10 instances when Indian cricketers made opponents deeply regret sledging them

Sledging has been an integral part of the game since ages and has only increased as time has passed on. It is a tactic commonly used by the bowling side to get under the skin of the opposition batsmen and push them into losing their wicket.However, this iconic tactic, of which the Australian cricket team are pioneers, has ended up backfiring on several occasions and has led to dire consequences for teams using it. A number of such instances have involved Indian cricketers and they have paid the opposition back with interest.Here are 10 memorable instances when opponents deeply regretted sledging Indian cricketers:

#10 Glenn McGrath learns why not to sledge Sachin Tendulkar

McGrath's verbal assault was bettered by Tendulkar's assault, albeit with the bat.

The 2001 Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia was a memorable one for numerous reasons. However, there is one event that occurred involving two icons of the game from either country which not many may remember.

The 3rd Test in Chennai was the decider as both teams had won a Test each. A Matthew Hayden double century ensured that Australia scored 391 in their first innings. In response, India batted even better and put on a formidable 501 on the board courtesy of a Sachin Tendulkar ton.

At one stage in Sachin’s innings, Glenn McGrath bowled a barrage of bouncers at the great man and asked him to hook the ball to the fence. The Indian genius was unmoved and kept his concentration going as he knew he was the key for his team.

However, when McGrath returned to bowl his next spell, Sachin Tendulkar was ready with his response and hammered a pull which flew to the boundary. He followed it up with two smooth cover drives, the second of which prompted the bowler to imitate the shot in his follow-through.

The Indians won the Test and completed a historic series win over the Australians.

#9 Umar Gul gets a taste of Virender Sehwag

Sehwag smashed Gul for 21 runs in one over during the 2011 World Cup semifinal.

The India-Pakistan encounters at World Cups have always been a high-octane affair despite the relevance of the matches. So a semi-final involving the Asian giants was certainly going to be like a war with both teams going at each other.

Prior to the game, Pakistani opening bowler, Umar Gul, had made it clear that he would be targeting India’s top three batsmen as they were highly dependent on them. However, none of the Indian batsmen seemed to have anything to say about it.

Virender Sehwag took it on himself to give Gul a fitting response on behalf of everyone. In the 3rd over of India’s innings, Sehwag hammered Umar Gul for 5 fours in the over as the Pakistan speedster gave away 21 runs.

India won yet another World Cup encounter against Pakistan and reached the final while Gul was left wondering if he had done the right thing by sledging the Indians.

#8 James Faulkner is quietened by Virat Kohli

Faulkner’s attempts to sledge Virat Kohli failed miserably

India’s recent ODI series against Australia may have ended up being disastrous in terms of the result, but the batsmen were in incredible form, especially Virat Kohli. The Delhi batsman failed in just one match and scored 2 centuries in the series.

One of Kohli’s centuries came in the 3rd ODI at the MCG even as India proceeded to lose the game thanks to a great Aussie chase. Australia’s James Faulkner tried to sledge Virat Kohli after the latter played and missed at one of his deliveries.

However, Kohli responded by saying that he has smashed Faulkner enough in his life and asked him to go and bowl. The very next ball saw Virat blasting one to the boundary as the bowler was left speechless and he carried on to get a hundred.

#7 Alec Stewart could not deter Sourav Ganguly from creating history at Lord\'s

Ganguly plays a shot during his 131 on debut at Lord’s

Sourav Ganguly is known to be one of India’s greatest captains, but he was also a classy batsman. The southpaw started his career with a bang when he scored a century on debut at Lord’s and followed it up with another one in the next match.

Ganguly once revealed an interesting sledging incident related to his maiden century. The left-hander has just walked in to bat at the fall of an Indian wicket and Alec Stewart, who was not playing as wicketkeeper, but as a batsman, tried to unnerve him by loudly urging the bowlers to get him out quickly.

Sourav Ganguly was never one to take things lying down and was quick to get back at Stewart. He told the Englishman to allow Sourav to play his 1st Test in peace as he had already played 100 Tests in his career.

This was followed by a remarkable century in a drawn encounter between the two teams.

#6 Craig McDermott\'s threat brings the best out of Sachin Tendulkar

Tendulkar raises his bat to acknowledge one of his best innings

The chronicles of Sachin Tendulkar’s illustrious career are numerous and it is difficult to pick that one defining moment. However, by Tendulkar’s own admission, we know that he considers his 114 at Perth in 1992 as a turning point for him.

The master’s incredible innings as an 18-year old has a sledging event attached to it as well. Sachin scored another century in the series and it came in a stalemate at Sydney. The pitch was supposedly a flat one and the bowlers had to toil hard, especially the Australians.

Aussie paceman Craig McDermott was frustrated even as Tendulkar went about his business and issued a warning that he would see Sachin at Perth. The stadium which is known to possess the fastest pitch in the world was an even greater nightmare for batsmen then.

