Ex-players offer varied solutions for Tendulkar's nervous 90s

NEW DELHI: Is it sheer bad luck or the 'nervous 90s' syndrome which is preventing a batsman as experienced as Sachin Tendulkar from scoring his 42nd ODI century?

The master batsman has been dismissed in the 90s as many as seven times this year but former Indian cricketers today insisted that it was only "a prolonged phase of bad luck" and it was just a matter of time before he broke the jinx.

For a batsman of his class and calibre, it may appear unthinkable that he should be dismissed in the 90's six times in a span of 19 one-dayers since January this year.
   
Clearly, Tendulkar has to find a solution to break the agonising sequence of 90 plus scores and the suggestions have been varied.
   
While former India Test player and coach Anshuman Gaekwad has advised Tendulkar to "concentrate a little more in the 90s", other former players like Kiran More and Abbas Ali Baig said he should not allow these dismissals to play on his mind.

"Definitely, the luck factor comes into play. But the way he got out in Gwalior, I feel there was a slight lapse in concentration. Having played so well, he should not have got out in this fashion," Gaekwad said.
   
"Getting out in the 90s so frequently could have something to do with the lapse in concentration. He has to be a little more careful in the 90s now and concentrate harder," he said.