Mohammad Kaif went on to bat with Tendulkar and put on a partnership of 102 runs during the World Cup match between India and Pakistan in 2003.
Sachin Tendulkar hit a match-winning 98 against Pakistan in 2003 World Cup (Reuters Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- It was a crucial match for India and Sachin Tendulkar’s 98 ensured that India managed to win the game
- Even 17 years later, the six over point continues to stand as one of the defining memories of India-Pakistan rivalry
- Kaif also added that Tendulkar never liked it if someone appreciated his shots while he was batting
Former India batsman Mohammad Kaif, who was part of the 2003 World Cup squad in South Africa, where India lost out to Australia in the finals, recalled Sachin Tendulkar’s iconic six off Shoaib Akhtar during the 2003 World Cup match between India and Pakistan in Centurion.
It was a crucial match for India to win, and they were up against their arch-rivals Pakistan, and Sachin Tendulkar’s 98 ensured that India managed just that.
It was in the second over of India’s innings when Tendulkar went after a short and wide ball from Shoaib Akhtar, which was timed so well that it flew over the point boundary for six.
The six was followed by a superbly-timed flick for a boundary off the next ball and capped the over off with a straight drive down to the boundary.
‘SACHIN NEVER SEEMED TO MISS THE BALL’
Recalling that moment on the Watch Along episode of the India vs Pakistan 2003 match on Star Sports, Mohammad Kaif said, “The six he hit of Shoaib Akhtar over point and the flick after that to fine-leg for a boundary… that is Sachin’s strength that he never gets LBW, he never missed the ball. That is why he was such a great batsman because the bowler has that weapon to bring the ball in and get the batsman bowled or LBW, that happened to Sachin very few times in his career.
“The six over point, the iconic shot that is shown again and again, is a shot he never plays. Very rarely have we seen him playing that shot. I have seen him punch the ball or hitting shots on the rise but that upper cut, with his heavy bat playing against a bowler who is bowling at over 150 kph is a very difficult shot,” he went on to add.
Mohammad Kaif, who batted with Tendulkar and put on a partnership of 102 runs during the World Cup match, added that Tendulkar never liked it if someone appreciated his shots while he was batting.
“I was told to just stay there. Sachin didn’t believe in talking too much. When Sachin Paaji is batting, it is like a meditation. He is in his own different zone. So, he doesn’t like talking too much,” Kaif said.
