Sachin Tendulkar in a recent media interaction ahead of the All Stars League said that the format of T20’s can be a helpful tool in globalizing the game. The robust format of T20’s has already been a rage in cricket playing nations, but it slowly also is finding its place in more remote markets. Speaking about the popularity of the game, Tendulkar said that the game could be made a global sport through T20 cricket.
“To globalise the game, I feel T20 is the right format,” Tendulkar said. “The format is fast, it’s gripping, it’s got a lot of energy and invariably the finishes are real close. Very rarely you get to see a one-sided game, which is what people like to see. Towards the end of most T20 games, every ball matters,” said Tendulkar.
The Little Master also hoped that the All Stars League would play its part in making the sport more popular in the USA. “This is an introduction to cricket,” he said. “If there are guys who want to understand more about the different formats then they are going to follow Test cricket and ODIs. Even if you get ten percent of the guys to follow Test cricket and like Test cricket, it’s a win-win situation,” Tendulkar said. “Somewhere down the line maybe a kid in the US will hold a baseball bat in one hand and cricket bat in another,” he added.
“You need role models, you need heroes. Youngsters need heroes to get inspired – to believe that yes, I want to become like Wasim Akram, I want to become like Brian Lara, I want to become like Jacques Kallis. That is how that journey starts,” Tendulkar concluded.