Sachin Tendulkar seconds England's strategy to trust youngsters Sam Curran and Ollie Pope

Despite winning the first Test match against India, the English team made a couple of changes in the squad ahead of the Lord’s Test. Dawid Malan for his poor show in Birmingham was dropped and they brought in County performer Ollie Pope who is certain to make his debut in the 2nd Test match. Backing youngsters paid off big time for the hosts as Sam Curran made a match-winning impact in the series opener. Former Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar also approves of this strategy.

He said that if someone is really good at the domestic level they should be backed to do well at the highest level as well. Sachin himself made his debut as a teenager and only matured with experience. He said that as a youngster will only learn and improve as they experience things on the field.

Curran only playing his second Test match picked up five wickets in the match and scored 87 runs in both the innings batting lower down in the order. It was his 63 that made a winning difference for the Brits in the 2nd innings. Curran pulled the team out of a slump and took them to 180 from 87/7.

Age shouldn’t be the criteria

“If somebody is good, he should play for the country and age shouldn’t be the criteria,” Tendulkar was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo.

“When I played my first game, I was only 16. In a way, it only helped. I didn’t know what it was like to face Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Imran Khan and Abdul Qadir. Possibly, the best bowling attack at the stage,” Tendulkar said.

“You only see one side of the coin as you are young and fearless but with experience and maturity, you start seeing the other side as well to balance things out. That is the age when you don’t see anything and just want to do well. There are going to be tough moments but that’s what you play for,” he added.

Pope who plays for Surrey in the County Championship scored 684 runs with three centuries and a half-century while maintaining an unbelievable average of 85.50.

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