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

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.