Any bowler who represents his country dreams of dismissing the best batters, and when it comes to claiming the wicket of a player like Sachin Tendulkar, it’s obviously like a dream come true.
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar broke many records during his playing career, scoring 15921 runs in Tests and 18426 runs in ODIs, but he had to face bowlers who challenged him and also took his wicket the most number of times.
This might surprise you, but yes, these bowlers bowled with a certain plan to Sachin Tendulkar and even managed to get his wicket, much to the disappointment of the Indian fans.
These bowlers had different skill sets, but they were successful in troubling the champion batsman when most found it difficult.
We take a look at 10 such bowlers who dismissed Sachin Tendulkar the most number of times in International cricket.
10. Azhar Mahmood (Pakistan: 6 Times)
The medium pacer was a handy all-rounder during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Mahmood was known for his clever seam movements.
The all-rounder could play just 21 Tests, taking 39 wickets, but was quite effective in the limited overs format, taking 123 wickets in 143 ODIs.
The ‘Master Blaster‘ found him a tricky challenge due to his ability to get movements off the wicket. He dismissed Tendulkar 6 times in International cricket.
9. Abdul Razzaq (Pakistan: 6 Times)
Razzaq was another vital element in the Pakistan team during the 1990s and 2000s who could change the outcome of any game with his batting as well as his medium pace.
The all-rounder was known for his late outswingers and seaming length. Razzaq would often surprise the batters with his hard length and leg cutters.
The medium pacer dismissed Tendulkar 6 times. He claimed 100 wickets in 46 Tests and 269 wickets in 265 ODIs.
8. Jason Gillespie (Australia: 6 Times)
Undoubtedly one of the most unpredictable new ball bowlers, Gillespie had the knack of taking crucial wickets with his clever in-dippers.
The pacer surprised the best batters, including Tendulkar, with his quick bouncers, even on batting wickets. He adjusted his seaming length depending on the wickets, which made him unpredictable.
He dismissed Tendulkar 6 times in his career, often taking his wicket during critical moments. He took 259 wickets in 71 Tests and 142 wickets in 97 ODIs.
7. Heath Streak (Zimbabwe: 7 Times)
The former Zimbabwean skipper was known for his deceptive movements off the wicket.
Streak previously dismissed some of the best batsmen with his deceptive length, and Sachin Tendulkar was among those. The Zimbabwean all-rounder had the tendency to take the pace off the ball, which made him a tricky operator.
Streak managed to get rid of Tendulkar 7 times, as he was more than capable of picking wickets with the new as well as the old ball. In 65 Tests, the all-rounder took 216 wickets, while in 189 ODIs, he claimed 239 wickets.
6. James Anderson (England: 8 Times)
The 40-year-old is still going strong as he continues to be a menace for modern-day batters.
Tendulkar found it difficult to handle Anderson in overcast conditions, as the pacer used to outsmart the champion batsman with his swing, seaming length, and uneven bounce.
Anderson swung the ball both ways, and most of the time he dismissed Tendulkar with his swing. He dismissed the right-hander 8 times in his career. The Burnley born has so far claimed 689 wickets in 182 Tests, and in 194 ODIs, Anderson took 269 wickets.
5. Shaun Pollock (South Africa: 9 Times)
The former South African skipper was unpredictable with his speed on slow wickets, while his outswingers were difficult to negotiate even in conditions that didn’t aid swing.
The former all-rounder had this natural ability to fox the batters by landing the ball outside the off stump, and on some occasions, he has dismissed Tendulkar by making him play forward.
He dismissed the right-hander 9 times in his career. Pollock used the odd slower ones during the run of play. In 108 Tests,
Pollock claimed 421 wickets while in 303 ODIs, he took 393 wickets.
4. Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka: 9 Times)
Considered to be one of the best Sri Lankan pacers of all time, Vaas was deadly with his swing and pace. The pacer got the ball to deviate after pitching even on flat batting wickets, which made him a tough negotiator.
Vaas had plans to dismiss Tendulkar by placing an extra slip fielder or a fielder at mid-off and the pacer was successful in doing so 9 times in his career.
His late swing would often fox the best batsmen including Tendulkar. In 111 Tests, Vaas took 355 wickets while in 322 ODIs he took 400 wickets.
3. Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka: 13 Times)
Tendulkar vs Muralitharan was considered one of the greatest battles as both were top performers for their respective sides.
The spin magician was known for his variations, flight, drift, and turn. The off-spinner was a nightmare for the best batters during that period.
Muralitharan always had a plan to tackle Tendulkar when the Master Blaster was on song. Either Muralitharan tried to stop him from scoring runs or was successful in taking his wicket.
He got Tendulkar out 13 times in his career. The off-spinner took 800 wickets in 133 Tests and 534 wickets in 300 ODIs.
2. Glenn McGrath (Australia: 13 Times)
This was another great battle between a world-class batter and a world-class pacer. McGrath wasn’t quick like other bowlers, but his accurate line always troubled the best batsmen, including Sachin Tendulkar.
Tendulkar looked uncomfortable against the pacer’s middle and leg line. McGrath landed the bouncers in the right areas, which didn’t give enough room for Tendulkar to pull the ball.
He took Tendulkar’s wicket 13 times. McGrath took 563 wickets in 124 Tests and 381 wickets in 250 ODIs.
1. Brett Lee (Australia: 14 Times)
The speedster destroyed the best batting lineups with his speed combined with his swing. The pacer bowled some destructive yorkers and bouncers even on flat batting wickets to get rid of the best batters of that time, including Tendulkar.
The Australian got the wicket of Tendulkar during situations when the right-hander was well set. Lee dismissed Tendulkar 14 times.
The pacer took 310 wickets in 76 Tests and 380 wickets in 221 ODIs.
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