'I didn't enjoy his reaction when he got me out. It lit a fire': Sachin Tendulkar on receiving fiery send-off
Sachin Tendulkar knows all his dismissals but there is one that he does not remember fondly.
Many bowlers have had the good fortune of dismissing Sachin Tendulkar, some more than others. James Anderson, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath are names that have consistently had the wood of Tendulkar – not to say that the Master Blaster didn't retaliate but he did get out repeatedly to a certain set of bowlers. Tendulkar has received several feisty send-offs after getting dismissed but one that he remembers not too fondly came very early in his career. Tendulkar had become a prized wicket to scalp long before he went on to become a genius, and bowlers realised it.
A child prodigy, as they say, had already put himself and India on the map on scoring a match-saving century in Manchester and two more a couple of years later in Sydney and Perth. Tendulkar's innings of 114 announced his arrival; hence, bowlers were on their toes when the World Cup came around. On the first day itself, Tendulkar and India were tested against England, who won the match by 9 runs, but Sachin remembers this day for something more that it being his first-ever World Cup match.
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"I got out to Ian Botham, caught behind," Tendulkar said during the India Today Conclave. "I didn't particularly enjoy that reaction after Botham got me out. It lit a fire."
It was February 22, 1992 when India took on England at the WACA. India were 119/2 when Tendulkar got out for 35, nicking a ball while trying to nudge it on to the leg side. But as Alex Stewart completed the catch, an animated Botham gestured with his hands to celebrate the wicket. Chasing 237 to win, Tendulkar had kept the Indian innings alive having smashed five delightful boundaries, but with his dismissal, the chase crumbled and India fell a wee but short.
Tendulkar finished 14th on the list of highest run-scorers in that World Cup scoring 283 runs from 8 matches and second Indian over captain Mohammad Azharuddin. This included three half-centuries – 54 against Pakistan, 84 against New Zealand and 81 vs Zimbabwe – even as India were eliminated in the round robin stage itself. As it turns out, this was just the beginning, Tendulkar would go on to dominate the World Cups, scoring 571 runs in the 1996 edition and another 673 in 2003.
