Sachin is a trump card everywhere: Jonty

Former South Africa cricketer Jonty Rhodes feels that the absence of the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and not too much cricket, is the reason behind the sparse attendance at the first two ODIs between India and England in Hyderabad and New Delhi, respectively.

"Indians like their team winning. They won two matches in a row. You will now see the crowd coming back. I think Indians will very quickly forget that they were whitewashed if they return the favour (to England) here," Rhodes, who scored 2,532 and 5,935 runs in 50 Tests and 245 ODIs respectively, said.

"Tendulkar is not playing the series may also be a reason for less attendance. When we (Mumbai Indians) played in Delhi and he came out, there was an uproar. We played in Chennai, they showed him on screen and the whole crowd started supporting the Mumbai outfit.

"Sachin is a trump card wherever and whichever team he is playing," he said.

Rhodes believed that the split captaincy formula, being practiced by England and South Africa, is not ideal for India. 

"You just cannot make anyone captain because someone else is not able to do the job. To be a captain you need to have leadership skills. If (India captain Mahendra Singh) Dhoni wants rest, India can surely appoint someone else," Rhodes said.

Courtesy : TimesofIndia