Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar is known throughout the world and is one of the greatest cricketers the world has seen apart from other players and neighbouring country’s player Wasim Akram.
Tendulkar and Wasim Akram both have retired now but spoken of good old times, they have also shared some memorable battles on the field together while Sachin was mocked when he went for his first international tour to Pakistan in 1989.
At an age of 16, Sachin’s first international tour was interesting while Akram was already a qualified professional cricketer in Pakistan’s team since 1984.
Sachin indeed was under tremendous pressure to face Pakistan’s cricketers at the age of 16 but he performed quite well against Pakistan though he was the youngest player in the team.
Akram, speaking at Salaam Cricket 2018, revealed what he had said to Sachin Tendulkar as he walked out to bat, India today reported.
“We had read about Sachin…. that there’s a sensation coming.. a 16-year old. But when he came (out to bat), he looked 14 years old and I told him, “mummy se puchke aaya hai?” (Did you ask your mother before coming?), Akram recalls the moment he faced Sachin on the battlefield.
Not only was Wasim Akram present in the Salam Cricket session but also 11 other legendary cricketers, from both teams – Sunil Gavaskar, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-haq, Abdul Qadir, Harbhajan Singh, Mohammad Azharuddin, R Ashwin, Habibul Bashar, Muttiah Muralitharan and Madan Lal.
Harbhajan calling his encounter with Wasim Akram on battlefield said: “Wasim bhai was my hero and it was my third fourth Test match but playing against him was a huge thing, I was scared to bat against him. But somehow I touched my bat to his ball and it went for four. On his way back, he was like “teri…” and I was like… “Paaji, galti ho gai.”
While Gavaskar recalled: Bruce Yardley of Australia. I wasn’t able to pick when he delivered the ball and he had a long run-up for an off-spinner. I was uncomfortable in playing him. I went to Chetan during a match and told him I can take Len Pascoe and you take Yardley. He was like I was going to say the same but you would have misunderstood.