Sachin Tendulkar 47th Birthday Special: 5 Times When Master Blaster Destroyed the Opposition Bowling Line-Up

Sachin!! Sachin!! You can still hear it. Can't you? The enthusiasm and passion behind these chants spoke volumes about the prowess of this person. From being a part of crowd in Dadar to becoming the reason behind the crowd in Sydney, a 5ft 5in man defied all odds and went on to become the 'God of Cricket.' Sachin Tendulkar is the name of the personality who celebrates his 47th on Friday (April 24, 2020). The right-handed batsman toiled the opposition bowlers for 23 years and piled up a mountain of runs. Be it tackling the spinners in the rank-turner of Feroz Shah Kotla or facing the barrage of bouncers in the vicious Cape Town track, the Master Blaster crossed every hurdle which came his way. Below, we'll look at five of his most destructive innings. Sachin Tendulkar Birthday Special: From 98 vs Pakistan to 241 vs Australia, Top Six Knocks by the Master Blaster That Redefined Cricket.

Scoring a century for the nation is certainly a dream of every budding cricketer. However, Tendulkar is the only one who has been able to achieve the feat 100 times in international cricket. He is the highest run-scorer in Tests and ODIs to date. However, He didn't play a lot of T20 cricket as the format game in the latter half of his career. Nevertheless, he has played several fiery knocks in other formats and IPL too which are proof that Tendulkar would have made a destructive T20I batsman. So, as the legendary cricketer turns 47, let's revisit five times when Tendulkar unleashed mayhem against the opposition bowlers.

72 Against New Zealand in Christchurch

During India's 2002 Tour of New Zealand, both the sides played a 'Super Max International' match in which both the sides were supposed to play two innings of 10 overs each. Despite it being a new format, Tendulkar rose to the challenge and wreaked havoc against the Kiwi bowlers. He rained fours and sixes all over the park and score 72 runs off 27 deliveries. His effort, unfortunately, went in vain as the home side clinched the encounter by 21 runs.

82 Against New Zealand in Auckland

Another Tendulkar storm against New Zealand was witnessed during the 2nd ODI of 1994 series. Batting first, the home side was bundled out for mere 142 runs and the track looked ideal for the bowlers. However, that wasn’t the case when India came on to bat. Chasing a mediocre target, the opener went after the bowlers from the outset and scored runs for fun. In total, the Master Blaster scored 82 runs off 49 balls and helped India win the game by seven wickets.

100 Against West Indies in Vadodara

After getting his feet settled at the opening position, Tendulkar was asked to bat at number four during the 2007 ODI series against West Indies. However, the talismanic batsman didn’t disappoint there too. Coming to bat in the 26th over, Tendulkar was watchful at the start of his knock. However, he shifted gears after assessing the conditions and up the ante. The star batsman made optimum utilization of the death overs and brought up his 100 off mere 76 deliveries. Riding on his efforts, India scored 341 runs and later, won the game by 160 runs.

200 Against South Africa in Gwalior

Record books were rewritten when South Africa and India locked horns in the 2nd ODI of 2010 series. Batting first, Tendulkar looked on song from the first ball he faced and seemed like piling up a big score. However, what he went on to do simply exceptional. The Master Blaster put up a batting exhibition as the scoring rate was climbing up every over. In the last ball of the innings, he became the first man on the planet to score a double century in ODIs. As a result, India scored 401 runs and went on to clinch the encounter by 153 runs.

100 Against Kochi Tuskers Kerala in Mumbai

Tendulkar might have only one T20I match. However, fans were able to witness his blitzes in the shortest format courtesy the Indian Premier League (IPL). In the 2011 edition of the tournament, the Mumbai Indians captain put up a brilliant batting display against the now-defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerela (KTK). Batting first, the right-handed batsman looked in good knick and made full use of it. He kept scoring runs at a brisk rate and didn’t give many opportunities to the opposition bowlers too. He went on to register his maiden IPL century in the last ball of the innings. However, KTK put up a good batting performance while chasing and won the game by eight wickets.

Sachin brought curtains to his illustrious career in November, 2013 but not before piling up 34357 runs, the highest for anyone in international cricket. Many believed that Sachin’s retirement will leave a huge void in the Indian batting line-up. Nevertheless, the Master Blaster passed the baton to a promising young boy named Virat Kohli who has evolved into a world-beater. Still, Tendulkar’s records are still looking safe and sound and it will be interesting to see if Kohli will breach those records or not.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 24, 2020 12:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).