Sachin has it in him to bring the Cup for India: Abbas

NEW DELHI: Sachin Tendulkar is by far the greatest batsman of all time and has it in him to single-handedly win a tournament as big as the World Cup, according to former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas.

The elegant batsman of the yesteryears said that the Indian team is lucky to have someone like Tendulkar in its ranks.

"Though in cricket it's said that no single player can win an event as big as the World Cup for his team, I feel that  Sachin has it in him to bring the cup for his country," Abbas said.

Abbas had no hesitation in saying that Tendulkar is irreplaceable, and not even the dangerous Virender Sehwag can come anywhere close to the champion batsman from Mumbai.

Former India player, Kirti Azad, too, nodded in agreement with Abbas and said that no one is better than Tendulkar.

Talking about India's strength during a special World Cup programme, Abbas said the current team has an array of strokeplayers who can single-handedly change the course of the game.

Azad, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning side, however, felt that if Sehwag can get off to a good start, no one can stop India from winning.

Former India spinner, Maninder Singh felt that skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni should bat at number six as he has matured into an excellent finisher in recent times.

Maninder also said that the young Virat Kohli, at times, reminds him of Sehwag.