Monday, January 18, 2010

Sachin Tendulkar

Some reminiscing about the greatness of the man yesterday sparked off this blog post. Having been a huge fan since the early days, it seemed appropriate to give a list of some of his greatest contributions to Indian cricket over a long and illustrious career.

Tests :

1. 119* vs. Eng, Machester, 1990 : At 17 years of age, Sachin scores his first Test century and, together with Manoj Prabhakar, saves the match for India.

2. 148* vs. Aus, Perth,1992 : In Shane Warne's debut Test match, Sachin plays what he himself considers one of his best innings.

3. 136 vs. Pak, Chennai, 1999 : In a heart-rending climax to one of the great Indo-Pak matches, Sachin played through intense pain and almost pulled off victory.

4. 103* vs. Eng, Chennai, 2008 : After the horrific terrorist attacks in Mumbai, England graciously accept to continue their tour of India. Sachin, together with Yuvraj, seals a great victory for India - and dedicates it to the city of Mumbai.

One-Day Internationals :


1. 82 (49 balls) vs. New Zealand, Auckland, 1994 : Sachin is promoted to open the innings for the first time in ODIs, and responds with a blistering knock to take India to a comfortable victory.

2. 143 vs. Aus, Sharjah, 1998 : The legendary "Sandstorm match". This was Sachin at his very best. He follows it up with another brilliant 134 in the finals to hand India a fabulous win.

3. 98 vs. Pak, Centurion, 2003 : An innings forever etched in the Indian psyche for one six off Shoaib Akhtar over third-man. And also for the fact that India won.

4. 175 vs. Aus, Hyderabad, 2009 : This was Sachin of old, returning to haunt the Australians. India lost by 3 runs, but Sachin stole the show.

And, to wrap it up, here is an interview with the Master himself after 20 years of International cricket.