Three ounces is the weight Tendulkar had shaved off his famously heavy bat before the start of the tournament.

Tendulkar came into the World Cup having made two runs in his last three one-day internationals against New Zealand in January.

But on Monday against Sri Lanka he made 97 to pass his own record for runs scored at a World Cup, with the possibility he could bat three more times yet.

The Indian batsman had scored 523 runs in seven innings at the 1996 tournament, making two centuries and averaging 87.16.

On Monday he took his 2003 tally to 571 in eight innings, at an average of 71.37 with one hundred against Namibia.

"He (Tendulkar) has taken three ounces off his bat," former India all rounder turned television commentator Ravi Shastri told Reuters.

"It allows him now to play all the shots, all around the wicket. His balance and timing are outstanding. This is the best I've seen him since 1998 against Australia."

In that year, Tendulkar scored 446 at an average of 111.50 with two centuries as India beat the Australians 2-1 in a three-match Test series.

Shastri said a new mental approach had also contributed to Tendulkar's run spree in South Africa.

"There's the psychological as well as the practical. He's come here determined to play with the kind of freedom he hasn't always allowed himself in the past. He's determined not to be weighed down by the pressure."

A significant factor in the easing of that pressure has been Tendulkar's return to the top of the order to partner Virender Sehwag.

Last year Tendulkar had come in at four to bolster the middle order but, despite the success of the tactic, had made it clear he preferred opening.

Doing that at the World Cup has allowed Tendulkar to attack from the outset, rather than play within himself and consolidate the innings.