Monty Panesar, England spinner has explained how and veteran fast bowler James Anderson planned on dismissing the great former Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar during India vs England Tests. Sachin Tendulkar was prolific against several bowlers of his time but was never at his free-flowing best against England spinner Monty Panesar and pacer James Anderson.
In fact, James Anderson has dismissed Sachin Tendulkar nine times in Tests while Monty Panesar got his wicket four times in 11 Tests.
Monty Panesar Felt End Or Start Of Interval After Lunch Or Tea Was The Best Time To Dismiss Sachin Tendulkar
The former left-arm spinner revealed that while getting Sachin Tendulkar was never easy, England sensed a particular pattern in his batting, and Monty Panesar and James Anderson explored it to dismiss the former India batsman several times.
“Every time there used to be an interval… the first five minutes or the end of the interval when Sachin looked like he wanted to close out. We thought that was the best time to get Sachin out. After lunch or tea, the first five minutes used to be crucial. It’s like a car that takes 5-7 minutes to warm up. Once it’s away, there is nothing stopping it. If you missed it, you had to wait for the next interval,” Monty Panesar told Sports Yaari in an interview.
In fact, Monty Panesar’s maiden Test wicket was that of Sachin Tendulkar during England’s 2006 tour of India.
Monty Panesar had Sachin Tendulkar out LBW on Day 3 of the Nagpur Test and went on to pick his wicket three more times. As a matter of fact, Monty Panesar’s delivery to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar during the 2012 home series is believed by many experts to be one of the best balls bowled ever in Test cricket. The ball looped, gripped, and turned, squaring up Sachin Tendulkar to hit his off-stump.
“This is how me dismissed Sachin so many times. Those 5-10 minutes… James Anderson knew this was the opportunity. The first five minutes after every interval, Sachin would take a little time, but once he was set, then he was difficult to get out,” Panesar added.
Sachin Tendulkar has played 200 Tests. His highest appearances in Tests is surely a record tough to break. Against England, he amassed 2535 runs in 32 Tests averaging 51.73 a little less than his career batting average of 53.79. In England, he amassed 1575 runs in 17 Tests averaging 54.31.
Sachin Tendulkar Has Many Records To His Name
In 200 Test matches, he has scored 15,921 runs in the process, with an amazing average of 53.78, including 51 Test hundreds and 68 fifties. He retired from the Test format after playing the last Test match against West Indies at his home ground Wankhede Stadium in 2013. His retirement from the game was an emotional moment for Indians.
Sachin Tendulkar has been part of six ICC World Cups but his best came in the 2003 world Cup where he scored the most runs. In 11 matches played in the mega event, he scored 674 runs which remains the most runs by a player in the single edition.
Even his prolific performance could not help India to lift up the trophy of ICC World Cup 2003. But he got the chance to lay his hands on the trophy in ICC World Cup 2011 where he was the second-highest scorer in the tournament. In ODIs, he has the most runs- 18426 and was the first player to score a double-ton. He has the most runs -34357 in his career. He has the most runs-2278 in World Cups averaging 56.95 with 6 tons in 45 matches.