Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, the World Cup winner and ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 ambassador, has predicted that the event would be even more competitive as it progresses after the first 10 days produced exciting and entertaining cricket.
Talking to the ICC on the sidelines of India versus South Africa match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, the maestro advised the sides and the players to find and maintain the right balance so that they remain fresh and ready for the big matches and yet maintain any momentum they have established early in the tournament.
The Little Master said that it's been exciting, adding that one has already seen a couple of surprises, insisting that the teams have played competitive cricket.
Tendulkar, who is the record-holder for most runs and hundreds in ODIs, said that the standard has been good, and that is what people want to witness, adding that he feels as the tournament progresses it's going to produce some fantastic cricket and they are looking forward to it.
Tendulkar believes that to have the same successful combination going all the way is going to be the key and to find that balance between staying fresh and not overburdening oneself with additional practice sessions, adding that one just needs to find that right balance.
He said that if somebody's not playing well, then obviously that guy needs to go out and hit as many balls as possible in the nets or bowl as many balls as possible, but he added that if everything is going well, then it's important to have that energy and peak at the right time.
Tendulkar, who was the player of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, said ODIs were now producing more runs and centuries due to changes in playing conditions as well as the emergence of the Twenty20 format.
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Tendulkar said that they have been witnessing high-scoring games because of two reasons, one being the rule has changed, adding that there is one less fielder outside the circle, so, that makes a huge difference. He said that the game opens up completely and that becomes difficult for bowlers to consistently find those areas to work because there is one less fielder which forces one to bowl different lengths and different lines.
The batting legend claimed that the second point is also the introduction of T20 format, which has allowed the batters to play more risky shots, play innovative shots, and the guys regularly practice these shots in the nets.
Tendulkar said that how many times in the '80s or '90s did one see someone playing a reverse sweep off a fast bowler, which happens in today's cricket, adding that if batsmen have to chase at eight runs an over, it's not something beyond their reach, because in T20 one plays 20 overs with asking run-rate sometimes of nine or even more than that.
So, Tendulkar, who retired from cricket in November 2013, said that it's just the mental setup and the belief that even if it goes to nine runs and over, they can still hit that target.
Speaking about his journey as a 14-year-old ball boy to ICC Cricket World Cup Ambassador and the experience of not being involved in an ICC Cricket World Cup as a player for the first time in 23 years, Tendulkar said that firstly he would like to thank ICC for nominating his name as Ambassador of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and 2015.
He added that he remembers when he was a 14-year-old boy and was sitting outside the dressing room as a ball boy in the ICC Cricket World Cup 1987. So, he said that from there to become the Ambassador of the ICC Cricket World Cup is a special journey and he is excited.
Tendulkar claimed that this is a new experience to him where he is watching an ICC Cricket World Cup match from the stands, adding that the atmosphere is fantastic, insisting that it is absolutely something that he has experienced but not sitting in the stands.
Tendulkar said that he was always on the other side of the fence, adding that to be sitting in the stands and to feel this atmosphere is incredible.
Tendulkar also said that being a World Cup Ambassador he is supposed to be neutral, but added that his heart says something and his brain says something. So, he added that he has got to stick to his heart and support India.
