Thaindian News

Melbourne, Apr 2 (ANI): Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting, who had been part of the last four World Cup finals, has admitted that everyone around the world can draw inspiration from the way Sachin Tendulkar plays his cricket.

He further said that India-Sri Lanka final is about the perfect match-up for a subcontinental World Cup and it should be a fascinating game featuring some of the better cricketers who have ever turned out for either country.

“I have never been a big one for studying other people’s careers or what they are doing, but I have to admit that it has been hard to ignore what Sachin has achieved.

“He was 15 runs away from his 100th 100 the other night. Few people know how hard it is to get one, let alone 99 of them and I can only stand back and admire him for what he has achieved and the way he has done it,” The Australian quoted Ponting, as saying.

Asking everyone around to draw inspiration from Sachin, Ponting said it is nice to know that there is a player out there who has gone through lean times but come through the other side.

“Sangakkara and Jayawardene are very good players but their records indicate that they aren’t on the same level as Sachin. Going into a World Cup final however the only thing that matters is who stands up on the day. You start on 0 every time and don’t take any of your previous runs into a game,” he said.

“I have said all the way through this tournament that India was the team we had to beat and I think it is the favourite tonight. I think it has a bit more class, a bit more zest on its side. If I was to criticise Sri Lanka in any way I would suggest that it relies on too few players to get them through,” Ponting said.

He said that too much falls on Sangakkara’s shoulders and then how Jaywardene plays through the middle of the innings, but India has a lot more depth on the batting side. (ANI)