Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, on Friday, said that Sachin Tendulkar will stand tall against England and Australia later in the season, says a report in The DNA, adding that Tendulkar’s dismissals in three successive Test innings — all bowled — against New Zealand have set tongues wagging but Ganguly insisted the maestro wasn’t done.
“Although he did not get runs against New Zealand, he was not seen to have any slowness in the way he got out. This was not the only time he was bowled in successive innings. He was out bowled in the peak of his career too. But Sachin is a big match player, a big team player. He will stand up against England and Australia. People talking about his retirement will hurt him. But a player as big as him knows. Having played with him, you tend to believe that it is still not over with him. Whenever he goes, he will go on a high. It should be the way for any player and more so for the great man,” Ganguly said after delivering the Dilip Sardesai lecture here.
Meanwhile according to a report in The Hindu, Sourav Ganguly said that there was nothing alarming about Sachin Tendulkar’s recent dismissals in the two-Test series against New Zealand, and added that he should continue to focus on Test cricket.
Speaking at the fourth Dilip Sardesai Memorial Lecture on ‘The Effect of T20 on Test cricket’, the flamboyant left-hander, one of India’s most successful Test captains, said: “Tendulkar getting bowled is nothing new; he has been dismissed this way even at his peak.
“We should not forget that he is getting older. I notice that he is moving well, and his fitness and hunger for the game persists. He knows more about his game than all of us. Having known Sachin for such a long time, I would like to believe that a return to form will happen.”
Asked about the negative effects of T20 on Test cricket, he spoke of the importance of adjustment. “Look at Kevin Pietersen or Jacques Kallis. They play all three formats and adjust in order to be effective. When Sachin started to open in T20, he worked out a way to adjust his batting,” he said.
