At one point in India’s history, the success of the Indian cricket team was closely and sometimes solely linked to Sachin Tendulkar’s performance, as his performance lifted the nation’s morale, whereas his failures dampened their spirits. With his extraordinary skills, Tendulkar was able to secure victories in challenging matches, set new records, and establish himself as the world’s top cricketer. Today, as the legend turns 50, let’s look back at what he was for us and what he contributed to the cricket world.
One of Sachin Tendulkar’s most remarkable sporting achievements, nicknamed “The Desert Storm,” occurred in 1998, two days before his 25th birthday. This impressive inning not only highlighted Tendulkar’s excellent skills but also established his deity-like status in the eyes of his fans.
India and Australia squared off in Sharjah in a pivotal encounter of the tri-nation Coca-Cola Cup, with a position in the championship game on the line. India had to either defeat Australia or outperform third-place New Zealand in terms of Net Run Rate (NRR). Australia was keen to make it difficult for India even though they had already advanced to the championship match.
In the 22nd over of the match against Australia, Sachin Tendulkar completed his fifty runs after his opening partner Sourav Ganguly had left the pitch with only 17 runs, having smashed three fours and two sixes. However, the squad lost three wickets in a little over 30 runs as they rapidly started to panic, which was typical of Indian cricket at the time. Tendulkar assumed control in the 29th over and wowed the ardent cricket fans present in the stadium with some amazing shots. Smashing some enormous sixes that lighted up the Sharjah night sky.
Although the Duckworth-Lewis method had updated the target to 276, Tendulkar’s primary goal was to cross the cut-off of 237 to be eligible for the final. Tendulkar hit 143 from 131 balls, including nine fours and five sixes, to move India above the qualification threshold before being bowled out.
Despite losing the match by 26 runs, according to DLS, India advanced to the tri-series final due to a higher Net Run Rate. Tendulkar hit 134 in the final to lead India to a historic victory. Still, fans remember his spectacular performance in ‘The Desert Storm’, where he controlled the Australian team when things were not looking good for India. This particular event is not just a reminder of how important and great a player Tendulkar was but also how he pulled the whole team along with his lone-wolf performances to the heights of glory.
The 50th birthday of Tendulkar was celebrated on social media by stars from the past and present, including Ravi Shastri, Virender Sehwag, Harsha Bhogle, Yuvraj Singh and many others.
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