A bilateral series has not happened between India and Pakistan cricket teams for a long time. These two teams are now seen playing against each other only during any ICC tournament or Asia Cup. There are no frequent matches between these two teams, so the current players of both teams do not have stories related to each other to tell their fans.
But the old players of both teams have many stories related to each other, and whenever they come out through one or the other, they make headlines. Former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq has narrated one such story.
Saqlain: I Never Thought
Saqlain Mushtaq narrated an anecdote about Sachin Tendulkar in Nadir Ali’s podcast. Saqlain said We went to Canada. I was young then and had gone there after playing county cricket in England. After playing county, I had a bit of an ego and was busy in my world. During the match, I sledged Sachin Tendulkar a lot and used some harsh words for him.
Saqlain Mushtaq further said Sachin is knowledgeable. Instead of shouting at me or saying anything, he quietly came to me and said Saki… I never thought you would do this. You don’t sound like the kind of person who says such words. I thought you were a very decent person. He said these things so well that I got lost in his words for the next four overs. When I could come out of his words, he (Sachin Tendulkar) had done his work. He was set at the crease. This incident was in 1997.
You Are A Smart Person
Saqlain said Sachin Tendulkar’s strategy was to take me under his influence. He tricked me by playing mind games. He was set entirely in the next 4-5 overs. When he started hitting me for fours, it was like a slap on my face, and the effect of his words ended on me. But it was too late by then, and things had left our hands. When I met Sachin in the hotel in the evening after the match, I told him you are clever.
Saqlain Is The Father Of ‘Doosra’
Pakistan’s great spin bowler Saqlain Mushtaq is credited for making another invention in bowling. With his ‘second’, he had dodged a lot of veteran batsmen of his era, including Sachin’s name. Saqlain Mushtaq recently stepped down as Pakistan’s head coach and played 49 Tests and 169 ODIs for Pakistan between 1995 and 2004. He has 208 wickets in Tests and 288 wickets in ODIs.
