I rate Sachin Tendulkar's 136 in Chennai higher than Sehwag's 309 at Multan: Saqlain Mushtaq

Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag– both the stalwarts of Indian cricket hold tremendous values in terms for their stellar batting performances for the national side.

One of the most iconic knocks of Tendulkar was at Chepauk, where the Master Blaster stitched a resilient 136 against Pakistan in 1999. Similarly, one of the most famous batting expeditions of Sehwag was also against Pakistan, where he smashed a triple ton at Multan in 2004.

Former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, who was at the receiving end during both the aforementioned knocks, said that Tendulkar’s fighting 136-run knock was much tougher than Sehwag’s triple ton.

Mushtaq, who bowled against both the Indian stars in those two innings, picked Tendulkar’s gritty knock over Sehwag’s brutal batting show. According to Saqlain, Sachin’s 136 came in much tougher conditions as the atmosphere surrounding the India-Pakistan Test series in 1999 was tense.

There was no fight or battle in Multan: Saqlain Mushtaq

“I rate the 130 odd runs that Sachin Tendulkar scored in the 2nd innings in the Chennai Test match ahead of the triple century scored by Virender Sehwag. Because we had gone with full preparation at that time. It was a fight, there was a battle,” Saqlain said on the Cricket Baaz talk show on YouTube.

“Here (Multan 2004), there was no fight or battle. And it was the 1st innings of the Test match, not the 2nd innings. It was the 1st innings, first-day pitch, no preparation. Some good deeds of his parents or his own good deeds worked for him,” he added.

Saqlain said Sehwag had the benefit of certain things such as a flat wicket and Shoaib Akhtar’s injury. Sehwag, at Multan, wreaked havoc on the bowlers and stitched a blistering 309 to become the first Indian to score a triple ton in the longest format. Saqlain’s spell was woeful in the match as he conceded as many as 204 runs from 43 overs and only scalped a solitary wicket.

“I feel it was a tailor-made situation for him. Nature was kind on him. I am not saying that he is not a good player, he is a great player, he is a very good player.

Not because I was injured and Shoaib Akhtar was also injured, the wicket was flat, conditions were tough for the bowlers, the whole bowling unit had collapsed. There were issues in the Board, Inzamam was accidentally made the captain, someone else was the captain,” Saqlain pointed out.

Here’s the video: