Mumbai: Former Indian captain and little master Sachin Tendulkar has thrown his weight behind the next generation of players and said that they have the talent and application to play for next 10 years. Virat Kohli led in India’s historic 500th Test match and Tendulkar was present with former captains to celebrate the occasion.
“We have a fabulous combination. The best part about all these players is that they are young and they will play for a while. I see this team playing together for eight to 10 years and dominating world cricket,” Tendulkar told bcci.tv.
“We have the firepower, balance is really nice. If we continue to stick to these players, obviously there will be few changes here and there, but if players are fit, in proper shape and condition, we have bright days ahead.”
Indian team has moved on from the era of fabulous five, which used to comprise of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and current head coach Anil Kumble. The team has also moved on from Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan . The current crop of players have applied them and gelled as an exciting and enterprising unit.
Tendulkar added: “To be here for the 500th Test match, it’s a great moment. There have been so many heroes whom we grew growing up. Being part of the history, we have been able to influence the next generation and leave some impression behind.
The master blaster advocated for proper balance between bat and ball. Tendulkar is the only man in the history of Test cricket to play 200 matches and played for over 24 years at the highest level.
“There has to be a nice balance between bat and ball. The balance is not right as it’s too much in favour of batsmen, to be fair. In T20s, batters go after bowlers. 300 is no more a safe target in ODIs. There has to be a format, where bowlers dominate the bat,” Tendulkar said.
The highest run-getter in world cricket termed the pitch as a “typical Kanpur wicket”.
The match has been delicately poised with both Black Caps and men in blue sharing the honours. Kanpur pitch has been predictable and kiwis will encounter extreme conditions as they have to bat last on a deteriorating pitch.