In an unsettling trend for Indian cricket, the team has now suffered two home Test series whitewashes within 12 months—a scenario almost unthinkable a decade ago. What once stood as India’s most reliable strength, their mastery against spin, has suddenly become an exposed vulnerability. The current batting group has struggled to cope with quality spin on challenging surfaces, a stark contrast to previous generations who prided themselves on technique, adaptability, and an almost obsessive commitment to improvement.
Former India batter Navjot Singh Sidhu recently shed light on what separates those earlier greats from today’s inconsistent performers. Recalling a moment from his playing days, Sidhu narrated a revealing story involving none other than Sachin Tendulkar, illustrating the extraordinary level of dedication the batting legend brought to the game.
The incident took place during a Test match against Sri Lanka. Tendulkar, known for his limitless repertoire, found himself tied down by Sanath Jayasuriya, whose negative line of left-arm spin—bowled persistently outside leg stump—frustrated him. Forced into attempting a pull shot he wasn’t fully set for, Tendulkar perished, leaving both him and his teammates stunned.
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Navjot Sidhu remembers the scene vividly. Tendulkar sat alone in the dressing room long after play had ended. “Everyone had left, but he remained there,” Sidhu told Sportstar. Team manager Ajit Wadekar eventually urged Sidhu to bring him to the bus, but when Sidhu approached, Tendulkar responded with a firm, “Aisa nahi chalega — this cannot go on.”
Sidhu tried to reassure him, reminding him it was just one dismissal. But for Tendulkar, it wasn’t the number — it was the manner. His pride had been hurt, and that alone demanded action.
What followed was peak Sachin Tendulkar. According to Navjot Sidhu, the next morning, Sachin called ten left-arm spinners from Chandigarh and reached the ground at 7 AM. “He was just sweeping, sweeping, sweeping,” Sidhu recalled. “I had never seen him sweep before.”
The obsession didn’t stop there. During dinner later that night, Tendulkar could be seen practicing the sweep motion with a fork, lost in the technical adjustments of the shot. Sidhu summed it up perfectly: “That’s living one idea — breathing it, sleeping with it. That was his commitment.”
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For Sidhu, this story serves as a lesson the current Indian Test team must urgently revisit. “India losing at home should hurt. But it’s not enough to want to return to where you were — you must find the means to get there. Take care of the means, and the goal will take care of itself.”
In a time of introspection for Indian cricket, Tendulkar’s example remains the gold standard of what true commitment to the craft looks like.
