ONE DAY WITH SACHIN TENDULKAR: The first time I correctly noticed one-dayers was through the 1983 World Cup. I used to be simply 10. Back then, I didn’t perceive the intricacies of the sport, it was all about having fun with cricket, being in love with it and spending as a lot time on the bottom as potential.
And then got here a giant second once I noticed India profitable the World Cup and a thought got here to thoughts – in the future I need to do that.
That’s the place my journey began. While enjoying college cricket, it was all about enjoying for India for me. Having watched India win the World Cup, I wasn’t clear in my head if I wished to play ODIs or Test cricket. Now once I look again, it was at all times Tests. Being an attacking batsman, I favored enjoying my photographs however there was a realisation that if I did effectively in Test cricket, ODI choice would robotically observe.
Sachin Tendulkar made his Test debut on the age of 16.
It was that one match in Peshawar through the 1989 tour of Pakistan that helped me cement my place in ODIs. Thousands had turned up nevertheless it rained on the morning of the match and the sport was referred to as off. Not to disappoint the followers, the groups agreed to play an exhibition sport. So we ended up enjoying a curtailed sport, which was to be the primary T20 match of my life. It was the sport the place I scored an 18-ball 53. (Tendular’s scoring sequence in that well-known Abdul Qadir over was: 6, 0, 4, 6, 6, 6). On that tour, my first, until then it was all about Test cricket. I used to be enjoying alongside the bottom, specializing in ahead defence, leaving the ball exterior the off-stump to quick bowlers, and all that. It was all about approach and the crew’s sport plan.
In that Peshawar sport. I used to be in a position to present my potential to hit the ball. It was the primary time my very own teammates noticed that facet of my play. They realised I might hit the ball.
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Achrekar sir (Tendulkar’s childhood coach Late Ramakant Achrekar) at all times requested us to keep away from aerial photographs, and play alongside the bottom. We all tried to observe what he advised us however issues began to vary fairly a bit as I used to be getting stronger with age. Practising at Wankhede Stadium additionally made an enormous distinction to my total sport. I used to be simply 14 once I joined the Mumbai Ranji Trophy nets at Wankhede Stadium. The high quality of bowlers that I confronted there was actually good. It modified the way in which I believed and the way in which I wished to play my photographs.
Among the younger cricketers in Mumbai, Wankhede Stadium is the benchmark. It is about: Kya mai Wankhede pe chhakka maar sakta hun (Can I hit a six at Wankhede)? Before we received into the massive stadium, we might play within the Mumbai maidans. At Shivaji Park and Azad Maidan, it was all imaginary boundaries. At Cross Maidan, there was a sure sense of a boundary rope since sending the ball on the highway exterior was what was aimed for.
Sachin Tendulkar remembers his childhood coach Ramakant Achrekar on Teachers Day.
Only after batting at Wankhede, I had the rope in thoughts and had the fascination of clearing it. Now the observe pitches are on the central sq., however within the Eighties they had been at third man and tremendous leg. So, we had the problem of hitting the ball all the way in which to the opposite facet. In the Nineties, that was the problem for us and that’s how we developed the behavior of hitting the ball.
The internet classes additionally assist me develop one other necessary facet of one-day cricket. I loved bowling from the day I began enjoying cricket. I didn’t need to simply stand there and watch others ball or bat. I wished to be a part of the motion on a regular basis. This helped me develop as a cricketer and I completely loved that course of. Bowling solely added to my sport and helped me contribute to the crew’s trigger.
If I had a brand new ball in hand, I might bowl seam up. If it was a semi-new ball, it might be off-spin and in case the ball was previous, I might bowl leg-spin. And I completely loved having mini-competition matches with all of the batsmen on the nets. Be it (Virender) Sehwag or Rahul Dravid or Sourav (Ganguly) or Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh), I might love bowling to them, I might love getting them out. We used to throw challenges at one another, it was enjoyable. I completely loved that facet of observe classes.
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At the beginning of my ODI profession, I batted at No.6. This occurred until 1992. Later in 1994, I used to be batting No.4 or No.5. It was round that point that there was this one sport through the 1994 New Zealand tour when Navjot Singh Sidhu advised the administration that he had a stiff neck. I used to be the vice-captain then and was a part of the assembly with Wadekar sir (coach Ajit Wadekar) and Azhar (captain Mohammad Azharuddin) the place it was to be determined: Kisko khilana hai abhi (Whom to play now)? It was there that I advised them that I can go up entrance and assault the bowlers. (A few years later within the 1996 World Cup Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana would make it a preferred and profitable ODI development).
