Sachin rues after India fritters away advantage

Melbourne, Dec 28 (UNI) Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar lamented that India surrendered the advantage on the second day of the first Test against Australia after a good showing on the opening day.

''Yesterday we were in a good position and today it's not the same for us,'' Sachin said. ''We definitely should have played better, but it's all part and parcel of the game.'' Sachin, who was the highest run-getter yesterday with a score of 62, rued that the Indians could not build any effective partnerships.

''The partnership which we had, if we had combined that into a big partnership, it can really make a huge difference to the batting order. That was probably an important wicket.'' He, however, stated that all is not yet lost and the Indians still had a chance to get back into the match if they manage to restrict the Aussie lead to around 400.

''We have to try to keep it to as less as possible,'' he said.

''It's possible, why not? The match is not over yet and we'll continue to fight.'' Sachin needed medical treatment during his innings for a strained quadricep muscle but said it was nothing serious.

The 'Bombay Bomber' said he was concerned with the pitch playing slow.

''Who says if the tracks are fast they're good for cricket?'' he said.

''Test cricket is all about adjustments. You play in England they will be different tracks, they will be different in New Zealand than in Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan,'' he added.

''Sometimes you get hard and bouncy tracks, sometimes there are turning tracks, so I don't have anything against the track.'' UNI