The world of cricket has witnessed many great Indian batsmen, with Sachin Tendulkar being the name most would consider the best of the best. However, former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq recently revealed that during his time as an active cricketer, it was Virender Sehwag, not Tendulkar, who was deemed the ‘most dangerous’ Indian batsman by the Pakistan cricket team. Sachin Tendulkar was ranked second in terms of posing a threat to the team.
Razzaq shared this surprising revelation in a conversation with the Times of India, stating, “Virender Sehwag was the most dangerous player. After that Sachin Tendulkar. Pakistan used to plan against Sehwag and Tendulkar. Our plan used to be like – if we get these two wickets – Sehwag and Tendulkar – we will win the match.”
In addition to Sehwag and Tendulkar, Razzaq mentioned that Yuvraj Singh was a player the Pakistan team considered dangerous in the middle order. Regarding bowlers, Razzaq’s team planned the most against Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, and Harbhajan Singh.
“In the middle order, Yuvraj Singh was the one. Sehwag, Tendulkar, Yuvraj were the big big names. When we dismissed them, we used to say yes, we have taken big wickets today. These were the players Pakistan seriously planned against,” Razzaq said. He further explained that the Pakistani team strategized around these players by determining how and what to bowl, setting the field, and trying different bowlers and deliveries against the famed Indian batsmen.
Similarly, Pakistani batsmen planned their approach against Indian bowlers like Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, and Irfan Pathan. Razzaq’s revelations provide an interesting insight into the mindset of the Pakistan cricket team during his era, and how they faced some of India’s most iconic cricketers.