The 1999-series against Australia was the toughest of my career, says Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin spoke about the tough times during 1999-series

What’s the story?

Former Indian great Sachin Tendulkar has revealed that the 1999 series against Australia was the toughest series he has featured in his career which spanned over 24 years. 

"The toughest series without any doubt was in 1999 when we went to Australia and they had a great side. In a team of 11, you had literally seven to eight match-winners and the rest were also very good. That was a team which dominated world cricket for a number of years. They had their own style of playing, very aggressive," he was as quoted by the PTI.

Sachin also confessed that there were plenty of other teams which admired the Australian team. 

The Details

India were always up against the Australian team and were handed a 3-0 drubbing by the Steve Waugh-led side and barring Sachin who was also the captain of the side, none of the other players stood up against a rampant Australian side. 

The batting maestro was candid enough to admit that the Australian side was full of match winners who were well aware of their roles and this made them a tough unit to beat. 

Also, he said that Test cricket was always number 1 for him and although ODI cricket was tough as well, Test cricket will always be closer to his heart and it gave him a lot of satisfaction. 

In case you didn’t know...

One of the lowest point in the career of Sachin Tendulkar was the 1999-tour to Australia where India never quite arrived and were smashed away by the Australians. After the series, the maestro had to step down as the skipper of the side, although his own form was quite good. 

This revelation hence does not come as a surprise as he has gone on record with his statement many times on many previous occasions too. 

Watch: A Sachin Tendulkar masterclass at the MCG

 

Author's Take

India were not entirely great during the late 1990s and were time and again exposed on almost every overseas tour and hence this statement seems to ring true in every aspect. There were not enough quality players in the team and the coterie of Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, and Sachin Tendulkar had not established themselves at International level.