Indian team has to look ahead: Tendulkar
By IANSThursday, May 13, 2010
ZIRAKPUR - Despite being disappointed with the early ouster of the Indian cricket team from the ongoing World Twenty20 in West Indies, Sachin Tendulkar still considers them as the No.1 team.
“We have to remain positive; ups and downs are part of life, not only in cricket but everywhere. We have to ignore all the negative aspects and look forward to improve our performance,” said Tendulkar, when asked here Thursday about the patchy performance of the Indian team in the World Twenty20.
“There is always some room for improvement. I know that it’s disappointing but we have to look ahead, we should not forget that India is the number one team in the world,” he said.
On the issue of the Indian batsmen’s weakness against rising deliveries, Tendulkar said: “Players know their responsibility very well. We have to look for options to tackle the short-pitch balls. Gambhir (Gautam Gambhir) is still the same person, he has not changed.”
Tendulkar was in town, around 10 kilometers from the state capital Chandigarh, to participate in an event organised by a cement company.
Asked why he has kept himself away from World Twenty20, Tendulkar said: “In 2007, I opted out of the World Cup because I thought that I was not fully fit to play at that time. But later I preferred to keep myself away from it because I did not want to disturb the winning combination of the team.”
Sachin had enjoyed a good run in the recently concluded third edition of Indian Premier League (IPL). Mumbai Indians, under his captaincy, had reached the finals but lost to Chennai Super Kings.
“IPL cricket has both advantages and disadvantages. Many cricketers return to their form after playing in it,” stated Tendulkar.
On his record ODI double century against South Africa earlier this year, he said: “I never count my records and I only consider them as my contribution to the team. Making 200 was good but it was quite normal. We want to win the 2011 World Cup. It is the dream of the whole country. We have to improve upon our weaknesses and capitalise on our strengths.”
