Good to see seniors make way for youngsters: Smith

There may have been some talk at home about India’s attitude towards the Twenty20 World Cup, especially with the top three — Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly opting out. But South African skipper Graeme Smith reacted positively.

There may have been some talk at home about India’s attitude towards the Twenty20 World Cup, especially with the top three — Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly opting out. But South African skipper Graeme Smith reacted positively.

“It’s a great gesture from all three of them. It’s really good to see India’s senior players making way for the youngsters. Sachin, Sourav and Dravid have been doing great for India. But India will always remain a threat even without the three of them,” Smith said.

“You can’t take India for granted anytime. I am sure there will be a lot of talented playing in the Twenty20 World Cup like Yuvraj and Sehwag — they will now get more scope. So you can’t just relax playing against India just because the three big players are not playing,” the elegant left-hander warned.

He was speaking at the launch ceremony of the Twenty20 World Cup, to be held from September 11 to 24. The function was embellished with plenty of dance numbers, bike stunts, bungee jump shows, blazing music, and the entire Safs team for company.

It was hosted at the giant white indoor auditorium, The Dome here in Johannesburg.

Smith and his teammates had a ball of a time at the Dome during the hour-long ceremony. “Honestly, I have lost a little bit of my patience by playing a lot of Twenty20 cricket. But we are getting used to it. And as for the Twenty20 World Cup, we have to host it well, we owe a lot to the eager supporters,” an emotionally-charged Smith said.

The show itself showcased the music collection that will be a key feature of the Twenty20 World Cup in the form of on-field DJ numbers.

Story continues below this ad

Twelve nations will vie for the honours in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup to be played across the three venues — Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg.