Sachin Tendulkar's Cryptic X Post Prompts Netizens To Recall Master Blaster's Bitter History With Umpire Steve Bucknor

Sachin Tendulkar’s cryptic social media post sparked memories of his controversial run-ins with former umpire Steve Bucknor, with netizens starting a memefest.

Sachin Tendulkar, regarded by many as cricket’s best ever batter, recently took to social media and uploaded a cryptic post, sparking a memefest on the internet as it revoked bitter memories amongst the netizens involving Tendulkar and umpire Steve Bucknor. Bucknor, the famous West Indies umpire, had a strained relationship with Sachin Tendulkar as he questionably adjudged the batter out on multiple occasions especially in the 2000s.

Tendulkar took to X (formerly Twitter) on November 16 (Saturday) and uploaded a photo of himself standing in front of a large three-trunked tree while pretending to shadow-bat as if the trunks were stumps. Tendulkar captioned the post “Can you guess which umpire made the stumps feel this big?’ and it sparked plenty of discussion prompting fans to openly mention Bucknor who made controversial decisions against Master Blaster. The name of Steve Bucknor even started trending on the social media platform.

ALSO ON ABP Live | IPL 2025 Mega Auction: Full List Of Players With Rs 2 Crore Base PriceRevoke

Here’s Tendulkar’s Social Media Post:

Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan also joined the conversation, commenting that Steve Bucknor would have been miles away from the field if the Decision Review System (DRS) had been in use during his time. “The one who would have run miles away from the cricket ground in the times of DRS.  SB,” Pathan said.

Sachin Tendulkar vs Steve Bucknor: A Tale Of Controversial Calls & Unforgettable Moments

The relationship between Tendulkar and Bucknor is defined by two controversial incidents in 2003 and 2005, which became iconic moments in cricket history. These events exposed the flaws in umpiring decisions and sparked significant debate and criticism.

In the 2003 Test match between India and Australia at the Gabba, Brisbane, Tendulkar was wrongly given out LBW by Bucknor, despite the ball clearly looking to miss the stumps by a fair margin. The TV replays later showed that the ball would have missed the stumps, making Bucknor’s decision marred by controversy. The controversial decision sparked outrage among Indian fans and the cricket community, with many criticising Bucknor's judgement and decision-making style.

Here's a clip of Bucknor's controversial umpiring:

Again during the 2005 Test between India and Pakistan at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Tendulkar was wrongly given out caught behind off Pakistan's Abdul Razzaq, despite no contact with the ball. The decision ended a promising innings and shifted the match's momentum. This, along with the 2003 incident, led to widespread criticism of umpire Steve Bucknor, overshadowing his otherwise distinguished career as one of cricket's top umpires.