Top 5 Test Centuries of Sachin Tendulkar: My Personal Views

I consider myself very lucky to have seen Sachin Tendulkar play. Right from his debut series in 1989 till he hung up his boots in 2013 I have followed his journey. I am very sure many in our generation of cricket lovers would have done the same. Mathew Hayden once said, “I have seen God and he bats at No. 4 for India”. Today being the Master Blaster’s 47th Birthday, I thought of writing down my views on what I personally feel are his Top 5 Test centuries.

A person who has scored 51 Test Hundreds its difficult to choose the top 5 of them. Certainly many will disagree with this list that I have chosen here and I have my reasons for the same which are given below. So here is the list:

1. 114 Runs Against Australia at Perth 1992

This innings showed the world why Sachin Tendulkar was special. He was 18 years old that time and WACA was the fastest and the bounciest pitch in the world. Australia was having a great pace attack lead by Craig McDermott & Merv Huges though Mike Whitney actually ripped through the Indian Second Innings. This was the 5th Test Match and India were trailing 3-0. One must remember that India lost the Test Match by over 300 runs and there is nothing to remember for an Indian fan but the great innings of Sachin makes us never forget that test match. Even Sachin considers it one of his best innings. The footwork against the short pitch bowling was exemplary and his parallel bat shots were a treat to the eye. It was a counter punching innings from him with wickets falling all around him. He finished with a strike rate on 70+ in that innings and none of the other batsmen (from both sides) were anywhere close to that strike rate. Sachin’s love affair with Australia began in 1992 and it continued throughout his career. Over the years he scored many centuries against them but this innings in 1992 takes the cake for its beautiful shotmaking and counter punching the Aussies on the fastest pitch in the world.

2. 169 Runs against South Africa at Cape Town 1997

By 1997 Sachin had already become the backbone of Indian batting but India’s record against South Africa in South Africa was always bad. Sachin’s personal test record against South Africa is also not very good. This match at Cape Town was another match where India were handed a 282 runs drubbing. But the sheer entertainment that Sachin along with Azharuddin gave in the post lunch session on Day 3 was unforgettable. Those were our college days in Bangalore and almost 8-10 of us watched that session awestruck. What a counter attack launched by both of them. Sachin came to the crease with India at 24/2 and Azhar joined him with India at 58/5. From there the fun started. It was great till it lasted because India scored at over 5 runs an over in the session between Lunch and Tea with Azhar scoring at over 100 strike rate. Azhar finally got out at 115 off only 110 balls. When he got out, India was still 49 runs adrift from following on but Sachin with the help from the tail enders took India past the follow on mark of 330. India finally folded at 359 and incidentally Sachin was the last wicket to fall, courtesy a brilliant one handed blinder taken right at the boundary line by Adam Bacher. Most say Adam Bacher’s only fame in his short cricket career was this catch. Nevertheless, this innings of Sachin’s remains very close to my heart because it was another innings which was played under severe pressure and he came out trumps counter attacking.

3. 136 Runs against Pakistan at Chennai 1999

Another great innings by Sachin which most would remember because we never forget India-Pakistan encounters, do we? But this was another great innings which ended with India being in the losing side. This was a typical turner at Chennai and with India to bat last it was always going to be a tough battle. Chasing 271 was never going to be easy against an attack lead by Wasim Akram supported ably by Waqar and Saqlain. When India started the Day 4 at 40/2, there was hope that if India goes through the first hour without any hiccups, we will win it. Unfortunately that didn’t happen and within the first hour India’s score read 82/5. It was an uphill battle and a real grind. Thankfully Sachin got good support from Nayan Mongia who himself scored a half century. But a moment of madness after crossing 50 lead to Mongia’s downfall. Sachin was left to take India home along with the tail enders but the biggest problem was his back spasms. Throughout the innings he had to be on medications because of the severe lower back pain. With each passing ball, his physical condition worsened but he fought on. But with 17 runs away from victory he got out. A magical 136 knock came to an end and silenced the vociferous crowd in Chennai. I remember the collective grasp that we left watching him get out. India still had 3 wickets in Hand but unfortunately the tailenders couldn’t take India home and we lost by 12 runs. A match to remember and an innings to remember. Afridi had scored a century on the third day and should have been the prime candidate for the man of the match but it went to Sachin and the reason was the sheer determination and his will to play on even under adverse conditions.

4. 103* Runs against England at Chennai 2008

9 years later, Sachin was back at Chennai. Once again India was chasing a big score on the last day. This time Sachin not only took India home but brought back smiles on the face of millions of Indians. Just 2 weeks before this match, 26/11 attacks happened and the whole nation was terrified. This win did wonders to the whole moral of the country. And I think this incident along with the loss against Pakistan 9 years back at the same venue spurred Sachin on. It was apt that he made the winning runs. This win of course wouldn’t have been possible without Virendra Sehwag’s brilliance. Chasing 387 in less than 4 sessions that too in India was a tough ask but the blazing start that Sehwag gave India on the 4th day evening changed the entire complexion of the match. He scored 83 of just 68 balls and his knock ensured that India needed only 240 odd runs on the last day with 9 wickets in hand. Though India lost Dravid early on the final day, but Sachin’s partnership with Gambhir initially and Yuvraj later in the day ensured there were no hiccups. This was also an innings to remember for Sachin because this was a match winning century while chasing. He didn’t win the Man of the Match though because that went to Virender Sehwag because he was the one who changed the complexion of the match. Andrew Strauss, the English captain said later that India was no where in the match for 11 sessions and then won the match in the last 4 sessions because of the audacious stroke play and counter attacking punch by Sehwag. 

5. 241* Runs against Australia at Sydney 2004

Many will argue that the innings of 241 against Australia at Sydney was not a great innings. I also agree to that argument and I in fact think its his worst century of the lot going by the quality of batsmanship. But the only reason I kept this innings in the top 5 of my list is because of the sheer determination shown by Sachin against adversity. Sachin was in a treacherous form in this series and he got out nicking the ball outside the off stump in the previous tests. In the final test at Sydney, Sachin made a strategic change to his batting which was very Un-Sachin like. He didn’t play a single cover drive right through the innings. Left all balls outside the offside. Never got lured into a false sense of security and even left rank half volleys. It was a scratchy innings no doubt but when one analyses the greater scheme of things then one can understand the greatness of the man. Being on the crease for more than 10 hours, facing over 400 balls and not touching a single ball outside off stump. Exemplary stuff! He is truly a legend and we are lucky to have seen him bat so many times.

This innings is so relevant in today’s times, isn’t it? Government and civic authorities keep telling us to stay at home to fight CoronaVirus but we keep roaming around in the roads (atleast many are at various places in India – though reduced now). We all need to be as determined as Sachin Tendulkar and stay put at our houses so that we can flatten the curve and reduce the number of infections.

So what do you think about the list above? Do you agree? or do you have any list of your own? Do let me know.

Till then Stay Safe and Stay Indoors! 

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