India favourites, says Tendulkar by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:	SR Tendulkar
Event:	ICC World Twenty20 2009

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DateLine: 31st May 2009

 

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar has said that there is no reason why India would not be able to defend the ICC Twenty20 WC crown.

 

Tendulkar felt that the presence of a swashbuckling batting order, fine bowling unit and some world-class cricketers make India a unit very few will be able to go past.

 

He said that the team looks balanced and he is pretty confident of their chances in the T20 event.

 

"I have full confidence in the team. It's a solid team that has got explosive batsmen and some wonderful bowlers in their attack which looks fantastic," Tendulkar gushed.

 

"The team has got some world-class players as well," he said. Tendulkar also backed out of form openers Sehwag and Gambhir saying that a class player is always a threat to the opposition and form is just a matter of time.

 

"Form can sometimes go down and you may not play well at times. But I believe a world class player is always a threat to the opposition and I'm really glad that we have so many world class players in the side," Tendulkar said.

 

Though purists tend to dismiss Twenty20 as just slam- bang cricket, Tendulkar begged to differ and said it augured well for the sport.

 

"I think it is good for cricket. It generates interests in areas where we don't have major tournaments. It's fast, exciting and you know the result within three hours.

 

"It's exciting for someone who has just started watching cricket. Maybe it would help him to subsequently graduate to watching ODIs and Test matches as well. That's why I feel it's good for cricket," Tendulkar explained.