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Updated April 4th, 2020 at 13:00 IST

Sachin Tendulkar opens up on desperation for opening the batting in ODIs back in 1994

Sachin Tendulkar has revealed that he asked skipper Mohammad Azharuddin and manager Ajit Wadekar to give him just one chance to open the innings in Auckland.

Reported by: Jatin Malu
Sachin Tendulkar
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Indian cricket great Sachin Tendulkar is regarded widely as one of the finest players in the game of all-time. Over the years, Sachin Tendulkar has created a plethora of records, which are still intact, even after seven years of retirement. Sachin Tendulkar had started his career as a middle-order batsman and it was in 1994 in New Zealand when he first opened the batting for India in place of an injured Navjot Singh Sidhu.

ALSO READ | Sachin Tendulkar Opens The Batting In ODIs For India For First Time On Mar 27, 1994: Watch

Sachin Tendulkar reveals how he got the opportunity to open for India

Now, in a sensational revelation, Sachin Tendulkar has revealed that he asked skipper Mohammad Azharuddin and manager Ajit Wadekar to give him just one chance to open the innings in Auckland. Sachin Tendulkar, who was speaking on his app 100MB,  said that when he left the hotel on the morning of March 27,1994, he didn't know he was going to open the batting.

Sachin Tendulkar added that they had reached the ground and Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajit Wadekar were there in the dressing room. They told him that Navjot Singh Sidhu was unfit because he had sprained his neck and asked him who do they open with. This is where Sachin begged them to give him one chance. Sachin Tendulkar went on to say that he was really confident that he can go out and attack New Zealand's bowlers.

ALSO READ | Kapil Sharma imitates Navjot Singh Sidhu in this funny clip from 'The Kapil Sharma Show'

Sachin Tendulkar was confident that he would not just slog and get out but play his natural game which was to attack. Sachin Tendulkar further said that till then, only once in 1992 World Cup, Mark Greatbatch had done that because the normal trend was to play off the first 15 overs as the ball was new. Sachin Tendulkar added that you would see the shine off and then slowly look to accelerate and press the peddle as hard as you can in the last 7 to 8 overs.

ALSO READ | Will Navjot Singh Sidhu be back on The Kapil Sharma Show? Here's the cast's take

So, he thought if he could go and press the peddle hard in the first 15 overs, it would put a lot of pressure on the opposition. Sachin Tendulkar also said to Azharuddin and Wadekar that if he failed, he would never come back to them and asked them to give him one chance. And the move not just clicked but arguably changed India's fortunes in the ODI game.

Tendulkar made the most of that opportunity by scoring 82 out of 49 balls at an astonishing strike-rate of 167.34. Tendulkar helped India get a confident victory and level the series.

ALSO READ | Sachin Tendulkar says India's 2011 WC triumph was an emotional one for the entire nation

IMAGE COURTESY: ICC TWITTER

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Published April 4th, 2020 at 13:00 IST

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