Hansie Cronje Was a Difficult Proposition to Face, Says Sachin Tendulkar

Was Sachin Tendulkar being cheeky when he said that? While that statement may bring about a startled response from some, here is why it is actually quite plausible.

hansie cronje ap bat

Sachin Tendulkar made the statement that he found it hard to bat against the late former South African captain while giving an interview to The Guardian. This is what he had to say on the subject of the bowler who bothered him the most,

Honestly. I got out to Hansie more than anyone. When we played South Africa he always got me out more than Allan Donald or Shaun Pollock. It wasn't that I couldn't pick him – it's just that the ball seemed to go straight to a fielder.

I was going great guns in Durban one year and played some big shots against Donald and Pollock. Hansie came on and I flicked his first ball straight to leg-slip. I never knew what to do with him

While many would have expected him to mention Australia's Glenn McGrath or South Africa's Allan Donald, Tendulkar spoke highly of Hansie Cronje for troubling him the most.

And while some may read into his comments as something to snub the leading former and contemporary fast bowlers or even spinners of the world, what Tendulkar says has more than a grain of truth.

It is well known that most specialist batsmen plan their batting according the bowler's abilities. So, it would perhaps been a picture perfect memory for Tendulkar to play someone in the mould of McGrath or Donald.

How often has it been that even a set batsman at the crease often plays well against the reputed, regular bowler but falls for the non regular bowler with a seemingly innocuous action? These bowlers are often called men with the golden arm. And although Cronje, in classical all rounder style, bowled his fair share, he certainly would not be assumed to join the ranks of the leading bowlers in the world.

It is perhaps why Tendulkar found it tricky to play against Cronje simply because he did not fit into the mould of a textbook bowler. Cronje, however, could not live to receive this praise from the world's leading run scorer.