10 Times Sachin Tendulkar Enchanted Our Cricket Crazy Nation With His Sheer Brilliance!

Daniel Vettori, former New Zealand captain and one of the modern greats of the game of cricket once said about ‘Master Blaster’, Sachin Tendulkar:

“He has been in form longer than some of our guys have been alive.”

From the day he stepped on the field for the first time to the day he retired, Sachin Tendulkar gave our country countless reasons to smile. For over two decades, he carried the burden of the Indian team on his shoulders and delivered every time India needed him, with the bat and otherwise.

A selfless human, a devoted cricketer and a master of his craft, mere words can’t describe the legacy of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. So here are a few golden moments from his illustrious career that will take you on a trip down the memory lane.

1. When he became the youngest batsman to score a century in England

He was not old enough to drink alcohol, but he was matured enough to save the test match. Chasing 408, India was struggling at 183-6. However, a young Sachin had something else in mind. Forging a match-saving partnership with Manoj Prabhakar, Sachin pulled the team out of the jaws of defeat.

 

2. When he snatched the ball from captain Azharuddin’s hands and took India to victory

Chasing a small target of 196, it was the last over of the match and South Africa needed just 6 runs to win. With everyone hesitant to bowl, Sachin took the responsibility and bowled a magical spell in front of a packed Eden crowd to take India to victory.

 

3. When ‘Sachin storm’ was more fierce than the ‘desert storm’ for the Australians

Unarguably, one of the best innings from the little master. Thrashing bowlers like Warne and Fleming all over the park, Sachin ensured that India enters the final by maintaining the required run-rate. With the rest of the team scoring just 95 (+12 extras), it is safe to say that Sachin fought a lone war in the desert.

 

4. When he left personal grief aside to help India on the field

In the middle of the tournament, Sachin got the news of his father passing away. He returned to India, performed his last rites and headed right back to meet with the team in crisis. On his return, he didn’t let his emotions get the better of his talent and scored a brilliant century against Kenya.

 

5. When he reached where no one before him could

After Sunil Gavaskar became the first batsman to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket, Sachin Tendulkar became the first to do so in One-day internationals.

 

6. When he showed Pakistan who’s the boss 

India has won all their 11 encounters against Pakistan in World Cup cricket (ODI and T20 combined) till date and if any cricket fan were to pick the best one, they’d most likely pick the 2003 World cup clash. After Pakistan posted a strong total of 273, Indian batting, under the leadership of Sachin broke the backbone of Pak bowling. Wasim, Waqar and team were thrashed mercilessly as Sachin dominated the 22 yards that day.

 

7. When he won hearts through a small yet beautiful act

Chasing a difficult target of 387, Sachin Tendulkar guided India to victory with a toiling hundred in the fourth innings. After the match, Sachin won hearts by dedicating the century and India’s victory to the victims of the 26/11 terror attacks, which happened days before the match.

 

8. When he fulfilled the dreams of a billion Indians

With centuries against South Africa and England in the group stage and fifties in the quarter-final and the semi-final, Sachin remained the second highest run-getter of the tournament and helped India to get their hands on the World cup after a long wait of 28 years!

 

9. When he reached the summit where no one else ever dreamed of 

Scoring his 49th ODI century against Bangladesh, Sachin Tendulkar achieved a feat that no one ever imagined.

 

10. When he hung his boots and left us all in tears

Sachin Tendulkar received a grand reception from the crowd, the Indian team and the West Indies team as he entered his home arena for the 200th test match of his career. Scoring a brilliant 74, Sachin bid farewell to the game with getting India to victory.

There were many cricketers before him and there will be many in the future too, but there never was and never will be another Sachin Tendulkar.

Poster Courtesy: Sachin Kaushik