"Straightaway you knew he was special" - Steve Waugh recalls Sachin Tendulkar's brilliant innings Down Under
Former Australian skipper Steve Waugh recalled Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar's Test hundred at Perth in 1992, which has been called one of the finest innings played by a visiting batsman on Australian soil.
Tendulkar was just 18 years of age when he became the youngest batsman to score a hundred in Australia.
The Perth pitch was regarded as one of the fastest and bounciest in the world. Thus, it was naturally difficult for batsmen from the subcontinent to adjust and adapt to the conditions.
However, Sachin Tendulkar showed incredible maturity in his shot-selection and managed to score 114 runs off just 161 balls.
Speaking to cricket.com.au, Steve Waugh explained how Tendulkar's magnificent knock at Perth proved that he was the next big thing in world cricket.
"I watch this 17-year-old (Sachin Tendulkar) score a century at Perth on a pitch with bounce and pace, which subcontinent players weren't supposed to do well on. This 17-year-old scored a century, so straight away you knew he was special, something different," Steve Waugh said.
Steve Waugh also recalled Sachin Tendulkar's gritty double hundred at Sydney
In the 2003-04 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Australian bowlers had an upper hand on Sachin Tendulkar. They were constantly getting the Little Master out trying to play the cover drive, which was one of his favorite shots.
Thus, before the final Test at Sydney, Tendulkar made the decision to not play the cover drive at all. Despite the Aussies trying to entice him into playing the shot by bowling outside off-stump, he showed amazing patience and curbed his instincts.
Sachin Tendulkar managed to score a brilliant 241* and helped Team India retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Steve Waugh was impressed with the way Tendulkar adapted to the situation and kept the opposition at bay.
"We did think for a while that he had a weakness with the ball coming back in through the gate driving on the up. We got him out a couple of times so maybe we could get him out playing the cover drive. That was our plan in Sydney and he refused to play a cover drive and got 241 not out. So it just shows he can adapt his game and overcome the plans of the opposition," Steve Waugh asserted.
In the 20 Tests that Sachin Tendulkar played Down Under, he scored 1809 runs at a fantastic average of 53.20, with six hundreds to his name.
His dominant numbers in Australia speak volumes about how great a batsman he was, especially in testing conditions.