India vice-captain Rahul Dravid says Sachin Tendulkar's real target should be reaching the milestone of 15,000 runs in Test cricket.
"When he got to the mark I told him 10,000 is the first step. 15,000 is your real target," said Dravid, who was with the master batsman at the wicket when he crossed the milestone at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on day one of the second Test on Wednesday.
Tendulkar became the fifth batsman in the history of Test cricket to reach the milestone after Sunil Gavaskar, Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Brian Lara in that order.
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Images: Day 1, second Test
Asked which of the four batsmen's 10,000 runs he likes best, Dravid replied: "All of them are great; all of them are absolute legends. I hate to compare."
But while Tendulkar received a standing ovation for his unique feat, it was Dravid who stole the day's honours with a classy 110 that enabled India reach a healthy 344 for 6.
Talking about his knock, the Karnataka batsman said he was in control of his game throughout and rated the innings among his better ones.
"I quite enjoyed the rhythm and was fairly in control. It was quite a pleasing knock," he said.
Dravid's 222-ball knock spanned just under three hours and included 15 fours and a huge straight six off leg-spinner Danish Kaneria before he fell to the same bowler in the last over of the day.
After the first two sessions, India were in complete command, having amassed 225 runs for the loss of two wickets. But Pakistan, led by Abdul Razzaq's disciplined line and length bowling, staged a late comeback to take four wickets in the final session.
"It's not a nice feeling to get out in the last over of the day. We had them under the hammer a little bit, but could not keep them there as we lost four wickets in the last session.
"We got a good start. The wicket was good and the outfield fast. The momentum given by Viru [Sehwag] and Gautam [Gambhir] was maintained. It was hot and conditions were difficult for the bowlers. It would have been better if we had lost less wickets," the 32-year-old lamented.
Dravid said the team must now score as many runs as possible in the first innings, as he expects the wicket to turn with more wear and tear.
"We need another 80-90-run partnership. The key is to get into a good position on the fourth and fifth day," he added.
