Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
As everyone waited for the weather to clear on Day 2 of the Centurion Test between India and South Africa at the SuperSport Park, the broadcasters aired one of the most special innings played by an India batter in South Africa, Sachin Tendulkar’s 50th Test century that the former India batter scored at this very ground all the way back in 2010.
Tendulkar has a fine record in South Africa.
The legendary batter has toured the rainbow nation six times and scored six centuries. He began with a wonderful 111 in Johannesburg in 1992, followed by an equally impressive 169 at Cape Town in 1996. Five years later, Tendulkar scored 155 in Johannesburg, and although he wen without a century in 2007/06, the former India captain dazzled with two centuries in his final tour of the country.
During the 2006/07 tour, as Tendulkar faced South Africa in Durban, a young Morne Morkel was making his debut, and as it turned out, the first ball he bowled to was to the master batter. Morkel, who retired as one of South Africa’s best Test bowlers, revealed he was a nervous wreck on his debut, knowing he had to start his career by bowling to the great Tendulkar.
“I’ll tell you what. When I made by debut in 2006. I bowled my first over to Sachin. I remember Polly (Shaun Pollock) game me the ball and I felt paralysed. I thought ok ‘I am going to have to bowl this ball. To play against him in 2010. it was a Test match where on Day 1, there was a lot of rain. We managed to bowl India for 130 or so,” Morkel said on the Byju’s Cricket Live.
Five years later, Morkel got a chance to bowl to Tendulkar again, only this time he was pretty confident. Tendulkar’s 111 not out came in a losing cause as South Africa won the match, but the genius of Sachin which Morkel witnessed is still fresh in his mind like it was yesterday.
“Conditions got better for batting later on but just the way he went about his trade in that second innings was fantastic to see. It was a big bat to bowl to. The bat felt very wide. It was sort of plan we threw at him and ye he had an answer for. It was a special memory for me,” Morkel added.
