India reached the final of the 2003 ICC ODI World Cup in South Africa, where they lost to Australia. It was a magical run to the final, losing only one match on the way to the trophy, but it was the game against Pakistan that got the 'Master Blaster' worried, he revealed during the India Today Conclave.
Matches between the rival nations India and Pakistan are always a feisty affair, and Sachin said that he was told to 'win the match at all costs and no matter what happens in the other matches. This gave him sleepless nights.
"I had a sleepless night before the match because you know India and Pakistan is always a big game. When people got to know they started talking about it, saying 'this game India has to win no matter what happens in other matches'. So, I said what do you mean? There was that pressure, expectations were there," said Tendulkar at the Conclave.
While discussing this moment, Tendulkar also recreated his famous shot against Shoaib Akhtar — a square cut that landed in the stands. He gave his fans a treat by showing how he took a swipe at the fastest bowler on the earth during his innings of 98 runs which helped India chase down 273 runs in 46 overs.
"These kinds of shots are not planned, when you see the ball and have time to play then you go for it. That's exactly what happened. I saw that the ball was a little bit outside the off stump and it was short," Sachin added.
India beat Pakistan by six wickets in that match.
Meanwhile, Sachin suggested a change in the format of ODI cricket, which is getting monotonous according to the star batter. "Coming to the second bit, we should be playing 25 overs first. Divide it into 4 halves, like in Test cricket. In Test cricket you have 20 wickets, here you only have 10 wickets. If you are dismissed, you are out of the game for the next 25 overs as well. You can't come back and bat," he said.
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