A rare dismissal. A clever trap. The only time in 200 Tests that Sachin Tendulkar walked back stumped — and it took England at their most desperate to pull it off
If you're scratching your head trying to remember when Sachin Tendulkar was ever stumped in a Test, you're not alone. It happened just once in 200 Test matches. And yes, it was against England. At Bangalore, during the final Test of the 2001/02 series, the hosts had already taken a 1–0 lead. England was on the verge of losing another series in India. They needed to find a way in. They achieved this by drawing Sachin into an unusual mistake.
But this wasn't your typical outside off shot. It wasn't reverse swing at dusk. It was a plan based on perseverance and a bit of frustration — and it worked.
India started Day Two of the Bangalore Test in significant trouble at 121/5, responding to England's 336. Tendulkar stayed resilient, ending the day unbeaten in the 50s. England's goal was to dismiss him. They brought in Ashley Giles, not for brilliance but for consistency.
Credit: ESPN
Under Nasser Hussain's leadership, Giles maintained a leg-stump line, approaching almost defensively. He delivered eight maidens in his first 11 overs. Sachin remained patient, nudging balls away, waiting for a scoring opportunity and avoiding any mistakes.
The next day, after lunch, Sachin shifted gears. He had had enough of stonewalling. Giles came on for another spell, and Tendulkar counterattacked — two boundaries, one lofted over mid-wicket and one swept with control. Giles stuck to his line, and so did Tendulkar's resolve… until it didn't.
Credit: ESPN
After quietly playing out four dot balls in the over, Sachin stepped out to the fifth — probably premeditated — aiming to loft it again. This time, the ball turned slightly, beat the bat, and James Foster completed the stumping. Tendulkar, on 90, was stunned.
This was the only stumping in his entire Test career. Not once before, not once after.
If Giles thought he had a blueprint, Sehwag tore it up. Sehwag wasn't one to be fazed by a leg-stump line. He stepped out, swept, slogged, and flicked anything that came near his pads. In just 27 balls against Giles, Sehwag scored 26 runs with six boundaries.
But he didn't stay long. After a quick 66 off 88 balls, Matthew Hoggard caught him behind, dismissing him. India finished at 238, with 98 runs behind. However, rain changed the game. England scored only 33 without loss in their second innings before the weather stopped play. The match was ultimately concluded in a draw, with India winning the 3-match Test series by a 1-0 margin.
Let's put this into perspective. Over 200 Tests, Sachin Tendulkar faced more than 29,000 deliveries. He was dismissed 68 times bowled, 112 times caught, but only once stumped. That happened not against a legendary off-spinner, not during a counterattack, but while padding away defensive line after line, then losing patience for a brief moment.
Credit: Crictracker
Giles' final figures in that innings?
26 overs, 8 maidens, 66 runs, 1 stumping.
A line that failed against Sehwag succeeded once against the best India ever produced.
Even a master can step out of line. Even Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar can be stumped. But once in a lifetime? That's greatness defined.
