Feed Posted October 21, 2010 Posted October 21, 2010 Australian captain Ricky Ponting says he can no longer be at his "absolute best" with the bat but that should hardly be a surprise or concern as even an icon like Sachin Tendulkar is not at his peak anymore. More... More... Ricky Ponting: best is behind me now Will Swanton in Visakhapatnam From: Herald Sun October 20, 2010 Ricky Ponting's form in India has been solid. RICKY Ponting has revealed he agrees with former Australian captain Mark Taylor's suggestion that his "best is behind him". But Ponting's solid form on this tour of India has him believing he can still be a force. "Well, I think what Mark had to say was that he probably didn't think I could get any better from where I am at the moment," Ponting said. "It wasn't so much about saying that I'm past it. He just thought that it was going to be hard for me to get back to my absolute best again, and that's probably right. "I think there is a period in every batsman's life where they are playing at their absolute best. Even Sachin Tendulkar now, even though he scored nine hundreds last year, was probably not at his absolute best, either. "So what Mark said may be right, but by no means do I think I can't play at the level I want to play at. And if I can't play at that level, then I won't play the game anyway. I have said that for a long time. "So I have just got to be a good, consistent contributor in the No. 3 role, and be the best captain and the leader I can be for the next few months, and we will see what effect it has on the team." Ponting, Mike Hussey, Simon Katich, Brad Haddin and Marcus North won't be around for the next Ashes campaign at home, in the 2014-15 summer, and this summer may be the last series against England for some of them. On that basis, Ponting has urged his most experienced troops to fire in one of their last hurrahs together. "Ricky has spoken a lot to us senior guys, and me as vice-captain, it's important for all of us to lead by example," vice-captain Michael Clarke said. "Us senior guys have to make sure were all performing. The captain wants you to step up, so you've got to do it. You've got to do the work, you've got to find a way to get out there and make runs. When things aren't going your way, you've got to find a way to hang in. "We've all played a fair bit of cricket by now and know what to expect. We've got no excuses not to perform." Australia's Ashes squad will be named at Sydney Opera House on November 15.
Andy Posted October 21, 2010 Posted October 21, 2010 Can't be absolute best anymore but neither can Sachin: Ponting MELBOURNE: Australian captain Ricky Ponting says he can no longer be at his "absolute best" with the bat but that should hardly be a surprise or concern as even an icon like Sachin Tendulkar is not at his peak anymore. Responding to former Australian captain Mark Taylor's comments that his "best is behind him", Ponting said the assessment is correct but that does not mean he would become ineffective. "I think what Mark had to say was that he probably didn't think I could get any better from where I am at the moment," Ponting was quoted as saying by 'The Daily Telegraph'. "It wasn't so much about saying that I'm past it. He just thought that it was going to be hard for me to get back to my absolute best again, and that's probably right. "I think there is a period in every batsman's life where they are playing at their absolute best. Even Sachin Tendulkar now, even though he's scored nine hundreds last year, was probably not at his absolute best, either," he added. "So what Mark said may be right, but by no means do I think I can't play at the level I want to play at. And if I can't play at that level, I won't play the game anyway. I have said that for a long time," said the 35-year-old right-hander, who has been rested from Australia's ongoing ODI series against India. Ponting said he merely has to perform consistently to keep his place in the side. "So I have just got to be a good, consistent contributor in the No. 3 role, and be the best captain and leader I can be for the next few months, and we will see what effect it has on the team," he said. SAUCE
putrevus Posted October 21, 2010 Posted October 21, 2010 99.94 Punter is using Tendulkar as a crutch to defend himself and his team, he already said , if Tendulkar at 37 can play and win ICC player of year why cant we do it. Somebody needs to tell him Mr Ponting, Tendulkar is not any tom dick and harry , he is the greatest cricketer ever to have played this game. Rahul Dravid is going thru lean phase, we never heard Dravid saying well if Tendulkar can do it, why cant I do it myself. Dravid knows he is great batsman still but he is not Tendulkar, so Dravid comparing himself to Tendulkar is an insult to the great man.
