Sachin Tendulkar's 5 greatest bowling performances

1. 5/32 vs Australia (Pepsi triangular Series, Kochi, 1998)

These were Tendulkar’s best ODI bowling figures ever and they remained so when his career ended 14 years later. India had put up a brilliant batting display to get 309 on the board. Sachin had failed to deliver with the bat, and that could have precisely been the reason why he chose to rip apart the Australian batting that at one stage looked like taking the game away from the Indians. It was a match-winning performance by him, and even though Jadeja had got a century in the game, Sachin claimed the Man of the Match award. That was how crucial his effort was.

Australia had raced to a 100 runs with only around 11 overs bowled, and had not even lost a single wicket. At 203/3 in the 32nd over with well settled Bevan and Steve Waugh at the crease and only 106 needed to win, Australia would have surely fancied their chances. But Sachin ruined their fancies and almost magically revived hopes of an Indian win with Waugh’s wicket, whom he got out by taking a catch off his own bowling. Lehmann was his next scalp, who was dismissed cheaply for 8. Bevan then went, following a swift piece of wicket-keeping by Mongia, and Sachin got his third wicket of the match, but victory was still far off with almost a run a ball needed by the Aussies and Tom Moody and Damien Martyn were still left to bat.

In his next over itself, he got rid of Moody who was again stumped by Mongia on a leg-cutter that turned sharply, and Martyn fell in his next over, giving a simple catch to Srinath at mid-off. Thus, Australia went from being 203/3 at one stage (32 overs) to 259/9 some 12 overs later. The game was over in the 46th over of the game, India winning by 41 runs.

Have a look at Sachin’s bowling performance here: