Reliving Sachin Tendulkar's ODI centuries (41 to 45)

Century No. 43 – 163* vs New Zealand (Christchurch – March 2009)

In 2009, India toured New Zealand for the first time since 2002. And the year 2009 was not off to a great start for Sachin Tendulkar. He had scores of 5, 6 and 7 before India left for New Zealand. He failed once again in the first game as he managed only 20, but he looked good in the second game (which was washed out).

Trailing 1-0 in the series, New Zealand opted to field first and were off to a good start as they removed dangerman Virender Sehwag early. But that didn’t put Tendulkar off. He took his time early on and then counter-attacked to put the Kiwi bowlers under pressure.

The way he batted was a treat to watch. He forged a 148-run partnership with Yuvraj Singh for the third wicket and then 135-run partnership for the fourth wicket with skipper MS Dhoni. Both Dhoni (68) and Yuvraj (87) complemented Tendulkar very well.

The way Tendulkar was going, not only was Saeed Anwar’s record (highest ODI score) was under threat, India’s premier batsman had the chance of becoming the first batsman to hit an ODI double hundred. But his cramping body gave up in the 45th over and Tendulkar had to retire on 163. The standout part of this innings was he never let the momentum shift even when he lost partners at the other end.

Hence, his 163 set up a great foundation for India as they finished with 392 in their 50 overs.