It reminds me of an old joke. There was this guy enjoying a stag night out with friends. As the beer flowed, talk veered around to that perennial favorite - the Dream Woman. 'I,' the guy said, 'will take the eyes of Aishwarya Rai, the lips of Angelina Jolie, the bust of Marilyn Monroe, the....' 'Hey,' interrupts his friend, 'tell you what, I'll take all the bits you are throwing away!'
So okay, I'll pick ten. And tell you what - there will be many who would lean over to me and say 'Hey, tell you what, I'll take the Tendulkar knocks you've thrown away!'
| 15 in 1989, 1st test vs Pakistan, Karachi: Picture this: Pakistan's National Stadium, packed to the rafters with home team supporters roaring their team on against the hated enemy. In the middle, easily the most fearsome pace attack of the time - the young Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram, backed by the legendary Imran Khan. Krish Srikkanth, Navjot Sidhu and Sanjay Manjrekar are blasted out in rapid succession (13/3). Prabhakar is fourth out - and a young lad of just over 16 years walks out into the cauldron. Imran sets an attacking field, and the two fearsome young fast bowlers go for blood, with a barrage of short-pitched deliveries that buzz around the tyke's head. A ball from Younis rears up and smacks the youngster on the helmet. Concerned, the close in fielders and the bowler rush up to render assistance. The youngster shakes his head to clear it - and through the visor of his helmet, boyish eyes glare in defiance. Blood, pain and a ferocious bowling line-up did not stop Tendulkar from playing a gutsy knock. He scored only 15 that day - but in the nerveless fashion in which he took guard again after having his bell rung, he announced himself a man among men. |
Don't ask me why I picked this short-lived innings. Instead, ask yourself two questions: How many feet did Orville and Wilbur Wright traverse in their first flight? And what was your own biggest accomplishment at age 16?
114 in 1992, 5th test vs Australia, Perth: "It still remains my best test match innings," said the man himself in a TV interview about his hundred on a fast and bouncy wicket at the WACA ground in Perth. On a pitch where batsmen of more experience and higher pedigree struggled against the pace of McDermott, Hughes, Whitney and Reiffel, Sachin who was still only 18 but fresh from his Sydney hundred played a gem. It was a brilliant counter attack on the fastest pitch of the world. He coped with the pace and bounce quite easily and stroked his way to a beautiful hundred. Although his knock could not help India avoid another humiliating defeat it still remains one of the best knocks ever played at the WACA. After he got to his hundred, celebrated Aussie commentator Richie Benaud said, "It’s a great pity that an innings which deserved a crowd of over a 100,000 is being watched by a such a small crowd." |
|
| 103* in 2008, 1st test vs England, Chennai: This was the match that saw Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar exorcise the ghost that haunted him from a decade ago, when at the same venue India lost a close match against Pakistan. This time, it was a match that saw the world unite through cricket, after the Mumbai terror attacks served as a wakeup call. India have forever employed a rather defensive approach in final innings run-chases; however this time around a blitzkrieg from Sehwag (83 runs off just 68 balls) on the fourth day gave them more than just a glimmer of hope on the final day. If it wasn't for Sehwag's knock, India would have in all likelihood attempted for a draw. It was an emotional match for more than just a few reasons and it had to take a special performance from India's most celebrated cricketer to achieve a historical victory. India accomplished the fourth greatest run-chase in Test cricket history when they chased down 387 runs on the final day of the Chennai Test match against England and fittingly it was Tendulkar who scored the winning runs and in the process got to his 41st Test hundred. It had to have been preordained. Had to be. |
169 in 1996-97, 2nd Test v SA at Cape Town: The lunch interval during the third day of the Newland’s Test represented a perfect photo-op for all the lensmen. The President of South Africa Nelson Mandela came to the ground and met the players of the two teams. Tendulkar, who was then captain ofIndia, had the honour of introducing his team to the President. A great moment it was indeed for Sachin, but there were plenty of other worries on his head. One of them was the fact that his team were tottering at 58 for five in reply to the hosts’ first innings total of 529. But great occasions often inspire great people and what the Indian captain unleashed in partnership with former captain Mohammad Azharuddin had everyone searching for superlatives. The pair added 222 runs in just over two hours and treated Shaun Pollock, Allan Donald, Brian McMillan and Lance Klusener like a bunch of club bowlers. Two on drives which took him from 92 to 100, off perfect Allan Donald inswingers prompted Mike Procter to comment, "I have seen a fair amount of Test cricket. But never ever, have I seen batting like this." Azhar was unfortunately run out on 115, but Tendulkar kept going and helped India avoid the ignominy of a follow-on. His knock of 169 ended when Adam Bacher pulled off a blinder at deep square-leg off Brian McMillan. |
|
