Sachin Tendulkar urges young cricketers to stop imitating flashy T20 shots

Indian batting legend advised upcoming cricketers not to play flashy T20-type shots and to instead stick to the basics of the game. Tendulkar made the comments while he was interacting with Mumbai’s Under-16 team, which also included his son Arjun, at Mumbai Cricket Association’s (MCA’s) Bandra Kurla Complex Ground on Wednesday.

Tendulkar played only one T20 international, coming against South Africa in Johannesburg in December 2006, where he scored 10 runs and took a wicket. The Master Blaster though was a vital member of the Mumbai Indians franchise in the IPL, playing in the first five editions, and is currently the mentor of his home city franchise.

Having retired from competitive cricket in 2013 after playing in his 200th Test, Tendulkar recently took to the field in a 3-match exhibition T20 series held at three venues in the USA between his team, Sachin’s Blasters, and Warne’s Warriors, led by Shane Warne. The matches featured prominent retired cricketers and was aimed at spreading the game in a region where cricket is yet to be established as a major sport.

Introduced officially in 2003 in England, the Twenty20 format has gone on to establish itself as a vital format of the game, especially when it comes to introducing and spreading the sport to a new and wider audience.

However, Tendulkar advised the young Mumbai cricketers to focus on the basics of the game and not to give undue importance at attempting new-age strokes like the reverse sweep and switch hit.

"Sachin asked the boys to stay away from practicing some of the flashy T20 shots. He said the boys should concentrate on improving their basics at the moment as they are just beginning to learn the game," Mid-Day reported, quoting a source present at the venue.

Batting might have been Tendulkar’s forte, but he was more than useful with the ball as well, most famously helping India win the Hero Cup semifinal against South Africa in 1993. The now 42-year-old used to vary between gentle medium pace and leg spin during his playing days and ended up with 200 wickets at the international level – more than enough to impart some tips to the youngsters of the game.

"He showed them how to grip the ball differently for out-swingers and in-swingers. He also bowled in the nets to explain some of the finer nuances of bowling to the youngsters," the source further added.