Ganguly bats for Tendulkar, says the Master Blaster will silence one and all with his batting against England

Sachin Tendulkar is one player who knows when to go, writes Sourav Ganguly in his column in Hindustan Times, adding that Sachin should not be judged on the basis of three innings but over a period of eight to 10 Test matches. “There is talk about his footwork, slowness, but does one still expect him to move the way when he was 24? He has been in the fray for more than two decades, has achieved what others never dreamt of and knows how to adjust as per the situation,” writes Ganguly, adding that what has been apparent is the lack of match practice, as he had a long gap before the start of this series. “Also, one shouldn't take away credit from the Kiwi bowlers as they bowled a good line to him.

But Ganguly is confident that the Master Blaster will get back his form against England. “Don’t rule him out. In the past, he has been castled, but every time Sachin has found a way to bounce back. I will keenly watch him during the England series and I believe the great man of Indian cricket will silence one and all, like the way he has always done,” writes Ganguly, adding that it was a good victory for India, more so as they were playing Test cricket after a gap. “It was also a good warm-up as they have two comparatively stronger teams to deal with at home in the near future.”

Meanwhile Sanjay Manjrekar, a former Test batsman and Tendulkar 's teammate, feels the days of batting maestro at the highest level are not yet over. "To me, the way Tendulkar got out in his three innings against New Zealand does not suggest by any stretch of the imagination that he is finished as an international batsman," he said, according to a report in Mail Today.

"I will stand by what I've said all along about Tendulkar - that his run-making at the international level will stop only when he stops playing. Until then, he may not dominate as he used to but he will still be a good enough batsman to get runs at the highest level, and to add value to the Indian team, especially in Test cricket," he told cricinfo.

Sanjay Manjrekar felt that Sachin was aware of the difficulties an ageing batsman has to face and he will soon find an answer to it. Manjrekar says Tendulkar still adds value to the batting line-up and must be part of the team in the four-Test series against England at home.