Sachin faces Warne Challenge | Mumbai's Royal test

Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar said he is looking ahead to renew his famous rivalry with Shane Warne when his team locks horn with the Rajasthan Royals in a crucial Indian Premier League match here on Monday.

Tendulkar and Warne, despite being good friends off the field, have featured in many duels with the Indian coming out with flying colours on most occasions.

Though Warne has retired from international cricket, Sunday's match once again pits him against Tendulkar, who said he was looking forward to facing the leggie again.

"I'm looking forward to play against Warne. He is a great bowler and I have always loved the challenge of facing him," Tendulkar said here.

"He has always been a fantastic, challenging and a terrific player. We are competitive on the field but otherwise, we are good friends," he added.

After losing two close matches against Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils, the Mumbai team is in a do-or-die situation tomorrow, but Tendulkar still oozed confidence.

"After our defeats in the initial four matches, we have always been in this situation. Every match became important for us. It is nothing new, we have been in the same situation before," he said.

Reminded that Rajasthan Royals were in rampaging form, a nonchalant Tendulkar said, "They are playing well but it does not mean that we cannot beat them. We only have to play to our potential."

Dwelling on the defeats in the last two matches, Tendulkar said, "Both were very close matches, which we lost either by one run or in the last ball. Otherwise, we were always there."