London, Oct. 30: Sachin Tendulkar may have tormented bowlers around the world but the only one who managed to unsettle the Indian maestro to an extent that he “didn’t know what to do with him” was the late Hansie Cronje.
The former South African captain, who died in a plane crash after being banned for match-fixing, was the one man Tendulkar found hard to deal with and his bowling had nothing to do with it.
“Honestly, I got out to Hansie more than anyone. When we played South Africa he always got me out more than Allan Donald or Shaun Pollock. It wasn’t that I couldn’t pick him — it’s just that the ball seemed to go straight to a fielder,” Tendulkar told The Guardian. He said facing Cronje was always a tricky proposition for him. “I was going great guns in Durban one year and played some big shots against Donald and Pollock. Hansie came on and I flicked his first ball straight to leg-slip. I never knew what to do with him,” he said.
Tendulkar once again named McGrath as the best fast bowler he ever faced and despite dominating Shane Warne, the master blaster considered the Aussie to be the best spinner he came across. “I did OK against him (McGrath). But, among the spinners, Warne at his best was still something special,” he said. Tendulkar, who is often compared to Sir Don Bradman recalled some special moments he spent with the late Australian legend.
“We went to see him on his 90th birthday. It was very special. We were talking about averages and I said, ‘Sir Don, if you were playing today, what would you have averaged?’ And he said, ‘70 probably.’ I asked, ‘Why 70 and not your actual average of 99?’ Bradman said, ‘Come on, an average of 70 is not bad for a 90-year-old man,’” Tendulkar said. “This is what I tell my son. Whether you’re an 11-year-old boy or Don Bradman we should never forget it’s just a game we can all enjoy,” Tendulkar said.
His passion for the sport is well-documented and Tendulkar said even after spending over two decades in the international arena, he tries to re-invent himself. “I’m really focusing now on how I can get to the next level as a batsman. How can I get even more consistent?” Tendulkar said. Talking about the changing face of the game, Tendulkar said Australia are in decline after retirements of their heavyweights.