The legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s wish to Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga on his 35th birthday on Tuesday indeed stood out.
The right arm bowler was not only known for his unorthodox action but also for his extraordinary curly hairstyle. Tendulkar’s wish thus was a throwback to the days when he and Malinga played together where the Master Blaster said that he paid attention to his bowling and not his hair.
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“When it came to batting against #LasithMalinga, I always said … baal ko nahin, ball ko dekho (don’t look at the hair, look at the ball). Happy birthday, my friend,” read Tendulkar’s wish on Twitter.
Malinga and Tendulkar shared the same dressing room during their stint with the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. The veteran Sri Lanka international was one of the biggest names in the IPL till 2017 before he wore the mentor’s hat for the Mumbai franchise.
Tendulkar fell victim to Malinga twice in Test cricket and four times in ODI cricket. Malinga’s slingy action was very difficult to read on the part of a batsman. No wonder the pace bowling wonder has 198 and 68 wickets respectively in 204 ODIs and 68 T20Is and Tendulkar’s message indeed makes sense in this light.