Reliving Sachin Tendulkar's ODI centuries: 11-15

#14 - 143 (131) against Australia at Sharjah, 1998

Considering the circumstances surrounding the match and the quality of shot-making by the great man, the 131-ball 143 against Australia at the iconic Sharjah Stadium is the best among his 49 ODI centuries. When they began their run-chase, two equations confronted India. They had to overhaul Australia's total of 284 for an outright victory or score 254 to pip New Zealand on the basis of net run-rate and enter the final of the 1998 Coca-Cola Cup.

Extra Cover: Decoding Sachin Tendulkar's finest knock - The Desert Storm

After losing the in-form Ganguly in the ninth over of the innings, India yet again looked towards Tendulkar for bolstering their cause. Having been surprisingly promoted to number three, Nayan Mongia offered able assistance to the maestro. Even as the Mumbaikar was going strong from his end, a flurry of wickets left his team reeling at 143/4 from 31 overs. From nowhere, a sandstorm engulfed the arena and play was interrupted for nearly half hour.

When the sandstorm subsided, Tendulkar unleashed his own version of 'Desert Storm'. Realising that India needed a slew of boundaries to get close to the revised target of 276 from 46 overs (or 237 to eclipse New Zealand's net run-rate), he threw caution to the wind and went on the offensive. Michael Kasprowicz and Steve Waugh bore the brunt of his unbridled fury. By the time he was dismissed by Damien Fleming, Tendulkar had singlehandedly lifted India into the final at the expense of the Kiwis.