8 test innings where Sachin Tendulkar was the Lone Warrior for India

Sachin Tendulkar is widely considered to be the greatest batsman of his generation, and among the greatest ever to have played the game. The Indian Cricket Team was often referred to as a one-man army - the one man being Sachin Tendulkar of course. Teams facing India firmly believed that if they got Sachin Tendulkar out early, then they had already won the game. It was a sentiment that seemed to be shared by the Indian fans as well, because whenever Sachin Tendulkar got out, the fans used to turn off the TV sets, and it was assumed that India could not win.Sachin Tendulkar scored a record 51 test centuries in his career and it’s a record that is unlikely to ever be surpassed. Many of these 51 centuries were scored by Tendulkar in very adverse circumstances. The aim of this article is to look at those innings where Sachin Tendulkar was the lone warrior for India. In other words, we are looking at those innings in which Sachin Tendulkar was the only batsman to stand and face the challenge of the opposition bowlers and conditions and score runs while all other batsmen fell cheaply.The criteria for what constitutes a lone warrior innings are -1) Sachin Tendulkar must have scored a 100.2a) In the innings in which Sachin Tendulkar scored a 100, only one other batsman should have scored more than 50 runs (but less than 100). If two or more batsmen, besides Sachin, scored 50 or more runs, then those innings will not be considered.2b) In instances where only one other batsman scored more than 50 runs, Sachin Tendulkar's score must be more than twice that of the one other batsman who scored 50. For example, if Sachin Tendulkar scored 102, and the one other batsman 53, then this knock of Sachin will not qualify as a lone warrior knock, because 2x53 = 106 which is more than Sachin Tendulkar's score of 102. If however Sachin had scored 107 and the only other 50 plus scored was 53, then Sachin's innings would qualify.These criteria are no doubt, very stringent, but when we talking about the greatest batsman of his generation, nothing less than the strictest criteria will do. It’s also important to keep in mind that these 8 innings are not the only instances of Sachin Tendulkar’s lone warrior innings, there could be more, but we feel these are ones most worth highlighting. It is also important to note that the innings are not ranked in any order.

#1 vs Australia (Perth - 1 Feb, 1992)

Tendulkar scored 16 boundaries in his 161-ball innings

Perth has never been the easiest of grounds for any visiting teams to play at, and it showed when India faced Australia in the final test of the 1992 tour. No Indian batsman could score any runs of note in the test, and the only exception was Sachin Tendulkar who scored a fine 114 against the fiery Australian pace attack which was led by the irrepressible Merv Hughes.

Sachin Tendulkar (1st Innings) - 114

Next Highest Score that innings - 43 (K. More)

Note - No Indian batsman apart from Sachin Tendulkar scored a 50 in either innings of the test match. More's 43 was the second highest individual score in both innings combined.

#2 vs South Africa (Johannesburg 22 Nov, 1992)

India were struggling at 27 for 2 when Sachin walked in to bat in the first innings

This tour was significant as it was the first time a side had toured South Africa for a bilateral test series since the end of South Africa’s isolation in world cricket on grounds of Apartheid. The India team had gone on tour expecting an easy series win, but the tour proved to be very a very difficult one.

In this, the 2nd test on the tour, Sachin Tendulkar scored a fine 111, but there was no help coming from any other batsman as wickets fell in heaps.

Sachin Tendulkar (1st Innings) - 111

Next Highest Score That Innings - 23 (K. Dev)

Note - In both Innings put together Sachin Tendulkar was the only Indian batsman to cross the 50 run mark. Next highest Indian score was 43 by Ajay Jadeja in the 2nd innings.

#3 vs England (Edgebaston 6 Jun, 1996)

Sachin en route to his century at Edgbaston

A tour to England is expected to be a very challenging one for the batsmen, as the English pitches offer plenty of seam movement and the usually overcast conditions are very conducive to swing bowling.

As India faced off against England in the 1st test of their 1996 tour, the Indian batsmen were found to be very underprepared for the conditions, with no one besides Sachin Tendulkar scoring any runs of note.

Sachin Tendulkar (2nd Innings) - 122

Next Highest Score That Innings - 18 (S. Manjrekar)

Note - In the 1st Innings Srinath had swung his bat around, and with a great deal of luck, had scored 52. In both innings, besides Sachin's 122, this was the only score above 50. The next highest score in the test was 28 by Paras Mhambrey, also in the 1st innings, who was the no. 10 batsman. Besides Sachin’s 122, the highest score among proper batsmen in both innings put together was Manjrekar's 23.

#4 vs New Zealand (Wellington 26 Dec, 1998)

Sachin’s century was not able to save India from a loss

The conditions in New Zealand can be the toughest conditions for batting in the world. The pitches in New Zealand often have more grass than pitches anywhere else in the world, thus offering plenty of help to seam bowlers.

