"I played against Sachin two times and dismissed him twice"- Saeed Ajmal says he was not scared to bowl against Tendulkar
Former Pakistani off-spinner Saeed Ajmal spoke about playing against the legendary Sachin Tendulkar in India vs. Pakistan matches. Ajmal named Tendulkar as a legend of the game, but at the same time, claimed that he was not afraid to bowl against the former Indian batsman.
During an appearance on the Nadir Ali podcast, the host asked Ajmal to name the wicket that makes him proud. Ajmal bagged 448 international wickets in his career, and he named Tendulkar as the wicket which made him feel proud.
"Sachin. He is a legend. He scored more than 20,000 runs. It is a big thing to take his wicket. When I played with him, I realized what it means to play a match against Sachin. I also played the MCC match with him. He was my team's captain," said Ajmal.
"He told me, 'Show me your doosra'. Legend is a legend. I respect him. But at the same time, it was not tough for me to bowl against him. As a cricketer, I have played two times against Sachin and dismissed him twice," he added.
"Even now I am saying it was out" - Saeed Ajmal says DRS favored Sachin Tendulkar in 2011 WC semifinal
During the 2011 World Cup semifinal between India and Pakistan, Saeed Ajmal trapped Sachin Tendulkar in front of his stumps, and had the batsman given out. However, Tendulkar asked for a DRS referral and the tracking showed the ball missing the leg-stump. Hence, the Indian batsman was given not out.
Speaking on that seminal moment in the match, Ajmal said:
"The controversy is still going on. Sachin Tendulkar was out LBW. Even the umpire said. Even now, I am saying it was out. They cut the two frames at the end so that the ball missed the stumps. Otherwise, the ball would hit the middle stump."
Later in the game, Ajmal dismissed Tendulkar. But the Indian batsman had added quite a few runs by that time. The former Pakistan spinner said that the Indian fans abused him a lot after that wicket.
"After I dismissed Sachin Tendulkar in 2011 World Cup semifinal, the Indians abused me so much. If Indians are watching this podcast, I will not leave you (Laughs). They abused me so much, I can't tell you. But those words from Indian fans were boosting my energy," Ajmal said.
Tendulkar faced 24 balls from Saeed Ajmal in his ODI career. The Indian batter scored 14 runs off those 24 deliveries, hitting two boundaries. He also lost his wicket twice to him.