Sachin Tendulkar Recalls How He Dealt With Glenn McGrath When The Latter Tried To Frustrate Him

Sachin Tendulkar vs Glenn McGrath was one of the most exhilarating duels in the game in late 90s and early 2000s. The result of the duel between these two legendary cricketers decided the fate of the famous India-Australia rivalry on a number of occasions.

The duel between the two was never always a battle between the bat and ball. Mind games were an integral part of the duel as the two tried to win the fiercely-fought rivalry. And recently, Sachin Tendulkar revealed an interesting anecdote of how once Glenn McGrath and Australia tried to frustrate him.

The incident had taken place during the Adelaide Test in 1999. Recalling the game, Sachin Tendulkar said how the former Australian quick had tied to frustrate him. The former India batsman explained how he first remained calm and patient when McGrath was in full flow but cut loose the next morning and put pressure back on the bowler.

“In 1999, in our first match at Adelaide… the first innings there was hardly 40 minutes to go in the day’s play. Glenn McGrath comes and bowls five or six maiden overs to me,” Sachin Tendulkar told Star Sports during a video chat.

“That was their strategy… ‘let’s frustrate Sachin. 70 per cent of the ball should go to (wicket-keeper) Adam Gilchrist and 10 per cent close to his bat. ‘If he plays or chases deliveries outside the off-stump we have succeeded’.

“So I kept leaving as many deliveries as possible. There were some good deliveries where I was beaten as well. But I said ‘well bowled and now go back and bowl again as I am still here’,” he added.

“I remember hitting him for a few boundaries the next morning because it was a fresh day and we both were at the same level. They had a strategy but I knew their strategy was to frustrate me.

“I thought this evening I am patient but tomorrow morning I am gonna play the way I want. You won’t control how I want to play but I would control where you are going to bowl,” recalled the batting maestro.

During the interaction, Sachin Tendulkar also had a word of advice for current cricketer as to how to keep themselves mentally fit during lockdown. Cricket across the globe is currently suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. If not for the pandemic, most of the players would have been busy playing the IPL right now.

“First of all I would like to tell them to recharge their respective batteries. It is important to have some off time. When you are playing regularly it is not easy to be at the top of your game. It is good to move away from cricket for a while to recharge your batteries,” he said.

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