Tendulkar and Patil hail India's U-15 World Cup win (21 Aug 1996)

21 August 1996

Sachin hails teen team`s win over Pakistan

Our Sports Correspondent

Indian cricket team captain Sachin Tendulkar and manager Sandeep Patil on Wednesday hailed the Indian Under-15 team`s victory over Pakistan in the Lombard World Challenge Cup at Lord`s on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference at the end of a nine-day conditioning camp for the forthcoming tour to Sri Lanka and Canada, Patil said "I was very happy and proud to know about it from the newspapers. It will really boost our morale," he added.

Sachin said, "All of us felt very happy and proud about the performance of the Under-15 team, and we wish it luck for the future."

Referring to the just concluded camp, Sachin said practicing in the weather conditions in Madras had helped the team prepare for Sri Lanka, where the conditions are slated to be similar.

Both Sachin and Patil said there would not be any secu- rity problem for the team, in view of the ongoing military offensive against the Sri Lankan Tamil militants. "It does not matter much", Sachin added.

"Security concerns have now become part of Indian cricket," Patil said and averrred that security and the Indian team were going hand in hand. "We even played a match before the World Cup amidst tight security", he recalled.

Stating that good relations among the players was very important, Sachin said three team meetings were held during the course of the camp, wherein players had talked about what they had in their minds. "This makes a lot of difference, because then only we would be able to know how they have prepared mentally," the Indian skipper said.

"Every time, players would come out with some ideas. They may have some ideas here, and after we reach Sri Lanka, they may get some more. So, interaction among the players will go a long way towards benefitting the side and helping us do well," he added.

On India`s weakest aspect, fielding, Sachin said that "This time, we practised differently. We created a match-like situation, and we concentrated on specialised positions like Azhar at covers, Jadeja at point and myself at mid wicket. A player would bowl to Patil and the latter would play shots according to the field position. This enabled the players to feel that they were fielding in a match."

"We also made the batsmen concentrate on the importance of running quick singles, and worked on developing better understanding between various pairs of batsmen," Sachin said.

"The experience of Azhar as captain would really count when we get into the game," Tendulkar felt. "In the middle, I will take his opinion. Team spirit is there, and all the 14 players know each other well," he added.

"I have been watching Azhar ever since my first tour to Pakistan and I have learnt a lot from him since then," Sachin, who has taken over the mantle from Azhar, said. "In fact, I will learn from all the team player and any member can come and advice me. Even Johnson, the newest of our players, can come and point out `Sachin you could have done this or that` and I am open to that. This will help develop more coordination and more understanding among the players."

The team leaves for Sri Lanka on August 23, after a day`s rest on Thursday.

Source :: Rediff On The NeT (https://www.rediff.co.in)