5 instances when Sachin Tendulkar made opponents deeply regret sledging him

There are certain things that you just don't do. You want to wrestle bears, by all means go ahead. Fancy a fight with a lion, give it a shot. People have managed both. You can even try to get Lady Luck to smile on you and try facing a lion and a bear at the same time.But then again, there are certain things that are just not done. You don't sledge the God and get away with it. Even Lady Luck will shake her head and walk away if you try to sledge Sachin Tendulkar. Just see how two Australian cricketers are wary of sledging Sachin. Brett Lee looks reverently at Sachin and dismisses any possibility of sledging getting to him. He has said “Sachin Tendulkar is a guy you don't want to chat to, period, because he will knuckle down, same as Brian Lara. There are guys you can stir up and get stuck into and there are others you leave alone.”Shane Warne has added “With Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, it’s better to be friends and make them smile rather than wind them up.”Everyone didn't get the memo though. Here is a look at cricketers who regretted sledging Sachin Tendulkar.

#1 Abdul Qadir

Sachin showed his fearless attitude on the international stage at 16

Sachin Tendulkar marked his territory quite early in his career when he was just 16 years old. In 1989 he was facing Pakistan in a less than friendly environment. The crowd had signs reading "Hey kid, go home and drink milk." But Sachin was unfazed and he went about his business. He blasted Mustaq Ahmed by hitting two sixes in one over. That prompted Abdul Qadir to poke a lion.

Qadir came up to Sachin and challenged him saying "Bachhon ko kyu maar rahe ho? Hume bhi maar ke dikhao." (Why are you hitting kids? Try and hit me as well.)Sachin did not dignify that with a verbal response. Later he recalled "Qadir was a great bowler and I was only playing my first series. I didn't say anything, but it fired me up. I took up the challenge and gave it a go.”Give it a go he did. In Abdul Qadir's over he blew him across the field for a six. He didn't score on the next ball but he hit three sixes and one four in the remaining balls of the over. The over was recorded as (6, 0, 4, 6, 6, 6)Qadir later conceded "It wasn't like I was just feeding him: I was trying my best to get him out, but he was just so talented that he gave me no chance."

#2 Glenn McGrath

“Today I will hit you out of the ground.”- Sachin.

Glenn McGrath is one of the few bowlers whom Sachin Tendulkar got back at both through his bat and verbally. At a match in Adelaide McGrath hit Sachin with a bouncer on his shoulder as Sachin had ducked to escape the blow. The Umpire Daryll Harper declared Sachin out. That is not how he would have wanted to go.

In the ICC Champions Trophy in 2002 McGrath was again facing Sachin. One of Sachin's shots barely cleared the boundary for a six thanks to the wind. That is when McGrath made the cardinal mistake. He recalls the incident saying "I felt a little unlucky, because anywhere else it would have been a good chance to get him out with an easy catch. After that moment I gave Sachin a little sledge — one of the only times I did that in my career. He proceeded to smash us all over the ground." But that wasn’t the end of it.

Sachin also got back at McGrath in the Kenya Champions Trophy. Sachin recounts the incident saying "In the very first over, I stepped out to him. The first thing I said to him was 'Today I will hit you out of the ground.'”

McGrath understandably lost his composure. Sachin blasted him with a pair of sixers and scored 38 runs from 37 balls. McGrath failed to take a single wicket in that match. He bowled 9 overs and conceded 61 runs. Sachin said "He got really angry and started spraying the ball around. This was exactly what we wanted. As on that surface, he may have been very dangerous. We did win that match ultimately and I felt very happy. My sledging did work for the team.”

#3 Craig McDermott

Craig McDermott had it coming

Sachin had blasted the Australians with an unbeaten 148 runs in Sydney in 1992. After he hit Craig McDermott for a boundary, the bowler retaliated by saying "(expletive) come to Perth, I will see you there."

Little did he know that Sachin was never one to not oblige such a request. He was just 18 years old at the time. At Perth the conditions favoured the bowlers. McDermott was raring to avenge the 147 runs he had personally conceded to India at Sydney. He threw a blazing bouncer to Sachin who pulled it for a huge six. The blasting continued from the Master Blaster who scored 114 runs at Perth.

One can safely assume that McDermott did not bother to call Sachin anywhere else to see him after that. McDermott later said "The factor that worked for Sachin was his consistency and temperament. He could bat in all conditions. None could match that,"

#4 Moin Khan

Sachin celebrates getting Moin Khan’s wicket

Pakistan had posted a score of 364/5 in a 2004 Test between India and Pakistan. In order to win the match India had to take the remaining 15 wickets.

On the third day India were able inch closer to that as Sachin took a key wicket with his mind games and bowling. Sachin recalled dismissing Moin Khan in exhibition matches and thought he would use that to his advantage.

Moin smiled at Sachin saying "Aaj toh main tuhe chakka maroonga." (I am going to hit you for a four today.) Sachin audibly said to his team ‘Main ise pehle bhi out kar chuka hoon. Aaj bhi yeh main isko out karunga.’ (I've taken his wicket before and I will do it again)

Sachin goaded him saying "Chalo maar ke dikhao" (Go ahead, show me you can hit a four). Sachin then told his teammates to allow Abdur Razzak a single to let Moin on strike. On the very last ball of the day Sachin bowled a googly by pitching it off stump, it turned just right and went between Moin's legs and hit the leg stump.

This wicket was crucial in turning the tide for India.

#5 Andrew Caddick

Sachin made Caddick eat his words

"India hasn't been up to the mark. Both their batting and bowling have been unimpressive." said Andrew Caddick before India faced England in 2003 at Durban. As if he hadn't tempted fate enough, he added a nail to his own coffin in a manner of speaking.

"Even Sachin did not play well despite his century. Sachin's just like another batsman in the Indian team, and there are a lot of others in the Indian side. I'm sure if he opens, the guys will be more than happy.” he said.

That was the clincher. The exclamation point on challenge thrown right at Sachin. By now one and all ought to be aware that poking Sachin is akin to poking yourself in the eye repeatedly. And Caddick was taken apart brutally by Sachin in the match.

Sachin brought out the textbook and proceeded to whack Caddick all over. He finished with Sachin scored 50 runs hitting 8 fours and 1 sixer to help India score 250 runs. Caddick ended up allowing 69 runs, including 10 fours and one sixer. He was comprehensively taken apart in a clinical manner by Sachin.

There are some things you just don’t do. And taking shots at Sachin Tendulkar is one of them.