'If I gave him out, I won’t make it back to the hotel' - Dale Steyn recalls Ian Gould's message after giving Sachin Tendulkar not-out in 190s

It’s a well-known fact that Sachin Tendulkar became the first batsman in the world to score a double ton in One Day International cricket. It was back in 2010 when the Master Blast smashed his best ODI knock in Gwalior against South Africa. It was a memorable day for Sachin, but, it was a forgettable day for Dale Steyn and his bowlers.

10 years after the famous double ton, Dale Steyn has opened up on Master Blaster’s knock, which could’ve ended well before the milestone. The speedster stated that umpire Ian Gould made a horrible mistake and gave Tendulkar a life to complete his rare milestone.

Speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast with James Anderson, Proteas speedster hailed Tendulkar for piling up a lot of runs against his team. He still remembers trapping Tendulkar plumb in front of wickets in 190s, but Ian Gould gave it not out.

Ian Gould’s horrible mistake and a hilarious one-liner

“He [Tendulkar] did score a lot of runs against us. He scored the first double-hundred in ODI cricket, and it was against us in Gwalior. And I actually remember – I think I got him out lbw when he was about 190-odd. Gouldy [Ian Gould] was the umpire, and he gave him not out,” said Steyn.

“And I was like, ‘why, why did you give him not out!? That’s so dead.’ And he was like, ‘mate, look around – if I gave him out, I won’t make it back to the hotel’.”

Dale Steyn, however, saw the funny side of it, and went on to honor Tendulkar’s career by hailing his batting and how he treats a bad ball, “Especially in a place like India. You bowl a bad bowl, and he hits you four – he’s on nought and he hits you for four in Mumbai, it feels like the world is closing in on you. He’s only on 4 not out, he may as well have been on 500,” he added.

India went on to post 401/3 in the given 50 overs. Dinesh Karthik and MS Dhoni smacked fifty-plus scores. Coming to the chase, South Africa got bundled for 248 runs in 42.5 overs, giving India a 153-run victory.