Former Australian pacer, Brett Lee has said that there were times when the legendary batsman, Sachin Tendulkar left Shane Warne frustrated after successfully reading the Australian’s every move to get him out. Lee, an Australian legend himself, praised Tendulkar for his ability to read bowlers out of their hands and employing different techniques to play different deliveries.
During a chat on Star Sports show, Lee said, “The way Sachin used to read bowlers out of their hand, the different technique he used to play different balls was pure class.”
The legendary pacer also recalled that Warne, Test cricket’s second-most prolific wicket-taker, hated the manner in which Tendulkar would bat against him even as he bamboozled other batsmen.
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Brett explained, “Every time he would try the subtle variations, there was only Sachin who would pick them up. Warne would bamboozle batsmen around the world, but Sachin would watch the hand much better than most of the other batsmen. Warne hated it, he would come back.”
Talking about the technique Tendulkar employed against Warne, Lee explained that the batting legend preferred to come down the track which invited Warne to bowl a fraction too short.
Lee added, “Sometimes, he would wait patiently on the back foot and play those beautiful shots. It was almost like he was playing cat and mouse with Warne and not many batsmen can play cat and mouse with Shane Warne because he’s so talented. But on days, Sachin Tendulkar was toying with Warne and that does not happen often.”
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Recalling his first brush with Sachin on the cricket field, Lee said after dismissing Tendulkar, he was so happy that the match didn’t matter to him.
Brett said, “I was 22 years when I got my first opportunity to play against the Little Master. I nicked him off and I thought I’m done. I didn’t care about a Test match since I was so happy to get Sachin Tendulkar out.”
