Cricket is much more than just a sport in India. The sport has often been called a ‘religion’ in the subcontinent. The pressure of being an Indian cricketer is more than anything else, so are the rewards. Equating cricket to religion, Sachin Tendulkar is referred to as the God. Sport or otherwise, devotees get sentimental about their God.
Sachin Tendulkar vs. Glenn McGrath clashes was a treat for all cricket lovers. It was a square-off between two all-time batting and bowling greats. The duo was engaged in a plethora of intense battles. However, one such duel resulted in McGrath getting death threats.
Here’s what happened?
It was the first Test of the series between India and Australia, at Adelaide, in December 1999. India were set a target of 396. The then Indian captain Tendulkar walked out to bat with the side reeling at 24 for three. The fifth ball that Tendulkar faced was a bouncer that did not rise and hit him on the shoulder. McGrath appealed for an LBW, and umpire Darryl Harper ruled it ‘out’.
The incident:
More than twenty years on, Tendulkar and McGrath still aren’t in agreement. While Tendulkar thinks the ball was clearly missing the stumps, McGrath appealed because he thought it was out. Recalling the incident, in a recent interaction with TOI, the Australian legend said, “Yeah, it’s a shame that they didn’t have the DRS back then. So what had happened there was that Sachin had just come in. I don’t think he had scored at that stage. He was still on zero. I tried to bowl a bouncer and unsettle him. And it didn’t get up. It kept low. And Sachin is not the tallest player at the best of times. And he ducked and the ball hit him on the shoulder. And from where I was looking, I thought it’s hitting the stumps. I could see the bails over his head. So I appealed and the umpire gave it out. I still think it’s out. Sachin still thinks the ball was clearing the stumps by a ball and a half. So back in the old days when the umpires gave it out, that was it.”
Tendulkar fell for a duck and India went on to lose the Test by a massive margin of 285 runs. The unusual controversial dismissal led to a lot of criticism of umpire Harper and also McGrath for appealing. Things went too far when McGrath received death threats from Tendulkar fans. McGrath received those threats through Cricket Australia, and he had to be provided extra security in his home country.
“Then we went to Melbourne and Sydney for the Tests yeah, I got a few death threats. I had security. My family had security in Sydney because Cricket Australia received death threats for me because I got Sachin out. It was an unusual freak dismissal,” McGrath added.
India went on to lose the series 0-3 and Tendulkar resigned as the team’s captain. Thankfully, better senses prevailed, and there was no untoward incident. But still today, McGrath admits that Tendulkar fans remind him of the dismissal with bitterness.
You have seen the video, what’s your take?
