Sport | Cricket

Tendulkar returns to where it all began

Besides being the only Indian player from the current team to have played in Faisalabad earlier, this stadium is special for Sachin Tendulkar in other ways too.

  • By K.R. Nayar, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 23:32 May 3, 2009
  • Gulf News

Faisalabad: Besides being the only Indian player from the current team to have played in Faisalabad earlier, this stadium is special for Sachin Tendulkar in other ways too.

It was from here that Tendulkar revealed his talent to the world through a half century.

After being bowled out for 15 in his debut Test in Karachi, he exhibited his fighting spirit for the first time against an attack comprising Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis to hit a spirited 59.

After that innings, Tendulkar had revealed that Sanjay Manjrekar, who is now commentating for Ten Sports from Dubai, had guided him through the innings.

"Manjrekar told me to play myself in and not to try too many shots. I decided not to do anything fancy and gradually I became more and more confident. I told myself in the end that Test cricket is not so difficult after all," recalled Tendulkar about his Faisalabad innings.

It was also through the Faisalabad Test that Kapil Dev arrived on the international stage.

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