Sachin Tendulkar and Shoaib Akhtar had several on-pitch battles in the 1990s and early 2000s. While Shoiab did get the better of the master blaster on eight occasions, (5 in ODIs and 3 in Test matches), Tendulkar too had considerable success against the speedster. Most notably this occurred during the 2003 ODI World Cup in South Africa. Tendulkar was at his supreme best as he scored 98 from 75 balls, facing the likes of Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis and Wassim Akram. Tendulkar's famous square cut of Shoaib Akhtar for a maximum, became a talking point of that innings.
As part of the India Today conclave in Mumbai, Sachin described and re-created that famous shot at the townhall. Tendulkar picked up a bat and explained to the audience the genesis of the shot.
"I saw the ball picked the length, first I thought I should let it go, but then saw that the ball was quit out so I hit it and got it right"
India take on Australia in the 1st ODI against Australia in Mumbai today. Captain Rohit Sharma pulled out because of prior family commitments. Hardik Pandya will lead the side against Steve Smith's Australia as both sides look to finalize their squads ahead of the ODI World Cup in India this year.
India will also be without Shreyas Iyer. The batsman sustained an injury in the fourth Test of the Border Gavaskar Series and didn't come out to bat in the final Test. Iyer is currently undergoing treatment for a back injury.
