Why did Sachin Tendulkar take to the upper cut in Australia?

Former South African captain Shaun Pollock claimed that Sachin Tendulkar had once told him that he found it difficult to tackle the “short-pitched” bowling in Australia but effectively managed with shots over wicketkeeper and slip-cordon. “He talked to me once about going to Australia and understanding he couldn’t take on the short-pitched deliveries anymore so […]

By PTI Apr 16, 2020, 12:54 IST

Why did Sachin Tendulkar take to the upper cut in Australia?

Former South African captain Shaun Pollock claimed that Sachin Tendulkar had once told him that he found it difficult to tackle the “short-pitched” bowling in Australia but effectively managed with shots over wicketkeeper and slip-cordon.

“He talked to me once about going to Australia and understanding he couldn’t take on the short-pitched deliveries anymore so he would ramp the ball over the wicketkeeper and slip,” Pollock said in a podcast with Sky Sports.

Pollock, who took 393 ODI wickets and 421 scalps in Tests besides scoring over 3,500 runs in both formats, said there was a time when all their plans would fall apart against Tendulkar and they would wait for him to make a mistake.

“There were times, especially in the subcontinent, where you thought, ‘I’m not sure we can knock this guy over’. We were hoping he would make a mistake, rather than had a genuine plan,” said Pollock.

Considered one of the greatest batsman to have played the game, Tendulkar ended his illustrious career after amassing 34,357 international runs across all the three formats.

He had scored 18,426 runs in ODIs and 15,921 runs in Tests. The batting maestro also is the only batsman to have scored 100 international centuries (51 Tests and 49 ODIs).