“Sachin had a specific plan in mind and he told all the players to attack Warne”: Balvinder Singh Sandhu reveals Sachin Tendulkar’s plan of stopping Shane Warne in 1998

Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne faced each other in India in 1998 and Balwinder Singh Sandhu has gave some details of the tour.

After Shane Warne’s unexpected death, the cricketing world is in shock. The legendary Australian leg-spinner passed away on 4 March 2022 from a suspected heart attack in Thailand.

Warne made his debut against India, and he is just one of the two bowlers to have 1000 international wickets. Only Muttiah Muralitharan took more wickets than Shane Warne in international cricket.

Shane Warne is arguably one of the greatest players to ever play the game. He was the first bowler in the world to claim 700 test wickets. He ended his career with 708 test wickets, whereas he has 293 ODI wickets under his belt.

Sachin Tendulkar’s plan to stop Shane Warne in 1998

The rivalry between Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar was one to watch out for in the late 1990s. When Australia came to India in 1998, it was promoted as the Shane Warne vs Sachin Tendulkar series. Balvinder Singh Sandhu revealed that Sachin Tendulkar started his preparation for Warne before the actual series.

Mumbai faced Australia for a three-day game, and Sachin lead the Mumbai side. Tendulkar also scored a double-century in the game, and Mumbai won the game by ten wickets. Sachin Tendulkar also had a particular plan for Shane Warne.

“Sachin had a specific plan in mind and he told all the players to attack Warne. On the Indian wickets, Warne was the only Aussie bowler, who could trouble our batsmen,” Balvinder Singh Sandhu told Mid Day.

“So, instead of being defensive against him, Sachin advised the boys to be positive and to ensure that they were not done in by Warne’s reputation.”

Sachin Tendulkar was on fire in the series, and he won the Man of the Series award. He scored 446 runs in the series, whereas Shane Warne scalped ten wickets in the series. The idea of Sachin Tendulkar to attack Warne was fruitful for the Indian series. Balwinder Singh Sandhu also recalled the same.

“The plan to attack Warne worked well as it not only benefited the Mumbai team but also the Indian team,” Sandhu added.

“The message for Team India’s senior batsmen was clear that if you attack Warne, you can prevent him from dominating you.”

Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar were great rivals, but they had a lot of mutual respect for each other.