My top 101 memories of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - #16

April 22, 1998, Newlands– 6^thODI, India v/s Australia, Coca-Cola Cup, Sharjah

Sachin 143 (131b, 9*4s, 5*6s)

Sir Donald Bradman saw it. Sunil Gavaskar was there, and he saw it. So did Steve Waugh and Allan Border. And Tony Grieg, watching through his fingers from the commentator’s box did not just see it, but had a tough time masking his disbelief while narrating what he was witnessing. Shane Warne certainly saw it. The ‘Australian Spin Wizard’ will be seeing it in his nightmares for some time to come too, you suspect. Michael Kasprowicz was hammered all-round the park with disdain. He saw it.

Yes, on a day when the world tuned in for the latest instalment in rivalry between the “Little Champion from India” and “Spin Wizard of the Oz”, everybody saw it. They saw what Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar was made up of. They saw what the small man from Mumbai was capable up of.

Through the summers of 1998, India and Australia had been exchanging blows to establish the supremacy over each other. India dismantled Australians in the Test series and dominated the league rounds of the Triangular ODI series that followed; only to see Australians wrestling the momentum their way by winning the finals of the Triangular ODI series. Before the cricket world could catch their breath back, the duo were joined by the Kiwis for the Coca Cola Sharjah Cup.

The Aussies butchered their opponents in the round-robin games and strutted to the finals. They were stronger and quicker. They had more belief, more confidence and more quality in every single department. They battered their rivals into submission, and they weren't even at their best.

In the last of the round-robin matches, India was to lock horns with Australia. In the day & night encounter Kangaroos won the toss and elected to bat first. They posted a massive total of 284; powered by Michael Bevan’s third ODI century and sublime 84 by Mark Waugh. India then had two targets: 285 to win the match, 254 to qualify on run-rate for the finals. Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly got India going. India started cautiously; giving away nothing about what was in store for the rest of the game. In the sixth over, Sachin gave the first indication of the mood he was in. He swatted a short-pitch delivery bowled by Michael Kasprowicz over Mid-wicket fence for a six. He played the ball on front-foot. And on the very next delivery he repeated the shot of the back-foot, but for same result. A disgusted Kasprowicz came back in the next over to try something new. A short pitched delivery outside the off-stump tempted Sachin into a horizontal batted swipe. Ball took the outside edge and looped towards the Third-man region. But the rub of the green went India’s way as the ball fell between three charging fielders. As Sachin continued to charge, Dada missed a straight one and returned to the dressing room. Nayan ‘Iygo’ Mongia was promoted up the order up the order to pinch a few quick runs. Meanwhile Sachin kept on milking the bowling and occasionally stamping his authority over it. Kasprowicz was taken for back to back boundaries; Shane Warne was not spared either. In the 21st over, Sachin played a flat batted cover drive off the master spinner for an exquisite four. Later in the same over, he played a paddle sweep for a couple; the ease with which Sachin played, left Warne disgusted. In the very next over Sachin completed his half century. He reached the milestone off 57 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes.

However, he knew the job was far from done. India still needed about 150 runs off 28 overs to make it to the finals. But wickets kept on tumbling at the other end. The required run-rate was mounting and so was the pressure. And when one just thought it can’t get any worse, something unusual happened. A sandstorm came in and disrupted the play. The intensity of the storm was so high that the players had to retreat to the pavilion. A chase which was difficult was slowly looking daunting. But the Little Champion had other plans.

On resumption, VVS Laxman walked out with Sachin. The target had been revised to 276 and 237 off 46 overs for victory and qualification respectively. This demanded for ‘more than a run a ball’ effort. The holding on period was done and now it was the time for final dash. Kasprowicz came back to the attack for the 32nd over and Sachin blasted him over his head for a straight six; as if he was batting against a spinner. Tom Moody was served with a similar shot but only for a boundary; the sight screen was taking a battering. Sachin completed his century of 111 deliveries and it included 5 fours and 3 sixes. The Indian score read 194 for 4 in the 39th over. The victory looked out of sight and the main objective seemed to be the qualification for the finals. But Sachin cut loose and threw caution to the winds.

