When Sachin Tendulkar was still almost two years from playing Tests, a Mumbai schoolboy had figured out what the Shoaib Akhtars and Shane Warnes later could not — the perfect bowling strategy against the Master Blaster.

Just fake an injury and get off the pitch.

You could hardly blame the poor St. Xavier’s student for his cop-out, though. It came in the famous match where Sachin and Vinod Kambli piled an unbroken stand of 664 for Shardashram Vidyamandir.

Journalist Vaibhav Purandare, Sachin’s biographer, can’t forget those two February days in 1988.

Purandare was part of the St. Xavier’s team for the Harris Shield match but was not in the playing XI. “I was in the tent watching,” he said.

St. Xavier’s began well enough, getting the first two wickets for 84. “Our team, led by Sairaj Bahutule (who later played for India), was naturally elated. But then the Tendulkar-Kambli show began,” Purandare said.

“I remember a square cut by Sachin — it was hit so hard, the fielder instinctively removed his hand from its path.”

By the time the pair had reached their tons, Bahutule had tried all the bowlers. “Sachin had been dropped in the slips on 25. Clearly, that was turning out to be a costly error. Bahutule tried various bowling changes but without success,” Purandare said.

All this while, a team-mate who was not a regular bowler had been pestering Bahutule for a bowl. With nothing to lose, the captain tossed him the ball.

The first ball was hit out of Azad Maidan; the second got the same treatment and was lost. The third too went for a six and had to be changed as it had lost shape.

“As the bowler ran in to bowl the fourth ball, he suddenly stopped and began feigning injury — that’s how demoralised he was,” Purandare grinned. At close, Sachin was batting on 192 and Kambli was 10 runs behind.

On Day II, Shardashram coach Ramakant Achrekar, an SBI employee, was not on the ground and his assistant Laxman Chavan took over. Achrekar had left instructions that Shardashram should declare quickly and bowl the opposition out by the day’s end.

But Sachin and Kambli batted on, much to Chavan’s agony. The assistant coach kept beckoning to them but was ignored. When the pair eventually returned to the team tent, Sachin was on 326 and Kambli on 349. The score was 748-2 from 120 overs.

“A harried Chavan took them across Fashion Street to a public phone booth. Sachin apologised to Achrekar over the phone but suggested they be allowed to bat on as Kambli had just one run to complete 350,” Purandare recalled.

Achrekar would have none of it. Later, while interviewing Achrekar for his book, Purandare learnt why the coach had wanted the innings declared.

“Achrekar said he wanted the Harris Shield match to end in two days because he wanted Sachin to play in another tournament on the third day. And Sachin did. Shardashram fielded with 10 players on the third day because Sachin was away.”