Trusting teammates and respecting opposition crucial to success: Sachin Tendulkar

Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has said that respecting the opposition players and engendering a feeling of trust with his teammates was crucial to the success he achieved during his illustrious international career. In a career that spanned an astonishing 24 years at the highest level, Tendulkar accumulated close to 35,000 international runs with a hundred centuries to his credit.

Speaking at the manufacturing factory of German luxury car BMW in Chennai, he said: "When we play, it was all about team work and trusting your partner. When somebody calls you for a quick single, you just trust his judgement. You don't look behind. You just run. Also something which is really important is respecting your opposition.

"Yes we want to go out and beat our competitors. But at the same time not to forget the values or not to play the game in the wrong spirit. It should be competitive and if we play in the right spirit and above all you need to respect the sport and your opposition," he added.

Tendulkar went on to express his delight at having got the opportunity to visit the BMW plant and see, from close quarters, the enormous effort that goes behind the making of the car.

"It was a dream come true for me, a great opportunity. I never thought of being here. Being a car enthusiast, to actually understand what goes behind building a super world class car is amazing. I met all the 550 employees (of the factory) and felt the energy. It has been an enriching experience. Thank you very much for making this day special," he stated.