He paddled a ball by Fleming over the short Fine-leg for a four. In the next over the sight screen was smashed with a straight six of Steve Waugh. The next ball was hoicked on the on-side; the catch was dropped and the ball trickled away for a four. In the 43rd over, Fleming was deposited into the stands for another maximum. In the same over Sachin scored the runs which ensured India’s participation in the finals. Nothing else would have been appropriate. But Sachin wanted to go after the target. In 20 balls, India needed another 38 to win the game. The next ball was slapped through the Cover boundary for a four. And just when it looked as if Sachin will snatch the most memorable victory for team India, a short pitched delivery evaded Sachin’s bat and went to the gloves of the wicket keeper. Only issue, it had kissed the glove on the way. Arguably, Sachin’s best innings came to an unusual end. In the last 20 deliveries which he faced after getting to his century, he accumulated 43 runs. After his dismissal, Team India could muster only 8 runs in the last 3 overs.

India lost the match but made it to the finals. I was upset that India lost the match; even a little miffed with Sachin as he did not finish the match. Privately, though, I was still in an awe of what I had seen.

Secretly every Indian heart knew of this ‘El Salvador’. And somewhere, sulking under my disappointment, I also knew as I saw it too.

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My top 101 memories of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - #15

April 1998, Kanpur – 4^th ODI, PEPSI Triangular Series; India v/s Australia

Sachin 100(90b, 5*4s, 7*6s)

Often lauded as the ‘Gentleman’s Game’, Cricket was traditionally played in whites. Prior to the 1992 World Cup, not just the test matches but the limited over games also witnessed cricketers adorned in whites on the field. Popular theories suggest that white color reflects the sanctity and gentle nature of the game of cricket. However, a little champion who revolutionized the limited overs game, once did “A Not so gentle thing” to the Australians in the scorching heat of Kanpur.

After thumping Australia in the test series of 1998, a confident Indian team was making short work of the triangular series that followed. India won the first two matches of the series without breaking a sweat in the Indian summers. In the first game at Kochi, Sachin had out foxed the Australian batsmen with his crafty spin bowling. However, when they met for the second time in the series at Kanpur, he decided to have some fun with the bat.

Batting first, Kangaroos set India a modest target of 223 to chase. The ever reliable pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly started the proceedings for the Indian innings. A composed start never hinted about the onslaught that was to follow. Steve Waugh, the Aussie skipper got the spinners early into the attack in the hopes of extracting some spin from the dry looking wicket. Gavin Robertson came in to bowl his loopy off-spinners for the sixth over. Sachin took a couple of balls to assess the situation. Bang!!! Went the third ball over the Long-on fence for a six. The distance of the hit was not very impressive but the effortlessness in the shot was. The very next ball was not spared either. Similar shot to the same area of the field but all along the ground for an aesthetically pleasing four. Over the years, one of the biggest strengths of Sachin has been his ability to negate both spin and pace with equal ease. After the onslaught on a spinner, Aussie skipper was forced to fall back to his express bowlers. But that did not help as Sachin helped himself to a sleek boundary through the fine Third-man region.

In the eighth over, Sachin misread the length of a delivery by Gavin Robertson. He charged down the wicket, only to find out that the bowler has bowled a short one. The little champion arched back, adjusted his body shape and hit the ball straight over the bowlers head for another six. The crowd was in for a delight as India raced to fifty in eight overs. In the following over, Damien Fleming was taken for 3 fours; one was a genuine edge of an exuberant cover drive, another one was swatted over the mid-off fielder and the final one was guided into the fine-leg region. The helplessness was dawning upon the Kangaroos fast. The best way to avoid a trampling elephant is to get out of its way. The Australians were trying to do the same but Sachin kept on rolling. A little later he played the Tom Moody through the covers for a single that would complete his half-century. It had taken only 39 balls; it comprised of 2 hits over the boundary and 5 shots through them. Some luck Kanpur guy from the crowd also managed to rush into the ground to congratulate Sachin.

Tom Moody in the meantime charged to bowl his seam-ups at Sachin. Sachin reciprocated with a charge down the wicket and deposited the ball in the stands with a massive six over Long-on. There was no respite for Moody as the next ball was pulled over Mid-wicket for another six. As soon as the power-play overs got over, Steve Waugh got Darren Lehmann to bowl his darts for the sixteenth over. Lehmann tried to come over the wicket to cramp Sachin for room; Sachin replied by shuffling outside the leg-stump line and hoisting the ball over Extra-cover for another maximum with an inside out shot. Sachin had already hit 5 sixes, even before the completion of a third of the allocated overs. “The way Sachin is going now, boundaries are of little significance for him” Harsha Bhogle quipped in the microphone.

