My delivery to Sachin at Wankhede better than Warne’s ball of the century, claims Monty Panesar

The historic upset was rendered possible by left-arm spinner Monty Panesar, who spun a web around the Indians, taking 17 wickets in the 3 Tests he played. And one of those 17 scalps - and perhaps a series-defining one - was his wicket of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar in the first innings of the second Test in Wankhede, where the left-arm spinner made the ball kiss the top-of-off after pitching it well outside leg-stump. It was a delivery that left Sachin shell-shocked and reflecting on the ball eight years later, Panesar described it as something better than Shane Warne’s ‘ball of the century’ to Mike Gatting.

"You look at that delivery. His balance was perfect, but he completely misjudged the length, the curve on the ball, and he honestly thought it was just a ball that was going to skid on, with the pace that I bowled, towards leg stump. But it didn't. It was a great ball. It was something that I would say was probably a better ball than Shane Warne (to Gatting),” Panesar, whose ball to Sachin was named the 20th in ESPNCricinfo’s ‘balls of the century’ told the website.

Panesar, who dismissed Sachin in both innings at Wankhede and claimed 11 wickets in total in the game which England won by 10 wickets, revealed that he just looked at the pitch and visualized the delivery. The left-arm spinner added that he never expected to dismiss the batsmen in such emphatic fashion.