'Won't be surprised if Indian team is happy playing at Oval': Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

India's iconic cricketer Sachin Tendulkar believes that the Indian team would be quite happy to play at the Oval, London in the World Test Championship 2023 final, riding back on their impressive performance at the stadium.

Team India has played 14 Test matches at the venue, in which they have won two, lost three and drew seven of them. Their spirits will be quite high because the last time they played at the venue, they scored 157 runs against England in 2021. India will be looking to replicate their performance this time as well.

"Whenever you have such memories they stay with you for quite some time and the Indian team would not have forgotten the last time they played there. They had a superb outing, won the game and like I said good memories stay with you for long. So I won't be surprised if the Indian team is happy that they are playing at the Oval," Sachin Tendulkar said in a video.

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The 'Master Blaster' also shed light on the inclusion of two spinners, the most extensive debate circulating over the internet as well as among the former cricketers. According to him, the inclusion of spinners will turn out to be fruitful in the long run.

"The oval pitch is such that as time goes by, it assists spinners. So spinners will come into play a little bit, it need not be always a turning track as sometimes the spinners rely a lot on the bounce, and sometimes off the pitch, the little bit of zip that they also get the overhead conditions. It all depends on the shiny side of the ball, if they are able to get that drift, they can make the ball talk in the air without the pitch coming into play. So, Oval will be a good venue for India," Tendulkar added.

While the Indian team will play on the back of an impressive performance, Australia on the other hand had lost by 137 runs against England in 2019. Australia's overall record is relatively unimpressive in 34 matches at the Oval, they have won 7, lost 17, and drawn 14 of them.

But Sachin believes that even though the record doesn't favour the Australian team, they are still a potential threat.

"Bruises take some time to heal but Australia is a terrific team. They have a beautifully balanced squad, there are guys who have been around for a long time, now donning young faces as well, so it is a nice blend of experience and youth. Australians have always been competitive whether they have a full squad or not, once they cross the rope and are on the field, they are very competitive," Tendulkar concluded.

India will square off against Australia at the Oval, London from June 7. The match will be played over five days and if the weather plays spoilsport, a reserve day is also in place.

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