"I Fail To Understand...": Sachin Tendulkar Slams India's WTC Final Team Selection

12.06.2023 - 02:53 sports.ndtv.com

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar found senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's exclusion from India's playing XI for the World Test Championship final baffling, as a spinner of his calibre doesn't need conducive conditions to be effective.

Australia thrashed India by 209 runs in the WTC final and Ashwin's absence from XI was defended by coach Rahul Dravid, who said that overcast conditions forced them to pick a fourth specialist seamer, even though the opposition line-up comprised five left-handers.

There was bright sunshine on all five days and Australia raced to 469 in the first innings, literally shutting the doors on India. "India had to bat big in the first innings to stay in the game, but they couldn't.

There were some good moments for Team India, but I fail to understand the exclusion of Ashwin in the playing XI, who is currently the number one Test bowler in the world," Tendulkar tweeted on Sunday.

cricket Rohit Sharma Rahul Dravid Ravichandran Ashwin Sachin Tendulkar Australia India

India legend Sachin Tendulkar met West Indies great Brian Lara. The former India opener shared pictures on social media in which he could be seen spending quality time with Lara. Both Tendulkar and Lara are among the greatest players cricket ever witnessed. Tendulkar has scored the most runs (34357) in international cricket. He has also hit a record of 100 international centuries (49 in ODIs and 51 in Tests) besides having numerous other records to his name. On the other hand, retired player Lara still holds the record of having the highest individual score (400 runs) in a single Test inning.

"We Rejected...": Virender Sehwag's Epic Take On Virat Kohli Lifitng 'Heavy' Sachin Tendulkar On Shoulders After 2011 WC Win

After 2011, India will again be hosting the ODI World Cup starting on October 5. The Rohit Sharma-led hosts will start their campaign against Australia on October 8 in Chennai and will face Pakistan on October 15. The tournament is a great chance for India to end its title drought in ICC events. Since 2013, the Indian cricket team has not won any ICC event. For stars like Rohit, Virat Kohli and others, the 2023 World Cup presents a great opportunity to emulate what the MS Dhoni-led India achieved at home at the 2011 edition by winning the marquee event. Kohli was part of that campaign and celebrated the triumph in a unique fashion as he lifted Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders.

"Wonderful Opportunity Missed": Sunil Gavaskar On India's Test Team Selection For West Indies Tour

Cheteshwar Pujara, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami missed out as Team India named squad for the two-match Test series against West Indies, starting July 12. Jaydev Unadkat kept his spot while Delhi Capitals pacer Mukesh Kumar received his maiden India call-up. Navdeep Saini too was called into the team in the longest format. While some youngsters have been called in for the two matches, the team is more or less the same with Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel forming the core.

'Is Sachin Tendulkar Not Your Favourite?': Yuvraj Singh's Banter On Suresh Raina's India Debut

Former India player Suresh Raina revealed how Yuvraj Singh pulled his leg during his India debut. A young Raina played his first game for the senior Indian team in an ODI vs Sri Lanka in 2005. His maiden game saw him scoring a golden duck. While it was a forgettable start for Raina in international cricket, his debut in front of his teammates was rather a good one. Raina had to introduce himself to the Indian players after joining the squad and Yuvraj Singh made it all comfortable for him with a banter.

Sachin Tendulkar To Suresh Raina: Cricket Stars Express Their Love For Yoga

On the occasion of International Yoga Day, the cricket fraternity came forward to extend wishes and urged everyone to make yoga a part of their lives. Taking to Twitter, former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar shared few pictures of himself performing yoga asanas. "Yoga helps increase the teamwork between the body and the mind. Which is your favourite Yoga asana?" Sachin wrote in his tweet. Even fans engaged in the comment section by mentioning their favourite yoga asana.

Sachin Tendulkar To Suresh Raina: Cricket Stars Express Their Love For Yoga