Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar has advised young batsmen that one of the keys to success at the crease is to not show your weaknesses against the bowler you are facing.

Tendulkar recalled an incident when he was struggling for breath after getting hit in his rib-cage, but never gave any indication of his pain to the bowler.

“You can’t expose weaknesses. Once I got hit in the rib-cage. The bowler kept staring at me and I kept staring at him. It had become difficult to breathe but I did not show it. I knew it was broken, hit on the spot. But you never stop, you keep moving forward,” Tendulkar said.

The Indian cricket legend was speaking in the country’s capital at the launch of the IDBI Federal Life Insurance New Delhi Marathon on Friday.

Tendulkar also spoke on the importance to train with great intensity to achieve success in sports. He also mentioned that fitness in Indian cricket is at a whole new level now, compared to when he started his international career.

“There is more awareness today, there are different training methods. It’s the need of the hour. The Indian team is one of the best in the world. In the early 90s it was not to be seen. The infrastructure has improved. The guys are particular about what to eat and when to eat.

“I used to spend as much time on field as possible. I would train and play for 12 hours a day, it became a routine. I was happy, it was not torturing. Fielding was a bit of torture. I liked to compete. You can’t give excuses,” he added.