'The moment he lifted his bat, knew he was out' - Shoaib Akhtar reflects on Sachin Tendulkar's first-ball dismissal from 1999

Shoaib Akhtar has revealed his plan on getting Sachin Tendulkar out on the first ball in a Test match at Eden Gardens in 1999. Pakistani speedster came into highlights for his 8-wickets in Asia Test Championship against India but more for bowling out Rahul Dravid and Tendulkar on consecutive deliveries.

The Rawalpindi Express also revealed how legendary figure Wasim Akram helped him get Tendulkar’s wicket in that match. Akhtar clean bowled Dravid and then had a little chat with Akram. Akram told the pacer to keep the ball in stump line and bowl reverse-swing and the latter delivered the same. This was the first ball he ever bowled to Sachin and the friendly rivalry grew later.

“When Sachin was getting ready to take a strike, Wasim Akram advised me to bowl reverse swing. He told me to ensure that the ball ends up in line with the stumps after pitching. Initially, I was very anxious about getting him out. But when I started running in, I was completely focussed as I wanted to get my run-up completely right – whether it was my jump or my bowling action.”

“The moment Sachin lifted his bat, I knew he was out. His backlift was really high and I knew the ball was reverse-swinging a lot. I wasn’t surprised with the result since I had planned the delivery.” Shoaib revealed on Sportskeeda video.

Shoaib Akhtar opens up on his friendly banter with Saqlain Mushtaq over who is getting Sachin out:

The 46-year-old cricket pundit also shared some insights into that match. He revealed his interaction with a spin-great Saqlain Mushtaq before the match. Shoaib was unaware of who the Eden Gardens crowd is referring ‘god of cricket’ and Mushtaq revealed Tendulkar’s name. Then Shoaib joked with Mushtaq over who will get Sachin out in that match.

“There were 1 lakh people inside the stadium and almost as many waiting outside. I was speaking to Saqlain Mushtaq and I asked him who the crowds were referring to as the ‘God of Cricket’. So he told me that in India, Tendulkar is considered God. My instant reply was – what if I get him out? He reminded me that he had dismissed Tendulkar in the last two Tests. So, we got into a friendly banter over who would get Sachin out,” Shoaib continued.