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In an exclusive interview with Sportstar ahead of his 50th birthday, Sachin Tendulkar spoke about how the IPL had enabled players from different countries to familiarise themselves with conditions in India, which could be one of the reasons for Indian batters struggling at home in Test cricket.
“Doctored pitches, lack of skills, evolving batting techniques due to limited overs’ overdose — or a culmination of all these factors? Also, whichever opposition team you take, most of their players participate in the IPL for two months. So, Indian conditions are not foreign anymore,” Tendulkar said.
On the flip side, the intermingling of players in the IPL was also helping Indians acquaint with their potential opponents in international cricket, according to the Master Blaster.
“Similarly, for our players, they are no longer unfamiliar opponents. Earlier, if I was playing against someone, say Glenn McGrath, we would only see him every four years in Australia or every four years in India. But now, we have the luxury of spending two-and-a-half months with them every year, batting or bowling against them every day.
“That is also possibly one of the reasons we have travelled better. Of course, we have the ammunition to go to any part of the world and cause problems for the opposition. It’s a combination of everything. So is the case with the opposition. If we provide helpful tracks for bowlers, they can exploit those conditions. It cannot be just one-way traffic that our bowlers are being able to exploit, and they cannot do it,” he added.
Check out the full interview with Sachin Tendulkar here:
India was given a taste of its own medicine during the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Indore in March when the Australian spinners ripped through the Indian batting line-up to set up the visitor’s nine-wicket win.
“Yes, there have been some disappointing performances but that happens to everyone. I will not pinpoint fingers at anyone and say ‘so and so is not doing well’. I would much rather go one-on-one and tell them that this is what it is,” Tendulkar said, while also maintaining that a tricky wicket was no excuse for being unable to bat on it.
“Why is it that if it’s a challenging wicket, no one can bat? It is called Test cricket, that’s where your skill and character are tested. There will be difficult surfaces, and that is where you are meant to go out and show your mettle.”
Click here to read the full interview.
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