Abdul Razzaq, the former Pakistani all-rounder, is highly regarded as one of the finest all-rounders to grace the game. He had a prolific international career spanning from 1996 to 2013, representing Pakistan in 46 Tests, 265 ODIs, and 32 T20Is.
Throughout his career, Razzaq had the opportunity to play alongside cricketing legends such as Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram.
Interestingly, Tendulkar, who enjoyed a career spanning 24 years and broke numerous batting records, often struggled against Razzaq’s bowling. Tendulkar has always praised Razzaq, acknowledging him as one of the toughest bowlers he faced during his international career. Razzaq dismissed Tendulkar six times in ODIs, causing significant trouble for the former Indian skipper between 2000 and 2006.
When asked about Tendulkar’s praise, Razzaq humbly expressed gratitude for the Master Blaster mentioning him in such an esteemed company. He believed that Tendulkar’s choice of words is a testament to his greatness, as other renowned bowlers like Glenn McGrath, Akram, Younis, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne could have also been named.
“First of all, Sachin Tendulkar was and will always remain a world-class batsman. However, being the star that he was and the kind of fan following which he had, Sachin didn’t need to say it (that Razzaq was a tough bowler to face). I never understood Sachin’s need to take my name. He could have named anyone – Glenn McGrath, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Ambrose and Walsh, Muralitharan, and Shane Warne. So he didn’t need to,” Razzaq said on the Nadir Ali podcast.
Despite his success against Tendulkar, Razzaq never boasted about it. He believed that being a “bunny” meant consistently troubling a batter, but he didn’t boast about it excessively.
“It was his greatness. The words he chose for me – and I’ve said this earlier as well – he was being too kind. Not once; he said it quite a few times. Even Sehwag did. A bunny is someone who constantly troubles a batter. But I never gloated in it too much,” he added.
Razzaq also mentioned Tendulkar and former Indian batsman Virender Sehwag as two of the biggest challenges for Pakistan during their playing days. He revealed that the team had specific strategies to dismiss Sehwag and Tendulkar, considering their wickets crucial to winning matches against India.
“Virender Sehwag was the most dangerous player. After that Sachin Tendulkar. Pakistan used to plan against Sehwag and Tendulkar. Our plan used to be like – if we get these two wickets – Sehwag and Tendulkar – we will win the match,” Razzaq slated.
