5 epic ODI innings by Tendulkar while chasing that went in vain

5 years ago, Sachin Tendulkar, bade adieu to his immensely successful 24-year long international career. In those 24 years, he made appearances in 664 international matches, scored more than 30,000 international runs and created hundreds of records. But more importantly, he touched millions of souls with his sheer work of an art, which he painted with his crafty bat.

Those, who took birth in 80s and early 90s would agree with a relatively higher degree that Tendulkar is not just a name but an emotion. The entire stadium used to enchant 'Sachin, Sachin' at his arrival. His centuries used to be a matter of national celebration.

Entire families would sit together, glued to their TV sets, watching him demolishing the opposition. And at his departure, the television sets across nation would have got switched off. Probably, he is one of the reasons for India's stupendous level of craziness about cricket. In limited overs particularly, his career is studded with loads of dazzling innings which helped India emerging as the victorious side.

However, there have been some heartbreaking moments as well, when despite his brave performances, he ended up on losing side. This article talks about 5 of Sachin' masterful ODI performances that came while chasing the target but were not enough to win the match.

#5 91(87) vs England at Sharjah - Akai Singer Champions Trophy (1997)

Sachin did not get much support

In this day-night encounter, Mohammad Azharuddin invited England to bat first. Alec Stewart scored a century and along with the support from Nick Knight and Graeme Hick, England built their inning well. But after Stewart's departure, India made a comeback and got England all out for 250.

Responding to England's total, Indian openers - Saba Karim & Sourav Ganguly began well and they added 60 runs for the first wicket. When Tendulkar arrived at the crease the team total was 64/2. And very soon India got reduced to 74/4. Sachin added 108 runs with Ajay Jadeja for the 5th wicket.

Tendulkar continued to play his flurry of shots and scored at more than run-a-ball but didn't get much support from the other end. And when Tendulkar fell as the 8th wicket, India still needed 19 more runs. India finally lost the game by 7 runs.

#4 90 (84) vs Australia at Mumbai - World Cup (1996)

Sachin played a counter-attacking innings

Australia began their innings with a century partnership between Mark Taylor and Mark Waugh. They were cruising towards a mighty total but after Mark Waugh's dismissal, their innings lost the track. India put up a brilliant bowling and fielding efforts towards the end of the innings and reduced Australia from 258 for 6 to 258 all out.

India started the chase with their openers Ajay Jadeja and Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar was already at his peak and his previous 2 innings in this World Cup had produced the scores of 127* and 70 runs respectively. Jadeja fell cheaply for 1 run after consuming 17 deliveries and next man Vinod Kambli departed without troubling the scorers.

Tendulkar then played a counter-attacking innings and added 63 runs with captain Mohammad Azharuddin. After Azhar's departure, he added another half-century partnership with Sanjay Manjrekar. In an attempt to hit Mark Waugh out of the park, Tendulkar got stumped off Ian Healy. Falling 10 run short of his century, Sachin's innings was studded with 14 boundaries and 1 six. Manjrekar went on to score a gritty 62 run knock but India finally were all out in 48 overs, falling short of Aussies total by 16 runs

#3 141(135) vs Pakistan at Rawalpindi - Bilateral Series (2004)

Sachin against Pakistan

The opening duo of Pakistan - Shahid Afridi and Yasir Hameed blasted the Indian attack and added 138 runs in just 18 overs. Both Afridi and Hameed scored in excess of 80. With the support from their middle orders and a late surge from Abdul Razzaq, Pakistan set a target of 330 runs for India.

India responded well when Tendulkar added a brisk 56 with Virender Sehwag for the opening wicket. But after the fall of Sehwag, India failed to maintain the required run rate.

In the middle, Sourav Ganguly consumed 38 deliveries for his 15 runs. After Ganguly's dismissal, Tendulkar added 105 runs with Rahul Dravid at 7 runs per over. He thrashed the opposition to almost every corner and studded his century with 17 fours and a six. And in this process, he became the first Indian to score an ODI hundred on Pakistan soil.

When India were well on their way towards victory, Tendulkar lost his cool and played a rash shot off Shoaib Malik only to get dismissed. India lost the match by 12 runs but Rawalpindi crowd did not fail to admire Tendulkar's epic innings.

#2 143 (131) vs Australia at Sharjah - Coca-Cola Cup (1998)

Sachin's 142

Helped by Mark Waugh' s 81 at the top and Michael Bevan's century in the middle, Australia finished with 284/7. At the outset of India's innings, they needed 254 runs to go past New Zealand's net run rate and qualify for the final. However, later in India's innings, a desert storm struck and India's revised targets were 276 runs in 46 overs for victory and 237 runs in 46 overs to qualify for the final.

India began their innings with Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar, who was at his sublime best in 1998. With a little support from the other end, Tendulkar kept on building the innings. However, when India lost Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja in quick succession, Tendulkar changed the gear and brutally blistered the Aussie attack.

He added 104 runs with VVS Laxman, with Laxman being merely a spectator from the other end. By the time Tendulkar finally departed, the score was 242/5 in 43 overs and India had already qualified for the final. 2 days later, Tendulkar hit a century on his birthday and clinched the trophy for India.

#3 175(141) vs Australia at Hyderabad - Bilateral Series (2009)

Sachin's 175

By 2009, he has long shifted to a different style of batting, partly due to his various injuries and partly because of the maturity he gained over his ODI career. But in his innings of 175, he displayed the sights of that young Tendulkar of 1990s.

Australia cruised to the total of 350 runs which included a century from Shaun Marsh, a score in the 90s from Shane Watson and enough support from their middle order.

Chasing 351, India began their innings on the right track when the opening pair of Sachin and Sehwag added 66 runs. But soon after Sehwag's departure, the next three batsmen could not contribute much to the scorecard. Tendulkar, however, continued his aggression from the other end. He then built a 137 runs partnership with Suresh Raina in less than 20 overs.

Even after rain's departure, he continued playing his strokes but he did not get enough support from the other end. When India needed 19 runs in 3 overs, he was dismissed by debutant Clint McKay. His glorious innings of 175 runs was studded with 19 boundaries and 4 sixes. India lost the match by 3 runs and it was truly a heartbreaking moment for every Indian fan watching the match.