Saqlain Mushtaq felt "embarrassed" recalling the moment he decided to first sledge Sachin Tendulkar during one of the 1997 India-Pakistan Sahara Cup encounters in Canada. 

Saqlain was involved in quite a few intense battles with Tendulkar throughout the 90s and so the off-spinner thought of this as a good opportunity to play some mind games with the Master Blaster. 

As it turned out, he ended up promising himself never to cross the line again with the maestro, one of the nicest gentlemen to have graced the cricket field. 

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"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," Saqlain told PTI on Tendulkar's 47th birthday on Friday (April 24). 

"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 apologised to him after the game."

"Thereafter, even when he was smashing me all over, I never thought of sledging him," added the 43-year-old. 

Taking a cue from that experience, Saqlain, in fact, enjoyed success against Tendulkar when Pakistan needed it the most at the closing stages of the thrilling 1999 Chennai Test. 

"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. 

"Otherwise, the way he was playing, it was unbelievable. The ball was reversing but he played Wasim Akram with such confidence."

Saqlain, the renowned inventor of the 'doosra', also said Tendulkar played his wrong-un the best. 

"The eye is god gifted. Every batsman sees things differently, some pick faster than others. Sachin's eye was razor sharp," he said. 

"Many times, even before I took my stride, he knew what I was going to ball, whether it was a Doosra, top spin or conventional off-spin, his foot positioning was just flawless. Rahul (Dravid) too was very good, Azhar paaji also."

He is also fond of some of the off-field moments spent with Tendulkar. 

"We have had so many fond memories off the field. Had gone out many times, spent a lot of time in Mushy's house (Mushtaq Ahmed) in the UK. He is such a decent and humble human being, that is what stands out in his personality."

"He was not among the ones who would pull someone's leg. Just by spending time with him, you could learn so much," added Saqlain.

(Inputs from PTI)