Sachin Tendulkar vs Shane Warne – An epic on-field rivalry that was the most talked about in the 90s. Till then, the Australian spin wizard had troubled almost every great batsman around the world. The ball of the century that deluded the great Mike Gatting became his hallmark. Facing him was as dangerous as any West Indies fast bowler of the 70s.
After picking up some prized wickets in his pocket, Warne arrived in India for the three-match Test series. While he was the lead spinner of Mark Taylor’s team, Azharuddin had a pocket-sized dynamo named Sachin Tendulkar in India.
Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru – these were the three venues for the series – all known for their turning tracks. A bowler of Warne’s stature could have turned it into the graveyard of Indian batting with no idea what Sachin is capable of.
While former India captain and coach Anil Kumble took 23 wickets in the entire series, Warne could only manage 10 runs. On the other hand, the Master Blaster scored 446 runs including 2 centuries and a half-century. Most of his runs came against Warne.
Later, the Indian batting great revealed that he had done his homework before facing the spin wizard.
“I prepared myself on the turning track before he came to India. I prepared with Laxman Sivaramakrishnan to deal with Shane Warne in Chennai. In Mumbai, I prepared with Nilesh Kulkarni, Rajesh Pawar and Sairaj Bahutule. It was a great exercise in which my brother Ajit also helped me. It made the most of it,” Sachin said in an interview.
This was the series after which Warne came to know who Sachin really was. Perhaps this is the reason why Warne had said during the 1998 tour, “Sachin comes in my dreams. He hits sixes on my balls there as well.”
Shane Warne – Royal of Rajasthan
It was the start of an epic on-field battle between two great players, but over time, the two developed a great bond of friendship. Their camaraderie remained even after he retired and they had a great time whenever they met.
On Friday, as the world dealt with the shocking piece about Warne’s untimely death, Sachin took to Twitter and said that he will miss the Australian legend and will never forget their ‘doubles on the field and off-field banter’.
“Shocked, shocked and saddened… will miss you Warney. There was never a dull moment with you on or off the field. Will always cherish our on field duets and off field banquets. You always had a special place for India and Indians had a special place for you. Too young!” – tweeted Sachin.
Shocked, shocked and sad… you will be missed, Warney. There was never a dull moment with you on or off the field. Will always cherish our on field duets and off field banquets. You always had a special place for India and Indians had a special place for you.
Got too young! pic.twitter.com/219zIomwjB
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) 4 March 2022
Warne, who made his Test debut against India at the prestigious Sydney Cricket Ground, was named as one of Wisden’s five cricketers for his unparalleled achievements in a career spanning 15 years between 1992 and 2007.
In 2013, the year he retired from the sport altogether, he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. His international retirement was long before that in 2007.
Warne helped Australia win the World Cup in 1999 and took more wickets than any other bowler in Ashes cricket, standing at 195.
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