World Cup win best moment of my career: Sachin

 After winning the World Cup, the only missing glory in his illustrious career of 21 years till yesterday, master batsman Sachin Tendulkar said it was the best moment of his career.

"I am speechless, to be honest, to express myself and how I feel. This is by far the best moment. This is the moment I have been waiting for, for such a long time, 21 or 22 years. It is really worth every bit of it. It is really, really special," said Tendulkar.

"As an Indian we have all won this cup. It's not just us 15 (in the squad) but the entire nation. The cup belongs to the entire nation so I am sure they are feeling part of it."

The 37-year-old has spent more than two decades playing at the highest level and he had previously played in five ICC Cricket World Cups, all ultimately ending in disappointment. He says he never gave up hope.

"I felt it was extremely important to chase my dreams and my biggest dream was this. So I continued to chase my dream and here we go. The team has managed to win this cup for the nation," he said

Tendulkar won't stop - Kirsten

After winning the World Cup, Sachin Tendulkar said he had achieved the one thing he had dreamt about when he started playing cricket. But he may not hang up his boots just yet. When asked about his retirement, Tendulkar deflected the question initially, before saying he saw no reason to change things as he was still enjoying the game.

Sachin Tendulkar stands with the cup he has dreamed of holding for 24 years

"This is a moment to celebrate, not one to think about my future," Tendulkar told the ICC. "This is the reason I started playing cricket; to do something for the country. The process has been a long one, and I am still enjoying my game, so I don't see the reason to change anything."

Gary Kirsten, for whom the World Cup final was his last game as coach of India, also said he didn't think Tendulkar would stop here. "Sachin is the greatest sporting role model I've met in my life," Kirsten said. "He's had an incredible last three or four years, and he's enjoying his cricket even more. I don't think he is going to stop."

Tendulkar has had to wait till his sixth World Cup campaign to win the trophy, and when asked whether this was the final accolade he needed to complete his closet-full of achievements, he said it was in fact the first thing he wanted to achieve.

"As a young boy I dreamt of winning this trophy; that's where it all started. This is by far the best moment and it's the one I've been waiting for for 24 years. There have been heart-breaking losses; in past campaigns we lost in the semi-finals and finals. I never gave up because this was my dream and now the team has managed to win this cup for the nation."

After their victory on Saturday, the Indian team spent the night celebrating with their families and friends before going to Raj Bhavan on Sunday to meet the Indian president. But what Tendulkar is looking forward to is sharing the experience with the Indian public.

"The victory hasn't sunk in yet because I haven't faced the general crowd outside. I've just mingled around with my friends and family. We've been in a close unit behind a wall of security. We haven't had a chance to experience or share our joy with everyone else. That's a reaction I'm really looking forward to because I can imagine what it would be like. All I've seen is their reactions on the news channels and it's absolutely fascinating."

India have now achieved the two things Kirsten had planned on during his tenure as coach: winning the World Cup and attaining the No. 1 ranking in Tests, but he gave all the credit to his team.

"The players are the ones who have had to deal with the pressure and expectations," he said. "They've prepared hard and when they've had to make the plays and make the contributions under pressure they've done that."

The final at the Wankhede Stadium started with an odd incident where the toss had to be redone because the match referee had not heard Kumar Sangakkara's call. Dhoni thought he had won the toss initially, but Kirsten said they weren't too worried anyway.

"I didn't hear too much about what happened at the toss, but we just got on with it because we had already spoken about how we would face obstacles in the final. We would have batted first, but we felt confident after the Australia chase that it didn't matter whether we won or lost the toss. We would have liked to bat first and put up a big total, but cometh the hour cometh the man, and MS Dhoni left his big knock of the World Cup for the final."

While Dhoni, Tendulkar and Man-of-the-Tournament Yuvraj Singh have been the centre of attention after the win, India's campaign has had several heroes. Zaheer Khan finished as the joint-leading wicket-taker in the tournament, with 21 scalps, and though his figures on Saturday were marred by an expensive last two overs, Kirsten acknowledged his opening spell of 5-3-6-1 played a key role in restricting Sri Lanka to a chaseable target.

"Zak's early spell was what kept them down to 270 despite a strong finish by them. We kept them anchored in their innings; they couldn't really get going. [Mahela] Jayawardene's incredible knock gave them some momentum and they did well to get to where they did. But we felt 270 was very gettable."

There has been much speculation about what Kirsten will do next, but, though he acknowledged he had been approached about the position of coach of the South African side, he said he would take a month or two off before making any decisions.

"I'm going to take some time off and spend some time with my family who haven't seen me in a while, and I'll decide on my future after one or two months. South Africa have approached me, but I've told them I'm not going to make any decisions just yet. I'm going to clear my mind for a while after this magnificent journey."

Sachin Poses with The World Cup

India's Sachin Tendulkar holds the trophy at the Taj hotel, the day after India defeated Sri Lanka in the ICC Cricket World Cup final, in Mumbai April 3, 2011.

India's Sachin Tendulkar lifts the trophy at the Taj hotel, the day after India defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in the ICC Cricket World Cup final, in Mumbai April 3, 2011

MUMBAI, INDIA - APRIL 03: Sachin Tendulkar of the Indian cricket team poses with the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy, with the Gateway of India in the backdrop, during a photo call at the Taj Palace Hotel on April 3, 2011 in Mumbai, India. 

