Harbhajan recalls when he 'irritated' Tendulkar: 'Could gather enough courage..'

You may say perfectionis animpossible goal as those who become preoccupied with it inevitably set themselves up for failure Harbhajan Singh would beg to differ If there is someone closest to achieving perfectionthe only name that he can ever think of is Sachin Tendulkar The 42yearold has been a close friend of the maestro for more than 20 years and his memory bank is full of Tendulkar stories both on and off the fieldPaaji is perhaps someone who is closest to being a perfect cricketer Obviously as a person he is a role model and an example of how to lead your life with dignity humility despite enjoying godlike status and insane following in our country Harbhajan told PTI during an interaction ahead of Tendulkars 50th birthdayAsked to share his memories Harbhajan laughedThere are way too many He has a guiding light in my life Some are too personal and emotional which I will keep for my story But I can share a few with you guys To understand the genius of Sachin Tendulkar one little story will be enough During the entire 2003 World Cup in South Africa Paaji didnt bat in the nets for even one single day The Indian bowling unit performed well but neither Javagal Srinath Ashish Nehra Zaheer Khan nor Anil Kumble or myself bowled even once to him at nets during the tournament he recollectedFor the record Tendulkar finished the tournament with more than 600 runs including the epic 98 against Pakistan at the Centurion the slash over third man off a short ball by Shoaib Akhtar still fresh in memoryAlso Read Yuvraj calls Tendulkar his guardian angel challenges him to a golf game on 50th birthdayBut how he got match ready during that World Cup is one question that comes to everyones minds at this junctureIn 2003 we didnt have those throwdown apparatus RoboArm like we have today But we had a gentleman named Shyamal who would give Paaji throwdowns from 18 yards and at times 16 yards He would take throwdowns for hours and that was his practice He was very big on preparation and visualization of bowlers he would face In those preanalyticy days there used to be video analyst though in his head he knew how to tackle each bowler Harbhajan saidThe reason he took throwdowns at times from 16 to 18 yards was to ensure that during the match the same delivery would come to him a split second late and give him that extra time to manoeuvre He had all shots in the book During my peak no one played my doosra in the Indian nets as comfortably as Sachin did Man he could read the hand of the bowlers and in a flash would adjust his footwork Yes I have dismissed him a number of times in the nets but he has also hammered me No one played the conventional sweep like he did He knew when to play the sweep shot up in the air or when to just play the paddle and keep the ball along the groundHarbhajan said he is proud that he has been a part of an Indian dressing room and has watched Tendulkar hit at least 6065 of his 100 international hundredsI have been at the other end during some of those knocks But nothing beats the feeling of watching those twin hundreds at Sharjah as an 18yearold Harbhajan recalledYes he has 49 ODI hundreds but those two knocks in Sharjah and the 98 against Pakistan at Centurion are three knocks that I will remember till my last day In 1998 275 was like 350 and in a World Cup game in 2003 270 plus was a par score Chasing in highstakes game requires a different mindsetHarbhajan then narrated a funny story when he was first selected in the Indian team and got a chance to bowl to Tendulkar in the netsI had bowled to Sachin as an academy bowler when Indian team played its matches in Mohali but once I was selected in the Indian team it was a different atmosphere So it happened that I got a chance to bowl to Sachin Now after a few deliveries I felt that he summoned me by nodding his head upside down So I just went up and asked him Haanji Paaji Aapne bulaya Did you call me Paaji Now Sachin when he is batting he doesnt talk to anyone He is just in his zone and told me NoAfter a few minutes again a nod of his head and I again went up and this time he seemed a bit irritated as it was hampering his practice He asked What happened why are you coming up time and again I could gather enough courage to tell him that since he was nodding his head after each delivery I felt he wanted to speak to meAlso Read Sachin Tendulkar recalls 1986 Midday interview There were occasions whenThen he laughed and told me the actual reason behind his noddingIn those days he used to wear a helmet that was slightly oversized or loose I may say So after every delivery he would just nod his head upside down to adjust the helmet before facing the next deliveryAsked if he had any message for his paaji on his 50th birthday Harbhajan said Just pray for a long healthy life and keep inspiring us like you have always doneWith PTI inputs