Stop Sachin in his forward stride

There is a worry in the Pakistan camp that Indians might not be susceptible to reverse swing. The way they played in Australia it was appare...

There is a worry in the Pakistan camp that Indians might not be susceptible to reverse swing. The way they played in Australia it was apparent they knew what the ball would do. It might still be a mystery for teams like England and South Africa. But that doesn’t seem the case with the Indians.

We in Pakistan are very good in “caring” for the ball. We make sure that at least one side of the ball retains its shine. After 30-40 overs, the dry conditions of our subcontinent help the ball to reverse swing. When Wasim Akram and Waqar Yunis operated, we tried our best to ensure the ball didn’t get wet or too much of sweat was not applied on it.

These days I am speaking a lot to Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami about the plans they should hatch against the Indian batsmen. As a coach, you must look at the current fault of batsmen. Sachin Tendulkar for instance does not have a long stride forward and any delivery which comes in quickly from a good length spot, he tends to inside edge on to his stumps.

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Tendulkar, of course, is a genius and I would never forget his double century in Sydney. He clearly was struggling with his form. He had been dismissed a few times driving on the off-side. He cleverly took the centre rather than the off-stump guard. It allowed him to walk on to his off-stump and any deliveries pitched on the middle and leg were worked on the onside beautifully.

He did the same against us during the World Cup. I had got injured and was not there when the Indians batted but if I were there, I would have never let Shoaib Akhtar take the new ball. I use to help Waqar with my inputs. It should have been Waqar with the new ball. Shoaib should have bowled with the old ball. Tendulkar settled that match in the first 10 overs itself.

Now of course it would be Shoaib to start our operations. He is the fastest bowler in the world and he now also has good focus. He is bowling as well with the new ball as he did during the 1999 World Cup. (PTI)

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