Wasim Akram admits sledging young Sachin Tendulkar was a major mistake

Akram said that one grave mistake he and his fast bowling partner Waqar Younis committed was to sledge Sachin, when the prodigious youngster toured Pakistan in 1989.

One of the most engaging rivalries between two cricketing greats during the 90s was that of Sachin Tendulkar and Wasim Akram. While India's batsman maestro Sachin Tendulkar was considered the greatest with the willow in his prime, Pakistan pace ace Wasim Akram was hailed as the best exponent of seam and swing bowling during the same era. The two legends of the game had many famous encounters when arch rivals India and Pakistan clashed in some high voltage. The Pakistani pace ace recounted and relived some of those memorable encounters with Sachin . Addressing the India Today's Salaam India conclave on Sunday, Akram said that one grave mistake he and his fast bowling partner Waqar Younis committed was to sledge Sachin, when the prodigious youngster toured Pakistan in 1989. During India Today’s Salaam India conclave on Sunday, the two legends were invited as guests and the audience were enthralled with stories by the former international captains. Sachin, who made his international debut as a teenager in 1989, was already a sensation with his exploits in school and domestic cricket. Sachin had a daunting foray into international cricket as he had to face a lethal Pakistani fast bowling lineup consisting of Akram, captain Imran Khan, and an 18-year-old Waqar Younis, who made his debut in the same Test as Tendulkar. “Ahead of India’s our of Pakistan in 1989, we were reading in the papers that a young sensation (Sachin Tendulkar) is coming this time. I was 20, Waqar (Younis) was 18 I guess, so we thought how could a 16-year-old kid be so good that he is going to play Test cricket,” Akram was quoted as saying by India Today. Trying to intimidate the youngster, Wasim and Waqar hit him with a barrage of bouncers and yorkers and also decided to throw some verbal volleys at him and much to the surprise of Akram, Sachin didn’t engage them with words but continued focusing on his batting. “So, when Sachin came, in his first Test we attacked him with the ball and did sledging but even at 16, he gave no reaction. It was a sign of a top batsman as good batsmen they don’t react to sledging and keep focusing on their game,” he further added.