"Likes of Shahid Afridi were sledging and abusing him"- Virender Sehwag on Sachin Tendulkar's incredible 98 against Pakistan in 2003 World Cup
Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag believes Sachin Tendulkar's 98 against Pakistan at the 2003 ICC World Cup was the best knock of that tournament.
Pakistan set their arch-rivals a stiff target of 274 and had a world-class bowling attack. In a must-win game, Tendulkar delivered the goods and set the tone right at the start of the chase.
Virender Sehwag was amazed with the way Tendulkar didn't let the sledging affect him as he set up a famous win for the Men in Blue. In a video posted by Star Sports, Sehwag spoke about Tendulkar's incredible 75-ball knock, saying:
"Tendulkar had become so experienced by that point that he knew that he had to be fully prepared and perform for India to do well. According to me, that innings was the best knock in the World Cup."
He continued:
"Because he was cramping, I was running for him and the likes of Shahid Afridi were sledging and abusing him. But that didn't disturb his concentration as he knew he had to bat deep."
A chapter from the #GreatestRivalry that @virendersehwag deems the greatest! 🤩
Enjoy this story from the man himself and get set to #BelieveInBlue before the new edition of the #INDvPAK rivalry.
#AsiaCup2022 | Aug 28, 6 PM | Star Sports & Disney+Hotstar https://t.co/UT9gzwehrg
Virender Sehwag on how Sachin Tendulkar dominated Shoaib Akhtar
One of the fastest bowlers to have ever stepped onto the field, Shoaib Akhtar had claimed that he would prove to be a menace to India's top-order at the 2003 World Cup.
However, Sehwag recalled how Sachin Tendulkar smashed the speedster to all parts of the ground and let his bat do the talking. He stated:
"I remember Shoaib Akhtar had made a statement before that game (during 2003 World Cup) that he will target and destroy India's top-order. Although Tendulkar and I didn't read it at that time because we used to be away from the newspapers, Tendulkar gave a fitting reply by smashing his first over for 18-19 runs."
The legendary Indian batter's incredible knock helped India chase down a target of 274 with six wickets to spare.
Sachin Tendulkar 98 in 75 balls vs Pakistan #ONTHISDAY 01-03-2003 @ Centurion during World Cup. This was @sachin_rt one of the best world cup innings. PAK set a target of 273 for Ind which they achieved with 6 Wickets remaining.
12k runs during this knock https://t.co/pH3NlMtuyV
Do you agree with Sehwag's opinion about Sachin Tendulkar's knock being the best innings ever in World Cups? Let us know in the comments.