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Journalism of Courage
Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram has revealed his game-changing strategy that helped former spinner Saqlain Mushtaq pick Indian Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket in 1999 in the Chennai Test match. Tendulkar was batting on 136 and was picking the spinner’s doosra like no other batter at the time.
Akram speaking to Sportstar, said, “The Chennai Test is very special to me… It was very hot and the pitch was bare, which suited us because we relied on reverse-swing. We also had one of the best spinners at the time in Saqlain Mushtaq. Nobody could pick the doosra delivery that he had invented at the time.
“Sachin [Tendulkar] played him well after the first innings. Every time he bowled the doosra, Sachin went for the lap shot just behind the keeper. A very odd shot to play against the off-spinners doosra but he mastered it and that’s why Sachin was one of the greatest of all time,” he added.
Talking about the strategy Akram said, “I remember how close the game was. They [India] needed 20-odd to win, the great man [Tendulkar] was batting on 136 and I remember talking to Saqlain just one ball earlier. Every fielder was on the boundary, Sachin was facing and I told Saqlain to bowl his doosra outside off-stump and give it some air as Sachin would probably try to hit it through midwicket. That’s exactly what happened. He went for a six through midwicket, top-edged it and I kept repeating to myself ‘balance, eye on the ball, balance’ as I got under the ball,”
“Forty-thousand people were screaming while I was talking to myself in the split-second just before the catch… Winning in India was a massive deal, but what struck all of us was the standing ovation we got from the Chennai crowd. That Test will be special forever because of the drama, the standing ovation, the tour and the circumstances – one of the best Test matches I have played. So, thank you to the people of Chennai,” he added.
Chasing 271 runs in the final innings of the Test match in Chidambaram stadium India was well placed with Tendulkar batting. However, when Tendulkar departed team still needed 17 runs to win. After his wicket, the tail capitulated with India losing the game by 12 runs and Mushtaq ending up with five wickets.
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