MUMBAI, INDIA - APRIL 03: Sachin Tendulkar of the Indian cricket team poses with the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy, with the Gateway of India in the backdrop, during a photo call at the Taj Palace Hotel on April 3, 2011 in Mumbai, India.

India's cricketer Sachin Tendulkar speaks with media during a photo call at the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai on April 3, 2011. India won the Cricket World Cup for the first time since 1983 with a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka on April 2.

India's cricketer Sachin Tendulkar speaks with media during a photo call at the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai on April 3, 2011. India won the Cricket World Cup for the first time since 1983 with a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka on April 2.

Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar kisses the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy with the Gateway of India monument in the background during a photo call at the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai on April 3, 2011. India won the Cricket World Cup for the first time since 1983 with a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka on April 2.

India's Sachin Tendulkar poses with the trophy after winning the Cricket World Cup final against Sri Lanka in the backdrop of the Gateway of India monument in Mumbai, India, Sunday, April 3, 2011. 2011 was Tendulkar's last Cricket World Cup tournament and India won the Cup for the first time in 28 years

India's Sachin Tendulkar poses with the trophy after winning the Cricket World Cup final match against Sri Lanka in the backdrop of the Gateway of India monument in Mumbai

India's Sachin Tendulkar lifts the trophy at the Taj hotel the day after India defeated Sri Lanka in the ICC Cricket World Cup final in Mumbai April 3, 2011

♥ Sachin Celebrating India's World Cup Win ♥

MUMBAI, INDIA - APRIL 02: Sachin Tendulkar (R) of India poses with the World Cup trophy and Sudhir Kumar Gautam die hard cricket fan during the 2011 ICC World Cup Final between India and Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium on April 2, 2011 in Mumbai, India

India's Sachin Tendulkar is carried by his teammates after they beat Sri Lanka in the ICC Cricket World Cup final match in Mumbai April 2, 2011

Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar is given a lap of honour by teammates after beating Sri Lanka in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 final match at The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 2, 2011. India defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets to win the 2011 World Cup.

Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar (C) celebrates with the trophy after beating Sri Lanka in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 final match at The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 2, 2011. India defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets to win the 2011 World Cup.

MUMBAI, INDIA - APRIL 02: Sachin Tendulkar of India is chaired on a lap of honor after India's victory over Sri Lanka in the 2011 ICC World Cup Final between India and Sri Lanka played at Wankhede Stadium on April 2, 2011 in Mumbai, India.

India's Sachin Tendulkar waves as he walks to receive a medal at the awards presentation ceremony after India beat Sri Lanka in the ICC Cricket World Cup final match in Mumbai April 2, 2011.

Indian player Sachin Tendulkar walks with his son and daughter Sara as the trophy follows after India defeated Sri Lanka in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 final played at The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 2, 2011

MUMBAI, INDIA - APRIL 02: MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar of India celebrate their teams win during the 2011 ICC World Cup Final between India and Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium on April 2, 2011 in Mumbai, India. 

MUMBAI, INDIA - APRIL 02: Sachin Tendulkar of India celebrates with the trophy after the 2011 ICC World Cup Final between India and Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium on April 2, 2011 in Mumbai, India

Indian player Sachin Tendulkar (C) holds the trophy as he walks with his son (2/R) after India defeated Sri Lanka in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 final played at The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 2, 2011. 

Indian cricketers hoist teammate Sachin Tendulkar (C) onto their shoulders after victory in the Cricket World Cup 2011 final over Sri Lanka at The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 2, 2011. India beat Sri Lanka by six wickets. 

 Sachin Tendulkar (C) celebrates with teammates as he holds the trophy after beating Sri Lanka in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 final match 

Sachin Tendulkar (R) of India receives his winners medal from Haroon Lorgat (L) Chief Executive of ICC during the 2011 ICC World Cup

Sachin Tendulkar waves the Indian Tricolour during his victory lap as he celebrates his team's victory during the ICC Cricket World Cup final match 

India's Sachin Tendulkar, center top, is carried by fellow team members as India wins the Cricket World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka in Mumbai, India, Saturday

Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka congratulates Sachin Tendulkar of India on his teams win during the 2011 ICC World Cup Final

Sachin Tendulkar of India celebrates his children Sara and Arjun after india won the world cup during the 2011 ICC World Cup Final

 Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir 

India's Sachin Tendulkar lifts up the trophy as he celebrates with fellow team member Harbhajan Singh

Sreesanth, Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina, Piyush Chawla and Virender Sehwag of India celebrate their teams win against Sri Lanka

Harbhajan Singh (L),Sachin Tendulkar (C) and Yuvraj Singh (R) with the winners trophy in the players dressing room

 Sachin Tendulkar waits for the presentation ceremony after India beat Sri Lanka in the ICC Cricket World Cup final match in Mumbai 

Anil Kumble (L) ex Indian captain and Sachin Tendulkar (R)hold the World Cup trophy after their six wicket win during the 2011 ICC World Cup Final between India and Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium on April 2, 2011 in Mumbai, India.

sachin A snap with autograph

Photos: Sachin Practising At Nets To Win The World Cup

Photos: Sachin Practising At Nets To Win The World Cup