Watchout for SRT, RSD = good captain, SCG = Weakest link, says Warne

[Holysmoke]

Shane Warne has cautioned England against taking Sachin Tendulkar lightly. Describing the iconic Indian batting mainstay as “truly greatâ€, Warne said: “That word great is horribly overused, but not where Tendulkar is concerned. He has been a champion all through his career and he is still up there today. If people are serious about writing him off, then all I can say is this: Watch out England.â€

In his column for The Times on Thursday, Test cricket’s highest wicket-taker felt the Indian maestro has lost some of his rhythm since his elbow injury, but he is a champion and will fight back.

“That is the thing about champions. They fight back. My guess is that he has lost some of his rhythm since his elbow injury and is still feeling his way, but from what I gather about his innings against England Lions a couple of weeks ago, he is capable of making a big score in the second Test at Trent Bridge, which starts Friday. Warne rated the Indian icon above Brian Lara in terms of technique but altered his preference when it came to flair.

“They are the two best batsmen of my time. They are hard to separate. If I was chasing 400 in a day I would probably take Brian because of his flair and placement. Otherwise, Sachin’s technique under relentless pressure to perform would give him the edge. It was a shame that Sachin could not grace Lord’s with a big innings last week because he is unlikely to make another Test appearance at the ground.

“He will know better than anybody when it is time to retire. He is a proud cricketer who will not want to end with people on his case. The fact that he is here in England tells me that he thinks he can bat to the standard that has brought him more than 25,000 runs — more than anybody else — in international cricket.

On temperament, the Australian icon gave full marks to Sachin with whom he had been engaged in many intriguing battles.

“An innings in Sydney three years ago gives an insight into his temperament. He was concerned that he kept getting out on the cover drive, so he decided to cut out the shot. In his next innings he batted for more than 10 hours, scored 241 not out and his wagon wheel confirmed that he had not played a single cover drive — a bread-and-butter shot for most batsmen. I watched from the commentary box amazed at his dedication and concentration.

Waxing eloquent on Sachin and Rahul Dravid, Warne described Sourav Ganguly as India’s ‘weakest link’. “Tendulkar and Dravid are the backbone of the Indian side. Dravid is one of the best No.3s in the world and a good captain. But Ganguly needs a bit of luck to score runs and struggles with the short-pitched ball. His scoring area is basically backward point. He is the weakest link in the middle order. V.V.S. Laxman has a huge amount of talent and has played some brilliant innings, but he is inconsistent. On his day he is as good as there is.â€

Warne also said a few words on the possibility of his playing in India. “Playing cricket in India is always an experience. That is one reason why I am keen to take part in the new ‘Twenty20 League’ in October and November. â€

[apocalypse]

sahi main SCG is the weakest link

[Guest dada_rocks]

weakesdt link has been outperfomring the socalled strong ones since his copmebvack..well warne he is dope-head on viagra ....

[coffee_rules]

One can outperform others by being lucky too. Saw some innings in SA, he was really lucky to score those 50s. But 37 & 40 is not big thingy if other fail to score double figures. Earlier when Ganguly yo used to fail, Dravid used to score 100s and even 200s. There is no comparison between the two.

[Guest dada_rocks]

yeah he gets lucky all the time, I hear you.. but don;t care as long as he gets runs

[apocalypse]

weakesdt link has been outperfomring the socalled strong ones since his copmebvack..well warne he is dope-head on viagra ....

in one day if u score 40 runs consuming 100 balls then its better you stay out. if you give up chasing a four just because you think its needless to waste energy for it then also its better to stay out in test after spending a day on the crease you are unable to see the ball clearly it is also better you stay out