Fans are seething with anger but star batsman Sachin Tendulkar threw his weight behind Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men, saying people should not lose faith in the current crop of Indian players despite their flop show in the Twenty20 World Cup.
Tendulkar said cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties and people should retain their faith in Dhoni and his men since it was more or less the same bunch of players who won India the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup.
“There will be ups and downs but you just have to have your faith in players because the same lot got us the World Cup,” Tendulkar said.
“We should not forget that we are still the number one team in the world,” he said.
India could not win a single Super Eight stage match of the Twenty20 World Cup but Tendulkar found nothing wrong with the players.
“The players have been training hard. They know and understand their responsibilities. Sometimes thing clicks, sometimes not,” he said.
“In IPL, we Mumbai Indians played so well but in the final things didn’t work out for us. So it can happen to anyone,” he argued.
“All I can say is that the players need support so that they can start fresh again and look to deliver better results,” he added.
Tendulkar found nothing wrong in public angst but felt fans should stay positive.
“I know it’s disappointing but it has not happened for the first time and it would not be the last time either. The game has its uncertainties. We have to see how we can do better.
“Obstacles keep coming, not just in cricket but in life also. We need to look for the solution. We have to be positive and there is always room for improvement,” said Tendulkar.
Experts believe the Indian players looked jaded in the tournament because they hardly had a breather after playing in the Indian Premier League and even Dhoni said post-match parties and travelling took toll on the players’ body.
Tendulkar, however, was not ready to blame IPL for India’s debacle in the West Indies.
“I mean there are both advantages and disadvantages and it depends on how you see it. From my point of view, I think IPL gives opportunities to out-of-form players to return to form,” Sachin said.