Sachin’s fifth ODI hundred got here in opposition to Kenya through the group stage of 1996 World Cup. (FILE)
That was the time when the crew technique was to play out the brand new ball. If you return a few years, throughout 1991-92 after we performed in Australia, the rating after 15-20 overs could be like 50, or most 60. So, I knew that the crew would play in keeping with the identical technique and planning. But someway, I felt that I might give a brand new dimension to what everyone seems to be pondering. Maybe, I believed we wanted to suppose barely out of the field.
My concept was to go up entrance and hit the bowlers. I knew I used to be able to doing it and was additionally feeling assured. I advised Wadekar sir that if I fail I cannot come again to you once more with this plan. I advised him – “I will not question you again, just give me one chance, I know I can do it today. Since the opening batsman is not fit, give me one chance. Agar nahi hua toh (if it doesn’t work out), in the next match, I will go back to No.4.”
After that occurred, issues modified. Not that I continued opening all through my profession after that additionally. There had been a variety of events in 1997, within the 1999 World Cup, in 2002 in England and even within the 2007 World Cup, I batted at No.4. So, I used to be going up and down as a result of earlier than that there wasn’t any technique that one might exit and tackle the bowlers.
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Throughout my profession, I needed to take care of accidents and tweak my sport. They performed an enormous half in me deciding what are the issues that my physique is permitting me to do after which to work round them.
In 2003, I had a left finger harm and received operated instantly after the World Cup. It took me 4 months to get better from it. In 2004, I had the tennis elbow harm and ultimately had an operation in 2005. Around 2006-07, I had a shoulder harm. My shoulder and proper bicep additionally wanted to be operated upon and I had a few groin surgical procedures. Then, there was one other wrist surgical procedure later in my profession.
The finger harm and tennis elbow are each associated to gripping the bat and the shoulder harm impacted the ability of my photographs. The first time I realised that it was completely different was publish the 2003 World Cup after we had been enjoying a Test in opposition to New Zealand in Mohali. It was there that I realised that whereas enjoying the minimize shot, my grip on the bat deal with was not the identical. There had been different events additionally once I felt that refined adjustments had taken place in my physique. But I needed to take care of all these issues and bat accordingly.
WATCHING THE GAME EVOLVE
For the identical shot, the returns have modified: Tendulkar
ODIs have developed step by step and it may be traced by the clothes of gamers. There was a sport we performed in opposition to South Africa in 1991 in New Delhi which was a day-night match. In that sport, solely the T-shirts had been colored however the bottoms had been white. Since the sport was in November, it was fairly chilly at night time, so we wore sweaters they usually had been white.
The 1993 Hero Cup was the primary time we performed with correct colored apparel. At the 1996 World Cup performed within the sub-continent, issues picked up. But there have been occasions it was again to whites. Like in 1998 in a house sequence in opposition to Australia, we performed in whites. As late as 2000, one India-Zimbabwe ODI sequence was in whites.
The actual large change to the sport was the pink ball altering to white. If you ask my Indian crew members which ball they need to play with in an ODI, they may all say pink. Back within the day, ODIs with one only one pink ball supplied the batsmen with a distinct problem. It turned gentle, received discoloured and reversed too.
If the ball was discoloured, it was laborious to select. So if a spinner was bowling, one needed to watch the hand carefully because it was robust to see the ‘spin’ on the ball whereas it was within the air. Say, on a scale of sighting the ball, if a brand new pink cherry was 10 on 10, the discoloured ball may very well be probably 5 or 6 on 10.
Sachin Tendulkar has at all times loved batting in opposition to Australia. (FILE)
The SG ball would additionally reverse fairly a bit. I keep in mind high quality quick bowlers would return within the ‘in-between overs’ to get wickets. At occasions when the ball had misplaced its color, they’d bowl with slips.
You can return to previous video clips of the India-Pakistan 1999 World Cup sport. Wasim Akram was bowling the forty seventh or forty eighth over with slips. He was in search of the batsman to edge the ball. Maybe, to avoid wasting a boundary or to get a wicket. That’s as a result of the previous ball was reversing.
The rule tweak of two white balls changing the pink one performed in opposition to the bowlers. This meant that in an innings, a ball would get used just for 25 overs from one finish. Even when the spinners got here to bowl later within the sport, it was not too tough to sight. In ODIs, the spinners typically are available to bowl within the sixteenth or seventeenth over. But in actuality, the ball was simply eight overs previous.
Extra fielder in ring makes bowlers defensive, batsmen daring
Field restrictions additionally performed a giant position in altering the dynamics of ODI cricket. These days in ODIs, there must be 5 fielders within the 30-yard circle (from eleventh to fortieth overs). Earlier, there have been solely 4 fielders, so there was an additional man on the boundary. In case that additional fielder was at, say, lengthy on, the batsman would suppose twice earlier than hitting the ball. That was as a result of the ball would have gone gentle and so the batsman needed to be lifeless positive that he would clear him.
