Sachin lauds small town cricketers

Indian cricketers from small towns are making their presence felt in a big way in international cricket, says batting icon Sachin Tendulkar, who feels these players are a bit "more motivated" to make it big.

"I think the players from the smaller towns sacrifice a bit more for developing their cricketing skills. They are a bit more motivated to make it big," Tendulkar said.

"In places like Ranchi, Mahi (M S Dhoni) told me that cricket facilities are bare minimum. Look at Dhoni or Munaf (Patel), they have their own style of playing cricket. Dhoni played football with heart and that made him run faster and made him stronger," he told 'Outlook' magazine.

Tendulkar said the epicentre of Indian cricket has shifted from big cities such as Mumbai and Bangalore to small towns.

"Players are coming from smaller towns. Our captain is from Ranchi.