Sachin Tendulkar’s achievements get lost in a flurry of statistics only
natural given the number of games he has played over a career spanning 24
years. But there are certain moments, in certain games, certain shots, that
remain seared in fans’s memories for ever. Sachin Tendulkar, batsman of India
has 51 Test Centuries and 48 ODI centuries under his belt which is the maximum
by any batsman of the world. Though every century of him is a special but
following is the list of top 10 centuries he has made.
Test century No 1 of what pundits
were already forecasting to be a long and illustrious career. At 17 years and
112 days, Tendulkar was hardly a month older than Mushtaq Mohammed when he
became the youngest to score a Test hundred. Although it was one among the six
scored in that match, Tendulkar’s century helped India save the match. He
remained unbeaten on 119, displaying a full range of shots. He looked the
“embodiment of India’s famous opener, Gavaskar, and indeed was wearing a pair
of his pads,” noted Wisden.
In what is generally considered the
fastest pitch in the world, it was baptism by fire for the 19-year old
Tendulkar. It was no mean bowling attack too with the likes of Craig McDermott
and Merv Hughes. “India’s bedrock was a captivating 114 from Tendulkar from 161
balls with 16 fours, the bulk of them square cuts,” the Wisden Almanack noted
in its match report. Coming at no 4, he was the ninth man out. On the third
morning, as he ran out of partners, he scored his second 50 from 55 balls.
Three individual centuries had given
South Africa their highest total in Tests since returning from
apartheid-induced isolation. In face of that intimidating total, India had to
face a rampant Donald and Pollock. Reduced to 58 for five, Tendulkar came
together with Mohammed Azharuddin to forge a partnership of 222 runs. It was
counter attacking cricket at its best and saved India from the humiliation of a
follow-on. While Azhar fell on 115, Tendulkar continued on to 169. The stand
“illuminated the game with its sheer brilliance and aggression in the face of
adversity,” noted the Wisden Almanack.
The headline contest of the series
was the battle between Tendulkar and Shane Warne, on his first full tour of
India. In his preparation for the series, Tendulkar got former leg spinner L
Sivaramakrishnan to bowl into a rough outside the leg stump. Wily Warne got the
better of Tendulkar in the first innings to have him caught at slip. But the
practice paid off in the second, as he repeatedly lofted Warne in the mid
wicket region as the latter started to bowl around the wicket. The dominance
established that day, followed by similar subsequent innings in ODIS, led the
leggie to famously proclaim that he had “nightmares” about bowling to Tendulkar.
Unlike Gavaskar, who established his
reputation in his first tour of the West Indies, Tendulkar had to wait almost a
decade after his debut to score his first century in the Caribbean. It was well
worth the wait as it led to India’s only third-ever victory in the West Indies,
the foundation laid by the first innings score. Wisden Almanack noted in its
report that, Tendulkar’s was a resolute rather than commanding innings; Dravid
looked the more assertive in a partnership of 124.” In any case, this
particular hundred put him on par with Sir Donald Bradman, although he took 93
tests compared to the former’s 52.
It was a quiet series by Tendulkar
standards till this test – the batting dominated by Rahul
Dravid and VVS Laxman. On a belter of a pitch, India batted first and
batted Australia out of the game in Steve Waugh’s last test. The driver of the
innings was Tendulkar’s 241. It was a strange, monkish innings totally in
contrast with a sublime 176 made by VVS. Tendulkar eschewed shots on the
offside, especially the cover drive, grimly determined to remain not out.
Twenty-eight of his 33 fours and 188 of his runs came on the leg side.
After the horrific terrorist attack
on Mumbai in 2008, England – which had cut short their tour – returned to play
Tests. After a tepid first innings from both sides, Strauss and Collingwood
piled on the runs to set India a fourth innings target of 387. Although Sehwag
started strongly scoring his 83 from 68 balls, India still needed 270 runs to
win when he fell. Tendulkar took over where he left, putting up a masterclass
playing all strokes, especially the sweep to perfection, as he anchored the
highest fourth innings chase in Asia. “Scoring a hundred in a successful
fourth-innings run-chase was, according to Tendulkar, something he had wanted,
the one achievement missing from his CV: in consequence, he rated his hundred
as “up there” and “one of the best”,” noted Wisden.
It was Tendulkar’s last Test 100 (as
on date). With the series tied 1-1, the stage was set for an engrossing battle
in Cape Town. Chasing South Africa’s first innings total of 362, India were
reduced to 28 for 2. Then came Tendulkar to score a beautiful, defensive
innings against an attack of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. As Cricinfo puts it,
“the world’s best fast bowler terrorised the acclaimed batsmen of the No. 1
team with frightening spells of accurate outswing bowling at high speed. Most
did not survive the menacing attack, but the world’s best batsman did, and he
dragged his team forward through the harshest of circumstances.” Tendulkar was
eighth out as India crossed South Africa’s total.
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It
is said that form may come and go but class remains forever.He is like wine the
older it gets the better it becomes.. Which Sachin Tendulkar Test century do
you remember?
[1.] 119 in the second Test against
England at Old Trafford, Manchester in 1991
Test century No 1 of what pundits
were already forecasting to be a long and illustrious career. At 17 years and
112 days, Tendulkar was hardly a month older than Mushtaq Mohammed when he
became the youngest to score a Test hundred. Although it was one among the six
scored in that match, Tendulkar’s century helped India save the match. He
remained unbeaten on 119, displaying a full range of shots. He looked the
“embodiment of India’s famous opener, Gavaskar, and indeed was wearing a pair
of his pads,” noted Wisden.