Because of latest restrictions, the additional fielder is up within the 30-yard circle – it might both be mid-on, mid-off or level – when spinners are bowling. So as a batsman, you’re feeling that mainly I’ve to clear the 30-yard circle and I’m secure. Moreover, the ball stays laborious since there are two of them. These parts have given a distinct dimension to ODI cricket from when it began.
There is discuss spinners discovering it robust to get wickets in ODIs as in comparison with T20s. That I feel is as a result of in ODIs, there are 5 fielders within the ring whereas solely 4 in T20s (after six overs). This adjustments the psyche of each the batsmen and the bowlers. The further fielder within the ring makes bowlers extra defensive. A fielder standing at long-on as in comparison with the one at mid-on makes the bowler suppose in another way, their mindset adjustments.
With two new balls, the ball will not be getting sufficiently old, there isn’t a discolouration. So as was the case with an previous pink ball, a spinner can’t disguise a doosra or googly successfully because the white ball isn’t discoloured that a lot. Plus, it is just when the ball will get barely scuffed up that the spinners can grip it higher. If you see, the financial system charges of all bowlers are a lot greater now than what they was once within the 90s. The strike charges of batsmen too have gone up. The common runs scored by a crew is way more.
Same stroke, completely different return
I do get requested whether or not batsmen are discovering it simpler to attain nowadays due to rule-tweaking. Nothing to remove from the batsmen as a result of batting will not be simple. But I can say that the identical photographs are reaping completely different rewards. It may very well be the identical cowl drive or a sq. drive however due to area restrictions, the rewards are completely different. For the identical shot, the returns have modified. It is straightaway thrice extra worth for photographs.
There is one other facet of ODI cricket. Before the rule change, in case there was a threatening batsman on the crease, the bowler would bowl a ‘single’ ball that would ship him to the non-striker’s finish. This would imply the less-harmful batsman on strike and you’d bowl extra deliveries to him. Now due to the rule tweak, one fewer fielder on the fence, the ‘single’ supply may very well be a boundary. It isn’t simply three additional runs, however the extra threatening batsman will nonetheless face the subsequent ball.
Earlier, it used to occur that bowlers would bowl a full-up supply on leg-stump and one would flick the ball that goes to square-leg or fine-leg, and you might be on the non-striker finish. Now it may very well be a 4. Rubbing salt into the wound, the identical batsman would proceed to be on strike. In T20 cricket, since there are 4 fielders within the ring, when batsmen like Kieron Pollard or Andre Russell are hitting, bowlers attempt the yorkers so that they take a single and go to the non-striker’s finish.
ODI with 4 innings: A Tendulkar concept whose time has come
Back within the day, Tendulkar had steered {that a} four-innings ODI might make it extra fascinating. Years later he says his concept was misunderstood, he wasn’t asking for batsmen to get two probabilities nevertheless it was a thought geared toward making ODI a extra even contest that didn’t depend upon toss and situations.
My concept of changing ODIs into 4 innings was type of misunderstood. Generally, It was felt that I used to be asking two batting innings for batsmen whereas the concept was to provide a good probability to each groups. It was the case of you attending to bat solely as soon as, a crew solely had 10 wickets unfold over two innings of 25 overs every. This would give a brand new that means to one-day cricket. We must be honest to each groups.
In ODIs on a variety of events at sure venues on this planet, it was felt that for those who win the toss, you have got type of gained the sport except you bat actually poorly. The most important motive being the dew issue. My concept was that each groups bat for 25 overs in dry situations and in addition bowl 25 overs every in moist situations. So, on this case profitable the toss was probably a 60 per cent benefit and never 90 per cent. Many occasions in ODIs, it isn’t talent in opposition to talent, typically it’s talent in opposition to the talent of the opposite crew to adapt to the situations.
Sometimes it was the case of dangerous mild and rain. If you keep in mind the 2007 World Cup closing, Sri Lanka was batting in opposition to Australia at nighttime. Take the case of the 2002 Champions Trophy closing in Sri Lanka that was impacted by rains and was prolonged to 2 days. First time Sri Lanka batted first, they performed all 50 overs. We batted for 15 overs and rain interrupted the sport. So, in all we performed 65 overs. The subsequent day once more Sri Lanka batted for 50 overs and we batted some 12 overs. Again, it was a rain-interrupted sport and each groups had been declared joint winners. While in actuality in two days, we had performed near 125 overs. So, in case we had 25 overs every, each groups would have deliberate accordingly.
