Tendulkar remained unconquered after scoring 117 which helped India to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three finals, setting platform for their first-ever One-day tri-series win Down Under. "In the last series, I missed a few centuries. I was also struggling with a groin strain for some time. But these things are part and parcel of the game and one has to carry on. I rate this hundred very highly," Tendulkar said after guiding India to a six-wicket victory.
Tendulkar's less than stellar One-day record while chasing in recent times had set some tongues wagging but the batsman said he was not aiming to prove anyone wrong.
"I play the game for passion and love. People have been writing all sorts of things and I don't want to prove anybody wrong," he insisted.
Tendulkar also said he was happy about his long stay in the middle today as planned.
"It was wonderful to end on a winning note and be there when victory was achieved. The century was secondary. The next match (in Brisbane on Tuesday) is very important now," said the master batsman, who may be playing his last ODI series in Australia.
The 34-year-old cricketer agreed that he wanted to get his first One-day hundred in Australia but felt victory in the first final made it a secondary objective.
"I wanted to get the hundred today. We had never beaten Australia in Sydney, and there was no better occasion than today to change that," Tendulkar said.
Tendulkar was very impressed by the batting of youngster Rohit Sharma (66) who stitched a match-winning stand of 123 with Tendulkar to take India to the doorstep of victory.
"It was a terrific effort and the partnership was very crucial. He (Rohit) is calm and has a great temperament. He's got a great future," Tendulkar said.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was happy to get a match-winning hundred from his senior batsman.
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