8 partnerships Indian cricket fans can never forget

Sachin Tendulkar - Mohammad Azharuddin, 1997 (Cape Town)

In the first Test match against South Africa in 1997, India was backed into a corner. The South African team had a lethal attack that consisted of the likes of Allan Donald, Brian McMillan, Paul Adams and Shaun Pollock. It was a fiery pitch and the Protean fast bowlers had crippled India to a score of 58/5.

India were 471 runs behind the Africa total of 529 in the first innings. Once again, India was looking at an embarrassing defeat and also at a follow-on on a foreign soil. But Sachin and Azhar had different plans.

The two constructed a partnership of 222 runs. Both players went on to score centuries. Sachin scored 169 and Azhar scored 115. The partnership is one of the best in Indian cricket’s history because it was an example of the Indians putting up a fight in foreign conditions. Although the team eventually lost the match, the players could at least hold their heads high because of these innings.

Even against such a lethal bowling attack, the two players played their shots. Sachin hit 26 boundaries in his innings. It means 104 runs came in boundaries, which shows how well he played that day. Azhar also went on to hit 19 boundaries in his innings.