The "No cover drive" story: Time when Sachin Tendulkar bossed Australian attack

Sachin Tendulkar (Pic: AFP)

We have been knowing Indian great Sachin Tendulkar for his masterful strokes and humongous records. There are many inspiring stories of the former cricketer on and off the field. Among those stories, is the one which came against cricketing giants Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Back in the year 2004, in the Test series between India and Australia, the hosts were able to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar by continuously bowling him outside the off stump. Before the start of the fourth Test match, Tendulkar's elder brother, Ajit challenged him to try and stay not out. The Indian great accepted the challenge and as he was getting out due to playing outside off stumps deliveries, the veteran decided not to play a single cover drive throughout the match.

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The Aussies led by legendary captain Steve Waugh stood firm on their decision to bowl Tendulkar outside the off stumps in order to snap his wicket as they did in the previous games. Sachin Tendulkar sensed that the Aussies were trying to play with his patience and that's when the batting icon said, "It's 1 vs 11, let's see who loses patience first. I'm not going to play a single cover drive."

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After that what Sydney Cricket Ground witnessed was something extra-ordinary from the right-hander. Facing 436 balls, Sachin Tendulkar delivered an unbeaten knock of 241 runs which was laced with 33 fours. What was special about this innings was he didn't touch a single outside the off ball and registered an unbeaten double-century.

The Australian bowling attack then had the likes of Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Stuart MacGill, Simon Katich and many more. Facing these lethal bowlers and accumulating those crucial runs was not a piece of cake for anyone.

The story didn't end there! After staying unbeaten in the first innings, Sachin Tendulkar returned unbeaten in the second innings, too. He smashed 60 runs off 89 deliveries including 5 fours. The fourth Test match between India and Australia ended in a draw with Tendulkar collecting the "Player of the Match" award for showcasing another iconic knock.