Sachin Tendulkar's 50th birthday: Harbhajan shares stories of 'Paaji'; stuns with 2003 World Cup revelation
Sachin Tendulkar will be turning 50 on Monday. Ahead of the same, Harbhajan Singh has made a shocking revelation that the ICC World Cup 2003 Man of the Tournament did not bat at the nets.
FollowThere are no perfect cricketers, but if there is someone closest to perfection, the only name that legendary former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh can ever think of is the legendary former Indian Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar. One of India's greatest spinners, Harbhajan has been a close friend of the maestro for more than 20 years, and his "memory bank" is full of Tendulkar stories, both on and off the field.
"Paaji [as junior teammates refer to Tendulkar] is someone closest to being a perfect cricketer. As a person, he is a role model and an example of how to lead your life with dignity and humility, despite enjoying the god-like status and insane following in our country," Harbhajan told PTI during an interaction ahead of Tendulkar's 50th birthday.
Asked to share his memories, Harbhajan laughed. "There are way too many. He [Tendulkar] has a guiding light in my life. Some are too personal and emotional, which I will keep for my story. But, I can share a few with you guys," the 'Turbanator' said.
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"To understand the genius of Sachin Tendulkar, one little story will be enough. During the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, Paaji didn't bat in the nets for even one day. The Indian bowling unit performed well, but neither Javagal Srinath, Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan nor Anil Kumble or myself bowled even once to him at nets during the tournament," Harbhajan recollected.
Tendulkar finished the tournament with more than 600 runs, including the epic 98 against Pakistan at the Centurion, the slash over the third man off a short ball by Shoaib Akhtar still fresh in memory. So, how did he get match ready during that World Cup?
"In 2003, we didn't have those throw-down apparatus [Robo-Arm], like we have today. But, we had a gentleman named Shyamal, who would give Paaji throw-downs from 18 yards and, at times, 16 yards. He would take throw-downs for hours, and that was his practice. He was huge on preparation and visualization of bowlers he would face. In those pre-analyticity days [there used to be a video analyst, though], in his head, he knew how to tackle each bowler," Harbhajan said.
He took throw-downs, at times from 16 to 18 yards, to ensure that during the match, the exact delivery would come to him a split second late and give him that extra time to manoeuvre. "He had all shots in the book. During my peak, no one played my doosra in the Indian nets as comfortably as Sachin did. Man, he could read the hand of the bowlers and, in a flash, would adjust his footwork," revealed Harbhajan.
"Yes, I have dismissed him several times in the nets, but he has also hammered me. No one played the conventional sweep as he did. He knew when to play the sweep shot up in the air or when to just play the paddle and keep the ball along the ground," added Harbhajan.
The Twenty20 [T20] cricket has witnessed innovative shot-making being taken to a different level, but Harbhajan felt that Tendulkar's basic game was so strong that he didn't need to play fancy strokes. "I don't think in the last 25 years among Indian batters. There has been anyone who has played more strokes in 'V' than Sachin. He could play within the 'V'; if you can score before the wicket, you don't need too many innovations," Bhajji stated.
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Harbhajan is proud that he has been a part of an Indian dressing room and has watched Tendulkar hit at least 60-65 of his 100 international hundreds. "I have been at the other end during some of those knocks. But nothing beats watching those twin hundreds at Sharjah as an 18-year-old. Watching him scythe through the Aussie attack was such a great feeling. I didn't play the finals, but I was a part of the XI when he scored the other hundred," Harbhajan recalled.
"Yes, he has 49 ODI hundreds, but those two knocks in Sharjah and the 98 against Pakistan at Centurion are three knocks that I will remember till my last day. In 1998, 275 was 350; in a World Cup game in 2003, 270 plus was a par score. Chasing in the high-stakes game requires a different mindset," he reckoned.
He then narrated a funny story about when he was first selected for the Indian team and got to bowl to Tendulkar in the nets. "I had bowled to Sachin as an academy bowler when the Indian team played its matches in Mohali, but once I was selected in the Indian team, it was a different atmosphere," he remembered.
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"So, I got a chance to bowl to Sachin. After a few deliveries, I felt he summoned me by nodding his head upside down. So, I just went up and asked him, 'Haanji Paaji? Aapne bulaya'? [Did you call me Paaji?]. Now Sachin, when he is batting, he doesn't talk to anyone. He is just in his zone and told me 'No'."
"After a few minutes, a nod of his head and I again went up, and this time he seemed a bit irritated as it was hampering his practice. He asked, 'What happened? Why are you coming up time and again'? I could gather enough courage to tell him that I felt he wanted to speak to me since he was nodding his head after each delivery," he disclosed.
Then, he laughed and told me the actual reason behind his nodding. "In those days, he wore a slightly oversized or loose helmet. So, after every delivery, he would nod his head upside down to adjust the helmet before facing the next delivery," he divulged. Tendulkar was like a pillar of strength for Harbhajan during his lowest phase -- the 'Monkey Gate' scandal -- where he was accused of racially abusing the late Andrew Symonds.
Since the incident happened during a partnership between Harbhajan and Tendulkar, the legend was also summoned for a hearing. He stood firmly by his younger teammate, who was later absolved of wrongdoing. Asked if he had any message for his "paaji" on his 50th birthday, Harbhajan said, "Just pray for a long, healthy life and keep inspiring us as you have always done."