By the time 20 overs had been bowled, there were about 90 odd runs left to be chased. Even this lopsided contest did not seem to mellow down Sachin. Sachin stick to the trend of punishing Shane Warne for his audacity to challenge him. He charged down the wicket and slammed Warne over the Long-on fence for a gigantic six in the twenty-first over. Next over was bowled by Darren Lehmann; he watched meekly when Sachin blasted him for another hit for maximum over Long-on. This hit was probably the biggest of the day as the ball went and fell in the midst of PEPSI cans which then was being endorsed by the Little Champion. Style personified!!!

A few days shy of his 25th birthday, Sachin completed his century of just 88 balls. The tempo of the innings was defined by the fact that he hit just 5 fours but the number of sixes were 7. The milestone came in the 28th over off the bowling of Damien Fleming; Sachin just dabbed one to the on-side and strolled for another single. Today’s generation might be surprised to know that there was no angry outburst of explicits, furious arm waving or animated jumping involved in the celebration. There was a simple raising of arms and look towards the heavens; and a shy smile.

Indian scorecard read 174 for no loss with about 22 overs to go. Sourav Ganguly was providing his seamless support from the other end. With less than 50 runs left to be chased down, Shane Warne was brought into the attack. The Australian tour of India in the summers of 1998 will be remembered for the rivalry of Sachin and Warne. Sachin wanted to press on to his advantage and charged down to Warne’s delivery; only to miscue it to the hand of the fielder at point. The Kanpur crowd raised and applauded Sachin for a gem of a knock; this ovation was different from the one that he got when he completed his century. This was more like the one that artists get when they have completed the masterpiece they were working on. Sachin scored a perfect 100 of 90 balls; with 5 fours and 7 sixes.

This innings was an example of the how the “Little Genius” could play a swash-buckling innings with minimum effort and animated aggression. His innings knocked the stuffing out of the Aussie resistance, but the funny part is Sachin did not even break a sweat.

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My top 101 memories of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - #14

January 2011, Newlands– 3^rd Test match India v/s South Africa

Sachin 146(314b, 17*4s, 2*6s)

There are many qualities that differentiate Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar from the rest. The ability to score at will against the best of the bowlers is the top most of those qualities. Pacers and spinners alike, he has always came up trumps against them. In fact better the opponent, more was Sachin’s eagerness to do well. And that is what the Proteas discovered in the New Year test of 2011.

India struggled against South Africa in the first test of the series and succumbed to a morale shattering defeat. But then the Indian backlash was fierce and the score-line for the series read 1-1 after the second test. So it all boiled down to the third test of the series. Sachin was in good touch throughout the series and the pace trio of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe were dealt with the broadest bat they had bowled to.

In the 3^rd test at Newlands, Cape Town, India won the toss and invited South Africa to bat on a damp pitch in overcast conditions. After an initial stutter, the broad shoulders of Jacques Kallis pulled the innings together. His master class 161 helped South Africa to post a challenging total of 362 in the first innings. India needed a good start. But the mercurial Virendra Sehwag and ever-dependable Rahul Dravid fell before the scorecard read 30. In came the ‘Little Master’ to join Gautam Gambhir for the rescue operations. Sachin did not take long to get started. On the second ball he faced, he tucked a ‘short off good length’ ball from Dale Steyn on the on-side and strolled across for a single. Steyn and Tsotsobe maintained a tight line and did not give any easy opportunities to score the runs. Both batsmen reciprocated with an equally patient game. After some time, Steyn tailed in a ball into the pads of Sachin; a sleek flick greeted the cherry and kissed it through the mid-wicket for the first boundary by the batsman. Sachin was on his way. Couple of overs later, Tsotsobe bowled a delivery from over the wicket and Sachin tried to execute a cover-drive on the up. The ball moved outwards and took the outside edge. But the rub of the green went in Sachin’s favor and the slip fielder failed to judge the trajectory of the ball. The ball sailed over for a four through the third-man region; this was all the luck that Sachin needed.

After a few quiet over, Sachin took on Morne Morkel. In a single over, an over-pitched delivery on the leg side was flicked and another full delivery was driven down the ground; in both the case the results were the same, a masterful four. The signs were ominous. Paul Harris from the other end struck Sachin on the pads and made a confident appeal; the appeal was turned down and in the very same over, Sachin went inside out to play the tweaker through the covers for another boundary. After that Sachin went into the accumulation mode and played out the day 2 without any further addition to the tally of boundaries. India finished the day on 142/2 with Sachin one short of his half-century.

Day 3 started with one of the classiest battle between the ball and the bat. Steyn bowled the first over with venom and subjected Sachin to some breathtaking out-swingers. Two of those deliveries took the outside edge and one of them beat him fair and square. Just when it started to look like it might not be Sachin’s day, Sachin re-adjusted his stance and stood outside the crease to counter the swing.

