Twenty20 cricket has made the sport more exciting: Sachin Tendulkar

Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar said the changes brought into cricket, including the Twenty20 format, has made the sport more exciting and helped generate excitement in Test matches.

"Cricket is the only sport to have three formats and its only getting more exciting not only for players but also for spectators. There is creativity and more results are coming by (in longer version of the game). The batsmen are willing to take chances ...," he said on Saturday.

"T20 matches have brought innovation to the game. When it comes to Test cricket you need to adjust and no two players are similar, technique wise. Players have to stick to their basics, that is important," Sachin added. "T20 is only format where you can become a hero in three or four deliveries."

"You have to learn to play a few shots in Tests these days. You just can't block and block, which was the norm earlier," he said.

"Good players learn to adapt and players like Chris Gayle, Michael Hussey or  AB de Villiers dominate in all formats. So, we need to have our basics right," he said.

Tendulkar also added that the implementation of technology has benefited the sport. "I wondered how this technology would help us learn cricket, but over the period of time figured out its importance. It helped us plan our innings."

Tendulkar also said that the first thing he would do as a selector is to analyse whether the player has the potential to withstand pressure, despite failures at the international level.

"Selection is not about looking at the scorebook. A selector can pick players who have scored heavily. But that does not always work out. For the past many years that I have been part of the Indian cricket, I have seen players who were exceptionally good at domestic level, but somehow could not replicate it on the international stage," he said.

© PTI