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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