Recalling his earlier battles with Sachin Tendulkar, Former Pakistani off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq reveals an incident during the Sahara Cup in Canada after which off-spinner decided to never sledge Sachin Tendulkar.
Speaking on the same, Saqlain Mushtaq said, “I was new when I sledged him for the first time. If I recall correctly, it was the 1997 edition. Sachin quietly came up to me and said ‘I never misbehaved with you, why are you misbehaving with me’? I got so embarrassed that I did not know what to say to him.”
“He said to me ‘I rate you high as a person and player’. I was so embarrassed that I never sledged him again. I can’t tell you what I said to him but I apologized to him after the game.
“Thereafter, even when he was smashing me all over, I never thought of sledding him,” recalled the 43-year-old spinner. He also describes Sachin Tendulkar as one of the most humble human beings he has ever met.
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The most memorable battle of the duo happened during the Chennai Test of 1999. Pakistan narrowed out with a 12-run win despite a fighting 136 from Tendulkar. Saqlain Mushtaq’s match haul of 10 wickets proved to e the X factor for Pakistan. The off-spinner was also successful in dismissing Sachin in both the innings of that match.
“In that 1999 Test, no words were exchanged. We both were determined and focused to win the game for our countries. We put our heart and soul in it (on day four). I consider myself lucky that my name was attached to Sachin’s cricketing career with that match. The only difference that day was that god was on my side.” he said.
Asked to rate his rivalry with the batting legend, the Saqlain said: “I would say it was 50-50. I dismissed him multiple times but he also took me to the cleaners. Even on that day four in Chennai, he scored a hundred in a difficult situation. It was like a dangal going on between us.”
The off-spinner also feels Tendulkar was probably the best when it came to reading the ‘Doosra’. “The eye is god gifted. Every batsman sees things differently, some pick faster than others. Sachin’s eye was razor-sharp. Many times, even before I took my stride, he knew what I was going to ball, whether it was a Doosra, topspin, or conventional off-spin, his foot positioning was just flawless. Rahul (Dravid) too was very good, Azhar paaji also.”
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On Tendulkar’s birthday, The offie recalls the happy times he spent off-field with Sachin Tendulkar. “He was not among the ones who would pull someone’s leg. Just by spending time with him, you could learn so much.”
