The way Tendulkar played was good for us: Wright

Pune: Impressed with the way Sachin Tendulkar played in their last IPL match, Mumbai Indians coach John Wright today said on a lighter note that "life begins at 40", referring to the senior India cricketer.

"Well, I think he is past that problematic age of 39 (laughs). Life begins at 40," Wright said. The New Zealander, also a successful former India coach, was particularly happy with the way Tendulkar paced his innings during his 48-run knock against Kolkata Knight Riders at Mumbai on Tuesday. "We were really pleased with the way he played in the last game ?- not necessarily the runs he got, but the way he played was good for us. And I think that will be really helpful on slow-wicket conditions," Wright added. Seeking to ensure a play-off berth, Mumbai play Pune Warriors tomorrow, and Wright believed there is still a lot of cricket left in the tournament. "We are three-quarters of the way through the tournament. There is still a lot of cricket to play. We have got four matches in a short period of time. "And for us, we got a good last week. We have just got to carry that through away from home to play well here. And let us see what happens." On his IPL experience, he said, "It is different. I have been enormously impressed with the league as a competitive league. As I said, there are no easy teams and no easy games; there are eight other such teams. "We had to fight real hard to get where we are, and we are still going into the last week with no assurances, unless we win games. So there is always pressure for everyone. "I have been really impressed with the commitment of the sides and the players. IPL is a tough league. It looks like the nearest thing that cricket has to some of the big football leagues." PTI