Former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq recalled Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar’s epic knock of 136 from a 1999 Test match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
It was probably the greatest and iconic innings of Tendulkar’s splendid career but at the same time, the famous innings will continue to be remembered as saddest heartbreak of his career by the Master, as his brilliant could not save the first Test match for India at Chennai in 1999 against Pakistan.
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Tendulkar had almost pulled off a single-handed miracle at Chennai with his dazzling display of strokeplay against a fearsome bowling attack comprising of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Saqlain, but in the end, Pakistan managed to win the match by 12 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series.
Apart from his fabulous display in front of Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium overflowed with 45,000 people, Sachin’s back spasm during that iconic Test match was also famous as much as his hundred being one of the best ever centuries of his career, as he was battled severe cramps during that innings.
Reflecting back to Tendulkar’s injury during that Chennai Test, Mushtaq said the back spasm was probably a legendary tactic to apply psychological pressure on the Pakistan bowlers since following the innings he went on to continue to play few more matches.
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Saqlain said on a YouTube show called Cricket Baaz “Did Sachin play the next match after that? He had given a slight indication of his injury but we were all saying that he was using it as a psychological tactic against us. I feel, not sure how far it is true, that these are tactics of batsmen and even bowlers that they would come hobbling and then would bowl a fast bouncer and claim a wicket.”
The former spinner, who had dismissed Tendulkar on both the innings in that Chennai Test match, pointed out that it could have been a minor injury.
He further added, “You never know. They were saying that he had back spasms, he played the next Test match and after that other matches also. It is possible that it was something like someone getting a cramp while bowling, but it was not anything major.”
Mushtaq has also noted that every sportsman plays with a niggle or two, which can be both physical and sometimes even mental. He signed off by saying, “My claim is that any cricketer who is playing competitive cricket, would always be carrying a niggle. There are some niggles which are physical and then there are some niggles in the mind when you don’t have surety. The day someone performs, niggles are there with him, but his mind is clear.”
(With Hindustan Times Inputs)
