A-Z of Sachin Tendulkar in ODI cricket

The article aims to bring a number of events to the fore about Sachin Tendulkar‘s exceptional One Day International (ODI) career from 1989-2012.

Australia has been Tendulkar’s favourite opponents in ODI cricket. Tendulkar has scored 3,077 runs against Aussies at an average of 44.59 with nine centuries.

Bristol was the venue where Tendulkar scored 140 against Kenya in the 1999 World Cup. Tendulkar set aside his personal grief and inspired India’s victory against Kenya. He dedicated this hundred to his beloved ‘baba’ and looked up to the skies on reaching the landmark.

Colombo- Tendulkar scored his first ODI century at Colombo in 1994. After 78 ODIs, Tendulkar finally scored a three-figure score. The conditions were tough for batting but Tendulkar was at his attacking best. He smashed fast bowler Craig McDermott for a six over square leg and then attacked leg spinner Shane Warne as well. India won that match comfortably by 31 runs.

Dhaka’s Sher-E-Bangla National Stadium was in the record books. Sachin Tendulkar finally notched up his 100^th hundred at this venue. Tendulkar’s historic hundred proved to be insufficient as hosts Bangladesh won the match quite easily. This was Tendulkar’s slowest century in ODIs, coming off 138 deliveries. But it was a day that will be etched in the minds of cricket lovers forever.

Eden Park, Auckland – Tendulkar opened the innings for the first time in ODI cricket. He got to open the innings because one of India’s regular openers Navjot Singh Sidhu woke up with a stiff neck on the match day. It was 27^th March, 1994 and the whole of India celebrated Holi on that day. Tendulkar gave the fellow countrymen joy by smashing a 49-ball 82, which metamorphosed his image into the game’s “most destructive” batsman of his era. The innings started off with his signature shot, the straight drive. Tendulkar, in his ODI career, never looked back since then.

Forty Nine ODI hundreds by Tendulkar are the most by any player in the history of ODI cricket. The batting maestro has scored 20 centuries in the home conditions, 12 tons away from home and 17 of his hundreds have come on the neutral venues. Thirty three of his hundreds have come in the winning cause for India.

Gwalior was the venue where Tendulkar scored the first double hundred in ODI cricket. This incredible feat came against an attack consisting of Dale Steyn, Charl Langeveldt and Wayne Parnell. Tendulkar hardly played any unorthodox shots in his innings. His 147-ball essay was punctuated by 25 boundaries and three sixes.

Hyderabad was the venue where Tendulkar scored three tons in ODI cricket. His first two tons (186* in 1999 and 102 in 2003) both came against New Zealand, his third hundred came against Australia in 2009. Tendulkar became the first player to score 17,000 ODI runs and his 141-ball 175 was one of the best displays of hitting through the line. India were chasing 350 to win, and Tendulkar brought the team within 19 runs of victory. After his dismissal the tide turned in Australia’s favour and they won. But Tendulkar played one of the best ODI innings that day.

Indore – Tendulkar became the first cricketer to score 10,000 runs at Indore. He punched Shane Warne to long-off and achieved this incredible feat. Tendulkar went on to score 139 runs in that innings and helped India to win the match. Tendulkar’s brilliant strokeplay in that innings left Australian skipper Steve Waugh helpless.

Jersey No. 10 – This has been Sachin’s favourite number. Tendulkar has always had number 10 on his jersey. Currently a few of Tendulkar’s fans wants BCCI to retire Tendulkar’s Jersey number 10.

Kuala Lumpur- It was Tendulkar’s comeback game after the tennis elbow injury. Tendulkar scored 141 runs and had carried his bat (batted from start to the end of the innings). Tendulkar used the upper cut and hook to a great effect in the initial part of the innings. He hit five sixes during the course of the innings. India lost the game courtesy of Duckworth Lewis method by 29 runs.

Longest ODI career – Twenty two years and ninety one days is the longest ODI career for any cricketer. Tendulkar played 463 matches and batted 452 times for India (another record). Apart from 49 centuries, Tendulkar has also scored 96 half-centuries (another record).

Most Man of the match awards – 62. He has also received the Most Player of the Series Awards – 15.

Number of runs scored by Tendulkar in ODIs is 18,426. Tendulkar leads the race in this category in ODI cricket.

Olonga- Henry Olonga, the Zimbabwe fast bowler got the wicket of Tendulkar in a crucial Coca Cola Cup encounter in 1998. India lost that game. It was a round robin match. A few days later, India and Zimbabwe met each other in the finals of the Coca Cola Cup. Tendulkar smashed Olonga to all parts of the ground and literally punished the bowler for getting him out.

