Sachin`s ten most significant knocks

Working on the ten most significant knocks played by Sachin Tendulkar in ODIs is almost Mission Impossible, considering the fact that the Indian maestro has played 415 innings in a career spreading over almost 20 years.
Also, as only to be expected, he has played a number of outstanding knocks including 43 hundreds and 91 scores over the half century mark. PARTAB RAMCHAND braves the odds and embarks on this tough task:


82 vs New Zealand at Auckland:
When the Indians made a short tour of New Zealand early in 1994, Tendulkar was as usual firmly slotted in the middle order. But with regular opener Navjot Sidhu suffering from a neck strain, Tendulkar offered to open the innings in the second ODI at Auckland.
New Zealand were bowled out for 142 in the 50th over and such was Tendulkar’s brilliance that India reached their modest target in the 24th over, with seven wickets to spare.
Tendulkar just sailed into an attack that included Danny Morrison, Gavin Larsen, Chris Harris and Chris Pringle and hit 82 off just 49 balls.
He put on 61 runs with Ajay Jadeja in nine overs and 56 in six overs with Vinod Kambli.
He smashed three fours and a six off Larsen’s first over and by the time he was second out at 117, he had hit 15 fours and two sixes and the game was as good as over.
That match at Auckland certainly deserves a footnote in ODI history for Tendulkar stayed at the top of the order going from strength to strength.

110 vs Australia in the Singer World Series at Colombo 1994:
As his stature grew in the early 90s and he was freely acknowledged as the best batsman in the game, one little aberration stood out in Tendulkar’s record like a sore thumb:
After 77 ODIs he still did not have a century against his name. At the Premadasa Stadium on September 9, 1994 he finally broke through that barrier, scoring 110 from 130 balls against an Australian attack that included Craig McDermott, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.
It was fashioned from a blazing start in the first hour as he raced to 50 from 43 balls, knocking first the pace bowlers and then Warne - with two sixes in an over - out of the attack.
Thanks mainly to his pyrotechnics India reached 100 in the 18th over. Tendulkar hit eight fours and two sixes before playing all over a yorker from McDermott.
He was fourth out at 211 and India ultimately scored 236 for eight in 50 overs. They won fairly comfortably bowling out the Australians for 215 in the 48th over.

143 vs Australia in the Coca Cola Cup at Sharjah 1998:
Coming into the match India’s position was shaky. They had not fared very well in the tri series (the third team was New Zealand).
In this last league match after the Australians had led off with 284 for seven in 50 overs, India’s target was revised following a dust storm. The winning target was 276 but India by getting237 would qualify for the final edging out New Zealand on superior run rate.
As wickets fell at regular intervals Tendulkar guided India masterfully to their first target batting in commanding fashion against a bowling line-up that included Damien Fleming, Michael Kasprowicz and Shane Warne.
By the time he was fifth out at 242 in the 43rd over he had made sure that India would qualify for the final with a blistering 143 from 131 balls with nine fours and four sixes.
India restricted to 250 for five from 46 overs lost by 26 runs, but they still had a chance of scoring over the Australians in the final two days later thanks to Tendulkar’s brilliance.

134 vs Australia in the Coca Cola Cup final at Sharjah 1998:
The day of the final happened to be Tendulkar’s 25th birthday. He had already played a gem of an innings to steer India quite unexpectedly into the title clash.
Could be pull off an encore? Australia again set India a difficult target scoring 272 for nine in 50 overs. India lost two wickets for 128 and then Tendulkar and skipper Md Azharuddin added 120 runs for third wicket.
Batting in majestic vein Tendulkar went on to get a second hundred against the Aussies in successive matches and by the time he was out for 134 off 131 balls in the 45th over, India had all but sewn up the match.
He was third out at 248 after hitting 12 fours and three sixes. Azhar then fell for 58 but India were home with six wickets and nine deliveries to spare.
Tendulkar’s back-to-back hundreds saw Warne in a touching gesture seek his autograph on his shirt. ``I was hit by the best batsman in the world,’’ said the world’s best spin bowler and most famous adversary.
Tendulkar’s reward for winning the trophy for India virtually singlehanded was an Opel car.

140 not out vs Kenya at Bristol, World Cup 1999:
India’s campaign in the tournament had just got underway when Tendulkar’s father passed away suddenly in Bombay. He rushed back for the funeral and even as speculation was rife as to whether he would play again in the World Cup.
Tendulkar after missing one match was back for the next game against Kenya. Here is what Wisden has recorded: ``A passionate, awe inspiring display by Tendulkar kept India in the hunt for the Super Six. He had returned from his father’s funeral the day before and when he came in at 92 for two Bristol heard a roar from the crowd that probably startled the lions in the zoo.’’
India had made a shaky start losing both their group matches. Tendulkar provided the inspiration sharing an unbroken third wicket partnership of 237 in 29 overs with Rahul Dravid (104 not out).
Tendulkar’s 50 came off 54 deliveries and then he accelerated bringing up his 100 off just 30 more balls. He flicked the last ball of the innings over mid-wicket for six - his third in addition to 16 fours - to finish on 140 from 101 balls.
It was Tendulkar’s 22nd ODI hundred but the first when he was not opening. India scored 329 for two from 50 overs and proceeded to win by 94 runs.
Tendulkar dedicated his then highest World Cup score to his father’s memory.

