India vs England Test Flashback: When Sachin Tendulkar got stumped in Test cricket

England’s tour of 2001/02 of India began with a 3-match Test series which was their first Test series on the Indian soil since their 3-0 defeat in 1993. Things didn’t start well for the visitors as Anil Kumble’s 11 wickets in the match helped India to take a 1-0 lead by a 10-wicket win. Deep Dasgupta’s century while Sachin Tendulkar (88) and Rahul Dravid’s (86) crucial knocks helped India to win the series opener in Mohali.

England bounced back in the 2nd Test in Ahmedabad to take a substantial 107-run lead despite Sachin’s fighting 103-run knock. India played out 97 overs in the 2nd innings chasing 374 to draw the game. In the final Test in Bangalore, England made 336 in their first innings and once again it was Sachin who kept the fight on with an unbeaten fifty at end of day two despite the hosts were five down for 121.

The visitors needed to dismiss the master-blaster to have a chance to level the series. At this point, Nasser Hussain made Ashley Giles bowl to Sachin a negative line outside the leg-stump. Sachin continuously negotiated the defensive tactics without offering any shot. In this process, he played out four consecutive maiden overs off the left-arm spinner. In the morning session of the day three, Giles figures read 11-8-9-0 as Sachin and Virender Sehwag kept the scoreboard ticking at the other end.

However, Tendulkar had enough of Giles’ tricks and started to play shots straight away after he came back for another spell in the 2nd session. He hit Giles for consecutive boundaries; one toward deep mid-wicket clearing the infield and one more with a sweep shot. He tried to play chip shots for a couple runs and moved into the 90s. Giles continued to bowl the same line in his next over.

Sachin Tendulkar played out first four balls of the over without offering a shot before going down the ground for a big shot on the 5th ball. However, Sachin ended up missing the delivery and got stumped by the keeper James Foster when he was on 90, the only time he was stumped in his 200-match Test career.

Sehwag too good for Giles and co:

The plan might have worked in Sachin’s case for England but Virender Sehwag wasn’t going to fall for the same. Giles tried same lines for the aggressive batsman who ended up sending the ball to the boundary on the leg-side. He regularly charged down the ground against Giles hitting him to the mid-wicket fence. In the 27 balls faced from Giles, Sehwag scored 26 runs with six boundaries.

Sehwag was caught behind off Matthew Hoggard after a quick-fire 88-ball 66 that included 13 fours. India were bowled out for 238 conceding a 98-run first innings lead. The game was continuously affected by the rain and only 7.1 overs of England’s 2nd innings was possible in which they made 33/0. The match was eventually ended in a draw with India winning the 3-match Test series by 1-0 margin.