Called the Little Master and Master Blaster, Tendulkar’s feats on the field continue to remain unmatched and it will probably continue to be that way for some time.
On his 46th birthday on April 24, DH looks at some of his feats
Best Test batting performances:
241 n.o. vs Australia, 4th Test in Sydney, 2004:
This double century ended his streak of poor scores in the series Down Under. Tendulkar had not even scored a half-century in the series that was tied 1-1 going into the fourth Test. But his first innings knock saw India declare at 705/7. The Test was drawn but the real Tendulkar shone once again.
193 vs England, 3rd Test in Leeds, 2002:
This was his 30th Test century and also the highest Test score against England at that time. Apart from his first innings knock, Rahul Dravid and captain Saurav Ganguly scored 148 and 128 respectively. This took India to a first innings total of 628/8 declared. India won the match by an innings and 46 runs.
169 vs South Africa, 2nd Test in Cape Town, 1997:
This first innings ton again came in handy as the other batsmen, barring Mohammed Azharuddin (115), had failed and the hosts had taken the first innings lead. Though India put up a fight in the first innings, the batting collapsed in the second innings and the hosts won by 282 runs.
155 n.o. vs Australia, 1st Test in Chennai, 1998:
This second-innings knock from Tendulkar was an important one as India had conceded the first innings lead. Having scored just 4 in the first innings, this unbeaten score from the master batsman came in handy as India won the match by 179 runs.
Best ODI batting performances:
200 n.o. vs South Africa, 2nd ODI in Gwalior, 2010:
This 200 proved to be the backbone of the Indian innings. Despite contributions from the other batsmen not being that great, India scored 401 for 3 and won the match by a whopping 153 runs.
175 vs Australia, 5th ODI in Hyderabad, 2009:
Australia had scored a massive 350 for 4 batting first and was going to be a herculean task for India to chase it down. Tendulkar was the lone warrior out there. The only other worthwhile contribution was that of 59 by Suresh Raina. Sadly, India lost the match by just 3 runs.
163 n.o. vs New Zealand, 3rd ODI in Christchurch, 2009:
On a roll with a knock of 163 from 133 deliveries, Tendulkar stood tall with his batting and helped India come up with 392 for 4. This was before he had to return to the pavilion retired hurt. India went on to win the match by 58 runs.
143 vs Australia, Coca Cola Cup in Sharjah, 1998:
This was the day the Australian bowlers were taught a lesson by Tendulkar. Despite a desert storm disrupting play and the target becoming even more difficult, Tendulkar’s brilliance helped India reach the final with a net run rate that was better than New Zealand’s. India went on to win the tournament.
Best bowling performances:
5/32 vs Australia, Pepsi Triangular Series in Kochi, 1998:
India had piled on a massive 309 for 5 in 50 overs and the Australian line-up had it in them to chase it down. But who would have thought spinner Tendulkar would be the one to fetch India victory. The five-wicket haul for 32 runs off 10 overs saw India winning by 41 runs.
5/50 vs Pakistan, 1st ODI in Kochi, 2005:
Tendulkar, once again, proved that he is capable of a winning performance even with the ball. India had scored 281 for 8, thanks to centuries from Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid. Tendulkar had scored only 4 runs. Starting from captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, Tendulkar cleaned up the middle order and India won by 87 runs.
4/34 vs West Indies, Wills Trophy in Sharjah, 1991:
One more top performance from Tendulkar that saw him return the best figures among the bowlers. Batting first, the Windies were all out for 145, thanks to Tendulkar’s haul. Kapil Dev and Manoj Prabhakar accounting for two wickets each. It was then an easy seven-wicket win for India.
