On his 51st birthday, we pay tribute to Indian cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar. Even though he has been retired for over a decade, his impact and accomplishments in the game remain inspiring. Known as the ‘God’ of cricket, Tendulkar holds several batting records, decorated with prestigious awards like Khel Ratna and Bharat Ratna affectionately known as Master Blaster, Tendulkar’s legacy lives on considering exactly one of his extraordinary innings 26 years ago.
Sachin Tendulkar showed his brilliance in the 1998 Coca-Cola Cup. In one of his best performances, he scored 143 runs against Australia in just 131 balls, though India failed to win. In the ‘Desert Storm’ cut, this innings is one of Tendulkar’s outstanding performances. A few days later, at the end of the series, Tendulkar perfectly ended the story in style.
After Tendulkar’s brilliant century in the historic ‘Desert Storm’, India battled in the final against Australia. Captain Mohammad Azharuddin won the toss and elected to field first. Australia were 272/9 in 50 overs despite a partnership between Steve Waugh (70 off 71 balls) and Darren Lehmann (70 off 59 balls).
On his birthday, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly opened the innings. Despite a shaky start, Tendulkar found his rhythm and eventually scored 134 off 131 balls with 12 boundaries and 3 sixes. This stellar performance gave India a thrilling four-wicket win and the trophy.
Recalling that match, Tendulkar admitted that he was exhausted by the Sharjah heat. But he regained focus a few overs later stressing the importance of finding his rhythm during the game. His innings against Australia is still celebrated among his many cricketing achievements.
In November 2013, Sachin Tendulkar completed a milestone in his illustrious career—an international century. The Sharjah innings his iconic innings holds a special place in the hearts of cricket fans.