5 unbelievable coincidences in cricket 

Cricket is a game of uncertainties. There is very little to predict in the game, no matter what the situation of the match is.

The game has evolved over the years but still remains the same in terms of the manner in which it is played. The technology might have made the game more effective and efficient, but cricket is still the battle between those 22 yards.

Over the course of time, the game has witnessed some shocking coincidental achievements being scripted.

In this segment, let us have a look at 5 of the most striking coincidences in cricket history.

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#5 The same margin of victory when Indian batsmen scored 200 runs in ODIs

Sachin was the first man to reach the landmark

On February 24, 2010, India's batting legend Sachin Tendulkar created history when he became the first man to touch the 200-run mark in 50-overs format.

He changed the mindset of people with his mind-boggling achievement. Some compared his achievement to be better than Lara's 400.

Due to the Master Blaster's gigantic efforts, India won the match by a huge margin of 153 runs against a strong South African team which had the likes of Kallis and AB de Villiers.

Everybody started to think that 200 runs by an individual is no more an impossibility, and so did India's most dangerous opening batsman Sehwag.

The Delhi lad breached his idol's record and scored a mammoth 219 against West Indies at Holkar stadium in Indore.

The West Indies never showed enough fight to chase down a target of 419. They lost all their wickets for 265, resulting in India winning the match once again by 153 runs.

The same margin of runs (153) was the difference between India and Australia when Rohit Sharma scored an astonishing 209 garnished with a record no of 16 sixes. India won it comfortably in the end.

#4 The Master-disciple relationship

15 years later after Sachin's achievement, Virat Kohli struck his fifth Test century against the Aussies on the exact same day

Sachin Tendulkar is undoubtedly the most celebrated Indian cricketer of all time. His name appears whenever a record is broken - such was the man's batting prowess.

Sachin loved playing in Australia and on December 28th, 1999 he brought up his fifth Test century against Aussies and also crossed the 1000-run mark against them at the age of 26.

India's newest addition to the list of batting greats, Virat Kohli, has idolised Sachin Tendulkar ever since he started to understand the game.

He has followed in his footsteps to become one of the pillars of modern day cricket. He is India's most bankable player across all formats.

15 years later after Sachin's achievement, Virat Kohli struck his fifth Test century against the Aussies on the exact same day (Dec 28th).

The number of half-centuries and centuries taken to pile up 1000 runs against the same team (Australia) remained the same. He did it at the exact same age as Sachin's as well (26).

#3 Cook + Clarke = Tendulkar?

This was an interesting stat

Sachin Tendulkar is often cited as the greatest batsman of all time for the sheer amount of runs he has amassed across formats.

Till his retirement, Sachin kept on piling up the runs every year. He remained the 'go-to' man for India for more than two decades.

In his 24 years career, he scored a total of 15921 runs in 200 test matches. It still remains at the top of the highest run-getters in the history of the game. The record seems to remain atop for several more years.

Alastair Cook and Michael Clarke were modern day masters in Test matches, they have their own unique stance and techniques. They have enjoyed playing test match cricket throughout their careers.

When both their career's 100th Test match was over, the tally of runs (7955+7966) and matches and the number of centuries(25+26) when summed up gave the exact number runs and centuries scored by the Master Blaster, Sachin Tendulkar.

#2 A coincidence century apart

The first ever Test match was played between England and Australia in Melbourne in 1877 and Australia won the game by defeating the game inventors in the match by a margin of 45 runs

Cricket was started by England and because of the colonisation, the game spread its roots deeply into the colonial countries.

Australia was a model colonial state of the British empire and thus the first ever Test match was played between England and Australia in Melbourne in 1877 and Australia won the game by defeating the game inventors in the match by a margin of 45 runs.

Throughout the early century until the 1950s, Australia continued to dominate cricket with some of the greatest cricketers on their side.

Sir Don Bradman is often cited as the greatest batsman to have played the game. He averages insurmountable 99.94 in test cricket. Sir Don's invincible team will go down as one of the greatest teams in cricket history.

But exactly a century later in a match held between the same old rivals to commemorate the centenary in 1977, the match again resulted in Australia winning it by the same margin of 45 runs!

#1 Mother of a coincidence!

On November 11, 2011, at the exact time of 11:11 am South Africa needed 111 runs to win the Test match

Cricket between South Africa and Australia has always been a riveting contest for the fans to watch. The quality of cricket has always enthralled every other cricketing nation. The number of star players adds more value to these contests.

Whether the test series is played in Australia or South Africa the battle has always been of the same intensity. With some of the legends like Kallis, Ponting, Graeme Smith, Clarke etc to have played the game has enriched the intensity.

There have been many great matches played between these two nations. The 1998 World Cup semi-final at Edgbaston is one such incident.

The First test between South Africa and Australia was played at Capetown and a coincidence unlike any occurred during the match.

On November 11, 2011, at the exact time of 11:11 am South Africa needed 111 runs to win the Test match. Nothing can beat this one, its mother of all coincidences.