The memory of Australian fast bowler Brett Lee being left distraught after conceding four runs despite bowling a near-perfect bouncer to Sachin Tendulkar in Perth 2008 Test remains fresh in minds. But the Indian batting maestro says the 'upper-cut' isn't a shot that he practised much for, adding that it came about as he simply let his natural instincts take over.
Tendulkar, in a YouTube video for '100MB app', revealed that he first thought of playing the shot on India's 2002 tour of South Africa.
"It happened in 2002 in South Africa, when we were playing a Test match in Bloemfontein. We were batting first and Makhaya Ntini was bowling around the off stump as he normally used to bowl short of a length. He rarely bowled length deliveries. Since he used to run wide of the crease, I could sight the line," said Tendulkar, replying to a fan-query during a Q & A session.
"The South African pitches offer enough bounce. The normal tendency to deal with those bouncers is to go top of the bowl. And if it bounces more than usual for somebody of my height, why not get under it and still be aggressive and attacking."
"That was something I felt. Instead of getting on top of the ball and trying to keep it all along the ground, get under it and play it towards third man boundary, utilising the pace," added the legend.
Tendulkar discovered that the 'upper-cut' isn't just a means to score runs off the ball past his head height but also an effective method to disturb the bowler's rhythm.
"That shot disturbed a number of fast bowlers because they bowl bouncers to concede a dot ball. But I converted those into boundaries," said the 'Master Blaster'.
"I actually didn't plan anything. Sometimes you just have to let your natural instincts take over after getting at the crease. And that's what I did," he added.
(Inputs from IANS)
