If You Missed It, You Had To Wait For Next Interval - Monty Panesar Reveals How He And James Anderson Worked Out Sachin Tendulkar

Former England spinner Monty Panesar reveals how he and teammate James Anderson got hold of Sachin Tendulkar’s vulnerability during their contests.

Not many – in fact, a very few – bowlers can claim that they had the wood over the legendary Indian batsman. Pacer James Anderson is one who troubled the maestro batsman having dismissed Tendulkar 9 times in Test cricket, the most he got out to an individual bowler, thrice in ODIs as well.

Sachin Tendulkar’s, who averaged an outstanding 51.73 against England in Tests, manage to average a below-his-standard 23.11 against Anderson as the seamer troubled him on both the edges of the bat.

We thought that was the best time to get Sachin out: Monty Panesar

Monty Panesar has now revealed the backstory of how they prepared for Tendulkar. The 39-year-old says that the batsman was often vulnerable, and at unease, minutes before and after a break.

He reckons in that period of play, just before and after the interval, Tendulkar looked to settle down and needed a few minutes for the same, and was prone to lose his wicket. That was taken advantage of by Anderson, and Monty Panesar himself also as the left-arm spinner got the better of Tendulkar on 4 occasions. He asserts, however, that if they missed that opportunity, Tendulkar would make them pay.

“Everytime there used to be an interval… the first five minutes or the end of interval, when Sachin paaji looked like he wanted to close out. We thought that was the best time to get Sachin out. After lunch or tea, the first five minutes used to be crucial. It’s like a car that takes 5-7 minutes to warm up. Once it’s away, there is nothing stopping it. If you missed it, you had to wait [for] the next interval,” Monty Panesar told Sports Yaari in an interview.

“This is how me dismissed Sachin so many times. Those 5-10 minutes… James Anderson knew this was the opportunity. The first five minutes after every interval, Sachin would take a little time, but once he was set, then he was difficult to get out,” he added.

Also Read: 3 Cricketers Who Got Married To Their Cousin