Sachin Tendulkar recalls Javed Miandad’s comment after being hit on the nose: “Tera naak toot gaya hai, tere ko hospital jaana padega”

Cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar has revealed that Pakistan great Javed Miandad tried to unsettle him in his maiden Test series after he was hit on the nose by a bouncer. The former India captain recalled that Miandad tried to scare him by commenting that he had broken his nose and would have to go to the hospital.

Tendulkar made his Test debut at the age of 16 in Pakistan in 1989. In the fourth Test of the series in Sialkot, the youngster was struck on the nose by a nasty bouncer from Waqar Younis. Commendably, he carried on batting even as Miandad tried to convince him to go back.

At a recent event organized by Infosys, the Indian legend recalled the incident from his debut Test series and stated:

“My first tour of Pakistan, we were playing the fourth Test, we had drawn the first three. In the last innings of fourth Test, we were some 36/4 down. I got hit off a bouncer from Waqar Younis on my nose, I wasn't used to wearing a grill and my face was exposed to the blow. I broke my nose and I was bleeding.

"Naturally , the game stopped. Pakistan players realised that it was a crunch moment. Had I walked off, they would've been in a dominating position. They wanted to finish the game and they wanted to win. In that buzz around me, Javed Miandad -- we all know how he can be -- he was nudging me and said, 'Tera naak toot gaya hai, tere ko hospital jaana padega' (Your nose is broken, you will have to go to the hospital)."

Tendulkar also remembered Imran Khan’s comment during the incident. Imran told Miandad, "leave him alone". Concluding the story, the 49-year-old asserted that he had made the right decision to carry on batting. He explained:

“That was one moment where I felt that an injury like that can make or break you. I'm glad I did not walk to dressing room and I continued batting there. We drew the Test and we drew the series which meant a lot.”

Tendulkar went on to become one of the world’s greatest batters and remains the only player in history with 100 international tons.

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How Sachin Tendulkar fared in his debut Test series

Despite being up against the likes of Imran, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Abdul Qadir, a 16-year-old Tendulkar held his own in his debut Test series. He scored 215 runs in six innings at an average of 35.83 with two half-centuries to his name.

The right-handed batter was bowled for 15 in his first Test innings by another debutant, Waqar Younis. He scored 59 & eight in Faisalabad, 41 in Lahore, and 35 and 57 in Sialkot.