Steyn failed to pick up the change in tactic and ended up bowling a full delivery. Sachin creamed it through the covers for the first boundary of the day. The contest was on. The out-swingers kept on coming, some of them troubled Sachin and some of them frustrated Steyn; after all these kind of spells against lesser batsmen fetch you five wicket hauls. With Steyn bowling a dream spell, Sachin decided to release pressure from the other end. He decided to cut loose. Off two consecutive balls of Tsotsobe, he mercilessly hammered two boundaries off the back foot. The first one was a powerful pull on the on-side and the next one was an artistic square cut through third-man. A few overs later, the left arm seamer was dealt with a majestic straight drive and the ball raced to the ropes. Sachin had muscled back the control into India’s favor from the South African seamers.

The partnership of Sachin and Gambhir had taking India to the shores of assurity. But Protease clawed back into the game when Gambhir’s knock was cut short by Paul Harris and the southpaw fell for a well-made 92. This started the procession and one after the other Indian batsmen kept on perishing to the disciplined bowling effort. But Sachin stood firm from the other end and continued with the frantic accumulation of runs. By the time he reached to 94, India had lost 5 wickets with a deficit of nearly 130 runs. Sachin waited patiently for the scoring opportunity to complete his century. When he was on 94, Morkel bowled a short one to test Sachin’s nerves in the nineties. Sachin responded with a ‘Devil may care’ hook shot; the ball took a top edge and flew over the ropes for maximum. The 51^st century for the living legend came off 213 balls with thirteen fours and a six. The very next ball was pushed through the square point for another four. It was evident that Sachin was in a mood to step up the tempo. Sachin spanked Morkel through the off-side for a four, bossed the same bowler with an elegant straight drive for another boundary and bullied Harris for a six over long-off.

By the time Sachin fell to Morkel for 146, India  was 20 short of the South African total. This colossal innings spanned over seven hours. In the process, Sachin faced 314 deliveries; he also collected 17 hits along the carpet and 2 from the aerial route. This innings helped India to surpass the South African total and set up a lively contest on the last day of the match.

This was not a dominating Sachin innings; rather it was a dogged one which oozed class and application. He respected the bowlers when they were on top and he was prepared to look ugly to counter the edge in the bowling. In the same time, he never missed out on any opportunity to play the strokes and maximize the outputs from such shots. This knock remains as the last test century scored by the ‘God of Cricket’. India failed to win the match but earned a respectable draw.

 

 

Scorecard

 

 

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My top 101 memories of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - #13

 

 

March 2003, Centurion – ICC ODI World Cup, India v/s Pakistan

Sachin 98 (75b, 12*4s, 1*6s)

 

Ask any Indian about the proudest legacy of Indian cricket in ODI World Cups, there will be just one answer to it; “We have never lost to Pakistan in the ODI World Cups”. The clash of the neighbors has always been an emotional affair. The excitement, anxiety and the adrenaline rush that these encounters generate among the players & fans is unparalleled. It strokes the ego of every Indian that record books reads a score-line of “5-0” in their favor when it comes to ODI World Cups. All these times, there has been one man whose performance in these encounters has been exemplary; Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has played all 5 of these matches and been the Man of the Match 3 times.

 

The World Cup of 2003 didn’t start too well for India. We narrowly escaped an upset against Netherland and succumbed to an embarrassing defeat to the all-conquering Aussies. Nationwide agitation among the fans brought the ugly side of the Indian cricket out. It was a time for damage control. The team management asked Sachin to address the nation and calm them down; in a country where his popularity is unfathomable, it was expected to have an assuring effect on the aggrieved fans. Sachin’s message to the supporters was “We will give our best”, and they did it in some fashion. India beat Zimbabwe, culled Namibia and rolled over England with some panache. In the last round robin match, India was to face Pakistan. India’s progress to the next round was more or less confirmed but an encounter against Pakistan is oblivious to such petite things.

