Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai
Mumbai, Aug 26: Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar gave fans plenty to cheer about during a light-hearted yet insightful ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on Reddit, where he shared untold stories from his career and offered candid takes on rivalries with Australian greats like Glenn McGrath and the late Shane Warne.
When asked if he had ever deliberately played a false shot to disrupt a bowler’s rhythm, the “Master Blaster” admitted, “Yes, on many occasions I have played risky shots to break the bowler's rhythm. The one that comes to my mind is against McGrath in Nairobi in 2000.”
The reference was to the ICC KnockOut Trophy quarter-final against Australia, where Tendulkar, alongside Sourav Ganguly, gave India a flying start with a 66-run stand. Tendulkar scored 38 off 37 deliveries, striking two boundaries and three sixes against McGrath, before India sealed victory by 20 runs, powered by debutant Yuvraj Singh’s 84-run knock.
The batting maestro also took a humorous dig at veteran umpire Steve Bucknor, quipping, “When I am batting, give him boxing gloves to wear (so he can’t raise his finger).”
In another revelation, Tendulkar recalled instantly recognizing the potential of England’s Joe Root during his debut Test in Nagpur in 2012. “When I saw him for the first time, I told my teammates they were watching the future captain of England. What impressed me most was the way he assessed the wicket and rotated the strike. I knew at that very moment he would be a big player,” he said.
Root has since gone on to score over 13,000 runs in Test cricket, a feat Tendulkar lauded as “remarkable.”