Uppercut to Shoaib Akhtar in 2003 was not planned

Sachin Tendulkar during the 2003 World Cup in Southern Africa. PIC/AFP

The Indian Premier League lends itself to a whole lot of innovation in terms of strokeplay, but the upper cut executed by Sachin Tendulkar 20 years ago still evokes thrilling memories.

The master blaster played that shot which went for six off Shoaib Akhtar in the 2003 World Cup. Tendulkar recalled that moment the other day: "It was the India-Pakistan game. The momentum was with us and we decided that we should hit when we can. So, I played a shot which wasn't planned to be honest; it just happened.

"Shoaib wasn't bowling that quick, sirf 150 hi daal raha tha [only bowling at 150kmph]. I saw the length, I picked the line just outside the right eye-line and played it up and over point," Tendulkar said at the Celeste x Sachin Tendulkar event by Tanishq.

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The 1983 World Cup win by Kapil Dev & Co was a turning point for a young Tendulkar. "I looked at Kapil Dev lifting the trophy and said to myself, one day even I would like to do the same thing and this is something I should start chasing. That's how my journey began along the way.

"It's been 12 years to that golden moment. To me, that was the reason my journey started in 1983 [when India lifted their first World Cup] and to have done that full circle, [it is an] incredible experience. The best day was this day 12 years ago," Tendulkar said.