 

In SuperSport Park, Waqar Younis won the toss and decided to bat first. The “Usual Suspect” Saeed Anwar stood firm to score another century against India and the remaining  batting line-up of Pakistan rallied around him to post a daunting total of 276. With bowlers like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi, Pakistan was in good steads to win the match. But “The God” had different plans. On regular days, Sachin refrained from taking the strike first up, but this was no regular day. Sachin took the guard and from the other end, Wasim charged in. First couple of deliveries were shighters but the third one was not. From round the wicket, Wasim bowled a short of good length ball, shaping away from the right hander. Sachin took his front foot towards the ball, then rocked back on to the back foot and punched the delivery through the covers for an elegant four. ‘The little man’ was on his way. In the next over Shoibh came in hustling and bustling. He cranked up some serious pace but was hopelessly wayward. Sachin had a look in and waited for his chance; it came pretty soon. The fourth ball of the over was a short pitch delivery outside the off-stump; Sachin slashed it over the third-man boundary for a huge six. The controversy prone pacer fired in the next ball; it was fuller and angling in to the batsman. Sachin had anticipated this compensation in length; he shuffled across the stumps and wiped the ball through square-leg for a four. Rawalpindi Express flinched and fired in the next one straighter; the ball hit the broad bat with a ‘MRF’ logo and raced into the mid-on fence. Just 2 overs into the innings, Indian chase was on its way, fans were pumped up and Rawalpindi express stood derailed.

 

Sachin and Sehwag helped India to reach 50 in 5 overs. But then familiar India Pakistan turn-around happened. India lost Sehwag and Dada on consecutive balls to Waqar. Mohammad Kaif walked in and the instructions for him were clear, "Hang in there". But on the other end, Sachin was in no mood to mellow down. He played a lofted drive off Wasim in the very next over and Abdul Razzaq fluffed a difficult chance at mid-off. Razzaq hoped only if the earth would open-up and swallow him down; maybe that would have saved him from an earful from Wasim. Pakistan were made to pay for their mistake soon. Sachin hammered back to back boundaries of Waqar in the very next over and executed a picture perfect back-foot cover drive of Wasim.

 

The Pakistani’s had realized that match was slipping away and were feeling the pressure. Sachin also started manipulating things to make it worse for the fielders; He dabbed one to the on-side and ran for a quick two while calling out loudly for the same. The fielder on the on-side panicked and an over-excited throw went for another 4 over-throws; Sachin pumped up his fist in delight. It was chaos and there was this small man in the center orchestrating it. This brainless piece of cricket by the fielding side took Sachin to his fifty; it came off just 37 balls with 7 hits to the fence and a maximum. He finished that over with another exquisite cover-drive off Waqar; he stood up tall to a good length ball and stroked it through the covers. This was a mesmerizing performance by the little champion.

 

India was sailing smoothly towards the target, but then the heat of Centurion got to Sachin. He started having cramps. Realizing that his body might not hold up for too long, he started scoring swiftly. Abdul Razzaq and Afridi were taken for some free-flowing boundaries. A sweetly timed on-drive off Afridi went crashing into the long-on fence and helped Sachin to complete his 12,000 ODI runs.

 

But the master class was cut short when Shoaib bowled a well-directed bouncer into the body of Sachin; suffering from multiple cramps, Sachin could not sway away from the ball and lobbed it to gully. Sachin scored 98 off 75 balls with 12 boundaries and one six. India required another hundred runs after Sachin’s departure, which Yuvraj and Dravid compiled without much of a fuss. This was India’s fourth win against Pakistan in as many World Cups. Sachin was adjudged the Man of the Match for the hitting extravaganza. Till date, this knock is considered as one of the best innings ever played in the ODIs.

 

 

 

 

Scorecard

 

 

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My top 101 memories of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - #12

August 2006, Kuala Lumpur– DLF Cup 2^nd ODI, India v/s West Indies

Sachin 141*(148b, 13*4s, 5*6s)

I always prefer watching an even contest between bat and ball rather than witnessing the manslaughter of bowlers. But now days the game has become lop-sided towards the batsmen. Fans who pay for the game want to see heavy runs being piled up and the policy makers have obliged. Flat wickets, shrinking grounds and the ever changing rules of the game have made life tough for the bowlers; as a matter of fact, the bowlers would prefer to be lying inside a coffin in the graveyard rather than bowling on most of the Indian wickets. Maybe this is a part of the evolution of the game but I will always have my soft corner for overcast conditions, slight dampness & grass on the wicket, the bowlers making the ball go crazy and the batsmen playing a dogged inning to score the runs. And any innings played in such testing condition will always be rated highly in my books. Let's look at one such knock which embodied patience, class and courage. 

Sachin suffered multiple injuries between 2004 and 2006. It was frustrating for the fans see the premier batsman being sidelined for such an elongated period of time. Sachin walked back into the team for the DLF Cup at Kuala Lumpur in August 2006. India was facing West Indies on a lively wicket in the 2^nd match of the series. India won the toss and opted to bat first. Sachin and Dravid started the proceedings for India. Over cast conditions, damp pitch with small cracks on it and bowler capable of bowling over 140 kmph on a consistent basis; this was expected to be a tough comeback for Sachin.

