5 greatest ODI Innings of Sachin Tendulkar  

#4 98 vs Pakistan at Centurion, 2003

A career-defining inning.

Who said an innings needs to be a century for getting recognised as iconic? Sachin Tendulkar's 98 against Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup is the perfect example of courage and fortitude that is required to destroy arguably the most respectable bowling lineup of all time.

With bowlers like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, and Abdul Razzaq in the side, Pakistan had formidable artillery in their squad. But Tendulkar had other plans. Starting from the word go, Sachin's back-foot extra-cover boundary off Wasim Akram set the tone of the innings.

The knock had some iconic moments with his six off Shoaib Akhtar over third man still etched in the fans' minds.

A minor scare of crams did not prevent him from hammering the opposition to all parts of the ground. The pain kept on increasing, but so did Sachin's will to take the team all the way. With Sehwag as his runner, he kept India marching towards the target.

By the time Shoaib Akthar bounced him out for 98, he had put India in a commanding position.

Tendulkar walked down memory lane to celebrate his 20 years in international cricket and talked about his innings against Pakistan.

I remember a few innings and important among them is the innings against Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup. We won that match (by 6 wickets)

A well-played 98 off 75 balls received standing ovation from both Indian and Pakistani spectators. Such was the magic of the knock. India did go on to win the match with ease, and people still discuss his innings that comes once in decades, let alone years.