'Practising Sweep Shot Using Fork At Dinner': Shubman Gill's India Told To Learn From 'Obsessive' Sachin Tendulkar

Twice in the space of 12 months, India have endured a whitewash in a Test series at home. Their batters have been exposed and found lacking the technique and skill required to deal with bowlers on tracks conducive for spin bowling. It’s a far cry from the days when Indian batters were known for their prowess in taming spinners.

Besides the natural ability, the willingness to obsessively address weaknesses and counter the strategies employed against them was their hallmark. Former India batter Navjot Singh Sidhu has recalled an incident from his playing days involving Sachin Tendulkar that showed how committed the batting legend was to the game.

During a Test against Sri Lanka, all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya, who bowled left-arm spin, frustrated

Tendulkar by bowling a negative line and the Indian countered by attempting to play the pull shot which proved to be his undoing.

A dejected Tendulkar was deeply impacted by the dismissal.

“He (Tendulkar) was tied down by Sanath Jayasuriya in a Test match where I was batting at the non-striker’s end. He kept bowling outside the leg stump. Tendulkar got frustrated, tried to pull, and got out because he did not know how to sweep,” Sidhu told Sportstar.

“He was sitting in the dressing room after the game. Everybody had left, but he was still there. Ajit Wadekar sir, the then team manager, asked me to get him into the team bus. I went up to him, and he said, ‘Aisa nahi chalega (This cannot keep on going).’ I replied, ‘Kya ho gaya, ek out hi hua, koi chakkar nahi hai (It’s nothing, you just got out once, no sweat). He was bowling negative, don’t worry.’,” he added.

But Tendulkar, whose pride was hurt, wasn’t going to let go.

“He (Tendulkar) called up 10 spinners, all left-armers, from Chandigarh. He reached the ground at seven in the morning and was just sweeping, sweeping, sweeping. I had never seen him sweep before,” Sidhu said.

“There was an incident during dinner. I was there, Sanjay (Manjrekar) was there, (Ajay) Jadeja was there. And with his fork, Sachin was doing this (imitating a sweep shot),” Sidhu added.

Sidhu felt the current Indian Test team must find a way to get back to where they were.

“That’s called living one idea, breathing one idea, sleeping one idea. That’s commitment. Cricket was Tendulkar’s life. Getting out like that was a blow to his self-esteem. And what hurts your pride should hurt,” he said.

“India losing at home should hurt too. But it’s not about just wanting to return to where you were. It’s about finding the means to get there. If you take care of the means, the goal takes care of itself. And the means are exactly what I’ve spoken about,” he concluded.