want to play. You would not know how sad I feel sitting in the dressing room. Earlier, I would pad up and get ready to bat. But now, I wait to see how fast I can put my pads on," the Little Master added.

His tennis elbow hiatus is into its eighth week, the master blaster, author of 33 test centuries and 9479 runs, said he was also pained at the way the much exalted Indian top order collapsed. "They need to score more runs… we need more runs on the board if we have to bounce back in this series. We can bounce back. The boys need to concentrate more on staying on the wicket for a little longer."

Tendulkar also admitted his batting style has changed over the years but argued that it would be wrong to term it cautious. "I have changed my hitting rate marginally… it has come down to 85 from 88. That is not worrisome and that does not mean I am playing safe. Such criticisms do not bother me. The main idea is to cut down on risky shots and be as consistent as possible," he said in his defence.