“If Sachin Tendulkar had the privilege to bat with two balls and under the current rules, his runs and centuries would have doubled”: Sanath Jayasuriya
Former Sri Lanka player and renowned batsman of his era, Sanath Jayasuriya, has endorsed Waqar Younis’s call for changes aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of one-day internationals. Younis had appealed to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to implement modifications regarding the use of two balls in an ODI innings. Expressing his view on Twitter, Younis suggested, “ODI cricket is too friendly for batters Suggestion @ICC 2 new balls to start, take away 1 ball after 30 overs, continue with the other. At the end that ball will only be 35 overs old. We’ll see some reverse at the end. Save the art of #ReverseSwing.”
In response to Younis’s proposal, Jayasuriya not only agreed but also invoked the name of legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar. He remarked, “I agree with @waqyounis99; some changes have to be made. If @sachin_rt had the privilege to bat with two balls and under the current power play rules in our era, his runs and centuries would have doubled.”
Tendulkar, a cricket icon, achieved a remarkable 100 international centuries throughout his career, with 51 tons in red-ball cricket and 49 in the fifty-over format.
Drawing attention to the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023, Jayasuriya’s comments come amid Virat Kohli’s pursuit of Sachin Tendulkar’s records. Kohli, who recently equaled Tendulkar’s world record, needs just one more century in ODIs to surpass the cricket legend. Kohli achieved his 49th century against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata during the current ICC World Cup campaign.