In the 2nd test of the tour, India found themselves 144 runs behind after both 1st innings had finished and were required to bat really well in the second innings to give themselves a chance in the match. Besides Sachin Tendulkar though, no other batsman rose to the challenge.

Sachin Tendulkar (2nd Innings) - 113

Next Highest Score That Innings - 48 (Md. Azharuddin)

Note - Md Azharuddin had scored 103 in the 1st innings and Sachin had contributed 47 in the first innings. These two batsmen were the only ones to score any significant runs in the 1st innings leading to India's poor 1st innings display. Next highest score after Sachin's 47 in the 1st innings was 15 by V Prasad the #10 batsman.

#5 vs Pakistan (Chennai 28 Jan, 1999)

Despite Sachin’s heroics, India fell short by 12 runs

India vs Pakistan matches are always very heated encounters, and Pakistan's tour to India in 1999 was no exception. The 1st test proved to be a topsy-turvy affair and eventually Pakistan set India a target of 271 for the victory.

The Pakistan bowling line-up was among the best in the world at the time and had the likes of Wasim, Waqar and spin king Saqlain Mushtaq in their ranks, and the wicket in the 4th innings was very difficult for batting. Unfortunately for India, the Indian batsmen fell like 9 pins, and Sachin was left with just too much to do by himself.

Sachin Tendulkar (2nd Innings) - 136

Next Highest Score That Innings - 52 (N. Mongia) [3rd Highest Score That innings - 10 (R. Dravid)]

Note - This was perhaps Sachin's greatest lone warrior knock and it came on a tough pitch against a very good bowling attack, featuring Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Saqlain Mushtaq. Besides Nayan Mongia, only one other batsman reached a score of double figures in the chase, and that was Rahul Dravid who scored a paltry 10. India were reduced to 82/5, before Tendulkar put on a vital partnership with Mongia.

When Mongia got out the score was 218, and the tail was exposed. Sachin batted on with the tail to take the score to 254 which is when he got out. India required just 17 more runs with 3 wickets left, and as it turned out the batsmen to follow could only add 4 more runs to the total, and India were all out for 258.

#6 vs Bangladesh (Chittagong 17 Jan, 2010)

This was Sachin’s 44^th test century

When India faced off against minnows Bangladesh in the 1st Test of the 2010 tour, the Indian side must have been expecting an easy win. However, Bangladesh had a few surprises in store for the Indian side, who quickly found themselves in a sticky situation in the first innings, and had to be rescued by Sachin Tendulkar.

Sachin Tendulkar - 105 Not Out

Next Highest Score That Innings - 52 (V. Sehwag)

Note - The openers gave India a good start, but both openers fell with the score on 79. After that wickets started to tumble quickly. Sachin was the only Batsman to show resistance and took the team to a respectable total and one which eventually proved good enough for a 1st innings lead. After the openers, the highest score was a paltry 14 by Amit Mishra.

#7 vs Australia (Melbourne 26 Dec 1999)

Tendulkar scored a half-century as well in the second innings but was not able to save India from a thumping defeat

This was the match where Brett Lee made his Test debut and the fastest bowler in the world just ran through the Indian batting lineup. Granted the batsmen were up against the best bowling line up in the world, which besides Brett Lee also had Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, but it still doesn't excuse what followed.

Sachin Tendulkar (1st Innings) - 116

Next Highest Score That Innings - 31 (S. Ganguly)

Note - Sachin Tendulkar also scored 52 in the 2nd innings. In both the innings put together no Indian batsman besides Sachin Tendulkar scored more than 50 runs. The next highest score in both innings put together was 45 by Hrishikesh Kaniktar.

#8 South Africa (Nagpur 6 Feb, 2010)

Sachin’s century was overpowered by brilliant performances from Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn

South Africa were among the best touring sides in the world, and in the very first test of the 2010 tour made their intention very clear that they were here to win. Steyn ran through the Indian batting line-up in the first innings to finish with figures of 7 for 51. India followed on and required to bat really well to save the game. However, no one besides Sachin Tendulkar stepped up to the plate.

Sachin Tendulkar - 100

Next Highest Score That Innings -39 (H. Singh)

Note - Amla (253) and Kallis (173) made the most of a good wicket and put on a 340 run partnership which broke India's back. Dale Steyn was the hero of the match finishing the match with 10 wickets. In the 2nd innings, India, looking to save the match, required their top 6 batsmen to dig in.

However, of the top 6 batsman, besides Sachin, only one other batsman reached a score of 30 plus, and thus India never really had a realistic chance of saving the test. Sachin Tendulkar, never one to give up easily, tried his best to salvage the test and batted for nearly 5 hrs, but it was not to be.