A young fan's memories of Sachin Tendulkar - 4 memorable matches

Sachin Tendulkar

I was born in the year 1993. Sachin Tendulkar first turned up for India in 1989. From my earliest memories of cricket and my fascination towards the sport that gripped the nation like nothing else, Sachin Tendulkar has always been a constant part as if cricket and Sachin went hand in hand.

The nerve cracking tension when India lost a couple of early wickets and yet the eerie calmness knowing that someone blindly dependable was going to walk in at No 4, the excitement when he played his trademark cover drive or a loft over the bowler’s head, the sadness when he lost his wicket and the heartbreak when he missed a century, the emotions that I have felt as all of us must have through his batting. ‘Somewhere between Sachin’s debut and his retirement, we all grew up.

In a personal tribute, I set out to present my list of some unforgettable innings of the great man.

4) 117 vs Australia at Sydney, 2008: The first match of the best of 3 final of the CB series. A relatively young Indian side were gunning to bring down the mighty Australians and aiming to a first by winning a tri-series.

Tendulkar by then had not been in the best of touch and a few scores to settle – an ODI century in Australia, a century in 37 innings, a chase-winning century since 2001, a century in any chase since March 2004. India were in more than a spot of a bother with three down for 87, but Tendulkar combined effortlessly with Rohit Sharma to steady the ship.

He played a magnificent inning in the 120 deliveries he faced as he scored a brisk 117 to take India past the 239 set by Australia. As is clear, all the scores were also settled.

3) 98 vs Pakistan at Centurion, 2003: The bigger the stage, the better he performs. This line cannot be true for anybody more than it is for Sachin Tendulkar. After having lost the 2nd game to Australia by a huge margin, India needed a win to stay afloat in the World Cup.

Chasing a tough 275 to beat their bitter rivals Pakistan in the World Cup group stage, India got off to a flyer when opener Tendulkar smashed a six and two fours from the final three balls of Shoaib Akhtar’s first over. That set the pace for the Rawalpindi Express was immediately taken brought out of the attack and Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag put on 53 in the first 6 overs.

Tendulkar finally went on to make a stunning 98 from only 75 balls, despite cramp, before Shoaib finally got his revenge to break a million hearts. India went on to win with more the match comfortably and subsequently reach the final, where they were beaten by Australia.

2) 200 vs South Africa at Gwalior, 2010: It took 40 years for any batsman to score a double hundred in a one-day international – and fittingly the Little Master was the man to do the unthinkable.

He batted through the 50 overs to ensure the team score reached a formidable 401 against South Africa, displaying all the moves of his game. After a steady 90-ball ton came the fireworks when with nine fours and a six, he managed an uncharacteristic third half-century from only 28 balls.

He launched two more huge sixes on his way past the Saeed Anwar’s ODI record of 194. Finally came the magic moment when took a single of Charl Langeveldt’s and the bat went up towards the sky in trademark fashion.

1) 241 vs Australia at Sydney, 2004: Any century on foreign soil is special and more so if it comes against the top ranked team in their very own den for a series saving cause.

Australia have suffered a lot more than most at Tendulkar’s hands and this scintillating knock represented his best Test score – until he beat it by seven runs against Bangladesh. But, more important, it helped level the series in what was Steve Waugh‘s last Test for Australia.

Tendulkar added a mammoth 353 for the fourth wicket with VVS Laxman. He later admitted that it was easily the best ton he had ever scored for the conditions and the opposition it came against.

Like the above mentioned, we all have lived with so many unforgettable moments in the last 24 years. But, at the end of the on-going Test match, the nation will wake up to a new life – a life without Sachin Tendulkar.

No longer will school kids pretend to be sick on match days. No unplanned leaves to watch someone complete a century. No longer will half the office call in sick together once India elects to bat in. No more vacant roads will adorn the city when someone is batting. No more non stopping chanting when someone hits fours and sixes. Our world is set to change in the span of one moment of history.

And well, for someone like me who has seen Sachin all his life, there will be a void that can never be filled, a chaos and calmness and slowly the realization will settle in. Now only humans will play cricket. The time has come. God is retiring.