Pressure is weighing down Tendulkar: Gibson

WI coach Ottis Gibson said they were not doing anything special to prevent him from reaching the milestone

Kolkata: As Sachin Tendulkar missed out on his 100th ton yet again, West Indies coach Ottis Gibson said they were not doing anything special to prevent him from reaching the milestone and maybe it is the heavy load of fans` expectations which is getting the better of Indian batsman.

Tendulkar scored 38 on Monday in India`s first innings and Gibson hoped that the Indian will not get to the magic mark in this series against them. "We did not have any special plan but just to bowl line and length. Looking at Sachin, it makes me feel that the expectancy on Indian people is creating much pressure on him," Gibson said after opening day`s play. "Everytime he walks out people start cheering. For him to cope with the pressure is remarkable. The pressure on him is enormous. We just bowl in right areas and be patient. Something always seems to happen," he added. Tendulkar pulled a short ball from leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo but found Marlon Samuels at short midwicket. Bishoo had dismissed Tendulkar in the second innings of the opening Test in New Delhi as well. "They were not probably great balls. It was a short ball on Monday. There is a lot of pressure on him. Obviously he is coping with the pressure over last 20 years. I am sure he will get that hundred. We are just hoping that it`s not against us," Gibson said. "Hope when he goes to Australia there would be many more people in the stands. It would mean a lot more for him." India batsman Rahul Dravid, who slammed a century in India`s 346/5 in the first day`s play, said Tendulkar will surely achieve the feat. "He is going to do one day. It was just a short ball and he was unfortunate to find a fielder. There was one fielder on the leg side and he found him. He was batting beautifully. He was timing it well. "He was really under good pressure. It`s really just a matter of time. Sometimes you get out and he is just getting out. But he is batting really well. Sooner or later he will get that mark. I really don`t think he is bothered too much about it," Dravid said. PTI