Breaking records has become a norm for India skipper Virat Kohli, but he alone can’t win the World Cup, said batting legend Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday (May 22).
Team India will begin their World Cup campaign on June 5 against South Africa in Southampton. In the meanwhile, the Men in Blue will feature in two warm-up games – against New Zealand on May 25 and against Bangladesh on May 28.
"I think you will always have a couple of individuals stepping up every game but without team support, you can't do much. Just because of one individual, you can't win a tournament. No way. Unless, others chip in at every crucial stage. If that doesn't happen, there will be disappointment," Tendulkar said in an exclusive interview with PTI.
Team India’s No. 4 conundrum in the 50-over format has been a topic of discussion for some time now but Sachin is not worried about it.
"I think we have batsmen, who can do the job. Number four is just a number and it can be adjusted. I particularly don't see No 4 as a problem. Our boys have played enough cricket to know their roles whether it is No 4, 6 or 8. Situational awareness is the key," the batting maestro remarked.
Apart from a power-packed batting line-up, the Men in Blue also have a wholesome and proven bowling unit in their arsenal with Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar taking care of the pace department while Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal overseeing the spin segment.
Tendulkar admitted that while India have a pretty balanced unit.
"There is a good balance in the side. We have a number of guys with 8-10 years of experience and at the same time we have talented youngsters like Kuldeep, Rahul, Chahal, Hardik (Pandya) and Jasprit (Bumrah) with a couple of years of international cricket. So it's a perfect blend with all the makings of a wonderful team. I rate our chances very high.”
On a different note, the Master Blaster expressed his disappointment over the misbalance in ODIs due to the introduction of two new balls and flat pitches.
"It's become one sided with introduction of two new balls and flat pitches have made lives of bowlers much more difficult. One team is scoring 350 and the other is chasing down inside 45 overs," he said.
