Don't underestimate Aussies, Tendulkar tells India 29 Sep, 2008 © AFP
 Sachin Tendulkar (left) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni Batting ace Sachin Tendulkar said on Monday Australia would be tough to beat in the upcoming Test series in India despite their lack of experience. Only four Australians -- skipper Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke and Simon Katich -- have played a Test in India but Tendulkar said the new players had a lot of first-class experience. "They have not played Test cricket in India but that does not mean they cannot deliver," Tendulkar said ahead of the four-match series starting on October 9. "They (Australia) still have a lot of players who have played first-class cricket back home. They have played a lot of cricket and we'd like to respect that. We don't want to be caught off-guard." Tendulkar said the Indian team management needed to plan a lot in the coming days on how they wanted to approach the series against a tough opposition. "We'd like to focus on our performance," said Tendulkar, who needs just 77 runs to surpass retired West Indies captain Brian Lara's world record tally of 11,953. "It's India v Australia. It's not certain individuals v certain individuals. Both the countries are competing against each other." Tendulkar already holds three world records -- maximum number of runs in one-day internationals (16,361) and most centuries in Tests (39) and one-dayers (42). The batting star was recently declared fit for the Australia Tests after missing the one-day series in Sri Lanka last month due to an elbow injury. Australia play their only practice game before the series in Hyderabad from October 2. The Bangalore Test will be followed by back-to-back matches in Mohali, New Delhi and Nagpur. | 
