Former India batsman Sachin Tendulkar's six off Shoaib Akhtar during the 2003 World Cup remains one of the finest shots in the ICC World Cup tournament to date. Mohammad Kaif, ex-India cricketer who was part of the match, talked about the iconic shot which is still fresh in the memories.
It was a short ball wide outside off stump and Tendulkar timed it to perfection which created a beautiful sight for the viewers. The ball flew over the point boundary for a six and became immortal forever.
“The six he hit of Shoaib Akhtar over point and the flick after that to fine-leg for a boundary... that is Sachin’s strength that he never gets LBW, he never missed the ball. That is why he was such a great batsman because the bowler has that weapon to bring the ball in and get the batsman bowled or LBW, that happened to Sachin very few times in his career,” Kaif said on the 'Watch Along' episode of India vs Pakistan 2003 match on Star Sports.
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“The six over point, the iconic shot that is shown, again and again, is a shot he never plays. Very rarely have we seen him playing that shot. I have seen him punch the ball or hitting shots on the rise but that uppercut, with his heavy bat playing against a bowler who is bowling at over 150 kph is a very difficult shot.”
Kaif also revealed Sachin never liked being appreciated while he was batting. He had put up a partnership of 102 runs with Sachin after India lost two wickets on just 53 runs while chasing 274.
“I was told to just stay there. Sachin didn’t believe in talking too much. When Sachin Paaji is batting, it is like a meditation. He is in his own different zone. So, he doesn’t like talking too much,” Kaif said.
“If someone goes and tells him what a shot he had played, he would ask you to stay quiet and let him bat. He didn’t like it at all if someone goes and tells him how well he was batting and how good the ball was going from his bat or that it was his day. He knows where the gap is and he would know in his mind where the fielders are standing and how to push for that extra run. His planning was at a different level.”
