Sachin Tendulkar
Sledging, something that has become very common in cricket nowadays is largely used by the Australians in order to play in the minds even before the ball is bowled. This time it was Australia at the receiving end. As it was a part of Team strategy, Sachin says he, too, has sledged. The master batsman has needled former Australian pace legend Glenn McGrath by telling him that he would go after his bowling just when he was trying to get his eye in and the ploy worked wonders.
“I have never sledged per se merely for the sake of sledging. I did that only once as a part of team strategy. This was at the Kenya Champions Trophy. We were playing Australia.” Tendulkar recollects in a book ‘SACH’ penned by Gautam Bhattacharya.
Tendulkar describes how he irked McGrath with a cheeky line. “The match was played under overcast conditions. The wicket was also very damp. I had told Sourav before that I would do something to upset McGrath’s rhythm. So, in the very first over, I stepped out to him. The first thing I said to him was: ‘Today I will hit you out of the ground.’ He got really angry and started spraying the ball around. This was exactly what we wanted. As on that surface, he may have been very dangerous.
“We did win that match ultimately and I felt very happy. My sledging did work for the team. My own experience of sledging came very early on my first tour to Australia. I remember having blocked a delivery and the ball landed near my foot. I tried picking it up when Allan Border shouted from gully. ‘Don’t touch the ball.’ So I stopped immediately. Apart from that incident we have rarely seen Sachin being sledged on the cricket field and even if that had happened Sachin has always been there with a fitting reply.
Tags: Australia, Cricket, Glenn McGrath, India, Indian Sports, Sachin Tendulkar, Sledging, Sports, Sports India
