Oct 13, 2006 11:37 PM
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Now the Cricket bandwagon comes to India for the ICC Champions Trophy. All matches (barring the minnows) should pack a punch!! This is the time to consider a duel which could be enjoyed by the entire world.
Undoubtedly, the World's greatest batsman is Sachin Tendulkar. God might have gifted him to Cricket. The power, the grace, the style, the shots etc etc. There are times when no one has cared whether India wins. The only question is how much did Sachin score!! Some bowlers have managed to take him out, but they paid the price in bigger measure!! Best examples are Shoaib Akthar and Henry Olonga!!
There are many bowlers who can bowl to curb him, even take his wicket (Chaminda Vaas / Shaun Pollock / Shane Bond etc). But the most dangerous ever is Glenn McGrath.
The two have been around long and have known each other for quite a while. They have battled each other for more than a decade, and presently I would say the honours are shared. Tendulkar has won some duels, and McGrath has won some others. Unfortunately for us Indians, McGrath has won the most important duels: World Cup duels. Tendulkar managed to sledge the life out of Mac at Nairobi. One can't forget the pull-six followed by the 4 where he advanced.
These two should have some interesting shootouts, it will do good for the future of the entire game. Unfortunately, both have taken a defensive attitude to this. Several times have we seen Mac bowl a very defensive line to Tendulkar, so he would not be able to score. And Tendulkar at times does damp him down. And to make it worse, gifts his wicket to Brett Lee!!
If these two really go hammer and tongs against each other, everybody would be interested in watching the drama. Let's hope we see some of this during the ICC Champions Trophy 2006.
