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- 'It is the rules which has made all the difference.'
- 'Maybe he [AB de Villiers] is possibly at the peak of his career. He is really, really batting unbelievably well and it seems that he has got more time than anyone else.'
Sachin Tendulkar believes the rule changes in One-Day Internationals are responsible for batsmen dominating the 50-overs format.
“It is the rules which has made all the difference. When I played, I remember the four fielder rule was there throughout the 50 overs and in the Powerplay you could change your field but here more or less for all through the 50 overs the rule has changed, you could only have four fielders outside and that definitely put more pressure on the bowlers I felt. With four fielders outside the circle the batsman has more option of scoring runs in boundaries, the batsmen who are prepared to take more risks,” Tendulkar said on Tuesday, on the sidelines of his practice session at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s ground at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai to prepare for the upcoming All Stars Cricket League in USA next month.
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As per the latest rule changes in ODIs, which came into effect in July this year, five fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle during overs 41 to 50 in ODIs to bring a balance between bat and ball. Also, the five overs of batting powerplay and the compulsory catches between overs 1-10 have been scrapped.
The changes to the playing conditions were part of the recommendations made this May by the ICC's cricket committee headed by former India captain Anil Kumble with a view to bringing back a little bit of balance in favour of the bowlers in ODIs.
The former India captain was referring to the fifth and final ODI between India and South Africa at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Sunday in which the visitors posted a mammoth 438 for four after electing to bat first which ultimately proved crucial in them winning the match and also the series 3-2.
Tendulkar, who hit a record 100 centuries in international cricket including 49 in ODIs, pointed out that the emergence of T20 cricket has also influenced the way batsmen go about their batting in the One-Dayers.
“That is also to do with the T20 format, the batsmen have been practicing certain shots which earlier nobody would play those shots,” he stated.
Tendulkar showed rich praise on South African batting sensation AB de Villiers, who took the Indians apart with a swashbuckling innings of 119 from just 61 balls during the fifth ODI in Mumbai.
“Maybe he is possibly at the peak of his career. He is really, really batting unbelievably well and it seems that he has got more time than anyone else,” observed Tendulkar.
“I thought de Villiers batted really well. If you see the first 20 balls he faced and at no stage, I still remember I was watching a little bit and Shaun Pollock kept saying he has not shifted to sixth and seventh gear. It was rightly so, he has figured out how to pace his innings and he did it beautifully. I would give credit to the way he batted,” he added.
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The batting legend urged the Indians fans to support the national team and adopt a more balanced approach.
“We have a very good team. Each team will go through phases. There will be patches where you will play well and there will be tough phases where things will get really difficult and things won’t go to your plans. But that doesn’t mean that every weekend you pass a judgement on your team. When they do well you say ‘wow they have done really well’ and following week if they don’t do well you start criticising them. I think we need to show more balance and we all are passionate about cricket and we need to patient also,” he said.