Top 5 ODI centuries for a losing cause

1. Sachin 175 vs Australia (Australia in India, Hyderabad, 2009)

This was a real heartbreak for all the Indians. This gets the top spot because this century came while chasing, a target of 350 set by the Aussies.

Sachin, a single man, scored half the runs in less than half the balls (141). Still, the team could not get over the line, and were all out 3 runs shy of the target with 2 balls left in the innings.

The main culprit was the rest of the team, and still people have the audacity of blaming Sachin for not having led the team all the way. The same goes for the 13 other occasions where Sachin scored a ton and India lost the game. Shouldn’t the other players be blamed for the dismal performance that they must have come up with to end up on the losing side even after they had a Sachin ton to back them? But that is not how it is. People will blame Sachin. For God knows what reason.

Sachin’s was the 7th wicket to fall, and even then India could have won easily, with 19 required off 17. But some callous running between the wickets gave the opposition two wickets, and when Praveen Kumar was run out, it was curtains and Sachin’s century proved to be nothing but an effort in vain.

The trash talkers, who connect India’s losses to Sachin’s centuries (being blissfully unaware of the statistics), got some more masala to talk about, more so this time, as this was Sachin’s highest score in a losing cause.

As expected, Sachin was adjudged man of the match, with the only other good score in the innings coming of Raina’s bat who scored 59 and partnered with Tendulkar in a 137 run-stand for the 5th wicket. Sachin hit 19 fours and 4 sixes in his innings.