Watching Sachin Tendulkar excel against Arshad Ayub, Venkatapathy Raju on turner convinced me of his future: Dilip Vengsarkar

NEW DELHI: Former Indian captain Dilip Vengsarkar on Saturday recalled how a young Sachin Tendulkar's impressive performance against spinners Arshad Ayub and Venkatapathy Raju during a Ranji Trophy match convinced him of Little Master’s bright future.

Vengsarkar shared the memory during the launch of the book ‘Fab Five The Pandavas of India's Batting' in Mumbai, reflecting on their partnership and Tendulkar's phenomenal career trajectory.

Vengsarkar reminisced about playing alongside Tendulkar for India and Mumbai, particularly highlighting a match against Hyderabad on a challenging, turning track.

Tendulkar’s adept handling of the spinners Ayub and Raju stood out for him.

"I remember, we were playing against Hyderabad at Hyderabad on a turning track. Arshad Ayub and Venkatapathy Raju were bowling. They were very good and me and Sachin had a long partnership," news agency PTI quoted Vengsarkar as saying.

Vengsarkar added that Tendulkar’s performance on the turning track hinted at his potential for a successful career in cricket.

“He was going so well on a turning track. I thought he was going to go places and that is what happened,” he said.

Vengsarkar, the former chairman of selectors, also dug out a nugget from that famous Ranji Trophy final between Mumbai and Haryana in 1991.

“There was this match in 1991 against Haryana — the Ranji Trophy final — and the way he batted…we were chasing 355 and we were 22 for three wickets (34/3).

“The way he played in that innings was absolutely brilliant. We could have won the game had he stayed there a couple of overs more,” said Vengsarkar, who made a valiant 139 while Tendulkar scored 96.

In one of the most memorable Ranji Trophy finals, the domestic giants Mumbai lost the final by a mere two runs against Kapil Dev-led Haryana.

Vengsarkar also remembered that former India skipper Sourav Ganguly, who made his ODI debut in January 1992, was initially picked as a ‘fourth seamer' during the tour of Australia.

“On that tour he was selected as the fourth seamer and he was asked to go to the nets. After two deliveries, he said ‘I am not a bowler and I want to bat'.

“Ganguly was told that he was picked as the fourth seamer. But he did not get opportunities on that tour. After a few years, he was picked for the tour of England,” he said.

Vengsarkar also praised former India skipper and T20 World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid for the gradual improvement he made as a player.

“Every batsman must improvise. You cannot bat in the first gear all the time. You have to bat in the second, third and the fourth gear. As the years passed by, Rahul improved tremendously and was one of the best batsmen in the world,” Vengsarkar said.

The Mumbaikar also recalled VVS Laxman's 281 against Australia in Kolkata in 2001 was ‘important' as it changed India's mentality.

“It was very important because India won against Australia. They were a strong team that time. Rahul also played very well,” he said.