Australians have their own way of playing cricket. It might have changed a bit ever since the ‘sandpaper gate’ in 2018 but they still believe in getting under the skin of their opposition, that in a way brings the best out of the Australian cricket team. From Merv Hughes to Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee to even Shane Warne – they all liked to torment the batsmen with verbal and stare as much as with unplayable deliveries. But there was one batsman who was immune to the tactic so much that the Australians followed a strict rule of not to ever sledge that cricketer.
Former Australia fast bowler Brett Lee revealed how Glenn McGrath had advised him against saying anything to Tendulkar when Lee first came into the Australian side.
Remembering McGrath’s words, Lee said sledging only fired up Tendulkar more.
“There was always a bowling captain, when I was growing up, there was Glenn (McGrath) and he would always say to the young guys coming through, be it Mitch Johnson or any of the young guys, Do not talk to Sachin, if you do, you will in pain whole day. So that was it, that was what we discussed in our bowling meeting, do not talk to Sachin,” Lee said Star Sports show ‘Cricket Connected’.
Sachin, who is the only man till date to score 100 international centuries, had many memorable duels with the likes of McGrath, Lee and Warne and most on occasions he emerged on top.
Sachin’s staggering record against Australia speaks for itself. Sachin has scored 3630 runs against Australia at an average of 55 in 39 Tests, which includes 11 centuries and a double ton.
In ODIs, Sachin has scored 3077 runs against Australian in 71 matches with 9 centuries to his credit.
Another great bowler of his time, Pakistan’s Saqlain Mushtaq narrated a similar kind of story on Sachin Tendulkar.
“I was new when I sledged him for the first time. If I recall correctly, it was the 1997 edition. Sachin quietly came up to me and said ‘I never misbehaved with you, why are you misbehaving with me’? I got so embarrassed that I did not know what to say to him,” Saqlain told PTI