13 performances that gave Sachin Tendulkar 'The God of Cricket' status (Pre-2000)

1999 World Cup Turnaround

Sachin's 140 came during an anxious point for Sachin as well as team India.

The 1999 Cricket World Cup consisted of four rounds - the group stage, super sixes, semi-finals and the final. There were two groups with six teams each, and India lost their opening game to South Africa with average performances from most players.

Just before the game against Zimbabwe - which India was expected to win - Sachin was informed about the death of his father back home in India.

He rushed to Mumbai, and missed the Zimbabwe game to be with his family. His family expressed to him his father's desire of Sachin playing in the World Cup, but everything happened so quickly that he didn't get any time to contemplate.

In the meanwhile, India lost the match against Zimbabwe by three runs - thanks to a three-wicket over by India's nemesis Henry Olonga. Sachin returned in time before India's must-win match against Kenya.

He was welcomed by the team, but India had to do more than just win the three games remaining in the group stage. India also had to ensure a good run-rate, as South Africa, England and even Zimbabwe were pushing for the top three spots from Group A.

The points from this round would also be carried forward to the next one, but India could not afford to think that far at this point, and thus decided to focus on one game at a time.

In Sachin's first match back against Kenya, India were 92 for 2 in 21 overs. The team was going slow and this Kenya side had upset West Indies - who made it to the semifinals - during the last World Cup. They had even defeated India previously, but Sachin and the young Rahul Dravid - playing his first World Cup - put all that behind and focused on the game.

While Dravid kept rotating the strike, Sachin played his shots and would even play reverse sweeps during the course of his innings. He hit the ball in unusual areas and managed to score an unbeaten 140, catapulting India to 329 for 2, with Dravid scoring an unbeaten hundred as well.

India won the match by 94 runs. Dravid scored a successive hundred - 145 runs - in the next game against defending champions Sri Lanka. He, along with Sourav Ganguly (who was also playing his first World Cup) managed a world-record partnership, and the latter picked man-of-the-match award in that game, as well as the virtual knockout against home team England.

India made it through to the super sixes after a disastrous start, which cheered up the whole nation. Though Sachin and the rest of the team could not avoid losses against giants Australia and New Zealand in the super sixes, the team managed to beat the runners up of the tournament Pakistan, with Sachin scoring 45 and taking a catch in that game. Sachin - in the space of three-odd days - proved his love for his family as well as his country.

In all honesty, it would be unfair to consider a player above the sport. But whenever there is mention of the game of cricket, it would be more than unfair not to mention Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.