Batting stalwart Sachin Tendulkar believes the tracks in England will help the batsmen given to the hot summers in the United Kingdom (UK). But he feels that the ball won’t do much in such conditions during the forthcoming twelfth edition of the ICC World Cup 2019.
The upcoming ODI showpiece will kick-off on May 30 in the United Kingdom. The multi-nation tournament will witness the curtain-raiser between hosts England and South Africa at the Kennington Oval in London.
Tendulkar expects featherbed in England:
While speaking on the sidelines of an inauguration ceremony of the MIG Club pavilion, Tendulkar conceded that 2017 ICC Champions Trophy has made it clear during summers. Adding, he is confident that the wickets will be altogether flat in the UK.
“I am told it’s going to be a hot summer. Even in the Champions Trophy, the wickets were superb when the sun was out. In the heat, the wickets get really flat. I am sure they will give beautiful tracks to bat on,” PTI quoted Tendulkar as saying.
The Mumbaikar, Tendulkar, who scored most runs in the World Cup (2,278) while playing a record number of six World Cups alongside Pakistan’s Javed Miandad, stated he does not expect any major change during a hot summer. But he feels things would do a bit if puffs of clouds would hang over the skies. However, he hinted it would overall remain a batsmen’s game.
“I don’t think there will be much difference in the conditions unless there is a heavy cloud cover. If there is a cloud cover, the ball might go around a bit. Even if that’s the case I don’t see that happening for a longer duration just the first over if at all,” Tendulkar added.
With World Cup-bound players partaking in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Tendulkar was asked regarding their performance helping Team India’s cause.
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The 46-year-old reiterated that the results have often boosted the morale of the players. He cited confidence plays a vital role across formats.
Furthermore, Tendulkar believes the players including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have played plenty of cricket – to acclimatise to the conditions at the earliest.
“A good performance in any format is good news because it gives the player confidence. If you are confident in any format, that’s important. The players have time to make some adjustments according to the conditions. All of them have played enough cricket to know what to do to improve,” Tendulkar maintained.
Tendulkar, himself has represented India in record 463 ODIs to amass 18,426 runs at an average of 44.8. Besides, he has 49 tons and 96 half-centuries to his name.