Sachin Tendulkar reminisced his rivalry with Glenn McGrath and recalled the 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy match in Nairobi where he played mind games to unsettle the Aussie pacer.
India's batting great Sachin Tendulkar is among the many former cricketers who are using the time during lockdown to reflect on their playing careers. On Friday, the former Indian batsman reminisced his encounters with Australian great Glenn McGrath, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest pacers in cricket history.
Tendulkar and McGrath share a celebrated rivalry and the former Indian batsman opened up on his encounters with the Australian bowler.
He remembered his clash against the McGrath during the ICC Champions Knockout Trophy in Nairobi, saying that he even 'exchanged a few words' with the pacer to unsettle his rhythm.
"The way McGrath bowled the first over, I spoke to Sourav Ganguly and suggested that I go after McGrath. I realised we have to do something out of the box (play mind games) I exchanged a few words with him which took him by surprise. I also started playing shots against him, though some of them were risky," revealed Tendulkar in an interview with cricket dot com.
"The plan was to get him angry and make him attack my body instead of looking to get me out. We were beaten on occasions but also were able to make McGrath bowl where we wanted. I made a quick-fire 38 and this came in a winning cause so I was very happy."
He remembered another clash with the Australian great from 2001, days after India famously defeated Australia 2-1 in the home Test series.
“An innings I will remember is the first ODI between India and Australia in 2001, right after we won the historic Test series. I was batting well with VVS Laxman and together we got India off to a flying start. I had decided to be more aggressive against Glenn McGrath," Tendulkar revealed.
"There was an over where I attacked McGrath and managed to hit three boundaries and a six. The idea was to not let him settle, and the plan had largely worked. I eventually got run out for 35 runs in that match but I was in good form to continue otherwise."
Sachin also cherished his knock against West Indies in 1999 when they boasted of a bowling lineup of Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, among others.
"Another innings I cherish is the first one-day international between West Indies and India at Trinidad in 1997. We batted first, and the weather was overcast, with the wicket damp in the morning. Not only was the wicket challenging to bat on, their bowling attack was extremely good as well.
"Their pace battery consisted of Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose, Ian Bishop and Franklin Rose. I was able to counterattack and score quick 44 runs, before getting out to Ambrose caught behind on what was an umpiring error. It was a rain-curtailed match and we lost the match, but purely for the tough conditions in which one had to bat on, I rank that innings as one of my favourites."
