Sachin Tendulkar believes that advancement of technology has made the task of a batsman quite difficult.
Technology has "changed the complexion of the game", which means players now need to do their homework differently, he says.
"Surely new things are coming up. There are different ways of doing your homework. Now with the help of technology, from software development to camera improvement, there have been changes and changes have been good," Tendulkar told R Eswar in an exclusive interview.
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"Overall, the whole complexion of the game has changed. Nothing stays the same in life. There are going to be further developments in technological aspects of cricket. You only try and make yourself better and try to explore different things."
Having tormented bowlers the world over, Tendulkar said he only relies on his instincts and does not believe in pre-planning his innings.
"When you go out to bat, all the bowlers are trying hard to get you out. When they try very hard to do that, I basically go with the same frame of mind like what I have done for so many years now, obviously with little changes here and there.
"The idea is to score runs without giving away your wicket and minimize the risk factor. Before playing a particular shot I plan and decide whether to play the shot or not. All these factors are important and that happens once you are in the middle. You cannot preplan ideas," Tendulkar said.
"I go by my instincts - whether it is to play a shot or leave the ball. Going by one's instinct is the best form of batting."
Asked to name the five best bowlers and batsmen he played with or against, he said it was difficult to shortlist them but added that there are a few players in every team whom he admires very much.
"Before I name anyone, I must say Sir Vivian Richards with whom I have not played against is my hero," he said, as he proceeded to name his favourite cricketers.
"It is very tough to name the best past or present bowlers. I can name a few I have played with. I started in Pakistan in (1989) where I played against Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Abdul Qadir. In New Zealand Richard Hadlee, Danny Morrison -- these two were top bowlers.
"When we played England, Angus Fraser was really bowling well Davon Malcolm, Chris Lewis and Ian Botham. In the West Indies, Ian Bishop, Courtney Walsh, Malcolm Marshall, Curtley Ambrose and the Benjamin brothers.
"In Australia, obviously, Craig McDermott, Bruce Reid, Merv Hughes, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee. From South Africa Alan Donald, Shane Pollock -- all these guys were good in their own way -- but it is very tough to name just five bowlers -- not to forget Muralitharan, who has taken more than 500 wickets."
Amongst the batsmen, Tendulkar singled out Pakistan's Javed Miandad, New Zealand's Martin Crowe; West Indies' Brian Lara, Desmond Haynes, Gordon Greenidge, Richie Richardson; Australia's Allan Border, David Boon, Steve Waugh and Mark Waugh.
"Among the Indians, we have Sunil Gavaskar. From the present lot I like to watch Sourav [Ganguly], [Rahul] Dravid, [VVS] Laxman, Yuvi [Yuvraj Singh], [Virender] Sehwag and [Mohammad] Kaif... they are brilliant players. It is not easy to find such talented players and at the same time playing for the same team."
Asked whether bowling standards have changed since his debut, the batting maestro said, "Nobody becomes a great bowler overnight.
"Wasim Akram took 15 years to get his bearings. Similarly, Waqar played 13-14 years; Imran also played 17-18 years. So no one becomes great overnight. There is a time frame for everything. There is always a start in one's career and if one keeps performing consistently, he becomes a great bowler. It is a process and no one can speed it up. It takes 'x' number of years and after those years the world starts recognising you as a good bowler. You've got to go step by step."
Asked to name some young Indian players who have the potential to make it big, he replied: "It has been a wonderful experience to see the progress of the younger lot in India. You definitely feel proud of the younger lot when they are coming up well," adding Munaf Patel and Sairaj Bahutule are good bowlers.
"Then there are a couple of guys like [S] Sreesanth (Kerala seamer) and Siddharth Trivedi (Gujarat seamer) who are also good, promising bowlers. I can speak more about the bowlers because they come and bowl to us often at camps.
"I have also heard about Tamil Nadu's Dinesh Karthik for his wicketkeeping and batting. Talent comes out because of such healthy competition."
Part I: 'Your role changes as a senior'
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