South Africa's veteran pacer Wayne Parnell admitted that India's legendary batters Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag gave him tough times with their fearless batting. Wayne Parnell was a part South African cricket's golden era, which boasted legends such as Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn, and Morne Morkel. Though this talented squad never managed to win an ICC trophy, the fearsome Proteas attack, of which Parnell was a key member, was one of the most respected and feared in the international arena.
During a conversation with CricTracker, Parnell, who has played 73 ODIs for South Africa and has taken 99 wickets, shared some of his experiences, including the challenges he faced on the field. He admitted to having panic attacks when he had to bowl to the legendary Indian batter Virender Sehwag. During the conversation, the former cricketer also spoke candidly about his career highlights, his time playing in the IPL, and his future plans after stepping away from professional cricket.
Wayne Parnell on how Tendulkar-Sehwag used to give him headaches
When asked to name the Indian batters who challenged him the most, Wayne Parnell immediately singled out two prominent names: Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. Parnell explained that both players gave him "headaches" with their powerful and aggressive batting styles, making them incredibly difficult opponents to bowl against.
"I think the answer everyone probably looking for is Virat Kohli, but for me when I started playing, Virender Sehwag gave me many headaches and also Sachin Tendulkar as well when he scored that 200, he made batting look very, very easy. He was very skilful as well. Sehwag used to hit a lot of boundaries whereas Tendulkar will manipulate the field, he will hit at a certain space, we try to cover that place, and he moves across and hits to some other place. He was really, really smart the way he played. Those two probably gave a lot of sleepless nights early on when we played against India. Also, bowling to someone like MS Dhoni in death, it was very, very difficult," Parnell told CricTracker.
If we combine the ODI run tally of Tendulkar (18426) and Sehwag (8273) it accumulates to 26,699 runs, which shows the immense reputation and dominance of these two batting legends during their careers.
Parnell was then asked if any memorable conversation or piece of advice from an Indian cricketer had particularly stuck with him.
"I’ve had a lot of good conversations with a lot of guys. But, one thing that really stands out for me was with Ashish Nehra. I grew up admiring him, a fellow left-arm seamer. I was lucky enough to play alongside him one season at Pune Warriors India. I remember having a conversation upstairs at Pune stadium while eating dinner. I think it was along the lines of understanding your role within a particular team and how to set up a team. That’s something I have taken up across the world wherever I played. And also to stick to what you’re known for. Obviously, for me, as a left-arm seamer, it was to swing the ball, which I lost a little bit. It feels like a one-touch move, kind of tapping back into something I’ve had success. That was a wonderful conversation and that is something I will pass on to my fellow cricketers and also youngsters coming up is to understand what your strengths are and really tap into it, which makes you different," Parnell added.