Sachin Tendulkar, former India captain, is excited ahead of the inaugural WTC final. He shared his views ahead of the contest in a brief conversation. Excerpts:
What would your preferred bowling combination be for India?
It depends on the surface and I am sure the groundsman will be watering it till the 17th. I haven’t had a look at the wicket but I know there are three options. One is to play with seven batters, three seamers and one spinner. The second option is to play with four seamers and one spinner. And the last is to play three seamers and two spinners. It’s too early to figure out the combination. The advantage with India is both the spinners can bat.
What do you make of the contrasting preparation for both the sides?
It is actually a coincidence that New Zealand and England have played a series just before the WTC final. But they obviously have that advantage of having played two practice matches in the form of Tests. We haven’t had that advantage but I would much rather focus on having done whatever best we could, given the circumstances. It is important to think of the next step rather than the last one. The next step matters and that’s where the focus should be.
Would you have liked to be a part of a concept like WTC?
It would have obviously been nice to be representing the country in the Test Championship final. As a player, yes. But am not too sure as a spectator. It’s too spaced out, I feel.
There were multiple series happening in between, so it was difficult to follow. But as a player, it would have been exciting. The gaps in series make it difficult to follow.
For instance, we played New Zealand early in 2020 and now after 16 months, we’ll be playing them in the final. It’s a long time.