Impressed with India's dominating performance in the World Cup so far but not completely satisfied with it, cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar said that the team can raise its game a few notches higher.
India are comfortably perched atop Pool B after two straight wins and Tendulkar, who had predicted at least a final-four placing for the defending champions, feels it's "so far so good". "So far whatever I’ve seen we’ve concretised that spot. It looks very bright. I’m happy but I’m not satisfied. I want the team to continue doing this," he told Headlines Today.
Tendulkar, who has been part of record six World Cup campaigns with the Men in Blue including the historic win last time around, feels that the boys can still raise their bar. "I had said earlier that they can bat better, because I know their talent, I know their capability. And we batted beautifully yesterday. The finish could’ve been better but at no stage we felt that we were short of ideas and at no stage it looked as if the South Africans have tied us down. We were prepared to hang in there and also prepared for that chance to put the loose ball away," he said.
Tendulkar was all praise for Dhawan and Rahane. "I think Shikhar has done brilliantly in the first two games and I hope that he will continue with this performance. But the icing on the cake was Ajinkya batting at No.4. A brilliant display of effortless shots. And the shot that he played off Dale Steyn was amazing."
‘don’t get over-burdened’
Indian team's sudden breaks from training session may have raised a few eyebrows but MS Dhoni's theory got firm backing from Tendulkar, who feels that an ideal balance needs to be struck between "staying fresh and not over burdening with additional practice".
"To have same successful combination going all the way is going to be key," Tendulkar was quoted as saying in an audio released in ICC's official Media Zone.
"One needs to find that balance between staying fresh and not over-burdening yourself with additional practice sessions. You just need to find that right balance. Obviously, if somebody isn’t playing well, then he needs to go out (and practice). But if everything is going well, it’s important to save that energy and peak at the right time," Tendulkar's advice for title contenders seem to echo Dhoni's sentiments. Agencies