Top five partnerships involving Sachin Tendulkar

Twenty-five years ago, two boys with a never-seen-before appetite for runs etched their names in record books with a 664-run partnership in school cricket. Sachin Tendulkar, two months short of 15, and Vinod Kambli, 16, made the stalwarts take notice in style with individual scores of 326 not out and 349 not out for Shardashram Vidyamandir against St Xavier’s High School, Fort, in the Harris Shield semi-final played at Sassanian ground at Azad Maidan between February 23 and 25, 1988. The partnership was a turning point in the lives of not only the two kids but also in the lives of the millions of cricket lovers all around the world for it was the beginning of the phenomenon that we all know as Sachin Tendulkar.

While the partnership of the century stood for 25 long years, Sachin Tendulkar has come a long way since then. In 24 years of international cricket, he has etched out some humongous partnerships, sometimes building a formidable target, sometimes saving the match for the country. The fact that he has managed 71 century partnerships in Test matches and 89 century partnerships in ODI’s speaks volumes of the service, the man has dished out for the nation on the field.

Here, I venture out to list the top 5 partnerships that the Master Blaster has been a part of over the years.

5) Sachin Tendulkar- Sourav Ganguly: Considered one of the best opening pairs the format has ever produced, this was just one instance and yet noteworthy because it came against tough opponents. Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly put on together a 252-run partnership scoring 128 and 109 respectively against Sri Lanka in 1998 helping India post 307. India won the thriller by 6 runs and Sachin was promptly awarded the MOM for his blistering knock.

NAGPUR, INDIA – NOVEMBER 06: Sachin Tendulkar (R) of India celebrates reaching his century alongside team mate Sourav Ganguly during day one of the Fourth Test match between India and Australia at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium on November 6, 2008 in Nagpur, India. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

4) Sachin Tendulkar– VVS Laxman: Such was the dominance of the Australians in the past decade that humiliating them in their own backyard was a next to impossible feat for any visiting team. However, this is exactly what Sachin and Laxman did with a mammoth 353 run partnership to guide India to a first innings total of 707 at the SCG. The duo batted for nearly 7 hours in tough bowling conditions against the likes of Gillespie, Macgill, Bracken and Brett Lee to hamper any chances of Australia taking lead in the series. Tendulkar scored his career best score with an unbeaten 241 while Laxman scored 178 runs in the innings.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 24: VVS Laxman of India celebrates scoring a half century with teammate Sachin Tendulkar during day one of the Fourth Test between Australia and India at Adelaide Oval January 24, 2008 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

3) Sachin Tendulkar-Navjot Singh Sidhu: The 4th game of the Sharjah Cup, in a high voltage clash against Pakistan, India were in dire need of a partnership to steady the fort after losing couple of early wickets. In came Sachin Tendulkar and along with Navjot Sidhu , strung together a partnership of 231 runs for the third wicket scoring 101 and 118 respectively to steer the game in India’s favor. India went on to win the game by 28 runs and made it to the finals before it lost to South Africa. Till date, this innings is rated as one of the finest, for the enormous amount of pressure that it was played in.

11 Dec 1997: Navjot Sidhu of India plays a shot during the Singer Champions Trophy in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. \ Mandatory Credit: Stu Forster /Allsport

2) Sachin Tendulkar– Rahul Dravid: This partnership is a pure example of how dedicated and loyal can one be to his country. It may not be anywhere near the top in terms of runs scored but its stands out for the emotional quotient and its importance at the world stage. After the premature death of his father, Tendulkar rushed back to England to keep India’s chances alive in the World Cup after they had just lost a game against Zimbabwe. He and Dravid, who was just emerging as a dependable player in the shorter format, scored an unbeaten 237 together as India went on to beat Kenya by 94 runs. The game is remembered for the magical moment when Tendulkar reached his century and looked towards the sky with tears swelling in his eyes in remembrance of his father.

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 20: Sachin Tendulkar (L) of India talks to Rahul Dravid during day three of the 4th npower Test Match between England and India at The Kia Oval on August 20, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

1) Sachin Tendulkar-Rahul Dravid: This superhuman feat took place in 1999 against a strong New Zealand bowling lineup. Two veterans Indian batting stalwarts, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid put on 331 from 45.2 over’s for the second wicket against the likes of Chris Cairns, Shane O’Connor, Chris Drum, Daniel Vettori and Chris Harris. Since then, this magnificent record has stood like a fort and no other partnership has come close to breaching it. Rahul Dravid secured his career best of 153 while Tendulkar’s scored an unbeaten 186 which was his highest score for more than 10 years, before he scored a double against South Africa.

BELFAST, UNITED KINGDOM – JUNE 26: Sachin Tendulkar (R) and Rahul Dravid of India talk in the middle during the Future Cup one day international match between India and South Africa at the Civil Service Cricket Ground, Stormont on June 26, 2007 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)