India openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir need to shake off the "fatigue factor" if they are to mount a strong defence of their World Twenty20 title, says leading batsman Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar's concern for the pair grew after their subdued showing in the Delhi Daredevils' elimination in the semi-finals of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in South Africa on Friday.
Tendulkar, India's leading one-day and test batsman, opted out of the 2007 edition with other seniors and said he never planned to try for a World Twenty20 spot as a young team under Mahendra Singh Dhoni were doing very well.
The event starts on June 5. "I think individually the boys are doing well. Look at Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, MS (Mahendra Singh Dhoni)," he said in an interview on sports website www.espnstar.com. "Only our opening combination of Gambhir and Sehwag hasn't fired," he said. "I think the key would be how soon they can shed off the fatigue factor. "They have been playing back-to-back for a long time now and it would difficult to keep up the tempo."
The IPL was moved out of India after authorities said they would not be able to provide security due to clash of dates with the general elections.
Gambhir played the key role with the bat when India triumphed in the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007 and went on to cement his test spot.
However, the batsman, who scored 534 runs in the first IPL edition in 2008, aggregated only 286, averaging 22.00 with one fifty this time. His Delhi skipper Sehwag scored just 198 runs averaging less than 20, and even dropped himself down the batting order to try and regain his touch.
Tendulkar believes the IPL, which ends with the final later on Sunday, would be ideal preparation for the World Twenty20. "You are playing the same format... against the best bowlers and also not in home conditions," he said.
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