"Depends on how well batter is batting" - Sachin Tendulkar talks about facing the old ball

India are set to face a tough test against South Africa's pacers in their three-Test tour and Sachin Tendulkar had some inputs on facing the new ball and old ball ahead of the series.

The new ball always offers more swing and batters traditionally look to play it out cautiously and then cash in when it gets older.

Speaking to Boria Majumdar on 'Backstage with Boria', Tendulkar said that it doesn't necessarily get easy to play the old ball and that it depends on how well the batter is playing.

Speaking about how the approach of a batter changes as the ball gets older, the legendary batter said:

"The approach will change depending on how well the batter is batting. After 25 overs, I’m not saying life will be easy, it will still be tough. But relatively, it will be easier."

You can watch the full interview here:

Sachin Tendulkar offers advice to India batters ahead of South Africa tour

Sachin Tendulkar said the key to batting well in South Africa was having a good front-foot defense and playing close to your body.

He highlighted how Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul displayed that kind of technique in their recent tour of England, which resulted in good returns for the duo.

"I've always said, front foot defense is important. Up front, front foot defense is important. And that front foot defense is going to count here. The first 25 overs, front foot defense is going to be critical," Tendulkar said.

The 48-year-old went on to add:

"And that is what we got to see in England, when Rahul got those runs and so did Rohit. Their front foot defense was solid."

Rohit Sharma, of course, has been ruled out of the Test series in South Africa with injury, but Rahul is set to open the innings come Boxing Day, when the first match gets underway in Centurion.