8 partnerships Indian cricket fans can never forget

Sachin Tendulkar – Rahul Dravid, 1999

A world record that went on to stay unbeaten for almost 16 years, and more than that, a memory that is still fresh in the minds and hearts of the Indian fans. In November 1999 when New Zealand came to India, political tensions were high due to the Kargil war and there was nothing better Indian cricket could have given to the country.

In the second ODI, Ganguly was run out for just 4 runs. Then came in Rahul Dravid and joined Sachin in the middle. The two batsmen played the New Zealand bowlers with unbelievable ease. For the next 277 balls, the New Zealand bowlers just kept looking for wickets and all that they got was disappointment.

The two batsmen smashed the bowlers all around the park. Sachin Tendulkar ended up scoring an unbeaten 186, and Dravid ended up with a staggering 153. Both these scores remained the highest individual scores of these two players for a very long time. In fact, the 153 remained Dravid’s highest score forever.

Sachin was in such a form that he scored 27 runs in the 49th over. Because of these two giant scores, India was able to achieve a mammoth total of 376 runs, which remained the highest score of the team for a very long time. The duo ended with a staggering 331-run partnership which remained the biggest partnership in ODIs for any wicket for almost 16 years.