In the very first over, a ball from Jerome Taylor kept a little low; Sachin adjusted well and guided the ball through the slips for a four. In the next over, Fidel Edwards bowled a short one; it sailed over the head of Sachin; variable bounce was only going to make things tough. The next ball was just short of good length and pitched on the middle and off-stump; it swung outwards sharply and took the outside edge of Sachin. But the wicket keeper made a mess of it. Sachin retaliated with an inch perfect straight drive, only to be robbed off a certain boundary by the stumps at the other end. The next delivery again swung across the face of Sachin’s bat and beat him all hand down. The contest was exhilarating. It’s often said in cricket that “You never get in on such wickets. One unplayable delivery and you are gone. So score the runs when you can”. Sachin decide to get as many runs as possible of the bad balls and play out the good one. Sachin collected two well struck boundaries off Taylor; one with a flick to mid-wicket and another with a fierce square-cut to point. The confidence in Sachin was growing. Sachin also took two back to back boundaries off Edwards. The first one was a little streaky; took the top edge and flew over the wicket-keeper’s head for a one-bounce four. The next one was intentionally slashed over the slips for a boundary. The game became a little subdued for a after that. The single were not coming easily and the boundary balls were at a premium.

In the 12^th over Ian Bradshaw bowled an overpitched delivery from over the wicket; Sachin played the shot of the day to collect four runs. It was a cover drive all along the green carpet, oozing with class. Sachin was looking good now and the West Indies skipper Brian Lara was just starting to get worried. He handed over the ball to Dwayne Smith and asked him to pitch it on the cracks. A couple of balls reared up and one even took the glove of Sachin but the master hung on. Sachin kept on accumulating runs in a riskless manner but in between he also played some glorious shots; a straight-drive for four, a pull for six and a leg-glance for another boundary. He reached his half century off 67 balls with 7 fours and a six.

Sachin along with Irfan Pathan took Indian score to 200 by 35 overs. Sachin pushed the tempo up and took on Dwayne Bravo for two fours in one over; one was a deft glide through the third-man and the other was a firm lofted punch through the mid-off region for four runs. Sachin completed his 40^th century with a single; it came off 119 balls with 13 boundaries and a six. Sachin’s innings was the fulcrum around which the complete Indian batting rotated. He kept on rotating the strike and others were given the chance to hit out. The wickets kept on falling from the other end but Sachin kept on pushing the Indian score toward the coveted 300 mark. By the end of 47 overs, Indian scorecard read 271; the 300 mark looked improbable. But Sachin finally exploded and finished off the innings with 4 powerful hits for maximum. The first one came off a half-volley on the off-stump and the culprit was Bravo; Sachin craved it over the extra-cover region for a six. An action replay followed three balls later; same bowler, same shot and same result. However, this time the shot was a little straighter. In the penultimate over Sachin took Taylor for another big one as he slogged a full delivery for six over long-on. In the last over Sachin stepped out to Bravo and lofted him over the extra-cover fence for the final six of the inning. Indian score swelled up to 309. Bravo was chosen for special punishment that day and Sachin took him for 40 runs with 4 boundaries and 3 sixes.

It was a supremely calculated innings by Sachin; Started with caution, followed by controlled accumulation of runs and capped off with an exuberant flourish. Sachin batted through the complete quota of 50 overs and ended with unbeaten 141 runs. The inning included 13 boundaries and 5 sixes. Unfortunately, India lost the match by 29 runs under the influence of ridiculous Duckworth Lewis rule. Sachin was awarded the man of the Match.

 

 

 

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My top 101 memories of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - #11

 

November 1998, Sharjah – Finals of Coca-Cola Champions Trophy, India v/s Zimbabwe

 

Sachin 124* (92b, 12*4s, 6*6s) 

 

 

The Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium is located in the heart of the deserts of UAE. In the 1990s, the amenities and infrastructure of the ground were basic. The heat, frequent sand storms and volatile fan base made it one of the most difficult places to play cricket in. The conditions on the ground are not very encouraging either; a slow and low wicket is surrounded by a heavy outfield. To sum it up, playing and succeeding in Sharjah was one of the most difficult accomplishments in world cricket. All these hostilities somehow always pepped up one man. Sachin played some absolute gems in these deserts and decimated some of the most renowned bowlers of his age.

