Sachin Tendulkar's 14-a-side idea to be implemented for inter-school finals

In 2013, when Sachin retired from international cricket, he had suggested an exciting new format of 15-player-a-side. He advised that the inter-schools and inter-college tournaments should implement this format, where 11 players will take the field, but the four players on the bench will get a chance to bat or bowl upon the captain’s discretion. Sachin believes that the format provides a lot more chances to the budding cricketers.

Speaking about the implementation, Mumbai Schools Sports Association secretary Nadeem Memon, who happened to be a huge Sachin fan, said, "Sachin's idea was appreciated by all the schools, coaches, players and their parents, because everybody is now getting a chance to play, especially the bowlers. They wanted to continue it further and because of that 84 more players could play in the Harris Shield. The idea gives coaches a lot of options, because it means that 11 good batsmen and bowlers can play out of 14 players in a side. You can nominate 14 players while going out for the toss, and pick the 11 best batsmen and bowlers from that 14," he added.