India cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar has disclosed his choice for the four semi-finalists of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia the qualifying rounds of which began on October 16, 2022.
He also talked about the chances of the Indian team in the tournament, who are placed in Group 2 of the Super 12s along with Pakistan, South Africa, and Bangladesh, apart from two qualifiers.
In an interview with the Times of India, Sachin Tendulkar picked India, Pakistan, England, and Australia as his four semi-finalists for the T20 World Cup 2022.
"India and Pakistan from our group. But I will pick South Africa as a dark horse as the conditions will mirror those that they are used to in October and November. In the other group, I expect Australia and England to qualify with New Zealand being the dark horse,” he said.
When asked about India batting sensation Suryakumar Yadav, Sachin Tendulkar credited confidence and appreciation for his evolution as a batter.
"Confidence and appreciation. There is no better tonic than being encouraged and appreciated. It's just that he is doing it more consistently now. Success and appreciation have also changed him as a person. He plays so confidently today because he knows he need not worry about getting picked,” Tendulkar said about Suryakumar Yadav’s success.
He also shared his tactics for playing in Australia during the T20 World Cup and said that keeping wickets in hand will be the key for teams to win.
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Tendulkar said: "I would say, focus on getting good starts. I was watching the game yesterday (SL vs Namibia at Geelong) and the surface had moisture. The ball seamed for the pacers and gripped for the spinners. If there is not enough sun, and there is grass on the pitch, wickets won't be hard. It will be better to focus less on strike rates and keep wickets in hand. Teams won't go hard in the powerplay as you won't get 185-plus or 190-plus. 170 can be a winning total."
However, he did say that venues that will have drop-in pitches may produce belters as the wickets will be "well looked after."
(Times Of India Inputs)
