When Pakistan’s Saqlain Mushtaq decided never to sledge Sachin Tendulkar again

New Delhi, April 24

Sachin Tendulkar and Saqlain Mushtaq were involved in umpteen intense battles in the 1990s but one such duel left the star Pakistan off-spinner deeply embarrassed.

In one of his early battles with Tendulkar during the Sahara Cup in Canada, Saqlain thought it would be a good idea to sledge the champion batsman. As it panned out, the wily off-spinner sledged to never sledge the then Indian captain again.

“I was new when I sledged him for the first time. If I recall correctly, it was the 1997 edition. Sachin quietly came up to me and said ‘I never misbehaved with you, why are you misbehaving with me’? I got so embarrassed that I did not know what to say to him,” Saqlain told PTI over phone on Tendulkar’s 47th birthday.

“He said to me ‘I rate you high as a person and player’. I was so embarrassed that I never sledged him again. I can’t tell you what I said to him but I apologised to him after the game. Thereafter, even when he was smashing me all over, I never thought of sledging him,” recalled the 43-year-old, describing Tendulkar as one of the most humble human beings he met. PTI