As India’s cricketing icon completes Twenty years wearing the Indian Blue and White jersey, it is time not just to applaud Sachin ‘Master’ Tendulkar’s impeccable record on the field but his humility, calm demeanour and class off it.
For someone who united the nation right from a seven-year-old to a seventy-year-old in one single mantra, there are not many adjectives that are apt to describe his achievements and his contributions to the Indian cricket and to world cricket in general. Cricforu.com salutes the Master and in this piece puts forth twenty best innings played by the champions in his double decade long career that commenced in Pakistan. We wish him all the best and may the Master continue for eternity!
February 23-25, 1988: It all began on those three eventful days at the Azad Maidan in Mumbai when a 14-year-old Tendulkar and his partner in crime — 16-year-old Vinod Kambli compiled a whopping 664-run stand for Shardashram Vidyamandir against St Xavier’s. It was an innings which the paltry crowd that watched will remember for years to come.
December 11, 1988: It is a record that stands till date. 15-year-old Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 100 for Mumbai (then Bombay) against Gujarat and became the youngest Indian to have made a hundred on his first-class debut clash. It was a record which stands till date.
December 14, 1989: It was too much too young for Sachin Tendulkar. The final day of the last Test in his debut series saw Sachin hit on the nose by Waqar Younis delivery. Blood oozed out of his nose, the little champions wipes it and resumes batting. He went on to score 57 off 134 deliveries and his 193 minute-stay at the wicket produced six sizzling hits to the fence.
August 14, 1990: A day before India celebrated its 43rd Independence Day, the country gives birth to its newest sporting sensation as Sachin fittingly scores a fantastic knock of 119 and remains unconquered right till the end against England at Old Trafford, Manchester. It was a knock that came against an attack which had Devon Malcolm, Angus Fraser, Eddie Hemmings and Chris Lewis. His debut century saw him become just the second youngest in Test history at 17 years and 112 days.
February 2-3, 1992: Sachin Tendulkar became the WACA warrior as he sculpted a sensational century — a true master-class 114 off just 161 balls against the likes of Merv Hughes, Mike Whitney, Paul Reiffel and Craig McDermott on one of the toughest wickets in Perth. It was a knock that signalled not just another boy wonder but a Master Blaster on the cricketing horizon.
November 27, 1992: After his exploits Down Under, Sachin moved to the Rainbow Nation as he carressed his way to a crisply crafted 111 studded with 19 sensational hits to the fence in a team total of 227. The next highest in the innings was Kapil Dev’s 25.
February 11, 1993: The visiting Englishmen had a taste of the New Prince of Indian cricket as the cricket crazy people at Chepauk witnessed Sachin’s first century in India, a blistering 165 off 296 balls that had 24 fours and a huge straight six to boot.
March 27, 1994: Much before the Sanath Jayasuriyas and Romesh Kaluwitharnas of the world arrived. This is one game which the spectators at the Eden Park, New Zealand and the viewers on the television sets aren’t going to forget for a long long time. Sachin literally bludgeoned the hapless Kiwi attack, hitting them to all parts of the park in his knock of 82 off just 49 balls. Out of the 82 he scored, 72 came in boundaries (15) and sixes (2). Such was his batting that the rival skipper Ken Rutherford looked completely clueless with a cyclone that had hit the ground in the form of Super Sachin.
Conquering the World: It was his first World Cup at home after having in his debut WC in Australia in 1992. The 1996 WC brought out the best in Sachin as he amassed 523 runs @ 87.16. The series saw hims score two big centuries and three 50s.
Desert Storm: It was a storm @ Sharjah in the truest form as the defending World champions were made to like club bowlers by Sachin. He scored twin centuries (back to back) to not only help his team make it the grande finale but also win it.
The Chennai chronicle: His genius was never in doubt but Sachin took it to a new level against Pakistan at the Chennai Test in January 31, 1999. Chasing 271 for a win on the final day on a fast-deteriorating wicket, the champions batsman scored a chanceless 136 off 273 balls. Most importantly, his 405-minute vigil at the wicket produced some outstanding batsmanship and brought India to the doorstep of a famous win, but Alas! It was not meant to be as the hosts lost the match by 12 runs.
December 1999: On a wicket when most of his teammates struggled to put bat to ball, Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar scored a master-class 101 to lead his team’s reply against Steve Waugh’s men who still managed to steam-roll the Indians at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
August 22-23, 2002: Sachin took another step towards immortality when surpassed Sir Don Bradman’s record of 29 Test centuries in the Headingley Test against England. His knock of 193 came off 330 balls but more importantly, that knock helped India win the match by an innings and 46 runs.
Almost wins the World Cup: The World Cup 2003 belonged to only Sachin Tendulkar as he 673 runs @61.18 but his 98 against Pakistan in the Super Sixes stage is a stuff that mere mortals can only dream off. While India ends up losing the finals, Sachin not surprisingly bags the Man-of-the-series award.
SCG becomes Sachin Cricket Ground: Well, quite literally as the Master blasts to a career-best 241 at the Sydney Cricket Ground and gets to a century without scoring a single boundary in the covers region in January 2004.
lmost a double: The first Test between India and Pakistan in Multan in March 2004 will be remembered for Sachin missing out on his double hundred after stand-in skipper Rahul Dravid declared the Indian innings with the Master unbeaten on 194.
March 16, 2005: Sachin becomes the fifth player in the history of the Test cricket to cross the 10,000-run mark during the course of his knock of 52 against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
January 4, 2008: Back at his ‘home’ ground — SCG as he scores a sublimal 154 against his favourite side — the Australians in a match that was marred with on-field umpiring decisions of Steve Bucknor that was ultimately won by the hosts. The magical moment: The whole of India came to a standstill as Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar at 2.31 pm on October 17, 2008 broke compatriot Brian Charles Lara’s Test record to become the highest run-getter when he steered Australian pacer Peter Siddle towards the third-man.
The hunger is still there: It was a match that almost saw Sachin pull off an improbable win against Australia on November 2009. He crossed the 17,000-run mark in ODIs and scores a magical 175 off 141 balls to take India to the doorstep only for his team to give countless a heartbreak!
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