Chennai, Jun 26 (PTI): Australian great Dennis Lillee today recalled his first meeting with Sachin Tendulkar and said on a lighter note that he did the game a "favour" by rejecting the batsman when he went to the MRF Pace Foundation with an ambition to become a fast bowler in the late 80s.
Hoping to become a pacer, Tendulkar went to the MRF Pace Foundation in 1987. But his ambitions were crushed by the foundation's coaching director, Lillee who advised the then young Tendulkar to focus on his batting instead of bowling.
Asked about his first encounter with Tendulkar, Lillee, who is bidding adieu to the MRF Pace Foundation after 25 years of service, said: "I actually feel very embarrassed because I rejected him as a fast bowler.
"I think I did him and the game of cricket a favour. I am just joking, but I will never forget (the incident)."
"When he came back a year later he was just 15 years or so. I was there behind the nets. The first ball Sachin faced he hit it behind the bowler for a four. Sachin flicked the next ball for a four as well. The bowlers were not able to get Sachin and he was hitting them out of the park.
"When he was still batting with about 48 runs or so from 12 balls, I asked (the then head coach) T A Sekar who is this boy. Sekar laughed and replied you should know him, he is the boy whom you rejected when he wanted to become a fast bowler," he added.
Lille said that it was hard work for him initially.
"I had to work harder on the technical side of fast bowling and insisted them on bowing on one line. But they get back to their native and their own coaches changed their actions and I had a pretty hard work to do."
"I saw three things in them that they never did any running or weights and they had known nothing about technique. Mental toughness was also lacking in them.
"I had to change the whole belief in whole system. What we did was we changed the system and introduced physical work in the morning and nets in the afternoon. In between, the boys rest and come fresh in the afternoon for the nets."
Asked about his biggest success during his stint here, Lille said, "My biggest triumph is to have succeeded in starting from the scratch and built it from nothing to what it is today and success would not have come but for the support I received from MRF Management. They allowed me to do it my way."