#2 Sachin Tendulkar
The then 22-year-old Sachin had set the tournament on fire and his scores coming into the match were 127 not out, 70, 90, 137 and 3. He was in imperious form and most felt that he was crucial to India’s chances against a powerful Pakistani attack.
Tendulkar might be perhaps the greatest batsman ever to play the game, but he could only manage 31 off 59 balls in this game, and was the first to perish at the team score of 90.
By the time he retired, most records were under the belt of the master blaster. He couldn’t however, help India win the ’96 world cup, losing to Sri Lanka in the semi-final (Match given to SL by default due to rioting crowd). He had to wait 15 more years to finally taste gold in the 2011 World Cup, with poetic justice served at his home ground in the Wankhede.
He has been awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award following his retirement from the sport and also been nominated as a Rajya Sabha member. He is currently the ‘icon’ of Mumbai Indians, his former IPL side. He also ventured into the world of football and is a co-owner of an ISL team, Kerala Blasters.
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