Pune – Tendulkar scored his first half century against Sri Lanka in 1990 (53 off 41 balls,with seven boundaries and one six) at the Nehru Stadium in Pune. India won the game by six wickets and Tendulkar was awarded the Man of the match award.

Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo – Tendulkar, in 1998, scored his 18^th ODI century against Zimbabwe. By doing this he broke Desmond Haynes’ record 17 centuries in this format of the game. It took Tendulkar only 198 games to reach this landmark. Haynes scored his 17 tons in 237 ODIs. Tendulkar finished the game with a cut, that went for a bounndary and got a rousing reception from the dressing room.

Rawalpindi – Tendulkar became first Indian to score a century in Pakistan at Rawalpindi in 2004. Tendulkar became the first cricketer to score 13,000 ODI runs in that game. Tendulkar batted with a lot of aggression and solidity. His 135-ball 141 was a great knock but India failed to win the match, falling short by 12 runs.

Sharjah witnessed two of Tendulkar’s best ODI knocks (back to back centuries) in 1998. On 22^nd April, 1998, Tendulkar played an innings-of-a-lifetime when he bludgeoned Australian attack to all parts of the ground. India were required to chase down a stiff target in order to qualify for the tri-series finals of the Coca Cola Cup. The middle order collapse, an increasing asking rate, bowlers of the highest quality and a sand storm – nothing proved to be a deterrent for Tendulkar. He single-handedly took India to the finals. His 143 off 131 deliveries was one of the best knocks played at Sharjah.

Two days later, Tendulkar again toyed with the Australian attack and scored his 15^th ODI century. The run-chase was wonderfully controlled by Tendulkar and his partnership with Indian skipper Azharuddin ensured that India won the trophy. Tendulkar’s 134 runs came off 131 deliveries. An umpiring error by Javed Akhtar cut short his innings. But the damage had already been done. It was Tendulkar’s 25^th birthday and boy didn’t he treat the cricketing world with something special?

Tendulkar has been involved in six double hundred partnerships. He has played in 90 different stadiums. He has five scores of 150+ in ODIs.

Upper cut off Shoaib Akhtar at the Centurion Park in 2003 World Cup match is one of the best memories of vintage Tendulkar. He derailed the Rawalpindi Express in his first over of the match and India’s run chase was well and truly on. Tendulkar’s 75-ball 98 was one of his best ODI innings. India chased down the target comfortably. Apart from the upper cut, Tendulkar’s on-the-up punch off Razzaq and square drive off Akram were the shots of highest quality.

Vadodara – Tendulkar scored his first hundred in the second innings of the ODI game in 1994. His 115 was instrumental in an Indian victory. India chased down the 270 runs easily. Tendulkar played a classy knock. He was out run-out when skipper Azharuddin smashed a ball straight down the ground off Chris Pringle, and the ball touched Pringle’s hand and the stumps at the non-striker’s end were broken. Tendulkar was backing up too far and was short of his ground. That was probably the only way Tendulkar could have got out that day.

World Cup hero, Tendulkar scored 523 runs in the 1996 edition and 673 runs in the 2003 edition. Tendulkar was awarded the ‘Player of the Tournament’ in 2003 World Cup. In 2011, World Cup, Tendulkar scored 482 runs with two centuries. He was the top-run getter for the Indians and second only to T M Dilshan of Sri Lanka. Six hundreds by Tendulkar in World Cups is the most by any batsman in the history of the competition.

X-factor of his game was his bowling. Tendulkar has picked up 154 ODI wickets and often had a huge impact when he bowled. Tendulkar took West Indies’ last wicket at Perth in 1991 to tie the match. In the semi-final of the Hero Cup, South Africa needed six to win off the final over. Tendulkar bowled the final over and conceded just three runs. Tendulkar has two five-fors against Australia and Pakistan at Kochi. In 1998, Tendulkar scored 141 against Australia at Dhaka in the Champions Trophy. Tendulkar also picked up four wickets for 38 runs in that game and proved his worth in the team as a fine bowler as well.

Youngest debutant for India in ODI cricket. He is also the youngest person to cross the 10,000 to 18,000 run mark.

Zeros – The most number of zeros scored by an Indian in ODI cricket. This dubious distinction is achieved by the great ‘Sachin Tendulkar.’ His 20 ducks in ODIs makes him the leader of the pack. Cricket is a great leveller, isn’t it?