Sachin Tendulkar: The balance between ball and bat must be maintained

After watching the high-scoring matches between England and Australia in the recently concluded series, the batting maestro has lashed out at ICC for introducing the new rule of using two new balls in ODIs, as he termed the idea as "a perfect recipe for disaster." In conversation with Mumbai Mirror, Tendulkar elaborated on the point explaining why he could not speak against the decision while he was still playing international cricket.

"The point I am trying to make is the rule was introduced to help the bowlers upfront and also prevent discolouring of the ball. I felt the surfaces we’re playing on are not helping the bowlers to swing. Neither have I seen swing up front nor have I seen reverse swing later. It’s kind of, we’re caught in-between. The ball doesn’t get old enough to reverse. The bowlers’ hands are tied in the death overs. 

"Earlier, the bowlers heavily relied on reverse swing; they had something to look forward to once the ball started getting scuffed up. Right now, with two new balls, that is not happening. Reverse swing has always been an integral part of cricket, both in Tests and ODIs. Since the introduction of two new balls, one has not seen the ball reverse. That element has been taken away from the game. It’s not healthy," Tendulkar told Mirror reporters.

Tendulkar further revealed how he felt that it was important that a balance be maintained between bat and ball in order to preserve the spirit of the game in the long run, especially in the shorter format of the game.

"I believe in T20, the wickets mostly are in batsmen’s favour. In the ODIs also, even a 320-run target is not safe. One obviously starts to think if there is balance at all. I feel the balance between ball and bat must be maintained for the game’s benefit," Tendulkar added.