‘Sachin should perform in finals to answer doubters’

Kapil Dev said Sachin Tendulkar should perform in the best-of-three tri-series finals against Australia to answer doubters pointing to his recent sequence of low scores.

Former India captain Kapil Dev said Sachin Tendulkar should perform in the best-of-three tri-series finals against Australia to answer doubters pointing to his recent sequence of low scores.

“The top players are expected to be at their best in important matches and what can be more important than the finals,” Kapil said after the pro-celebrity event of the 2008 Johnnie Walker Classic.

Tendulkar scored 63 in Tuesday’s tri-series match against Sri Lanka at Hobart after a string of low scores.

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“There are a lot of expectations from Sachin and there is nothing wrong in that. If a star player like him fails in seven matches, people will ask questions,” the 1983 World Cup-winning captain said.

Former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja, however, said it was unfortunate that people forget the contribution of a great player like Tendulkar.

“He failed in only three matches and we should show restraint in making comments about him,” Jadeja said.

Kapil stressed India had the capability to beat Australia in the tri-series finals but needed to be more consistent.