"Most Of The Tour Was Over But My Frustration Was Only Increasing" - Sachin Tendulkar Recalls Battling With A Painful Toe Injury During Australia Tour In 2011-12
Updated - 04 Jun 2023, 12:59 AM
Batting great Sachin Tendulkar recalled an interesting anecdote when he was battling a painful toe injury during the Australia tour in 2011-12. He recalled how the tour turned out frustrating for him as he was having unbearable pain and his wife rushed down under to convey him about not going for surgery.
Sachin Tendulkar is the best cricketer that has touched the cricket bat. Even till this time there hasn’t been a player who has matched his calibre. Numerous cricketers idolize him as he has shown them the way how to deal with various situations and approach their game.
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Sachin Tendulkar suffered a toe injury in 2000. It was a serious one that ruled him out of the action for a while. But during the 2011 World Cup, it resurfaced and troubled him during the tour to Australia following the World Cup. He recalled that during the games down under, it became unbearable for him.
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To worsen the case for him, hard Australian pitches made it more difficult for him, and was suggested by doctors to take surgery. He recalled how he contacted his wife and told her that he’ll go surgery as was in immense pain. But his wife flew to Australia and conveyed him to not go for surgery. Speaking at the book launch event, he narrated:
“In the year 2000, I had a toe injury in South Africa following which I took injections as well. The same injury resurfaced after the 2011 World Cup. I don’t even know; I did not do anything which would have put strain on it. In fact, I was in London for leave and I was going to join the (Indian) team there,”
“(In Australia) it was very painful and unbearable. I had used bandages, changed my insoles twice, and was just managing to play somehow. Most of the tour was over but my frustration was only increasing. The Australian grounds are hard, which was making it even more difficult. The doctor suggested getting a surgery done,”
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I had to run, so my pain increased too much and I consulted a doctor in Australia. He suggested that I need to do a surgery, and even my other leg was hurting. So I shared this with Anjali, I told her that I can’t take this pain anymore and that ‘I have had enough’ and I will do surgery. I said ‘I am informing the team that I cannot play, I am in pain and it is difficult’, after hearing this, Anjali came to Brisbane literally in 48 hours only to stop me, to not have this surgery,”
“Ajit was instrumental in finding solutions,” Sachin Tendulkar Opens Up About His Century at SCG during 2003-04 Australia tour
Sachin Tendulkar also opened up about his famous century at the SCG during the Australia tour of 2003-04. The innings was most famous because ahead of that he was getting out on low totals and in that innings, he didn’t play a single cover drive, which was his trademark shot.
Sachin’s brother Ajit Tendulkar played an instrumental role in him getting that century. He recalled how his brother made him realize that he was going for poor shots and getting out with his own mistakes rather than the bowlers’ excellence.
Sachin Tendulkar accepted the challenge of not getting out that his brother threw at him and he returned with the knock of unbeaten 241 runs in 436 balls and then scored unbeaten 60 runs in 89 balls. Years late, the batting maestro has credited Ajit for the success in his career and recalled how he used to tell him to prepare for the game on the eve. He elaborated:
“I was batting well in Australia, but was not scoring big runs. So, I had a conversation with Ajit before the Sydney Test. He had observed my batting and said: ‘There was not any technical fault in your batting. But the flaw is in your shot selection’. He said I need to be more disciplined while playing shots. One more thing he said: ‘I don’t think a bowler is getting you out. You played the wrong shot and that’s why you got out. So take the challenge that no one would get you out in this Test’. I accepted that challenge.
“Fortunately, I scored in both innings and remained unbeaten throughout the Test. So he was instrumental in finding solutions and I am sitting in front of you just because of him. I actually learnt how to do pre-match preparation when I was in school, because since then only Ajit made sure that I prepared better for the next day’s match.
“He used to tell me that ‘match would not start at 9.30 am next day; you started thinking about it on the eve of the game’. Since then I got into the habit of ironing my own clothes. I still remember when I was playing my 200th Test and I was ironing my whites on the eve of that Test. The reason for doing that is when I was seeing my whites while ironing, my subconscious mind started preparing for the game.”
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