Cricket is a game of fine margins. Sometimes, even the tiniest error changes the course of a match or even a career. When we talk about umpiring decisions that still spark debate years later, one name invariably comes up. He is none other than Steve Bucknor. The West Indian umpire, who has officiated in 100 Tests, is remembered more for his controversial calls against Sachin Tendulkar.
Sachin Tendulkar, the “God of Cricket,” shared a checkered history with Bucknor. The umpire’s finger went up in questionable situations, which left millions of fans in disbelief. Yet, what remains remarkable is not just the errors themselves but the way Sachin Tendulkar responded.
Sachin Tendulkar gives a witty reply when asked about Steve Bucknor
In a lighthearted Reddit session, Tendulkar was asked about Bucknor. “When I am batting, give him boxing gloves to wear so he can’t raise his finger,” Sachin replied. This showed that time had softened the edges. The remark was playful, but it carried the weight of history.
To his credit, Steve Bucknor later admitted his mistakes. Speaking on a radio programme in Barbados, he acknowledged wrongly giving Tendulkar out on at least two occasions. He admitted the LBW in Australia was incorrect and that the Eden Gardens caught-behind was also a blunder. Bucknor explained how the deafening noise of 100,000 fans made it impossible to hear the faintest sounds. He accepted that umpires are human and errors are part of life.
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That honesty deserves recognition. Umpiring in cricket is an incredibly tough job, made harder before technology offered support. Still, for Sachin, the damage was already done. Runs were lost, centuries were cut short, and innings were denied by errors beyond his control.
The infamous decisions
The most infamous examples came in 2003 at the Gabba and in 2005 at Eden Gardens. In Brisbane, Bucknor adjudged Tendulkar leg before wicket when replays showed the ball sailing comfortably over the stumps. In Kolkata, against Pakistan, he was given out caught behind off Abdul Razzaq when there was daylight between bat and ball. These were not borderline calls. They were glaring errors, the kind that haunt both players and umpires.
OLD DAYS when umpire used to fix the game
Steve Bucknor used to hate Sachin like match fixers used to hate Sachin pic.twitter.com/2HMByBIa85 https://t.co/uAINvJPV5Y
— Sachinist (@Sachinist) August 26, 2025
What made matters worse was the frequency. Bucknor seemed to have a particularly poor record when it came to Sachin. He became the unwilling villain in the story of India’s batting icon. Fans were furious. Commentators shook their heads. And yet, Tendulkar walked away without a word. No protests, no angry glares, no sarcastic claps.
I maintain that the man who dismissed Sachin Tendulkar on most occasions was Steve Bucknor. 🥲pic.twitter.com/Ui5LVzfojy
— Omkar Mankame (@Oam_16) August 26, 2025
Sachin Tendulkar might have been disappointed, even heartbroken, but he never let frustration spill over into confrontation. That attitude made him not just a great batsman but a true ambassador of cricket.
What if DRS existed then?
It is impossible to ignore the “what if” question. Today, a batter wrongly given out can challenge the decision. Technology steps in to show whether there was an edge, whether the ball would have hit the stumps, or whether it pitched outside leg.
Had DRS existed in Tendulkar’s prime, the story might have been different. Many of those controversial dismissals would have been overturned. Sachin might well have added a few more centuries to his already staggering tally of 100 international tons. Even a handful of extra innings could have pushed his records to heights almost unimaginable.
The Bucknor-Tendulkar saga is a reminder of cricket’s human side. What matters is how individuals handle those moments. Bucknor eventually owned up to his errors. Tendulkar, despite the frustration, never lost his composure. That dignity is perhaps why fans revere him even more than his runs and records.
In the end, the introduction of DRS has spared today’s generation from many such controversies. Cricket is fairer now, and players get the benefit of technology alongside the human eye. But the memories of those missed chances remain, a “what if” chapter in the story of Sachin Tendulkar.
One can only imagine how many more times we would have stood up to applaud another century if technology had been there to guard him against the raised finger of Steve Bucknor or other umpires.
