Tendulkar scored 241* with 33 fours in more than 600 minutes without hitting a cover drive.
In an interaction with India Today’s Boria Majumdar, Sachin Tendulkar recalled his epic knock of 241* in Sydney in the 2004 Test series against Australia. In that epic knock during the fourth Test of the series, Tendulkar didn’t play a single cover-drive or a shot on the full outside off stump.
It was a sheer determination from the little master that he forced the bowlers to bowl in his arc and then scored runs off them. Tendulkar hit 33 boundaries during the course of his innings which lasted for 613 minutes.
Talking about the same, Tendulkar said, “After my conversation with my brother, I realized there was no weakness (in his batting) as such. If there was any weakness, then it was about shot selection. I realized I needed the discipline to be in the driving seat. My natural instincts, have to be sitting in the passenger seat. My discipline, come what may, even if I was batting on 70 or 120, I was always going to have discipline in my driver's seat.”
"The challenge which my brother threw at me before the Test match was 'try and stay not out.' He told me 'I don't think any bowler can get you out. It's because of your shot selection'.
Tendulkar had been getting out playing shots outside off stump, mainly trying to drive the ball outside off. He had scored just 88 runs in the previous three matches and had registered 2 ducks as well.
"I took up that challenge and decided I wouldn't get out in the Test match. About not playing a cover drive, it happened then and there on the field. I had not decided this earlier," Tendulkar told Boria Majumdar on India Today.
"That's how it happened, it wasn't planned. It is all about what you are for the team. It's not always about natural instincts taking over. It's not about you, it's about what you are for the team. Earlier in the three Tests, I looked at the scoreboard and told myself 'this is not me. This is not who I am for the team, the team expects bigger scores'," Tendulkar said.