Sachin Tendulkar bowls, Wankhede erupts in celebration
In 199 Test matches Sachin has picked up 46 wickets, with his last coming in the first Test against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens last week.
- NDTVSports
- Updated: November 16, 2013 11:23 AM IST
Sachin Tendulkar may have enthralled fans as a batsman for the last time in international cricket in Mumbai on Friday with a classic 74. However, his fairytale farewell may yet have another chapter. On Day 3 of the second and final Test versus West Indies on Saturday, Sachin was thrown the ball by skipper MS Dhoni in the hopes that a wicket serves as the icing on the cake to the Master Blaster's glorious 24-year-old career.
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While Sachin has broken almost every record with the bat, he has been no mean bowler. "Sachin is a very skillful bowler. He is respected as a bowler by opposition batsmen across the world," said former teammate VVS Laxman.
In 199 Test matches Sachin has picked up 46 wickets, with his last coming in the first Test against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens last week. Sachin trapped Shane Shillingford leg-before wicket as India romped home to an innings victory.
"Sachin can be phenomenal with the ball, added Laxman. "He can bowl the googly and the flipper to great effect."
Incidentally, his best figures of 3/10 came at the Wankhede Stadium against a mighty South African batting line-up in 2000. Future coach Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs and Shaun Pollock were Sachin's victims on that day. Sachin is far more effective in ODI cricket however, with a staggering 154 wickets in 463 matches.
"Sachin can be phenomenal with the ball, added Laxman. "He can bowl the googly and the flipper to great effect."
Amazingly, India's most successful bowler in Test cricket Anil Kumble had earlier said that Sachin threatened his place in the side! "I have played 132 Tests with Sachin. I never threatened Sachin's place in the team as a batsman but he sometimes threatened mine as a bowler. He was a natural spinner of the ball," Kumble, a proud owner of 619 Test wickets.