Sachin Tendulkar unveils how he got chance to open the innings for India
Sachin Tendulkar unveils how he got chance to open the innings for India
Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar states that he had to beg and plead to open the innings for the men in blue in an ODI match against New Zealand in 1994, looking back on the crucial point of his career.
The transition from middle order to opening turned out to be an act of genius as the latter concluded his career with 49 centuries in ODIs. Which is also a world record.
Posting a clip on LinkedIn, Sachin Tendulkar reminisced the stages leading to that ODI against New Zealand.
“In 1994, when I started opening the batting for India, the strategy used by all teams was to save wickets. What I tried to do was slightly out of the box,” he said.
“I thought I could go up front and take the opposition bowlers on. But I had to beg and plead to please give me a chance. If I fail, I won’t come after you again,” he added.
Making use of that clip as a specimen, Sachin Tendulkar urged his followers to never shy off from taking risk.
“In that first match (against New Zealand at Auckland), I scored 82 off 49 balls, so I didn’t have to ask again if I would get another chance. They were keen for me to open. But what I’m trying to say here is, don’t be afraid of failure,” Tendulkar said.
Sachin may have ended his career with a record breaking 49 ODI hundreds, but his first ever century came after five years of his debut. Sachin Tendulkar smashed his first ODI century against Australia in Colombo on September 1994.
The 46 year old concluded his career with 18426 runs in 463 games.