Harish Kotian/Rediff
London, Jul 18: Lord's is regarded the home of cricket, or the game's 'spiritual' headquarters. Players call it the best cricket ground in the world and feel that its rich history makes it a special venue.
With Sachin Tendulkar also it's no different.
"It is extremely special to play here. The first time I saw Lord's on TV was when India won here in the 1983 World Cup. I was only ten then, did not know what was happening, but I joined the celebrations. I was too young to follow what was happening.
"So there are a lot of fond memories, and one would definitely want to make the most the outing here," Tendulkar said on Tuesday.
The upcoming first Test against England could be Tendulkar's last outing at the historic ground and how dearly he would like to post his maiden century there, something he has failed to achieve thrice before.
Though he says he does not feel any pressure about not being able to score a century at Lord's, there is little doubt that he'll be making every effort to get one this time.
"I don't want to put any pressure on myself on that because of not being able to do that. In Test cricket I have not been able to do that, but in the game between MCC XI and Rest of the World I had managed to get one.
"I mean this is the ground all the players dream of getting a hundred; I am no different, I would want to get one! May be, three hundreds in all the Tests here [England] will be good," the master batsman said.
Tendulkar first stepped on the Lord's pitch as a young 17-year-old in 1990. But that match would be more remembered for Graham Gooch's magical batting, when he amassed 333 and 123 in the two innings.
There was also the blazing century from Mohammad Azharuddin (121 from 111 balls) in the Indian first innings.
"Gooch, Azhar and Robin Smith got brilliant hundreds. I got one good catch and that is about in that match. Wonderful memories about this ground; I remember visiting this ground as a 14-year old with the Star cricket team and sat here next to the sightscreen and took a photo. As a kid you have big dreams and one of them was playing at Lords," he said.