Strauss hails Little Master

England Test skipper Andrew Strauss has hailed the "phenomenal achievements" of India legend Sachin Tendulkar, who could register his 100th international hundred in the forthcoming npower series between the sides.

Tendulkar has notched 51 Test and 48 one-day tons for his country and Strauss believes there are few signs of his powers diminishing at the age of 38.

He said: "It goes without saying that it is a phenomenal achievement, not just the fact he scored those runs, but his desire and motivation to play that long and keep chasing down those records."

He added: "He seems to be playing as well as ever at the moment. It is a great example for us all that if you are still hungry, there is no reason why your powers should decline as you get older.

"He has been one of the great players over the last 20 years and I'm sure he will want to have a big series.

"Technically he is fantastic, his mental strength to bat under that amount of pressure for all that time, is fantastic.

"He is a very dignified and humble man as well. If there are good examples out there, he is probably the best of them."

Strauss is hoping paceman Chris Tremlett can make life uncomfortable for India with his lift and bounce. He said: "Are India susceptible to short deliveries? I think all the sub-continent sides have got better at that in recent years.

"It comes as a result of touring here quite often. Certainly their senior players are no strangers to these shores.

"We are not expecting any dramatic weaknesses there but we know someone like Chris Tremlett performed very well against them last time around here."