Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar hailed Zaheer Khan’s catch during India Legends seven-wicket win over West Indies Legends in the first match of the Road Safety World Series at the Wankhede Stadium here last month, saying it was probably the quick’s best catch, including during his playing days.
Virender Sehwag and Tendulkar turned back the clock as they led India Legends to a seven-wicket win over the West Indies Legends.
Sehwag and Tendulkar’s 83-run opening stand set the foundation as Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif later combined to help chase down a target of 151 with 10 balls to spare.
The Road Safety World Series was later postponed due to the ongoing concerns over coronavirus.
“Zaheer… there is a funny incident with him on the ground,” Tendulkar shared on his Youtube channel.
“When Ricardo Powell was batting, this was in the 14th-15th over or so. I know I have played against Ricardo Powell and I know how much power he generates. I don’t know for what… Zaheer was standing good 10-12 yards inside the line and I kept telling him ‘Zak go back, go back’. But the crowd was so loud he could not hear me and neither was he looking at me. So I was like ‘what are you doing?’. And Ricardo Powell hits the ball to him.
“I was standing at short fine and I could see he hadn’t timed the ball well. I was like okay it will go to his hand. The moment Zaheer started going backwards, I thought to myself this catch is gone. Then, suddenly out of the blues he takes a blinder.
“I think Zak — let me go on record and say — that was your’s life best catch’. Including your playing days, by the way. That was actually the turning point of that game because if Ricardo Powell had lasted even 10-15 balls at that time, the total would have been different.”
The batting legend, who led the team in that game, also heaped praise on Kaif for being so fit even now. “Let me start with Kaif. We had nicknamed him ‘bhai saab’. So, we used to say ‘bhai saab thoda sambhalke’ (be careful). ‘There are many more matches to go. Don’t get injured in the first match’. But it comes naturally to him. If you are fit, you continue doing those things and Kaif was a fit guy.”
“We had one outstanding fielder, I can say, in our team. Other two outstanding fielders… one is Munaf Patel, who surprised everyone. Some of his stops on the boundary line were incredible,” said a smiling Tendulkar.
That was the first match of the Road Safety World Series and was played on March 7.