Sachin Tendulkar may not be a sledger, but he does not mind giving back what he gets when words start flying in the heat of battle. The Indian batsman had a verbal duel with Australian speedster Glenn McGrath during Saturday’s World Cup match between the two sides which the defending champions won by nine wickets. Tendulkar, who started off in a belligerent fashion, was forced to slow down when the lanky pacer decided to bowl him wide outside the off-stump. “There was one pull shot he had and I just mentioned to him ‘make sure you pick the right one to have a pull at’ and he had a go at me for not bowling at the stumps. “I said, ‘why would I?’ you always smash me when I bowl straight’,” said McGrath. McGrath said the little champion answered him back as he was frustrated for failing to score at will. “For him to have a go at me for not bowling at the stumps meant I was frustrating him and doing my job well,” he was quoted as saying. The fast bowler said though they have got a very good relationship off the field, Tendulkar does not mind saying a few things to him on the field. “Normally he says more to me than I say to him, I’ve noticed in the past. “We get on well off the field, there’s no problem, it’s fun and games. I even made him smile on Saturday, which was a bit of a rarity,” McGrath said.