186 not out vs New Zealand at Hyderabad 1999:
India were one up in the ODI series against New Zealand when the teams came to Hyderabad.
Tendulkar won a good toss but India lost Sourav Ganguly in the second over with just ten runs on the board. Rahul Dravid joined Tendulkar and for the next 46 overs the seven-man New Zealand attack did know what hit them.
Tendulkar and Dravid just blazed away with orthodox strokes, innovative shots and the big hits in putting together what remains the highest partnership for any wicket in ODIs.
Tendulkar always maintained the faster tempo and finally when Dravid was out for 153 to the last ball of the 48th over, the association had yielded 331 runs.
Tendulkar, however, could not be dismissed and he did pretty much what he liked with the bowlers finishing on 186 not out from just 150 balls, which remains the highest score by an Indian in ODIs.
The innings, a masterpiece in stroke production, innovative shots and total dominance of the bowling was embellished with 20 fours and three sixes. India finished on 376 for two then the second highest total in ODIs and then bowled out the Kiwis for 202 in the 34th over.

98 vs Pakistan at Centurion, World Cup 2003:
The innings that ranks very high in the list of great ODI knocks for the sparkling manner it was compiled, the strength of the bowling and the big stage on which it was a fitting showpiece.
As only to be expected the India-Pakistan clash generated frenzy worldwide particularly as it was the first clash between the two teams since June 2000. A crammed stadium and a TV audience implausibly guesstimated at a billion watched the tournament’s most talked-up match which lived up to its hype.
Pakistan with Saeed Anwar getting 101 led off with 273 for seven in 50. Then as Wisden observed: ``Tendulkar played an astounding innings perhaps the best of the tournament and undoubtedly one of his best in ODIs.’’
Against a testosterone propelled pace attack (Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar) he hit a memorable stream of shots. By the 12th over India thanks mainly to Tendulkar’s pyrotechnics reached 100.
Tendulkar went on to 98 from 75 balls with 12 fours and a six. After two wickets had fallen for 53, he dominated a third wicket partnership of 102 runs with Md Kaif (35) and by the time he was fourth out at 177 in the 28th over, India were well on their way to an astonishing victory which was achieved with six wickets and 4.2 overs to spare.

117 not out vs Australia, CB series first final at Sydney, 2008:
India had never won the one-day tri series in Australia despite five attempts, so the odds were stacked against them on the eve of the CB Series final against Australia.
In the first final Australia were restricted to 239 for eight in 50 overs. But the SCG pitch had something in it for the bowlers and India were shakily placed at 87 for three when Rohit Sharma joined Tendulkar.
Against an attack that included Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Bracken and Brad Hogg the duo batted carefully and then blossomed out into strokes. Rohit whose idol is Tendulkar, shared a fourth wicket partnership of 123 runs before he was out for 66.
Nothing could shake Tendulkar though and in the company of skipper MS Dhoni he took India to victory with six wickets and 25 balls to spare.
Tendulkar’s unbeaten 117 which was compiled off 120 balls with ten hits to the ropes, was the perfect example of anchoring an innings and steering the team to a meritorious win.

91 vs Australia, CB Series second final at Brisbane 2008:
India had won the first match but the Australians were fancied to bounce back. And yet just two days after he produced a masterpiece, Tendulkar came up with yet another to author a nine-run victory that clinched for India their maiden tri-series triumph in Australia.
This time the Indians batted first and Tendulkar and Robin Uthappa (30) gave them an excellent start putting on 94 runs before the latter was out in the 21st over.
Gautam Gambhir did not last long but Yuvraj Singh (38) and Tendulkar then got the innings back on track with a third-wicket partnership of 54 runs in 9.3 overs.
Nothing it seemed would stop Tendulkar from getting a second successive hundred so impeccable was his batting. But on 91 he was caught by Ricky Ponting off Michael Clarke.
Tendulkar was fourth out at 205 in the 40th over pacing his innings adroitly even as he hit seven fours. Thanks mainly to him India were able to post a challenging total of 258 for nine in 50 overs.
The value of Tendulkar’s knock is best illustrated by the fact that the final margin of victory was just nine runs.

163 (retired hurt) vs New Zealand at Christchurch, 2009:
By this time the focus was on youth power and the growing number of adventurous young batsmen who loved to score quickly and indulge in big hits freely.
But Tendulkar a month or so short of his 36th birthday, proved that he could hold his own amidst the youth brigade, that he had lost none of his hunger for success or his enthusiasm for the game.
Invited to bat first by New Zealand India lost the in-form Virender Sehwag early but Tendulkar took charge. After two wickets had fallen for 65 he found the right partner in Yuvraj Singh who gave the innings a much-needed momentum with an electrifying 87 off just 60 balls.
Tendulkar and Yuvraj added 138 runs for the third wicket in 16.4 overs. This was followed by another century partnership with MS Dhoni.
Tendulkar as masterly as ever raced past 100, then 150 and was eying a double hundred when he had to retire with an abdominal muscle pull at 163.
He made mincemeat of the seven-man Kiwi attack in rattling up the runs off just 133 balls with 16 fours and five sixes.
India finished at 392 for four in 50 overs and galloped to a 58-run victory.