Sachin Tendulkar hopeful of World Cup coming to India

Sachin Tendulkar said the conditions in England won't make much of a difference to India's campaign at the World Cup, starting on May 30.

Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli during a summer camp being held at Tendulkar Middlesex Global Academy in Mumbai.

“So, the World Cup is going to England...” asked one of the scribes. Sachin Tendulkar smiled and replied: “But it will be coming to India…”

While interacting with a select group of media during a summer camp at the Tendulkar Middlesex Global Academy on Thursday, the batting legend indicated that India has a strong chance of bringing the trophy home.

With the tournament set to begin from May 30, there are talks that the teams might find it a bit challenging to adapt to the English conditions. But Tendulkar thinks differently. “Nowadays, we play against all the players so we know the teams’ individual strength and weak areas. I am told, it’s going to be hot summer. I have noticed even if you see last time when we (India) played the Champions Trophy, the wickets were superb. When the sun is out and it is hot, the wicket gets really flat,” Tendulkar said, adding: “I’m sure they are going to give beautiful tracks to bat on.”

Read: India a strong team for the World Cup, says Sourav Ganguly

He also admitted that there won’t be much change in the conditions. “I personally don’t think there will be much difference in the conditions unless there is a heavy cloud cover. When there is a heavy cloud cover, the ball might move around a bit but that happens in any part of the world for some time. I don’t see it happening for a longer duration. Just for a few overs if at all. But if the sun is out, I don’t see much of a lateral movement,” Sachin said.

Ahead of the tournament, several Indian players like captain Virat Kohli, K.L. Rahul and Hardik Pandya have shown form in the ongoing Indian Premier League. Will that help in the World Cup?

“Good performance in any format is good because it gives confidence. The striking of the ball, when it hits the bat and creates that sound, that to me is confidence. So, that sound will give a lot of confidence and I feel if you are confident in any format, that is what matters,” Tendulkar stated.

Learning the forward defence from the master himself at the Tendulkar Middlesex Global Academy.

 

“Before the team hits to England, that is what one should be thinking of nothing else. When we go there we will still have some time to make adjustments to 50-over format. I know players have played enough cricket to understand that. That is not the first time they have to make adjustments. They constantly keep making adjustments from Test cricket to ODIs and from ODIs to T20s and going back to Test cricket,” he added.

Having played for years in England, Tendulkar admitted that tours in England actually bond the team better. “(Playing in England) is always a special feeling because the bus journeys and all, make it interesting. The team is together. Match khatam hua toh you pack your bags, go back to the hotel, early morning flights -- all that is not there (in England). Match is done, you go back to your coach, relax, watch a movie in the coach. The whole team is together and you go to the next venue. That is the beauty of England," he said.

The 46-year-old also recalled an interesting anecdote during one of his trips to England.

“Once, we played a match in Essex and were travelling to our next venue and there was a major motor accident. In 3-3.5 hours we had just covered just 250 metres. We thought if we walk we might possibly cover more distance,” Tendulkar said, with a smile.