| 136 in 1999, 1st test vs Pakistan, Chennai: It was the first time that India and Pakistan were playing a test match on Indian soil for 12 years and the first ever test series between the two countries since 1989. Sachin was dismissed for a duck in the first inns by off spinner Saqlain Mushtaq. But Sachin more than made up for it by scoring 136 in the second inns and almost took India to an unlikely win. India were 82/5 in their second essay chasing 271 to win. Sachin battled back spasms and a pumped up Pakistani team with a superb blend of defence and attack. He carried on and when India were just 17 runs away from their target he fell victim to Saqlain again. His wicket gave the Pakistanis a new lease of life and they polished off the lower order to complete a thrilling 12 run win. That was the first time fans saw Sachin wince in pain on a cricket field and although he won the man of the match award it was little consolation for Sachin who broke down in the hospital after he learnt that India was beaten from a seemingly winning position. |
119 in 1990, 2nd test vs England, Old Trafford Manchester:Sachin Tendulkar got to his first test hundred when he drove Angus Fraser past mid off for 3 runs and aged 17, became the second youngest player in test history to score a hundred after Mushtaq Mohammaed of Pakistan. However that knock had much more significance than just being his first test hundred. It helped India save a match that looked all but lost as they were tottering at 183/6 before tea chasing a victory target of 408 runs. Sachin who scored an unbeaten 119 to win the man of the match award. Manoj Prabhakar too played an important hand in helping India salvage a draw. He has scored 40 more hundreds after that! |
|
| 155* in 1998, 1st Test vs Australia, Chennai: The Gavaskar-Border trophy between India and Australia was billed as the Warne vs Tendulkar series by fans and media alike, not surprising considering the reputation of the two great stars and their attacking instincts. But after being stripped of the Captaincy, Sachin batted like a man possessed almost out to prove a point. India were trailing by 70 runs when they began their second innings and they needed a quick fire innings from some one if they had to make a match of it. Tendulkar, who has practised against L.Sivaramakrishnan and a few other bowlers on artificially created rough patch before this series, decides to take apart Warne. In a breathtaking assault, with the match hanging in balance, he deploys his unique slog sweeps against the spin to steer India past Australia and snatch a match winning 347-run lead. His 155 not out in the second inns on a track that afforded sharp turn and bounce helped India win the test match. Says Ian Chappell about that inns, " I will always remember that Chennai test match for a lot of good things but I will never forget for as long as I live the moment when Shane Warne came around the wicket for the first time and Tendulkar deposited him over the mid wicket boundary." Never was Warne treated with so much disdain as he was by Tendulkar, taming the world's best spinner with an uncanny ease. |
241* in 2004, 4th test vs Australia, at Sydney: It was the last Test of a highly competitive series, and also the farewell match for Steve Waugh, one of the greatest cricketers the game has seen. Tendulkar, having struggled in the preceding matches, chose the appropriate stage to sign off the series in style. This was certainly not the best of his centuries but it was his most determined in a long time. His first double century outside India was his way of paying tribute to Waugh, who was known for similar tenacity. "Happy to score runs against a team like Australia," was a simple comment from Tendulkar but his innings was a big lesson in building an innings and playing within one's limitations. Tendulkar fought indifferent form with an amazingly disciplined knock that saw him avoid off-side shots. As a result, he came up with some great on-side play and worked the ball relentlessly to defy the Australian game plan. One could not recall a single cover-driven four since he had cut out that shot to avoid getting into trouble. The `Man of the Match' award was a fitting honour to his dedication in the middle. |
|
| 116 in 1999, 2nd test vs Australia, at Melbourne: The Australian attack comprised of Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Damien Fleming and Shane Warne. McGrath is the best fast bowler in the world. Only Dennis Lillee matches his rate of picking wickets. Lee was the fastest in the world, Damien Fleming was very accurate and Warne was at his peak. Before the game, there was a lot of talk about McGrath having found a chink in his armor during the 1999 World Cup, when he dismissed Sachin with an unplayable delivery. As captain of the Indian team, Sachin was under a lot of pressure – and he produced a classy knock. It was also the first time he was playing in Australia since 1996, when Sir Don Bradman had made a statement about the resemblance in his batting style with Sachin’s. |
194* in 2004, 1st test vs Pakistan, at Multan: This is history. India's first ever Test win on Pakistan soil, the first ever triple century in Tests by an Indian (309 by Sehwag) and the controversy over Rahul Dravid's declaration, leaving Tendulkar stranded six runs short of a double century on the trot, added to the excitement of the contest. With Sehwag on the rampage, Tendulkar did not mind playing the second fiddle and ensured the team did not lose focus. He was instrumental in setting up a huge total that put Pakistan under tremendous pressure. Apart from playing his customary role of giving the innings direction, Tendulkar also guided Sehwag, who acknowledged his partner's priceless contribution. Tendulkar's was a solid effort and his monumental association with Sehwag was one of the highlights of the series. His invaluable knock went a long way in putting India on course to victory with Sehwag a glowing partner. |
|
