Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar amazed the cricket fraternity with his hunger for runs and record of scoring heavily, no matter what the situation is or the country he was playing in. Sachin is one of the batsmen who can face bowler from the non-striker’s end, yes, it’s true.
He can read the bowler very well and hit the ball at the right time in the gap. Ahead of India vs South Africa Test series, Sachin spoke about facing Proteas spearhead Dale Steyn during the Cape Town Test in 2010-11. The batting legend on Thursday termed the Newlands track as most challenging on which he had played.
With the Team India all set to face South Africa in the opening Test of the three-match series on Friday at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town, Tendulkar recalled the conversation he had with Rahul Dravid on how to tackle a fiery Steyn during the course of his innings.
“The Cape Town pitch of the 2010-11 was the most challenging track. I remember while fielding, I told Rahul Dravid that this was a proper seaming track. You never felt settled even after scoring runs. You had to play on the rise,” said Tendulkar.
When asked about the secret of success for batsmen on challenging tracks, Sachin referred to his double-hundred in Sydney, where he was an epitome of patience not hitting a single cover drive till he got to the double-ton.
“The Australian pacers during that innings were bowling straight and into the wicketkeeper’s gloves. I told myself, ‘Good, you people want to bowl where you want, I would wait and make you bowl, where I want’,” he recalled.
“A good batting line-up is the one which makes a bowling unit bowl where they want to. Each wicket has a certain character where you should know which shots to play and which ones not to,” he elaborated.
So, these words from batting legend is an advice for the Indian Team who is all set to play their first Test on January 5, 2017.