When the confrontation between McDermott and Sachin Tendulkar happened in the 5th Test at Perth, the great Indian batsman prevailed with his outstanding knock.

#5 Shoiab Akhtar fails to stop Virender Sehwag from becoming \'Sultan of Multan\'

Sehwag scored his maiden triple century against Pakistan

Being the first and only Indian player to score a triple century is one of the several great achievements by Virender Sehwag in his glittering career. Another thing which is remembered a lot about Sehwag is the equation he shared with Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar during his playing days.

Viru, as he is fondly called, etched his name in India’s cricketing history during the 2003/04 Test series against arch-rivals Pakistan. He did this by scoring the very first triple hundred by an Indian batsman in the 1st Test at Multan.

During Sehwag’s epic knock of 309, Shoaib Akhtar tried his best to get on the dashing opener’s nerves by bowling bouncers after bouncers and verbally provoking the batsman to go after him. Although unperturbed by Akhtar’s actions, Virender Sehwag did ask the close-in fielders whether the pacer was bowling or begging.

Sehwag hammered his way to a triple century and India inflicted an innings defeat on Pakistan.

#4 Mitchell Johnson & Co pay the price for fussing with Virat Kohli

Johnson tries to get under Virat Kohli’s skin at Melbourne

Virat Kohli loves playing against the Australians and boasts of an incredible record against the men from down under. The best bit is that Kohli has learnt to combat Australia’s sledging tactics with his words as well as with his bat.

India’s tour to Australia in 2014/15 may not have been the best in terms of results, but it certainly provided a platform for Virat to show why he is India’s best batsman. The 4-match Test series saw the aggressive batsman score 4 majestic tons and ending up as the 2nd highest run scorer of the series.

The Indians were already 2-0 down as the two teams met in Melbourne for the 3rd Test with Australia posting a mammoth 530 in their 1st innings. The visitors came up with a valiant response riding on centuries from Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane to end up with 465.

During Kohli’s innings of 169, Mitchell Johnson continuously kept sledging Kohli and the latter kept retaliating. However, not for once did the talented batsman lose his focus, and played out a stellar knock to shut the mouths of the opposition.

#3 Aamer Sohail calls trouble by provoking Venkatesh Prasad

Sohail walks back after losing his off stump to Prasad

The Aamer Sohail-Venkatesh Prasad duel from the 1996 World Cup is one of the greatest moments in the history of the India-Pakistan rivalry. Apart from that, it is also a brilliant example of how sledging can backfire badly for the side that initiated it.

Chasing 288 to win against the Indians in the 2nd quarter-final, Pakistan rocketed to 84 in the first 10 overs courtesy of a blazing opening partnership between Sohail and Saeed Anwar. Despite Anwar getting out, his partner continued on his merry way and reached a fine half-century.

With the stage set for a Pakistani win, Aamer Sohail lost the plot after smashing Venkatesh Prasad to the boundary as he gestured his bat towards the fence and asked the bowler to fetch the ball. Prasad’s epic response came on the very next ball as he sent Sohail’s off stump cartwheeling and showed him where the pavilion was.

The momentum of the game shifted completely and India made their way into the semis with a 39-run victory.

#2 Abdul Qadir makes the biggest mistake of challenging Sachin Tendulkar

Tendulkar teaches the Pakistani veteran a lesson

Drafted to the Indian team at a very early age of 16, Sachin Tendulkar displayed glimpses of his ability on his maiden tour against the Pakistanis. This included playing on even after being hit on the nose by a Waqar Younis delivery and smashing ace Pakistani leggie Abdul Qadir out of the park.

It was a 20-over game that had been scheduled to cover up for an abandoned ODI between the two teams. Needing 69 more to win in around 5 overs, Sachin Tendulkar got after a young Mushtaq Ahmed in an attempt to up the ante.

Seeing this, Abdul Qadir walked up to Tendulkar and challenged him to hit off his bowling instead of Ahmed's. The young champion obliged and blasted Qadir for 28 runs in an over, which included 3 consecutive sixes off the last 3 balls.

Although the Indian team lost the match narrowly, Sachin Tendulkar ended up scoring 53 in just 18 balls.

#1 Stuart Broad suffers as Andrew Flintoff sledges Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj takes Broad to the cleaners en route to his 12-ball 50

Yuvraj Singh set the cricketing world on fire when he hammered 6 sixes off a single over from Stuart Broad on course to the fastest fifty ever in any form of the game. Yuvraj’s incredible feat came in the India-England game at the inaugural edition of the ICC World Twenty20 in 2007.

However, it might not have happened if Andrew Flintoff had not indulged in sledging the hot-headed Indian batsman prior to the over. Yuvraj Singh was so charged up after the argument with Flintoff that he unleashed himself on Broad, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Even as Yuvraj went about completing his magical feat, Andrew Flintoff was left wondering why he tried to indulge with the Indian southpaw. Having put 218 on the board thanks to Yuvraj Singh’s heroics, India won by 18 runs.