When Ravi Shastri Told Sachin Tendulkar to “Shut Up” During a Test in Australia – When it comes to Indian cricketers admired by Australians, Sachin Tendulkar easily tops the list. Even the great Don Bradman once called him a special player, and that was before Sachin had even begun rewriting record books. Recently, former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri shared a funny story from their playing days – a moment when he actually told a young Sachin to “shut up” during a match in Australia.
Why Ravi Shastri Told Sachin to Stay Quiet
Speaking at the Summer of Cricket Lunch hosted by Cricket ACT, Ravi Shastri took everyone back to a memorable Test match in Sydney in 1992. He recalled how Sachin Tendulkar, after getting sledged by the Australians, planned to give it back to them once he reached his hundred. But Shastri had different advice for him.
“I remember one at the SCG. It was Sachin’s first tour. I had just reached a hundred, and Sachin had just come to bat. And he was being sledged by the Waugh brothers (Steve and Mark). ‘You little this, you little that’. And Mike Whitney had come on to the field as a 12th man. I was having a pow-pow with Allan Border until I reached my 100. He took the ball in his hand and said, ‘Get back into your crease; I’ll break your head’. I turned around there. There were mics, and you could be fined. So I went on the centre of the pitch and I shouted across the SCG, ‘Hey Mike! If you can claim to throw as well as you can bowl, you wouldn’t be the 12th man of Australia. And that was it,” Ravi Shastri said.
“Sachin came to me and said, ‘Wait till I get to my hundred. I will also give them some of this’. I told Sachin ‘You shut up. You’ve got enough class; your bat will do the talking. Let me do the talking. And from 100 to 200, there wasn’t a word but at the end of the game, they were the first guys in the dressing room with a beer. Play it hard. You’ve got to be competitive. That’s what the crowd respects. That’s what the opposition respects,” he added.
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The Iconic Sydney Partnership
The Test match Ravi Shastri referred to turned out to be a special one for Indian cricket, even though the series itself was tough. In that game, Ravi Shastri and a teenage Sachin Tendulkar built a brilliant 196-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Shastri scored a superb 206, becoming the first Indian to hit a Test double century in Australia, while Sachin remained unbeaten on 148. The young prodigy would go on to score another century – 114 – in the final Test at Perth, marking his arrival on the big stage.
The Journey of Two Legends
That Sydney Test was one of the last few matches of Ravi Shastri’s playing career. Having debuted in 1981, he retired in 1992 at just 30 years old due to injuries. Since then, he has gone on to become one of the most respected voices in world cricket – both as a coach and commentator.
Sachin, meanwhile, went on to create history. Beginning his career in 1989, he played until 2013, setting countless records along the way. Decades later, he continues to be a source of pride and inspiration for cricket fans across the world.
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