Indians may not have had a great start in the London Olympics but that hasn’t had any effect on the support that they are getting back home.
Indian batting maestro, Sachin Tendulkar was quoted in The Hindustan Times saying, “I would want to let our entire Indian squad know that we all are behind them.
As a sportsman, I would like them to go out and do something they have been practicing for years. Now's the time, it's the best platform to express themselves, and show their talent to the whole world.”
Sachin added, “Whether you are successful or not, your effort will matter to us and for that you will always be heroes. It is the commitment that matters, as long as the heart says ‘we have given our best’ we will be proud of you.”
On the pressure that the athletes will face as the expectations are very high from them, Sachin said, “There is no doubt pressure will be your continuous companion. If you fight that, it gets difficult. You have to just understand your body and mind and embrace it. (Tell yourself) It's fine… certain things are always going to be around you, it doesn't matter. If you can understand this truth, then the entire attitude will change.”
Sachin however denied predicting the number of medals that India will win saying that he is not a kind of person who sets targets, he said, “The entire world is there to win and there is going to be only one winner. It's not going to be easy but yes, we have winners in our contingent. If we get off to a good start, with the whole contingent sharing in the success, it is going to rub off; it will encourage the other sportspersons to do something special. I hope that happens."
Meanwhile in a report in The Times of India Sachin was quoted saying that India will do well when the next time they will travel to England and Australia.
We need to look at one factor. When we played against Australia, they were the home team. England also played at home. There is no point in saying that India only plays well at home. Why do we always look at one side of the coin, it should be always fair”, said Sachin.