Sachin Tendulkar praised the contribution of head coach Rahul Dravid.. (ICC Photo)
Former India and legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar heaped lavish praise on Indian U-19 side which won the under-19 World Cup for a historic fourth time on Saturday by beating Australia in the finals. Applauding the efforts by the Prithvi-Shaw led side Sachin also lauded the contribution of head coach Rahul Dravid and said that it has been a joy to his side perform so well.
Speaking on the sidelines of an event, Tendulkar said, “The way they have prepared themselves, physically, mentally, their planning and the execution was on top. That’s why it was evident that the Indian team stood out from the rest of the competitors.”
“It’s been a tremendous achievement that requires a great teamwork to realise big dreams. We have been able to do that,” Tendulkar added.
Crediting the BCCI for providing proper facilities to the budding talents, the master-blaster added, “Credit to BCCI for giving them the infrastructure. In the last 15 years, playing has changed, standard of fielding has changed. It’s all because of better infrastructure and ground maintenance. It reflects on the field.”
Recognizing the contribution of fellow teammate Rahul Dravid and his support staff, Tendulkar said,”Without any doubt, it’s a terrific contribution. It’s working for him (Dravid) along with the support staff, he (Dravid) himself said that. It’s been a joy to work with that. Rahul, (coach) Paras (Mhambrey) and (fielding coach) Abhay (Sharma) have also been a part of it. A big achievement for all of them,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tendulkar also spoke on how sports is important for the development of youngsters and said, “In 24-plus years that I have played cricket, it taught me a lot. Not always did I win, there were occasions when I lost. Cricket taught me to get back on my feet again and compete in the fairest possible manner.”