10 March,2009 03:28 PM IST | | Agencies
India coach Gary Kirsten today said Sachin Tendulkar being ruled out due to injury is "no issue" for his on-a-roll team as it has the depth to cope with the batting maestro's absence in the fourth one-dayer against New Zealand tomorrow.
Kirsten said he was not worried as the Indian team, which has an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, had good batting resources at its disposal. "Well it is always a setback.
He has been around for 20 years, so every time he does not play it is a setback. But this team has got enough depth in it, especially from a batting perspective," Kirsten told reporters.
"There are guys itching to get on the field, so there are certainly no issues about it. Also we fully back and believe in the guys that are replacing him," he said.
The former South African batsman said his boys will strive to continue with the momentum gained after two wins. "We have not won the series yet. So, tomorrow is a big game for us. We are focussing on our game.
"We are very happy with our batting, though there is work to be done. But we are encouraged by our momentum at the moment," Kirsten said.
"We are fully aware that we are playing against a very competitive cricket side. They are resilient and don't give up. But we continue to work hard on what we need to do and put in the preparation that gives us our best chance of winning games of cricket," Kirsten said.
The former opening batsman also said the outlook of the Indian team was such that it was likely to pull off more wins. "We are also aware of the skill that exists within the New Zealand team.
"But if we execute our skills in an effective and efficient way, we are going to win more games than we are going to lose. We take every game of cricket in a manner that gives us our best chance of winning," he said.
However, he was reluctant to disclose the team strategy, saying, "Obviously we make our plans according to their team and what their strengths and weaknesses are, but we certainly don't make that public."
