Sachin Has NOT Underperformed - Kapil Dev

Former captain Kapil Dev on Tuesday trained his gun on Sachin Tendulkar after his failure in the first cricket Test against England, saying he has not delivered at crunch situations which will remain a blot in his career.

"Every time people hope big things from Sachin Tendulkar but often it is only disappointment that we are left with. He is thought to be the backbone of the Indian team but many times he has not stood up to the occasion," he said.

"Figures say that Sachin has not been able to perform under pressure.," Kapil Dev told a private news channel.

"There are many players who play well but they face difficulties against good bowling attack, like Sourav Ganguly faces. These kinds of questions will be raised in case of Sachin as well and it will continue to remain a blot in his career till he wins matches for India under difficult circumstances," he said.

When asked whether Tendulkar deserved a place in the side, Kapil said, "Whether it is Sachin or anyone, one who does not perform does not have any place in the team."

Tendulkar was out for 16 in the second innings while India were chasing a stiff total of 380 to win the Test match.

"Sachin has big records to his name but until he wins matches for India in these conditions, people will raise fingers at him," Kapil said.

On Mahendra Singh Dhoni's match-saving knock, Kapil said that the wicketkeeper-batsman was playing tentatively.

"He has the ability to win matches for India on his own. He was tentative on the last day of the Test match and was not able to play freely."

Kapil also said that the bowling attack needed to be consistent.

"You cannot win matches by bowling well in patches. For winning a Test series abroad one needs to perform consistently."