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Tendulkar plan to revive ODIs

Split the game into four innings of 25 overs per innings, says maestro
Last Updated 04 September 2009, 17:05 IST
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“I am for 50-over cricket. I think we should have 25 overs a side to start with. I thought of this during the 2002 Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka,” the champion batsman said.
“In the finals, we ended up playing 110 overs against Sri Lanka. First they played 50 overs and we played 10 overs before the rain interruption. The next day, Sri Lanka again played 50 overs and we played 10 overs and in the end we were declared joint winners.

I thought, 110 overs and still no result,” he recalled. “That is when I thought, we should have 25 overs first for one side and then the other. And then once again 25 overs for one side and then the other,” he told a TV channell. Tendulkar said such a split would negate the luck factor and tosses would become less crucial.

“Today, we can tell the result of close to 75 per cent of matches after the toss. We know how the conditions will affect the two teams. “But it (the idea suggested by him) is not too dependent on the toss because for example it’s a day-night match then both the teams will have to bat under lights,” he said.

“The conditions change very dramatically but this would ensure that it’s same for everyone. That’s what I think, if they (administrators) take it, it would be great,” Tendulkar said. On the season ahead, Tendulkar said the team was well-prepared.
“We all have worked hard and we have got things planned. It’s a process. We will go step by step before we get to where we want to,” he said.

Kapil’s challenge
Tendulkar said he has more than lived up to the challenge thrown at him by legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev in 1989 by continuing to play international cricket for two decades.

“It was a dream to play for India. On my first tour to Pakistan, Kapil said if you play for 10 years in international cricket you would have achieved something. I took it as a challenge and have nearly doubled it,” Tendulkar said after launching Adidas cricket gear, including custom-made bats.

“It’s a great feeling (to be in international cricket for two decades),” he added. Tendulkar made his Test debut in Karachi on November 15, 1989 under the captaincy of Krishnamachari Srikkanth, the current chief selector. The last man to be in international cricket this long was former England opener and ex-captain Graham Gooch who played between 1975 and 1995. Tendulkar said he would start using the custom-made bat by adidas from the time it becomes available to him.

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(Published 04 September 2009, 17:05 IST)

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