ICC T20 World Cup 2022, IND vs PAK: Tendulkar reveals strategy to deal with Shaheen Afridi
Ahead of India's clash against arch-rivals Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar has provided vital insight on how Indian batters must play pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi.
FollowShaheen Shah Afridi is one of the world's premier white ball bowlers, and Indian batters need to try and play him "straight" even if they are attacking the talented Pakistani left-arm pacer, said legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
When he was at the top of his game, Tendulkar faced off frequently against Wasim Akram, arguably the best left-arm fast bowler of all time, in limited-overs cricket. The master did talk about his experiences with PTI.
Asked what he would have done had he faced a bowler of Shaheen's calibre during his playing days, Tendulkar laughed and said, "I have not put my mind as such since I know I won't be facing him."
But then, on a serious note, he shared his point of view. "Shaheen is an attacking bowler and he likes to go for wickets. He pitches the ball up and backs himself to swing the ball. He has the capability to beat the batters in the air and off the pitch with his pace upfront. So with him strategy should be to play straight and within the 'V'," said Tendulkar.
Shaheen's greatest strength is his ability to quickly return the ball to right-handers and even convince some of them to hold their line, ostensibly without changing pace. Additionally, he is a great short ball pitcher who can rush batters and turn them into leg candidates.
The master technician Tendulkar also advised against interpreting a batter's trigger movement—the initial reaction action—as a commitment to play the shot.
"Trigger movement is a preparation to play the ball and not commitment, if you are not committing to play the ball, it could be either on front-foot or backfoot, but it is a trigger movement and not commitment," he said.
"Because once you are committed on backfoot, you can't come on the front foot and vice versa. Trigger movement is about preparation. Every ball, there is some kind of movement, as long as that is not a commitment, it is fine," Tendulkar concluded.
India and Pakistan will face off against each other in their T20 World Cup opening match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
(With inputs from PTI)
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