A Humdinger of a Contest!
All you young kids watching this match, this is how you need to play the straight drive. Everything so perfect about that shot, high elbow, weight going onto the front foot and balance impeccable! Completely bemused the batsman with that delivery! What a delivery! That spun at right angles and took the off stump bail. These are some of the common comments that all of us get to hear when either of the two, be it the batting genius, Sachin Tendulkar or the Spin king, Shane Warne orchestrate their cricketing brilliance. Rivalries turn into legacies when the best in the business take on each other. The length of eternity has always witnessed occasional glimpses of the best of mortal ability. History is scripted when titans clash and when all boils down to a battle of wits and ability. The battle between Sachin and Warne still stands unparalleled in the history of cricket.
A contrasting start for both their careers unfolded. Sachin had to confront the Pakistani pace attack at their own backyard whereas, Warne had the acid test of bowling to the best players of spin in the world, the Indians. Warne was butchered by Ravi Shastri who scored 206 and eventually fell to the debutant leggie. An out of the ordinary contest gradually evolved between Sachin and Warne from Sydney in 1991 when, one was trying to defy age and prove himself at the international circuit while the other, made his debut. Time and again, the cricketing world was caught in anticipation when these two legends battled each other. Warne was a class apart in the art of spin bowling and his guile and variations proved too good for many batsmen that, after a length of time wickets fell at his will. Like a prophecy, he made it a habit to induce uncertainty in the batsmen's mind. Among the very elite group of players who stood a match to Warne's conundrum was the little master Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin complemented his natural ability with out-and-out practice and his hunger for runs never dried out. A stance that is perfectly balanced and the ability to play the ball late provided him the extra luxury of making late adjustments.
Among the famous duels with Warne, the most enchanting series was the Australian tour to India in the early 1998. Tendulkar was at his prime and so was Warne and what unfolded proved to be a gripping contest between bat and ball. Sachin emerged the better of the two and piled up three consecutive centuries in that series. Warne's ploy to attack the batsmen from round the wicket and to exploit the rough backfired and was only left as a mere admirer at the master's class as he swept and pulled the leggie onto the mid-wicket and the square leg region with ease. The Border-Gavaskar trophy was once again retained by India. Warne found it tough to be at the receiving end. Sachin's 155 against the Aussies at Chennai still remains as one of his top test hundreds.
Well! If 1998 series provided high quality test cricket, what followed was awe-inspiring one day contest. India, Australia and New Zealand locked horns in a triangular series in Sharjah. India had a must win situation in their last of their league matches against Australia in order to qualify for the finals against the same opponent. The stage was set for a cracker of a match. Big stages bring the best out of the best players and Sachin came up with two brilliant knocks to seal the tournament. Shane Warne tried all that he had in his arsenal and Sachin was equal to it and dictated terms to the opponents. His paddle sweep, inside out shots and wristy glances left the champion bowler dumb founded. He was quick on his feet whenever he rocked onto the back foot or danced down the track against Warne. Following the series Warne ruefully joked that he was having nightmares about his Indian nemesis. Sachin also crafted a magnificent century at Melbourne in 1999 when India toured Australia. The Master's ability to score against the best of bowlers even in hostile conditions has earned him the aura that all of us associate with Sachin Tendulkar.
Shane called it quits on December 21st 2006. The fifth and final test at Sydney was his final outing as an International cricketer. He bid farewell at the same place where he started his journey exactly fifteen years back. The champion on the other side is still going strong.
It is only fair to say that, these two contemporary greats did justice to cricket's surname which some regard as "The Gentlemen's game". The mutual respect that they shared for each other is remarkable. Shane recently divulged his list of top 50 players and not surprisingly, he crowned the little master as the best, rating him ahead of the Caribbean prince, Brian Lara. The legendary battles between the two giants of the game will always remain a marvel for generations to come.
A contrasting start for both their careers unfolded. Sachin had to confront the Pakistani pace attack at their own backyard whereas, Warne had the acid test of bowling to the best players of spin in the world, the Indians. Warne was butchered by Ravi Shastri who scored 206 and eventually fell to the debutant leggie. An out of the ordinary contest gradually evolved between Sachin and Warne from Sydney in 1991 when, one was trying to defy age and prove himself at the international circuit while the other, made his debut. Time and again, the cricketing world was caught in anticipation when these two legends battled each other. Warne was a class apart in the art of spin bowling and his guile and variations proved too good for many batsmen that, after a length of time wickets fell at his will. Like a prophecy, he made it a habit to induce uncertainty in the batsmen's mind. Among the very elite group of players who stood a match to Warne's conundrum was the little master Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin complemented his natural ability with out-and-out practice and his hunger for runs never dried out. A stance that is perfectly balanced and the ability to play the ball late provided him the extra luxury of making late adjustments.
Among the famous duels with Warne, the most enchanting series was the Australian tour to India in the early 1998. Tendulkar was at his prime and so was Warne and what unfolded proved to be a gripping contest between bat and ball. Sachin emerged the better of the two and piled up three consecutive centuries in that series. Warne's ploy to attack the batsmen from round the wicket and to exploit the rough backfired and was only left as a mere admirer at the master's class as he swept and pulled the leggie onto the mid-wicket and the square leg region with ease. The Border-Gavaskar trophy was once again retained by India. Warne found it tough to be at the receiving end. Sachin's 155 against the Aussies at Chennai still remains as one of his top test hundreds.
Well! If 1998 series provided high quality test cricket, what followed was awe-inspiring one day contest. India, Australia and New Zealand locked horns in a triangular series in Sharjah. India had a must win situation in their last of their league matches against Australia in order to qualify for the finals against the same opponent. The stage was set for a cracker of a match. Big stages bring the best out of the best players and Sachin came up with two brilliant knocks to seal the tournament. Shane Warne tried all that he had in his arsenal and Sachin was equal to it and dictated terms to the opponents. His paddle sweep, inside out shots and wristy glances left the champion bowler dumb founded. He was quick on his feet whenever he rocked onto the back foot or danced down the track against Warne. Following the series Warne ruefully joked that he was having nightmares about his Indian nemesis. Sachin also crafted a magnificent century at Melbourne in 1999 when India toured Australia. The Master's ability to score against the best of bowlers even in hostile conditions has earned him the aura that all of us associate with Sachin Tendulkar.
Shane called it quits on December 21st 2006. The fifth and final test at Sydney was his final outing as an International cricketer. He bid farewell at the same place where he started his journey exactly fifteen years back. The champion on the other side is still going strong.
It is only fair to say that, these two contemporary greats did justice to cricket's surname which some regard as "The Gentlemen's game". The mutual respect that they shared for each other is remarkable. Shane recently divulged his list of top 50 players and not surprisingly, he crowned the little master as the best, rating him ahead of the Caribbean prince, Brian Lara. The legendary battles between the two giants of the game will always remain a marvel for generations to come.