CENTURION, Feb 28: Before the World Cup, Sachin Tendulkar decided to keep his thoughts to himself.

“I don’t want to give interviews until after the tournament,” he said.

His statements with the bat, however, have been loud and clear. The world’s best batsman has top-scored in four of India’s five matches in making 371 runs. As in the 1996 World Cup, Tendulkar is on course to top the run-making charts.

Indian fans will look to him again during Saturday’s Group ‘A’ clash against Pakistan at Centurion.

The 29-year-old, nearing 12,000 one day runs and already boasting a record 34 centuries, looked subdued before the tournament, missing 11 out of India’s last 14 one-day games with niggling injuries.

But he has quickly regained his touch after being restored to the top of the batting order in South Africa.

Tendulkar scored a run-a-ball 152 against Namibia. He has made at least 50 in every innings apart from his 36 out of a team total of 125 against Australia.

Captain Saurav Ganguly put Tendulkar’s success at the top of the order in perspective.

“In these (pace-friendly) pitches, we can’t expect to score 300 plus every time, 250-260 are winning totals. Once the ball gets older, runs come easier.”

India had a good one-day run in 2002, winning a tri-series in England and then sharing the Champions Trophy in September. Tendulkar, against his wishes, had been dropped down the order to add steel to the middle order and avoid panic if he was dismissed early and the tactic seemed to work.

Tendulkar duly cut down on high-risk attacking shots and accepted his role as innings anchor.

When the team’s form began to dip, however, Tendulkar was brought back as opener and that tactic, too, has paid off.

He appears to have played more freely at the World Cup, hitting a fine run-a-ball 50 in India’s 82-run victory over England on Wednesday as fellow opener Virender Sehwag curbed his natural flair to support his senior partner.

Ten days ago, Tendulkar did his one bit of talking by making an appeal to India supporters not to lose faith in the team after the nine-wicket drubbing against defending champions Australia.

On Saturday, with India on the verge of the Super Six, those same supporters will hope it will back to pursed lips and lavish strokes.—Reuters