The 10 greatest SRT ODI moments

On December 23, 2012, Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement from One Day International cricket. Coincidentally, it was the day a team was being picked for the upcoming home series against arch-rivals Pakistan. Just wondering about the timing of the retirement announcement. Did he jump or was he pushed? If the latter case is true then it would be a sad end.

I belong to the camp which believes that he should have retired after the 2011 World Cup and this decision was delayed. Still, the retirement makes me a little sad (though the first feeling on hearing the news was only ODIs!). After all, even I was an SRT fan boy once and probably would be forever; nonetheless, the manner of the end shouldn’t tarnish his career. And it has been, statistically, the greatest career ever: 463 Matches, 18,426 runs, 49 centuries at an average of 44.83. Sometimes sheer numbers are enough to convey the magnitude of a player’s achievements. And just to add icing to the cake are the 154 wickets he took as well. This post is an attempt to recall top of the mind, the ten greatest SRT ODI moments as I remember them.

1. 134 vs Australia, Sharjah 1998, in the final of one of the many Coca Cola Cups played that year. Incidentally, this was on his birthday and coming back from another brilliant 143 in the previous game against the same opponents, which took India to the final.

2. 175 vs Australia, Hyderabad, 2009 in a lost cause. A really heart-breaking game for any fan. Sachin scores 175 and yet India fall just short of Australia’s 350+ target.

3. Hero Cup semifinal against South Africa. Taking responsibility to bowl when even Kapil Dev was reluctant to.

4. 98 vs Pakistan , 2003 World Cup at Centurion; that upper cut six off Akhtar was special.

5. McGrath’s attack in 2000, at the ICC knockout, Nairobi. He provided the perfect start to a match which will be later remembered for being the 1st innings of Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer’s yorker to dismiss Steve Waugh and Venkatesh Prasad hitting the last ball of the Indian innings for a six.

6. That six off Caddick, India vs England, World Cup 2003.

7. The ODI double century vs South Africa, Gwalior, 2010, coinciding with my 1st ever chopper ride.

8. The dismantling off Henry Olonga, Sharjah, 1998. Another one of the Coca Cola trophies in Sharjah in 1998. Olonga had the audacity to dismiss SRT off a bouncer in the league game. The final was a different story altogether as Sachin and India cruised to the title against a then quite strong Zimbabwe.

9. 140 vs Kenya, World Cup, 1999. A real gem of an innings in sad circumstances.

10. The perfect swansong which could have been. The World Cup victory at Wankhede, 2011.

And many many more over the past 23 years.

Goodbye, Mr. Tendulkar. Thank you for all the entertainment and the memories.