Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar has rated the current Indian team as the best in the world, asserting that the national squad reminds him of the batch of 2002-03.
“The current bunch of cricketers reminds me of the team we had in 2002-2003. We had (Virender) Sehwag opening the innings, Rahul (Dravid) came at No. 3, followed by me at No. 4, Sourav (Ganguly) at No. 5 and (VVS) Laxman at No. 6. I see the same team in the present one. To me, it is the best side in the world,” Tendulkar said during an interactive session at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit yesterday.
“We have the right balance as far as quality fast bowlers and spinners are concerned. We have a well-balanced side with a very strong batting line-up,” he added.
The 43-year-old, who retired from Test cricket in 2013, also maintained that the team only needs “direction” and has the best man to guide them in current coach Anil Kumble.
“They have got an ideal man to guide them in Anil Kumble. To have Anil in the dressing room is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It is fantastic to have him,” Tendulkar said.
He also feels the mentality of people had changed due to the popularity of Twenty20 cricket and technology, adding that the longer format now needs some rivalries to get back the interest of the spectators.
“The mindset of the people is changing. Twenty20s and technology has changed that mindset. When I was growing up, we were watching Tests and now kids watch T20,” Tendulkar observed.
“When I was growing up, I watched Imran Khan bowling to Sunil Gavaskar and their rivalry was really engaging. We saw how to defend on backfoot among many other things. The competitive rivalries of Viv Richards-Jeff Thompson, Curtly Ambrose-Steve Waugh, Brian Lara-Glenn McGrath generated a lot of interest among the fans. We need to show something different to the youth to regenerate those rivalries. If we can recreate those rivalries people’s interest will go up,” he added.
The 43-year-old said he does not miss cricket much because retirement has given him the opportunity to live life on his terms. “I did not miss playing cricket after I retired but it is nice to play an exhibition game once in a while. I played three games in America with retired cricketers and the response was magnificent. But yes, I do miss the love and affection of the fans,” he said.
“It feels nice that I get to do the things that I could not do while playing. Overall it has given me the opportunity to live life on my terms and mingle around,” he added.
Tendulkar gave a radical suggestion of introducing two different balls and two pitches in the same match in domestic cricket to improve the standard of the game in the country.
“We should not make tailor-made pitches. Let us make green-top pitches in India. We should make our batsmen and spinners play on them,” Tendulkar said.
“We need to make our bench strength get used to foreign pitches and conditions. Our spinners need to know which areas to bowl in the first innings on a green top. Let us have two sets of pitches in domestic cricket. Green tops and also turning tracks. I would want the first innings to be played on green top.
“The second innings should be played on the turning track. If we can do this, we will be prepared for any condition. We need to travel better. This also means playing with two different balls and that means also playing with the kookaburra ball. For the bench strength it is important to know how a kookaboora ball seams or swings. When we play on two different surfaces, the captain knows if he bowls first, he’ll be batting fourth on a rank turner. So, it’s not going to be easy,” he added.
He said toss doesn’t decide the outcome of the match as it only gives 10 % advantage to the winning team. “Toss only allows the captain to have only 10 % advantage, but not the 80 % advantage where the wicket is damp, you put the opposition in, and when you go out to bat, it’s a flat wicket, you score 600 runs and get them out again. That will stop. This move will also teach our batters to play on turning tracks. This will help in winning abroad,” he said.
Refusing to comment on the RM Lodha Committee recommendations, Tendulkar asserted that “everything is not perfect and changes are needed to be made to ensure India remains the leading side in the world”.
“The matter is in the Supreme Court, and it’ll be unwise to get into the details and pass any judgment,” he said. “From the cricketing point of view, I have got a lot of support from the Indian cricket board (BCCI) and MCA (Mumbai Cricket Association). BCCI has also supported the game a lot. The board has helped all the players to get to where they are today.”
The Lodha Committee, which was appointed by the Supreme Court to clean up cricket administration in India following a corruption and spot-fixing scandal in the Indian Premier League (IPL), had advised a host of far reaching changes which, if implemented, could alter the way the game is run in the country.
Tendulkar said that everything is not perfect and changes are essential for improvement. “It doesn’t stop here. I am not saying everything is perfect and right, and we don’t need to improve, we don’t need to make changes. We need to make changes for better. We are already the leading side in the world. We need to capitalise on that and make things better for India,” Tendulkar said.