 

 

1998 was a very special year for Sachin. He was in a rich vein of form and the reputation of being the most complete batsman of the era was always a step ahead of him. In the month of November India, Sri Lanka & Zimbabwe participated in Coca-Cola Champions Trophy. The matches of the series were low scoring and mostly one sided in nature. Sri Lanka fared really badly and lost all the matches of the series. India and Zimbabwe cruised into the finals. In the last ‘round-robin’ match, a dress rehearsal for the finals, Zimbabwe shocked Indians by 13 runs. A relatively unknown Henry Olonga wrecked the Indian batting line up and dismissed four Indian batsmen; Sachin was one of these four and lost his wicket to a cleverly bowled short-pitched delivery. This defeat left Indians and Sachin with a pretty bad taste. So when India met them in the finals a couple of days later, Sachin rolled out a few lessons for the Zimbabwean bowlers.

 

 

In the finals, India won the toss and asked Zimbabwe to bat first. The retaliation by the Indian bowlers was swift and Zimbabwe was reduced to 116 for 7 by 31^st over. Some stubborn resistance by Eddo Brandes and Paul Strang helped Zimbabwe to attain some respectability. The partnership between the two was broken when a sharply turning delivery breached the defense of Eddo Brandes and crashed into the stumps. The proven partnership breaker in Sachin did the job. Zimbabwe managed to play out their complete quota of 50 overs and set a target off 197 for the Indian team. Sachin and Sourav began the proceedings for India. In the last match, Olonga had made Sachin look a little stupid so there was just one thing in Sachin’s mind, “Vengeance”. He started aggressively and slammed a short pitch ball by Brandes through square-point for a boundary; the shot had more force than timing. Some of the shots that Sachin played after that had brute power engraved all over it. Sachin slashed hard on a delivery by Olonga and it went to the fence like a speeding bullet. The last ball of the same over was slashed harder and it went for a flat six over third-man fence; it was complete mayhem. The ever annoying flying insects of Sharjah were creating a nuisance for Sachin; Sachin tried to waft them away but the bugs were persistent. The scene of Sachin trying to ‘shoo’ away the insects was a funny sight and Olonga obliged with a smile. But the smile was wiped off his face real quick when he was subjected to some serious punishment.

In the 8^th over, Sachin played a lofted cover-drive of Olonga and the ball trickled over the fence for a boundary; the very next ball was a half-volley and it was smashed over long-off for maximum. The following ball was dealt with similar savagery and a fierce square cut sent it through the fence for another four. 14 runs off 3 balls; Sachin was on fire. Sourav from the other end tried to calm down Sachin but the man was not in a mood to listen. Captain Alistiar Campbell took Olonga out of the attack and handed the ball to his most experienced spinner Paul Strang. Paul was asked to bowl leg-breaks from round the wicket and try to pitch the ball into the roughs outside the leg-stump; the bowler was expecting or rather hoping that this negative line would choke the run flow. But that never happened; first ball was short and was pulled over the wide-ish mid-on for a four. Paul switched to over the wicket and compensated in length. He bowled the next one fuller and it was wacked over extra-cover for a huge six. The bowler went back to round the wicket but for no avail; this time Sachin hoisted him for another six straight over his head. The attempt to ape Shane Warne’s line had gone horribly wrong; after all Sachin had already dealt with this tactic against Warne himself and decimated it.

Sachin was making a mockery of the bowling. The hitting extravaganza was so exuberant that hardly anyone noticed that Sachin had completed his half-century with the second six off Paul. It took him just 28 balls to race to the milestone which included 5 fours and 4 maximums; 44 runs off 9 scoring shots. After taking 16 off the first 4 balls, Sachin again went for a biggie; only to miscue it. The ball took the top edge and lobbed high into the air. Andy Flower called for it and was about to complete the catch when Paul ran into him. The chance went down begging and a look of despair was evident on the faces of Zimbabwean players. The misery for Paul didn’t end there. In the 14^th over, Sachin added insult to his injury; he swept him four a four off the second ball, lofted him over long-on for a six off the fourth and then another four off the penultimate delivery.

Sachin completed his century off 71 balls with 10 fours and 5 sixes. By the match was truly settled and done. Sachin slowed down a little after the century. He smashed a six & a four to cap off a dominating run chase in the 30^th over. India won the match with 20 overs and 10 wickets to spare. Sachin was declared the Man of the Match and Man of the Series.

