Sachin is a champion, He will be back to form soon : Sourav Ganguly

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has joined his teammates in backing under-fire batsman Sachin Tendulkar.

Ganguly, in a column for ‘The Week’ magazine, said that it was natural for someone like Sachin to slow down with age and it would be a blunder if people expect him to bat like a 25-year-old.

“Sports is a profession controlled by age. We have seen the likes of Don Bradman, Pele, Diego Maradona, Pete Sampras and Shane Warne fade away with time. It is natural for Sachin, too, to slow down,” Ganguly wrote.

‘Needs just one game’

He felt, that despite the slump, a player of Sachin’s calibre would need just one innings to get back in form.

“I watched him closely in the two Test matches he just finished — he looks like someone out of form. “But, one must remember that for quality players, getting into form needs just one good innings. “Someone like Sachin, who has played for such a long time, knows how to get runs. He just needs a start. He needs to fight his way to 20 or 30, and everything will fall in place. What Sachin requires is adjustment”

Earlier, Anil Kumble and Gautam Gambhir urged fans to support the star batsman in this time of crisis.

“It is important that cricket lovers give him that benefit of the doubt — nobody in world cricket deserves it more than Sachin Tendulkar. We want to see him exit with the bat in the air,” Ganguly said.

The Bengal man, who has shared the dressing room with the Little Master for 13 to 14 years, stressed that players like Tendulkar knew how to keep their heads in the game despite criticism.

“One good thing is that he looks focused, hungry and I have a feeling that the big one is round the corner… Sachin is a champion and he knows the buzz going around him is part and parcel of the game. He will keep his mind away from it,” said Ganguly.

© MIDDAY