Sachin Tendulkar Feels India Can Win Test Series In Australia

After suffering a 1-2 defeat against South Africa earlier this year, India lost their next away Test series 1-4 against England in July-August. With their next foreign assignment scheduled to start down this month against Australia, the Virat Kohli-led team is expected to deliver. On that note, batting legend Sachin Tendulkar also feels that India can win the Test series in Australia. With the likes of experienced Steve Smith and David Warner not in the current Australian set-up, Sachin said that India have a real chance to beat the Australian team Down Under.

"We stand a very good chance, so if you see the Australia teams in the past and compare them to this one, yes we have a very good chance. Possibly our best chance to go out there and beat them. I mean playing cricket at the highest level, I don't think it is at the highest level at this stage. I think they have had better sides in the past. They have had better players with more experience, this is considerably an inexperienced side. They are kind of getting back together and forming a solid unit. But Australians are known for being competitive and I won't be surprised if they put up a competitive fight. And to go out there and challenge them is also not going to be easy," Sachin said. 

The batting legend also asserted that Kohli's style of captaincy and current superb form with the bat will be an added strength for the Indians.

"I think it is his hunger....his temperament. The ability to assess the situation. Because there is no set formula to that. Every day you are going to have some different challenges and you have got to have that adaptability and flexibility in your mind to go out and assess and he does that rather well. And one good thing is he is hungry forever, that's how a batsman should be," he said.

Although former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has retired from Test cricket and is rumoured to be on his way out of the Indian T20 team, it is speculated whether the former captain will announce his international retirement before the 50-over World Cup next year.

Sachin, however, said that Dhoni still has the ability to excel at the international level and it is his prerogative to take the final call.

"I have never made judgements. Even earlier and I don't want to pass a judgement where the selectors will start thinking otherwise, I don't want to influence that. See Dhoni has always been a massive contributor in all forms of cricket. And he has taken the responsibility for a number of years. So whatever he decides, I always feel that a player having played for such a long time knows what he needs to work on and what he needs to do," the former star batsman said.

"So, I myself went out there, I knew exactly what I needed to work on. And you sit in the dressing room and you discuss with your colleagues. You discuss various things with your coach and you are pretty much clear what you wanted to do. And I would like to believe that MS, having played for so many years, knows exactly what is going on and knows exactly what needs to be done."

(With IANS Inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

Mumbai Indians India Cricket Team Australia Cricket Team Sachin Tendulkar Virat Kohli Steven Smith David Warner Cricket