 

 

 Part - 1 

 

 

Part - 2

 

 

Part -3

 

 

Scorecard

 

 

 

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My top 101 memories of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - #10

August 1990, Old Trafford, Manchester – 2^nd Test match, India v/s England

Sachin 119* (189b, 17*4s)

The performance of majority of Indian batsmen outside the subcontinent has been abysmal to say the least. Reasons have always been very clear; we don’t have pitches with bounce & pace and neither do we have green tops which assist quality swing bowling at home. So when we go abroad, the unfamiliar conditions get the better of our batsmen. Most of the times such conditions require quick adaptation, but not on the cost of the natural game of an individual. Majority of our batters use to go ultra-defensive to an extent where they do not even score off the bad balls. Missing out on such scoring opportunities boost the morale of the opposition bowlers. So it is very important to play the natural game without being too ambitious; Something Sachin used to do with perfection.

In 1990, India went to England for a 3 Test match series. Indians were given a rude awakening in the very first test when Gharam Gooch battered the team into submission. Sachin could not do much in either of the innings and failed to negate the sharp swing. After the test he was a little perturbed and went to seek the advice of Sunil Gavaskar. Gavaskar asked Sachin to play the ball a little late; playing late in such conditions usually allowed the batsman to judge the swing better. Gavaskar also suggested the young man to play his natural game and to go hard on the bad balls. Sachin sapped into the nuggets of wisdom that was given to him.

Indian team turned up against the English in the 2^nd Test at Old Trafford, Manchester. England batted first and piled up a huge score of 519. India’s reply was strong and we compiled 432 runs. Azhar scored a classy century and Sachin supported him well with a well measured 68. Some attacking batting by the English helped them to set a target of 408 run for the Indians on the last day. Indian victory was ruled out of the equation even before the fourth innings commenced. Most of the top order batsmen opted to play an ultra-defensive game and unsurprisingly it did not pay-off. Indians lost wickets in a hurry and were reduced to 109 for 4. Sachin walked in to bat at number 6 with the herculean task to saving the match for India.

The England skipper Gooch set an attacking field for Sachin but he started positively; a cover-drive off the front foot to an over-pitched delivery went crashing into the boundary. Eddie Hemmings, the English off-spinner was on fire. He accounted for Azahar with a well tossed up delivery and almost sent Sachin packing; but he dropped a ‘Dolly’ off his own bowling and Sachin got away with a loose shot. He made English pay for it and shared a crucial 56 runs partnership with Kapil Dev. Manoj Prabhakar joined Sachin in the middle after a moment of ‘brain-freeze’ that led to the downfall of Kapil Dev. India was at tatters with the scoreboard reading 183 for 6.

Sachin started the repair job with Prabhakar. He glanced Chris Lewis for a four through the vacant fine-leg. Gooch wanted to win the match and that became evident when he deployed four slips and a gully. Sachin responded with intent; a short pitch ball on off-stump was precisely guided between the fourth slip and the gully for a four. Sachin completed his half-century with another boundary through covers. It took 100 balls to reach the milestone and he stoked the ball though the fence 7 times in the process. Sachin showcased an array of back-foot drives with amazing panache. Most of these shots came of short pitch deliveries outside the off-stump. It’s a common knowledge that Indians do not like short stuff and hence they kept on testing Sachin with the particular line. Sachin dealt with it with awe-inspiring ease but the English persisted with the line. Sachin slashed another such delivery from Angus Fraser and it flew over the slips for a four. He was in complete control of the situation and Prabhakar was giving him all the support that he needed. This pair had put India in a position from where saving the match looked a realistic possibility.

With just 11 overs left in the match, Gooch pulled out all stops and put in a fielder at short mid-off to unnerve Sachin. But unfazed by the tactic, he played a wonderful back-foot straight drive for another boundary. He was inches away from his first test century now. A few balls later, following the order of the day, he drove another one towards the long-off fence; this time of the front-foot. He ran three and a well-deserved century for Sachin was complete. No wild celebration or violent outburst of emotions followed the special achievement. He pulled off the helmet and acknowledged the applause of the team mates and spectators. 17 years and 107 day!! That was his age when he made history; the second youngest to score a test hundred. “It is an innings of temperament, skill and delightful stroke-play” announced Richie Benaud on the television. But Sachin knew that the job was not done. He composed himself and went back into his zone of focus. He played a back-foot cover drive and a square cut in the next few balls; both made a mess of the commercial boards near the ropes.

England had enough by now and decided to call the match off. India had saved the match with the help of an unbroken partnership of 160 runs for the seventh wicket. Sachin ended up with an unbeaten 119 off 189 balls. This knock was studded with 17 crisp shots to the fence. But the best part was the maturity shown by the 17 years old ‘Little Master’. He was adjudged the Man of the Match for his magnificent batting performance in both the innings.

Scorecard