Indians only remember Sachin
Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar on Thursday declared Sachin Tendulkar, an Indian legend, one of the "greatest batsmen ever." Akhtar, who had some unforgettable duels on the field with Tendulkar, in an Instagram video remembered his rivalry with the batting maestro. In the late 1990s and early 2000s the teams faced off against each other several times.
Updated: Apr 17, 2020 12:52 IST
|Niranjani Jesentha Kumari Prabagararaj
|Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar had a nice time bowling and he is one of the greatest of all-time batsmen. But I also let him down 12-13 times, "Akhtar said in the video. Known for his hyperbole habit, Akhtar may have underestimated his numbers. In reality, Akhtar dismissed Tendulkar 8 times in international cricket-5 times in ODIs and three times in Tests. In T20 cricket, while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008, he dismissed Tendulkar once in an IPL match. No one can deny the fact that fans were still excited to see the contest in-store any time the two challenged one another.
Tendulkar's unforgettable knock against Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup, a match in which he scored 98 runs while facing cramps, is considered one of his finest at ODI cricket. The Indian opener took Akhtar apart in that match, giving India a start on the race while chasing a stiff goal.
During his match-winning knock, Tendulkar played several attractive strokes in his, but among those, his square-cut off Akhtar that flew across the boundary of the third man for a six has become part of folklore. Recalling the incident, Akhtar said in his own gracious way, "While Indians remember just that one six that he hit me at Centurion [in the 2003 ICC World Cup as it makes them very happy," he said.