Thursday, July 14, 2011

Tendulkar warning for England


Former England skippers have singled out Sachin Tendulkar as the biggest threat for Andrew Strauss' team ahead of India's tour later this month.

Sachin Tendulkar has been visiting England since 1990 and has scored 1302 runs in 13 Tests at an impressive average of 62 with four hundreds and six half-centuries.

"Sachin's a different player now from 2007; the best players in the world change little things about themselves to keep themselves in the game. In the last two years, he's become more aggressive, he's gone back to his old way of trying to score when for a period he tried to survive," The Cricketer quoted Michael Vaughan as saying.


"Chris Tremlett bowled well against him in 2007 and he's a miles better bowler now. But Sachin doesn't have any weaknesses, although every batsman is vulnerable on and around the off stump early on. England might go aggressive at him, test him with a few short balls - I've seen people do that over the last two years and it hasn't affected him," he added.

Nasser Hussain believes Tendulkar has regained his aggression in the last couple of years after being in a shell for a few years.

"Technically and mentally Sachin has changed little over the years but he has changed his game plan. He began as a flamboyant, extravagant stroke-maker who had all the shots and simply loved the game.

"Once the records and the hundreds started to be racked up, he turned into a run-machine. His priority was his wicket.

"Once Sehwag arrived, he was happy to let him tee off. In the last couple of years, he has rediscovered his flamboyance and is playing shots again," he added.

Michael Atherton stressed on how giving Tendulkar a life early on could spell trouble for the team.

"I dropped him in the gully at Trent Bridge (in 1996) and he went on to get a big hundred. He's not a man you want to put down early on. He was calm at the crease, difficult to get out of his bubble. There weren't any flaws. He was just a very solid, orthodox player.

"One of the most remarkable things is that he has hardly changed at all - exactly the same set-up, very few changes to his method. He's trusted in his technique and power all this time. He's stayed true to his game," he said.

Graham Gooch, who played against Tendulkar in the 1990 series, said even as a teenager he always came across as someone special.

"No one had ever seen him in 1990. As a 17-year-old, it was evident that the lad had great skill, great balance, great timing, an eye for the ball. You could see he had all the attributes to make a top player.

"For one so young, he had a poise and composure about his batting. You don't often get that in young players; you get the talent and the stroke-making but poise, authority and composure normally come," he said.



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