[2.] 114 in the fifth test against
Australia in Perth, 1992
In what is generally considered the
fastest pitch in the world, it was baptism by fire for the 19-year old
Tendulkar. It was no mean bowling attack too with the likes of Craig McDermott
and Merv Hughes. “India’s bedrock was a captivating 114 from Tendulkar from 161
balls with 16 fours, the bulk of them square cuts,” the Wisden Almanack noted
in its match report. Coming at no 4, he was the ninth man out. On the third
morning, as he ran out of partners, he scored his second 50 from 55 balls.
[3.] 169 in the second Test against
South Africa in Cape Town, 1997
Three individual centuries had given
South Africa their highest total in Tests since returning from
apartheid-induced isolation. In face of that intimidating total, India had to
face a rampant Donald and Pollock. Reduced to 58 for five, Tendulkar came
together with Mohammed Azharuddin to forge a partnership of 222 runs. It was
counter attacking cricket at its best and saved India from the humiliation of a
follow-on. While Azhar fell on 115, Tendulkar continued on to 169. The stand
“illuminated the game with its sheer brilliance and aggression in the face of
adversity,” noted the Wisden Almanack.
[4.] 155 in the first test versus
Australia in Chennai, 1998
The headline contest of the series
was the battle between Tendulkar and Shane Warne, on his first full tour of
India. In his preparation for the series, Tendulkar got former leg spinner L
Sivaramakrishnan to bowl into a rough outside the leg stump. Wily Warne got the
better of Tendulkar in the first innings to have him caught at slip. But the
practice paid off in the second, as he repeatedly lofted Warne in the mid
wicket region as the latter started to bowl around the wicket. The dominance
established that day, followed by similar subsequent innings in ODIS, led the
leggie to famously proclaim that he had “nightmares” about bowling to Tendulkar.
[5.] 136 in the first test against
Pakistan in Chennai, 1999
It was Pakistan’s first tour of
India in almost a decade. Although India managed to stave off Wasim Akram and Waqar
Younis, Saqlain Mushtaq proved to be almost unplayable and went on to get 20
wickets in the two tests. He had got Sachin Tendulkar for
a duck in the first innings. At the end of the fourth day, India chasing 271 to
win fell to 82 for 5. Despite back spasms, Tendulkar played on, albeit
scratchily at times, adding 136 with Nayan Mongia leading India to the doorstep
of victory. When he fell with 17 to get, the tail collapsed. India lost.
[6.] 117 in the second test versus
the West Indies, Trinidad & Tobago, 2002
Unlike Gavaskar, who established his
reputation in his first tour of the West Indies, Tendulkar had to wait almost a
decade after his debut to score his first century in the Caribbean. It was well
worth the wait as it led to India’s only third-ever victory in the West Indies,
the foundation laid by the first innings score. Wisden Almanack noted in its
report that, Tendulkar’s was a resolute rather than commanding innings; Dravid
looked the more assertive in a partnership of 124.” In any case, this
particular hundred put him on par with Sir Donald Bradman, although he took 93
tests compared to the former’s 52.
[7.] 241 in the fourth Test against Australia
in Sydney, 2004
It was a quiet series by Tendulkar
standards till this test – the batting dominated by Rahul
Dravid and VVS Laxman. On a belter of a pitch, India batted first and
batted Australia out of the game in Steve Waugh’s last test. The driver of the
innings was Tendulkar’s 241. It was a strange, monkish innings totally in
contrast with a sublime 176 made by VVS. Tendulkar eschewed shots on the
offside, especially the cover drive, grimly determined to remain not out.
Twenty-eight of his 33 fours and 188 of his runs came on the leg side.
[8.] 103 in the first test versus
England in Chennai, 2008
After the horrific terrorist attack
on Mumbai in 2008, England – which had cut short their tour – returned to play
Tests. After a tepid first innings from both sides, Strauss and Collingwood
piled on the runs to set India a fourth innings target of 387. Although Sehwag
started strongly scoring his 83 from 68 balls, India still needed 270 runs to
win when he fell. Tendulkar took over where he left, putting up a masterclass
playing all strokes, especially the sweep to perfection, as he anchored the
highest fourth innings chase in Asia. “Scoring a hundred in a successful
fourth-innings run-chase was, according to Tendulkar, something he had wanted,
the one achievement missing from his CV: in consequence, he rated his hundred
as “up there” and “one of the best”,” noted Wisden.
[9.] 146 in the third test against
South Africa in Cape Town, 2010
It was Tendulkar’s last Test 100 (as
on date). With the series tied 1-1, the stage was set for an engrossing battle
in Cape Town. Chasing South Africa’s first innings total of 362, India were
reduced to 28 for 2. Then came Tendulkar to score a beautiful, defensive
innings against an attack of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. As Cricinfo puts it,
“the world’s best fast bowler terrorised the acclaimed batsmen of the No. 1
team with frightening spells of accurate outswing bowling at high speed. Most
did not survive the menacing attack, but the world’s best batsman did, and he
dragged his team forward through the harshest of circumstances.” Tendulkar was
eighth out as India crossed South Africa’s total.
[10.] 116 in the second Test against Australia
in Melbourne, 1999
Tendulkar was captain for the second
time in his career and it wasn’t working on any count. India were already
butchered in the first test by a phenomenally accurate McGrath and beguiling
Warne. The boxing day Test saw the debut of Lee, supposedly the fastest in the
world. A change in the batting line up didn’t work and soon India slipped to 31
for 3. “The innings was a shambles, for all that Tendulkar remained unscathed,
gathering runs with deft placements and assaults on the rare loose ball…He had
made 116 out of a total of 212, with a straight six off Warne but only nine
fours,” summed up the Almanack. India went on to lose the series 3-0, Tendulkar
was the only Indian batsman to hold his head high with a 100 and two 50s.
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