Sachin Tendulkar reckons Australia and South Africa can reach semifinal

Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar believes that South Africa and Australia have the firepower in their squad to make it to the semifinals of the upcoming World T20. However, before that, the former Indian opener said that MS Dhoni is currently in the form of his life and has reinforced his credentials as a finisher. Dhoni, who has been in decent nick over the past few months, has been known to finish off the innings with a six. He has done it on numerous occasions in the past.

“No player in the world has ever been in good form throughout his life as he is not a machine. When I heard the sound of the ball meeting Dhoni’s bat, I felt that it was a different sound. That was the sound that tells you that the batsman is in different mindset,” Tendulkar said

Sachin Tendulkar went on to explain that Dhoni’s ability to remain calm in the face of adversity his perhaps his biggest asset.

“The biggest asset of Dhoni is his ability to absorb the pressure which has made him a good captain. He has matured over the years. He does not show even when he is tense which is a good sign. Often a captain who is short-tempered or nervous can create panic among ranks which is not the case with Dhoni,” Tendulkar explained.

“During Asia Cup, I found his mindset changing, which is good for India. Again, like Dhoni, that feel of the bat hitting the ball was important for me but the most important thing has been Yuvi’s footwork. As far as the ‘game Changer’ is concerned, I feel Jasprit Bumrah can be that man for India in the World T20. He has a deceptive action and may look slow but hits the bat harder than you can think,” said the 42-year-old.

While the Indian squad consists of many a star player, Tendulkar underlined the importance of the Indian tactics. He also said that the balance of the side is perfect and a repeat of the 2007 World T20 is very much possible.

“The biggest strength in our team is that there is no predictable pattern in our team strategy. We have seen Yuvraj and Dhoni being shuffled in the batting order. Similarly, Ashwin has opened the bowling for India. The balance in our side is fantastic. So I feel, in terms of celebrations, April 3, 2016, in Kolkata will not be different from April 2, 2011,” Tendulkar said.

The former master-blaster also stated that while the Indians are favorites, the Australians and South African are always looking over their shoulder. He also underlined the importance of spin bowling, stating that the likes of Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Nathan McCullum could have a say in proceedings.

“Australia may not have that depth in bowling as they had earlier but is still decent. The batting is very good which makes them a good side. South Africa may have not done well in crunch matches but they have AB de Villiers. England is a very good side with fine T20 players. I love their bowling attack.

“Someone like Moeen Ali, who I feel is a cerebral spinner, who knows what he is bowling. It’s not that he justs lands the ball and gets wickets, he uses effective strategy. Also, they have a leg-spinner Adil Rasheed, who can be effective if he can be a bit slower through the air rather than pushing the ball. Although India are not scared of anyone, England can be a team that can cause some worry,” said Tendulkar

“Having McCullum used to be a great advantage for them. He played a fearless brand of cricket which is essential. He could hit the first ball of a match for six. They will miss McCullum.”

“Ashish has bowled brilliantly. It’s important to get a good start and Bumrah has followed up brilliantly. So this good start given by the duo has also helped Hardik Pandya, who comes in after that. The spinners have been great. Both Ashwin and Jadeja have done well and Harbhajan also did well in the chance that he got.”

Tendulkar also did not agree that the team has peaked too early winning 10 out of 11 T20 matches this year.

“I would rather like the state of our team than having a team that is still not confident of winning and does not know what combination to play.”