Sachin Tendulkar has told Australia to target Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff if they want to retain the Ashes in England this year. The Indian batting great believes England will struggle to cope with Ricky Ponting's side if Pietersen and Flintoff fail to fire, despite the tourists' wobbly form in the build-up to the five-Test series. Australia, who whitewashed England 5-0 'Down Under' in 2006/07, were bundled out of the World Twenty20 tournament after falling to successive defeats by the West Indies and Sri Lanka. They now face two weeks without competitive cricket ahead of the first Test at Cardiff starting on July 8. England have problems of their own, not least the fitness of Pietersen, who is carrying a troublesome Achilles injury, and Flintoff, who has only just recovered from a knee operation. Tendulkar insists the series will be too close to call, but he has pinpointed the form of England's dynamic duo as central to the outcome. 'England rely heavily on a couple of players, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff,' he told reporters in London on Thursday at an event to publicise the launch of the official Tendulkar Opus website on June 18. 'The others have to step up as well but they are the key ones. 'Australia have aggressive players and a well balanced bowling attack but it will be a great series to watch. 'I cannot say who will win, it's a tough question. The last (Ashes) series in England (in 2005 which England won 2-1) was one of the best I have ever witnessed - it was a treat for every cricket follower. I see no difference this time and it will be very exciting.' Tendulkar, not taking part in the ongoing World Twenty20 in England having opted out of international cricket in this format, warned the South Africa born Pietersen not to attempt to win the Ashes on his own, despite his status as England's batting talisman. 'He can't be thinking of carrying the hopes of a nation when he's walking out to bat,' he added. 'All the England batsmen have to go out there and express themselves and be fearless in their approach. 'That's what I did when I started in Test cricket. I was thinking about feeling at home - I had to follow the bowler as best as I could and react so I just focused on that and didn't think of anything else.' The 36-year-old Tendulkar has rewritten the record books with his prodigious feats of batting. In 2008 he passed Brian Lara as the leading Test run-scorer and the first to 12,000 runs. He also currently holds the record for most hundreds in both Tests and one-day internationals. However, he insisted: 'I have always thought about my own expectations and not worried about the other stuff.' 