God was on my side that day: Saqlain Mushtaq recalls dismissing Sachin Tendulkar in 1999 Chennai Test
India and Pakistan cricket team have involved in some of the most exciting clashes and the rivalry between them increase the intensity of the game. The one such example of India vs Pakistan epic clash is the 1999 Chennai Test match.
In the intense contest, India were chasing the target of 271 and the fiery Pakistan bowling line-up took control over the match with 81-5. But then the greatest batsman India ever produced, Sachin Tendulkar gave hope to millions of Indian fans. Master Blaster shared a 137-run partnership with Nayan Mongia to put India back in the chase. Mongia departed on 52, with India going down 6 for 218. Tendulkar continued to show his grit to score a majestic century, but Saqlain Mushtaq spun the web to dismiss him and won the match for Pakistan. The exciting match ended in Pakistan 12-run win.
Mushtaq recalled the famous dismissal and said that the God was on his side that day.
“God was on my side that day. I did not think that I will get the Master blaster (Sachin) out. But when god has plans, you can’t beat that. Till my last breath, it will give me enough pride that I could dismiss him that day. Mera naam uske naam ke saath juda rahega....”, Mushtaq told Sportstar in an Instagram Live session.
The Pakistan legend hailed Tendulkar and said that he could read everything because of his sharp eyes, which made him intimidating.
“I conceded a few boundaries, but eventually, got him out. Sachin had sharp eyes and he could read everything. It was intimidating. You wouldn’t believe, but I was scared to bowl him the doosra -- fearing that he might hit boundaries,” he said.
“That was his power. The pitch was slow, so it was tough. But then, with god’s grace, I could send him packing,” he added.
Mushtaq revealed that it was the former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram who put faith in him, which helped him in that match.
“He (Wasim Akram) told me that he had full faith in me and he believed that I could do something magical for the team. Those words helped and I suddenly felt stronger,” he said.
