Published: Mar 30, 2011, 10:15 AM (IST)
Edited: Mar 18, 2014, 06:15 PM (IST)
By Vinay Anand
Over the years, Sachin Tendulkar has played some memorable knocks in World Cups, but for me the four innings mentioned below stand out:
98 vs Pakistan at Centurion (2003)
This has to be one of the finest ODI innings ever seen played. It was a crunch game for India, who had to win to qualify for the Super Sixes.
Thanks to Saeed Anwar’s century, Pakistan posted a total of 273 in 50 overs to set India a challenging target.
Tendulkar suffered from nightmares for a year, going into this game. But when the moment arrived, he proved why he is hailed as the master. He signalled Shoaib Akhtar for some special treatment – his upper cut for six off the paceman lingers in our memory. That six is to Indian cricket what Javed Miandad’s last-ball six off Chetan Sharma is to Pakistan cricket.
Tendulkar was fortunate that Abdul Razzaq misjudged a catch of the bowling of Wasim Akram. Yet, he sustained his aggression, battling cramps along the way.
He was two away from a meritorious hundred when Shoaib bowled a peach of a bouncer to dismiss the great man. However, Tendulkar had set the platform for Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh to help India romp home by six wickets and five overs to spare.
140 not out vs Kenya at Bristol (1999)
Even though this knock came against a low-quality bowling attack, its significance cannot ever be forgotten. Tendulkar lost his father a few days prior to this game, and had to return back home for his funeral.
He clearly was not in the right frame of mind, and was almost on the verge of not taking any further part in the World Cup till his mother convinced him to play – at least for his father. And he responded in the best possible way. Battling immense grief that was very evident in his face, Tendulkar scored a well-crafted century batting at No.4 to help India gain victory in this group game and genuine chance to qualify for the Super Sixes.
120 vs England at Bangalore (2011)
Tendulkar treated the English bowling with disdain. After Virender Sehwag got out, the momentum was lost as Gautam Gambhir came to the crease and played cautiously. However, Tendulkar attacked in a calculatedly menner. Graeme Swann, the English off-spinner, was considered as a major threat. But the maestro destroyed him with three brilliant sixes.
Tendulkar’s hundred powered India to a total of 338, but sadly India could only manage a tie.
90 vs Australia at Mumbai (1996)
The match was played in Tendulkar’s backyard. After Australia made 258, Tendulkar decided to go after the bowling on a deteriorating pitch. His 90 included 14 fours and a six. And it came off just 84 balls. He treated Glenn McGrath with disdain and was in complete command in handling Shane Warne – a lesson in top quality batting. Despite Tendulkar’s brilliance, India fell16 short of the target.
Let’s hope that the master betters the above efforts in the coming days and helps India win the World Cup. That will be a fitting finale to a career unsurpassed in all One-Day International history.
(Vinay Anand, 17, has an uncanny eye for detail. He revers cricket – looking beyond the glamour into the heart of the game where true passion, perseverance and grit meet. To him, there is no greater joy than coming closer to the sport while exploring its intricacies through his writing and treading ahead to establish himself as a writer and presenter)
