‘He refused to play cover drive’: Steve Waugh recalls how Sachin Tendulkar thwarted Australia’s plan in 2003 Sydney Test to score 241

Steve Waugh went on to recall how Australia felt they had an upper-hand over Sachin Tendulkar during the 2003-04 series, as they saw Sachin getting out repeatedly while playing his favourite cover drive shot.

Former Australia captain Steve Waugh recalled India batting legend Sachin Tendulkar’s sensational hundred in the 1992 Perth Test. Tendulkar was only 18 years old at the time as he struck a memorable ton on a Perth track that had a lot of assistance for the fast bowlers as he went on to become the youngest batsman ever to register a Test hundred in Australia.

Sachin Tendulkar batting against Australia in the Sydney Test in 2003(Twitter)

Speaking in a video uploaded on cricket.com.au, Waugh said that he knew Sachin was someone special after seeing his knock at Perth.

“I watch this 17-year-old (Sachin Tendulkar) score a century at Perth on a pitch with bounce and pace, which subcontinent players weren’t supposed to do well on.

“This 17-year-old scored a century, so straight away you knew he was special, something different,” Waugh said.

Waugh then went on to recall how Australia felt they had an upper-hand over Sachin during the 2003-04 series, as they saw Sachin getting out repeatedly while playing his favourite cover drive shot.

But the Master Blaster thwarted Australia’s strategies as he curbed his instincts and did not play a single cover drive shot in the 2003 Sydney Test. Sachin went on to score 241 in the Test.

“We did think for a while that he had a weakness with the ball coming back in through the gate driving on the up. We got him out a couple of times so maybe we could get him out playing the cover drive.

 “That was our plan in Sydney and he refused to play a cover drive and got 241 not out. So it just shows he can adapt his game and overcome the plans of the opposition,” Steve Waugh recalled.