Sachin Tendulkar finally ended his jinx in international cricket as he scored his first century after 78 ODIs during the match against Australia at the SSC.
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Sachin Tendulkar is the ultimate gold standard when it comes to batting in cricket. His numbers might never be surpassed. 18426 ODI runs, 15921 Test runs and 100 international centuries. All these numbers are etched in the memories and hearts of fans. Tendulkar redefined the dynamics of world cricket in such a way that the game became the ultimate passion for 1.3 billion Indians. But, the start of such a glorious journey was riddled with problems. Tendulkar did not have a good debut in ODIs, with two ducks in two consecutive matches. In Tests, he had to wait for 13 innings before registering his first century.
It is difficult to imagine that Tendulkar’s epic journey would have had such a rough beginning. Tendulkar started his career batting in positions four and five in the batting order. That fetched him mixed results and the returns were not so consistent. It was when Sachin Tendulkar was promoted to open the batting that he hit the gold spot. His 82 off 49 balls in an ODI against New Zealand in Auckland was a class apart. His elevation as an opener changed not just his destiny but the fortunes of many Indians.
In the Singer World Series, India, Sri Lanka, and Australia were participating in a tri-series. Tendulkar was dismissed for 6 in the first match but in the second match at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) on September 9, 1994, the right-hander came into his own.
Tendulkar started off with some crisp boundaries off Glenn McGrath but he was severe on veteran Craig McDermott. One particular shot was simply sensational. McDermott bowled a full ball on the pads and Tendulkar whipped it over deep midwicket for a big six. Tendulkar cleared the infield regularly and hit the lofted shot at will. He flicked well and also countered Shane Warne brilliantly.
Tendulkar was batting brilliantly and he shared a vital partnership of 87 for the opening wicket with Manoj Prabhakar. The Mumbai youngster got great support from Navjot Singh Sidhu and Mohammad Azharuddin. Tendulkar finally got to the mark when he cracked Warne to deep extra cover for a couple. The crowd that was present at the SSC generously applauded him. Tendulkar had finally arrived on the world stage. However, on 110, Tendulkar looked to slog McDermott but he ended up dragging the ball back onto his stumps. A blitz from Vinod Kambli, a knock of 43 from 47 balls at the end helped India reach 246/8.
Boosted by Sachin Tendulkar’s brilliant 110, Australia needed to start well. They lost Mark Taylor cheaply with Prabhakar taking his wicket. Michael Slater struck some crisp boundaries but he was dismissed by Kapil Dev, who was playing the last of his ODIs. Mark Waugh and David Boon shared a 67-run stand for the third wicket and looked to have rescued Australia. But, offspinner Rajesh Chouhan took the wicket of Waugh for 61 and Boon for 40. Steve Waugh was also sent back for 22 by Prabhakar.
When Michael Bevan fell for 26, the end was high. Australia lost the game by 31 runs and India had entered the final. They were playing the hosts and in a low-scoring final, Sri Lanka was restricted to 98/9 in a rain-affected match reduced to 25 overs. Sachin Tendulkar fell cheaply for 0 and it began yet another strange sequence in which he was dismissed for a duck in three consecutive innings. India won the trophy when they chased the target down for the loss of four wickets.
For Tendulkar, the knock at the SSC went a long way in ensuring that he became one of the mainstays of the Indian cricket team. They year ended with 1000 runs at an average of 47. The year 1995 was slightly lean for Tendulkar, averaging 40 and scoring just one century. But, from 1996 onwards, Tendulkar’s legendary status only grew.
In 1996, he ended the World Cup as the leading run-getter with a high score of 137. He ended the year with an average of 53. But, it was in 1998 when Tendulkar became one of the greatest. He hit nine centuries and averaged 65. It is a record that has still not been broken. The year was remembered for two epic centuries against Australia in Sharjah, one which helped India reach the final and the other helping them win the title.
From 1999 to 2004, Tendulkar was the ultimate batsman in world cricket. In that period, he hit 186 against New Zealand in Hyderabad in 1999. His average in three of those years was 69 and over 50. In 2009, he almost helped India chase down 350 against Australia with a brilliant 175 but India lost by a small margin. But, in 2010, Tendulkar created history as he became the first male player to hit a double century in ODIs.
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