Sachin reveals how he broke a rib once but continued to play

“You can't expose weaknesses. Once I got hit in the rib-cage. The bowler kept staring at me and I kept staring at him. It had become difficult to breathe but I did not show. I knew it was broken, hit on the spot. But you never stop, you keep moving forward,”the record-breaking batsman was quoted as saying by PTI news agency.

Tendulkar also revealed how important running was in his long and illustrious cricketing career. “Running had a positive impact on my fitness. For us it was about speed, the short bursts and recovery to play the next ball. For running between the wickets, it was run, decelerate, touch the crease and accelerate. That's what worked for me," he said.

Tendulkar, who played in 200 Tests and 463 ODIs in an international career spanning almost a quarter of a century, spoke of how the fitness level of the current generation of cricketers is way ahead compared to those of the 80s and 90s.

"There is more awareness today, there are different training methods. It's the need of the hour. The Indian team is one of the best in the world. In early 90s it was not to be seen. The infrastructure has improved. Players have learnt how to dive. The guys are particular about what to eat and when to eat,” he said.