Everytime we talk about Sachin Tendulkar, it produces a wax lyrical and this piece is no different. On the verge of completing 20 years in international cricket on November 15, Sachin gave a performance that generated shouts of encore.
Taking guard to chase Australia’s elephantine total of 350, Sachin and everyone else in the ground had the figure of ‘seven’ on their mind. It’s not a riddle that numbers associated with Sachin mean runs and he needed seven of those to summit at 17,000 ODI runs – a feat we may not witness anybody achieve ever again.
A clip to the square leg and he was there, leading to deafening cheers and unveiling of a host of banners designed especially for the occasion. Sachin’s response though insinuated that he had something more important on his mind. He didn’t raise his bat animatedly. Knowing Sachin, a win for his team and the country meant more than anything else to him. He quite noticeably harnessed himself up to go into an overdrive.
Maintaining a run rate of seven all through the 50 overs is no mean affair and while Sehwag was going for the broke, Sachin held himself back. A promising Sehwag knock again ended dolefully and it was left to Sachin who changed gears swiftly. He drove, cut and lifted balls hurled at more than 140 km/hour without fear or favor.
To the crowd and Sachin’s disappointment, the much needed assistance from the other end went missing from Gambhir, Yuvraj and Dhoni. The scoreboard read 162 for 4 in the 24th over. Raina came in to join Sachin and almost left immediately but for Cameron White who dropped him at slip. The catch looked to have cost Australia the match, as Sachin and Raina started building the innings, not with ones and twos but with a flurry of fours and sixes.
The 45th ODI century beckoned Sachin and he didn’t let the nervous 90s come in his way this time and got it in just 81 balls. With 24 overs left at that stage and Sachin playing the inning of his life, India started sensing that it might just happen today. Saeed Anwar (194) and Coventry’s (194 not out) world record became fresh like an apple in our brains. Sachin got to 150 with panache, flicking one to the square-leg boundary, off just 121 balls.
The arduous assignment almost became a left-hand task, courtesy Sachin’s masterly class and Raina’s youthful belligerence. The score read 299 and a rush of blood saw Raina top-edging a pull shot for Manou to backpedal and take a fine running catch.
All hopes of an improbable Indian win hinged on Sachin’s shoulders, but it’s a team game. Support from the other end kept fading away, with Harbhajan back in the hut for a duck. With 51 needed off 42 balls, Ravindra Jadeja had an opportune moment on hand to prove that he wasn’t a square peg in a round hole. The duo took the batting power-play and Jadeja started stroking the ball crisply over and between the fielders to find much-needed boundaries.
At the end of 47 overs, the match was there to be won for India. Just 19 needed off 18 balls with four wickets in hand, including that of Sachin’s. The situation reminded of the Test match India lost to Pakistan a few years back. On that occasion too, Sachin was at the crease with Sunil Joshi, having scored a century, but he got out, resulting in India losing that Test. This is the only shadow that casts a dark area on Sachin’s illuminated career. He has carried the blame of not finishing matches on his own. More often than not, he has got out after doing all the hard work, which gave a window of opportunity to the opposition. On most of those occasions, India lost the match when Sachin should have won it for them. This was the day Sachin had to get rid of that shadow.
However, it wasn’t to be. Sachin played an uncharacteristic inventive scoop over the short fine leg which went straight up and easily lapped up by Hauritz. There was stun silence in the ground before the crowd rose to give the master a standing ovation for his inning of 175 in 141 balls, studded with 19 fours and 4 sixes. Jadeja got run out in the same over to declare himself a nine-day wonder. What happened after that was reminiscent of the Test match mentioned above and hurts to recall as an Indian fan.
The match would not have been a nip-and-tuck affair without Sachin’s knock. It must have reminded the Aussies of their tour in 1999 when Sachin took them to task both here in India and at Sharjah. But still, it was better than any other ODI inning he has played, considering the pressure of chasing 350 against a resourceful Australian side.
It’s hard to believe people commenting on his age, slowed reflexes, getting vulnerable to fast bowling, blah…blah…blah! When he plays like this, he looks good for at least 20,000 runs and 50 centuries, if not more. After all, it’s just a question of three more seasons and gauging by the hunger he continues to show, Sir Sachin looks good for many more.
Thanks for the entertainment and the wonderful inning you played for us Sachin! God bless you!
Posted by JS
While the third ODI again brought pitch factor to the fore, the fourth one at Mohali surfaced the need for multi-utility cricketers for ODIs to thrive.
The explanation behind an Aussie total of 250 after being 196 in the 38th over lies in the lack of all-rounders in their ranks, owing mainly to injuries. While Brad Haddin and Michael Clark were unfit for the tour, the injury list continued to grow after arrival of the touring party. Tim Paine, Brett Lee and James Hopes had already flown back and before the fifth ODI, Siddle too picked up side stiffness and headed home. If that wasn’t all, Moises Henriques became the latest to join the list of injured back-packers to be ruled out for the series due to a troubled hamstring.
Posted by JS
The second ODI of the closely-watched and fought India-Australia series, which in all probability may leave an indelible impression on the face of ODI cricket, has drawn everybody’s attention to an indispensible element – the all important 22-yard pitch.
Posted by JS
Indian bowlers and for the most part Indian batsmen too did little to generate interest among the public in the first ODI on Sunday. The pasting Indian bowlers got wasn’t one bit amusing and many started leaving by the time the seventh Indian wicket fell in their run-chase. Though Harbhajan and Kumar couldn’t win it for India at the end, they certainly have set the series up. A meek Indian surrender was on the cards but for Harbhajan and Kumar who almost did it for India with the willow in hand in a strokefilled partnership of 80 plus – a record for the eighth wicket for India.
One day Internationals (ODI) may undergo a drastic revamp depending on the response 7-match ODI series between India and Australia receives, starting tomorrow. If there is a match-up after India-Pakistan that can draw crowd in hoards, it’s the bubbling rivalry between India and Australia.

