Bloody Nose: When Bantoo Singh Was Hit By Sachin Tendulkar Bouncer

Sachin Tendulkar has scarred many bowlers for life with his imperious batting but Bantoo Singh saw the 'spirit of Curtly Ambrose' in 'Little Master' when he was hit by his bouncer that left him with a bloody nose with multiple fractures during an ill-tempered Ranji match between Delhi and Mumbai in 1991. Bantoo, one of the pillars of Delhi's batting between mid 80s and mid 90s, can now afford to laugh when he jogs his memory 32 summers back to April 20, 1991. "Mere naak ka naqshaa hi badaal gaya Sachin ke uss bouncer ke baad. Mere paas ab naya naak hai (The design of my nose changed after that Sachin bouncer. I have a new nose now)," Bantoo said during an interaction with PTI on the eve of legend's 50th birthday.

But there was backdrop to Sachin's bouncer that had Bantoo literally ending up on all fours.

The Mumbai versus Delhi clashes in 1980s and 1990s used to be as much about ego as it was about playing the game of one upmanship.

The chaste Punjabi abuses would fly thick and fast from Delhi camp and returned in kind in 'Mumbaiyaa tapori' language.

"We had tried preparing a green top at Kotla which had good carry but it became a batting paradise. It was a heated-up game as our seamers Sanjeev (Sharma) and Atul (Wassan) bowled a few bouncers to Dilip bhai (Vengsarkar), who was playing his last season.

"I remember at least on two occasions, Atul's bouncers hit Dilip bhai on the rib cage and sledging started," Bantoo remembered.

Delhi lost the quarter-final by one run as they finished first innings on 389 to Mumbai's 390.

The second innings of both teams was a mere formality as Mumbai scored 719 in their second innings, riding on hundreds from skipper Sanjay Manjrekar, Sachin Tendulkar and Chandrakant Pandit.

"It was the