Mumbai: Sachin Tendulkar has come up with anew ploy to negotiate speed merchants Shoaib Akhtar of Pakistan and Brett Lee of Australia as well as other quickies in upcoming battles -- playing with wet rubber balls on concrete pitches.
The batting genius asked a few aspiring fast bowlers to soak the rubber balls in a bucket of water before facing them on a concrete pitch at the MIG club here on Tuesday, the club secretary and former Mumbai Cricket Association vice president Praveen Bharve said on Wednesday.
"He asked the young fast bowlers to bowl the wet rubber balls at his rib cage at full speed and then asked them to make the ball kick up from the good length spot on the off and leg stump so that he could play improvised shots on either side," he added.
"He also asked them to bowl full length balls and short pitched stuffs so that he could perfect his drives, pulls and occasional hook shots. When they started mixing up the deliveries, Sachin was all concentration till the skies opened up," Bharve said.
"In fact Sachin had practised with the rubber balls even before the Australia and Pakistan tours early this year but this was the first time he asked the balls to be soaked in water before facing the bowlers," he said.
"There is also a likelihood that some of the Indian cricketers might avail of this facility on our ground before they embark on the short tour of Holland and then on to England for the Natwest Challenge against England and then the all important ICC Champions Trophy," Bharve said.