'Pakistan used to plan against...': Abdul Razzaq namedrops Tendulkar's iconic teammate as 'most dangerous player'

According to Pakistan's Abdul Razzaq, Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar was not the most dangerous player in the Indian lineup during his playing days. The ex-Pakistan all-rounder got the better of Tendulkar on six occasions in ODIs.

Former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq remained a thorn in the flesh for Team India when Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar was the face of world cricket. Plying his trade with the Green Army in the Indo-Pak clashes, the former Pakistani seamer got the better of the Little Master on six occasions in One Day Internationals (ODIs). Interestingly, batting legend Tendulkar has also hailed Razzaq as one of the toughest bowlers he faced in his legendary career.

The ex-Pakistan all-rounder got the better of Tendulkar on six occasions in ODIs (Getty Images)

Often regarded as the greatest batter in the history of the game, batting legend Tendulkar played several marauding knocks against Team India's arch-rivals Pakistan. Though Tendulkar used to be a walking nightmare for opposition bowlers during his prime, Razzaq has claimed that the Master Blaster was not the most dangerous player in the Indian lineup during his playing days.

According to Razzaq, Pakistan used to plot against legendary Virender Sehwag, who he believes was the jackpot wicket during Indo-Pak encounters. "Virender Sehwag was the most dangerous player. After that Sachin Tendulkar. Pakistan used to plan against Sehwag and Tendulkar. Our plan used to be like - if we get these two wickets - Sehwag and Tendulkar - we will win the match. In bowling, our batsmen used to plan against Zaheer Khan. Irfan Pathan was there too for some time. Harbhajan Singh was there. These were the big names who played big matches and performed for their country," Razzaq told the Times of India.

Batting icon Tendulkar amassed 1,057 runs in 18 Test matches against Pakistan. The first Indian player to score a triple century in Test cricket, Sehwag achieved the special feat against Pakistan back in 2004. Sehwag smashed 8,586 runs in 104 Test matches for India. The ex-India captain amassed 8,273 runs in 251 ODIs for the two-time world champions. The former Indian opener also played 19 T20Is for India.

“In the middle order, Yuvraj Singh was the one. Sehwag, Tendulkar, Yuvraj were the big big names. When we dismissed them, we used to say yes, we have taken big wickets today. These were the players Pakistan seriously planned against. The plan involved how and what to bowl, certain areas to bowl to them in, field setting, and trying different bowlers and deliveries against these batsmen. Similarly, our batsmen planned against bowlers like Zaheer, Harbhajan, and Irfan,” Razzaq added.