The legendary Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for scoring the most international centuries – 100 – a feat that is not easy to duplicate and may continue for several years to come.
Across Tendulkar’s 24-year career, controversies were rare, but the few that did arise often stemmed from umpiring errors: certain wrong decisions that saw him dismissed in the pre-DRS era. Rudy Koertzen, Daryl Harper and even Simon Taufel erred in their judgment. In fact, let’s just say his list of centuries would have been a lot more had it not been for some audacious calls made by some of the umpires back in the day. However, the one name that gets associated with Tendulkar the most among former umpires is Steve Bucknor. The West Indies official had a horrible success rate against Tendulkar, to the extent that even the Master Blaster, who opts to shy away from giving explosive or controversial statements, often has his share of fun at Bucknor’s expense.
Hence, on Monday, during Tendulkar’s first-ever Ask Me Anything session on Reddit, the former India batter shared his true feelings towards Bucknor when a fan posted the question: ‘Any comments for Steve Bucknor?’. “When I am batting, give him boxing gloves to wear (so he can’t raise his finger,” he said, once again sparking a laugh riot on the thread.
When Steve Bucknor’s decisions stunned Sachin Tendulkar
Tendulkar and Steve Bucknor form a strange subplot in his illustrious career. On more than one occasion, the West Indian umpire controversially ruled the Indian legend out when replays suggested otherwise. The first flashpoint came in Brisbane in 2003. Tendulkar offered no shot to a Jason Gillespie delivery that struck him high on the pads. To everyone’s surprise, Bucknor raised his finger for LBW. Replays later confirmed the ball would have sailed comfortably over the stumps – by nearly 10 inches. Normally stoic when it came to umpiring calls, Tendulkar looked visibly stunned by the decision.
The saga continued two years later at Eden Gardens against Pakistan. Abdul Razzaq’s delivery whistled past Tendulkar’s bat without making contact, yet Bucknor responded to a lukewarm appeal by declaring him caught behind. This time, Tendulkar’s irritation was clear; he restrained himself, but the walk back to the pavilion was heavy with frustration.
Even years later, the memories lingered. In 2024, Tendulkar amused fans on social media with a cheeky post that many took as a playful dig at Bucknor. Sharing a photo of himself in a stance before three tree trunks lined up like stumps, he left the internet in splits. “Can you guess which umpire made the stumps feel this big?” he captioned the post.