'I had not bowled a single ball till the 50th over' - Sachin Tendulkar recounts his 1993 Hero Cup heroics against SA

The 50th over bowled by Sachin Tendulkar in the 1993 Hero Cup semifinal against South Africa is one that is etched in Indian cricketing folklore. The South African side needed 6 runs off the final over for victory and that was when the ball was tossed to Tendulkar.

The ‘Little Master’ gave away just 3 runs in the 50th over and helped India to a famous win. And now, Tendulkar has recalled his heroics with the ball in that match against the Proteas almost three decades ago.

Tendulkar admitted that he had not bowled a single ball till the 50th over of the match, and added that his fingers and his body were extremely stiff.

“I remember I hadn’t bowled at all till the 50th over, not a single ball I had bowled so and because it was a bit chilly, you know my body was stiff, my fingers were also stiff and you know I had actually taken a lot of time to warm up,” said Sachin Tendulkar while speaking on his YouTube channel.

I told Azhar that I am confident to bowl: Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar also added that he told his skipper Mohammad Azharuddin that he was confident to bowl the final over of the match. Adding that every run mattered, Tendulkar said that the entire crowd was with the Indian team. The 48-year-old cricket legend concluded by stating that every dot ball that he bowled was appreciated by the crowd, and the pressure mounted on the opposition batsmen.

“When we met in the middle, I told Azhar that I am more than happy to bowl and I am confident that I can bowl this over and then it was decided that I would bowl. I had just made a suggestion that I am confident to bowl the last over, if you want me to bowl, I’m okay.

Once it was decided then I said okay fine. I’m trying to hit the ball on my fingers and then I am warming up because every ball mattered. Every run mattered there. But the way the crowd was with us was incredible, you know. Each dot ball was appreciated, unbelievably and that sort of mounted pressure on them,” concluded Tendulkar.