Former India batsman and a legend of the game, Sachin Tendulkar has been a phenomenon and by far the biggest megastar of cricket. The Mumbaikar has set many stunning records which a cricketer can only dream of accomplishing. Even after retiring, Tendulkar still holds the top spot of the highest run-scorer and maximum century getter, in both One-Day International (ODI) and Test format.
Be it spinners or fast bowlers, Tendulkar has faced arguably the best set of bowling attacks in the world. And even then, he was famous for playing shots in all corners of the ground. His free-flowing strokeplay and an incredibly reliable technique have helped him to reach several heights.
Front foot drives, back foot punches, hooks, pulls, paddle sweeps, square-cuts, leg-glances, stepping on the pitch and going downtown, Tendulkar was rich with every shot in the cricket book. That’s the reason why Tendulkar is being rated really high, and he is often defined by many as the best batsman after Sir Donald Bradman and Vivian Richards. Some even regard him as the best of all-time.
Speaking about the same, former West Indies fast bowler and currently a well-known commentator Ian Bishop recently revealed that Tendulkar was the most challenging batsman he has ever bowled to.
“Sachin Tendulkar is one of the most difficult batsmen to whom I have bowled in my career. He always used to hit in the straight lines,” Bishop said in Star Sports’ show ‘Cricket Connected’.
Bishop appeared in 43 Tests and 84 ODIs for West Indies. The Trinidadian cricketer took 161 wickets in the longest format and 118 in ODI cricket. Tendulkar, on the other hand, played 200 Tests and 463 ODIs for India, in which he scored 15,921 and 18,426 runs, respectively. The ‘Master Blaster’ is the only man to have scored 100 international centuries – 51 in Tests and 49 in ODIs.