Sachin Tendulkar's top 7 centuries in India

India’s Sachin Tendulkar scored 24 of his 51 Test match hundreds in India. Tendulkar also hit 19 ODI centuries at home.Here is the list of Tendulkar’s top 7 centuries on Indian soil across Test and One Day cricket.

#7 120 vs England, Bengaluru, 2011

In a group stage match against England during the 2011 Cricket World Cup, Sachin Tendulkar scored his 47th ODI hundred at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Tendulkar walked out to open the batting along with Virender Sehwag after India skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and decided to bat first.

Sehwag and Tendulkar got India off to a solid start before England’s Tim Bresnan had Sehwag caught behind for 35 in the 8th over. Tendulkar initially took his time to get his eye in, while left-hander Gautam Gambhir at the other end made up for Sehwag’s dismissal with some crisply timed shots.

Tendulkar showed his first signs of real intent in the 18th over of the innings when he effortlessly lifted part-timer Paul Collingwood’s delivery into the stands.Tendulkar hit Collingwood for another six a couple of overs later, and brought up yet another ODI fifty, off just 65 balls. India were scoring at a healthy rate of about 5.70 runs/over and reached the team’s 150-run mark in the 27th over when Tendulkar slog swept off-spinner Greame Swann for two consecutive sixes over deep mid-wicket.

Swann dismissed Gambhir for 51 when the left-hander tried to run him down to third man, but Tendulkar at the other end had steadily made his way into the 90s. The entire stadium waited in bathed breath to witness another Tendulkar hundred. Tendulkar flicked a delivery from Tim Bresnan down to the fine leg boundary to bring up his century, a well paced innings which took just 103 balls.

Tendulkar would fall three overs later to a James Andeson delivery with India’s total at 236-3. Tendulkar’s contribution was 120 runs off just 115 balls, which included 10 fours and 5 sixes.

The match ended in a tie after England finished on 338 from their 50 overs, the exact same total posted by India (338 all out).

#6 186* vs New Zealand, Hyderabad, 1999

Sachin Tendulkar broke numerous batting records, including the record for the highest ever partnership in ODI cricket, during his blazing knock of 186* against New Zealand at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad in November 1999. Tendulkar, along with Rahul Dravid, took India from 10-1 to 341-2 when Dravid was dismissed for 153 (Dravid’s highest ODI score). The duo batted together for nearly 46 of the 50 overs in the Indian innings and put together 331 runs, a record partnership between any two batsmen in ODI cricket till date.

Tendulkar carried his bat right through the innings, and finished on 186* off 150 balls, with 20 fours and 3 sixes in the innings. India did not have too much trouble defending their massive total of 376-2, and won the match by 174 runs. The innings remained Tendulkar’s highest score in ODI cricket for nearly eleven years till he bettered his effort during a match against South Africa in February 2010.

#5 200* vs South Africa, Gwalior, 2010

In February 2010, Sachin Tendulkar broke one of ODI cricket’s elusive batting records when he played a brilliantly paced innings of 200* from just 147 balls. Tendulkar carried his bat right through the 50 overs and ended up reaching the milestone in the final over of the Indian innings.

Tendulkar was the first batsman to reach the 200-run mark in ODI cricket. A frustrated South African team watched Tendulkar smash the ball to all parts of the Captain Roop Singh Stadium at Gwalior. The innings included 25 fours and 3 sixes, and helped India just cross the 400-run mark (401-3).

India won the match by 153 runs.

#4 175 vs Australia, Hyderabad, 2009

Just four months before Gwalior, Tendulkar played another blinder, this time against Australia at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. India fell cruelly short of Australia’s total of 350 by just three runs though and Tendulkar’s heroic effort of 175 runs off 141 balls ended up in vain.

Tendulkar batted as well as he ever had during this effort, and he paced his innings all along to keep up with the asking rate even as the Australian bowlers kept picking up wickets at the other end.

Tendulkar played both pace and spin with equal ease and switched gears once he reached his hundred. India’s last recognized batsman, Suresh Raina, fell in the 42nd over of the Indian innings, and Tendulkar was forced to continue the pursuit of the target on his own. With India just 19 runs short of the target, Tendulkar decided to paddle-scoop Australian fast bowler Clint McKay over fine -leg. The ball only went as far as Nathan Hauritz at short fine-leg however, and Tendulkar’s run that night was over.

This was Tendulkar’s 45th century in ODI cricket.

#3 136 vs Pakistan, Chennai, 1999

Perhaps the greatest Test match effort by a batsman, in a losing cause.

Sachin Tendulkar battled the heat of Chennai, the pressure of chasing in a Test match, the expectations of the crowd in an India-Pakistan game, as well as dehydration and recurring cramps in his leg muscles to take India within 12 runs of victory against a strong Pakistan Test side. The effort ended up going in vain though, as the Indian batting line-up collapsed following Tendulkar’s dismissal to off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq and India lost the match by 12 runs.

Tendulkar was still named Man-of-the-Match for this effort ahead of numerous other contenders for the same title.

#2 103* vs England, Chennai, 2008

One of Tendulkar’s prouder moments as an Indian cricket player.

Just three weeks after the devastating terror attacks of November 2008 in Mumbai, Sachin Tendulkar took India to a famous win against England. India were trailing England by 75 runs at the end of the first innings in the Test match. Centuries from England’s Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood helped England to a total of 311 in their second innings, leaving India a target of 387 runs in just over a day’s play.

India’s openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag got India off to an astonishing start, Sehwag (83) in particular scoring at a strike rate close to 120. India finished fourth day’s play at 131-1, with Gambhir and Rahul Dravid at the wicket. Dravid fell early on the fifth and final day’s play, and Tendulkar walked out to bat. It was a difficult time for the country which was still recovering from the events in Mumbai the previous month.

Tendulkar looked determined to make a statement, and also to erase doubts over his inability to win Test matches for India. Tendulkar batted in the afternoon session with Gambhir and then with VVS Laxman. India were at 213-3 at lunch on Day 5.

With India still over a 150 runs away from victory, Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh made their intentions clear, and started to go for a win. The two batsmen upped the scoring rate and took any and every chance to put the bad balls away to the fence. India soon reached a total of 300, and with each boundary, only got closer to victory. England’s two spinners, Monty Panesar and off-spinner Graeme Swann (who was making his Test match debut) came in for the heaviest punishment. Victory was in sight as there was no letting up from either Tendulkar or Yuvraj. Batting on 99*, Tendulkar paddle swept Swann to bring up both his century, and take India over the finish line.

The demons of 1999 were settled for good as far as Tendulkar was concerned, at the same venue, nine years later.

#1 155* vs Australia, Chennai, 1998

A masterclass from Tendulkar, and an effort highly rated by all those who witnessed it. Tendulkar showed his true class right through this majestic knock in Chennai. The highlight of the innings was Tendulkar’s battle with Shane Warne, a battle in which the Indian star came out head and shoulders on top.

Tendulkar at one point got down on one knee and smashed Warne from middle stump against the turn over deep mid-wicket for six, and followed that up by clearing his right leg to hit Warne towards long-on for four. There was aboslutely no stopping Tendulkar during this innings, and he blazed his way to a brilliant century. The innings helped India reach 418-4 dec in the second innings, and set Australia a target of 348 runs for victory. Tendulkar hit 14 fours and 4 sixes, and remained unbeaten on 155 off 191 balls.