RamP Posted October 21, 2010 Posted October 21, 2010 :punter: you cannot any better than this smiley dedicated to you by ICF :punter:
DomainK Posted October 21, 2010 Posted October 21, 2010 Strange comment considering Tendulkar's current form.
Bradman99 Posted October 21, 2010 Posted October 21, 2010 I don't see much wrong with what he's said, no need for you all to get your knickers in a twist. Maybe it's not true about Tendulkar but that is personal opinion and if anything goes to show how highly he rates Tendulkar, that although he is playing as well as he is, he is still not at his best.
Bublu Bhuyan Posted October 21, 2010 Posted October 21, 2010 Every batsman goes through their peak, something which is impossible to replicate later. Viv Richards was at his absolute best from 1975 till about 1982. Not that he went wayward later, but he could never replicate that period ever again during his career. For Ponting it was from about 2003 till 2006. No matter how well he plays, he can't match that phase ever again. Similarly for Tendulkar it's 1998 till 2002. He might still score the same number of runs or even more, but the magic isn't there anymore like it was during that period.
nballa Posted October 21, 2010 Posted October 21, 2010 this world cup will define how i look at tendulkar for the rest of his life. i gave him 5 chances.
Cricketics Posted October 21, 2010 Posted October 21, 2010 i gave him 5 chances. lol abey tu hota kaun hai five chance dena waala lol...
siddhu Posted October 21, 2010 Posted October 21, 2010 this world cup will define how i look at tendulkar for the rest of his life. i gave him 5 chances. This sounds like Sri Krishna giving warning to Shishupal... "Main tere Sau Gunaah maaf karoonga"...:haha::haha::haha:
Mamu Posted October 21, 2010 Posted October 21, 2010 I don't think anybody will disagree that the vintage Sachin is missing. It is not about numbers that he is putting now, but he was far better before --- everybody says that.
maniac Posted October 21, 2010 Posted October 21, 2010 I don't think anybody will disagree that the vintage Sachin is missing. It is not about numbers that he is putting now, but he was far better before --- everybody says that. Can you please elaborate on the vintage Sachin statement because if you talk about match winning...He has singlehandedly turned matches for us recently eg;200*,CB series like he did in the past. Probably we get the feeling now because now a strike rate of 90+ doesn't have the same novelty it was back in the 90's
Andy Posted October 21, 2010 Posted October 21, 2010 I have actually compared his older inngs to the newer ones ... shot by shot basis ... there is simply no difference. Its just that he doesnt look like a kid anymore. :dito:
putrevus Posted October 21, 2010 Posted October 21, 2010 I have actually compared his older inngs to the newer ones ... shot by shot basis ... there is simply no difference. Its just that he doesnt look like a kid anymore. To be honest I like this version of Tendulkar more,he is lot calmer and has no weakness in his game and his mental toughness is just off the charts. When he was young he took more chances and looked to dominate more but now he is so serene. One thing all these experts never gave him enough credit on how great his defense and technique are , even in the series in england after which Ian Chappell wrote his infamous column, his willingness to stay on wicket even though he was not at his very best and fight thru it was never given credit. He has sacrificed his ego for the sake of the Team which Punter never did so far at least, he shelled some shots which got him out and totally adapted himself yet managed to score heavily. He knows in this team he is still the key wicket and has put a price on his wicket so high. Punter knew hook shot was his downfall but he still has played it over and over again only to get out.
Kumar Posted October 21, 2010 Posted October 21, 2010 this is an absolute digrace and not surprised with Ponting, typical of something he would say! Sachin past his prime? Look at his stats for the past year, 6 tests centuries, an odi century which involved the first 200 and the highest score in odi format, reaching top of the ICC rankings since early 00's and of course becoming the first person to reach 14000 test runs..... yea just a bit off his best I would say!!!!! Sore loser comes to mind, punter stop getting wingy get a grip and grow a set of balls!!!!!!
donkey Posted October 22, 2010 Posted October 22, 2010 Agree with Ponting, Tendulkar of the 90s is miles ahead of current Tendulkar. I can't remember the last time Tendulkar smacked a fast bowler over his head for six. He used to do that regularly in the 90s, even his furious square cuts were 1-2 bounce fours. Runs are still there but his dominance is gone.
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