Sachin Tendulkar heaped praise on Virat Kohli's proactive captaincy in India-South Africa ICC World Cup 2019 match in Southampton. Thanks to India's fine bowling, South Africa were kept to 227/9. Tendulkar said Jasprit Bumrahh was "special" at the start of the match
Southampton: Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar heaped praise on India’s bowling unit and singled out Jasprit Bumrah (2/35) as the Virat Kohli-led side restricted South Africa to 227/9 in their opening match of the ICC World Cup 2019 on Wednesday (June 5).
Tendulkar, who is part of the Star Sports commentary team, spoke to the host broadcaster after the Proteas’ innings and said Bumrah was “special” with his two-wicket burst at the start.
The former India captain, who was part of the 2011 World Cup winning team under MS Dhoni’s leadership, said India’s bowling performance was “incredible”. Also he praised Yuzvendra Chahal (4/51), and Kohli for his proactive captaincy.
When West Indies’ legend Brian Lara asked from the studio whether skipper Faf du Plessis had erred by choosing to bat first, Tendulkar agreed. The Master Blaster felt the South Africans were carrying “excess baggage” from previous games and hence they decided to bat which was not the right decision.
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“"Felt there was some excess baggage being carried from their past experiences. If I were the captain I would have been tempted to bowl first,” Tendulkar, the highest run-getter in World Cup history, opined.
Asked about how India openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan should approach, Tendulkar advised the duo to take time and settle down since the target was big. He felt Kagiso Rabada would go all out at the Indian batsmen.
"Rabada will go all out, that's their best chance. They got to approach it like a Test match. You have to put early pressure on the Indian batting line-up. Shikhar and Rohit should approach it without a rush, I feel if I'm in their position, I'd assess how much movement is there off the pitch, what kind of bounce Rabada and Morris generate in the first two overs," he said.
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