Best of Sachin #5 – Which is the best innings according to you?

Throughout his illustrious playing career, Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar enthralled cricket fans all over the world with his unbelievable run-making. Each of his 100 international centuries has left an everlasting impact on Indian cricket. While the other knocks have redefined the game itself in many ways. In this exclusive series ‘Best of Sachin’, we take a look at the most special knocks to have come out of the Master’s willow.

Tendulkar played in as many as 782 innings across all three formats of the game in his career. Over the next 5 days, we’ll be bringing you a collection of 15 of his best innings in batches of 3. Here’s the first lot:

155* vs Australia, Chennai (1998)

Image Courtesy: ICC Twitter

The stage was set for a face-off between two greats of the game at the peak of their powers. Shane Warne’s spin wizardry had gotten the better of Sachin in the first innings but the Master Blaster replied solidly with his bat in the next round. Smashing 14 fours and 4 sixes, the champion batsman raced to 155 not out in just 191 balls with a strike rate in excess of 80. India went on to win the opening Test of the three-match series by 179 runs.

98 vs Pakistan, Centurion (World Cup 2003)

Even after reaching the unprecedented milestone of 100 international centuries, this knock of 98 stands out as one of the most loved innings of Sachin. In this group game of the 2003 World Cup, Pakistan had set India a target of 274 runs. Taking an aggressive route from the very beginning, Sachin was off to a blazing start with his immortal uppercut and drives. India reached 50 in no time as the opener continued plundering runs. His 98-run knock was compiled in just 75 balls which included 12 boundaries and a six.

175 vs Australia, Hyderabad (2009)

Image Courtesy: Twitter @Sachinist

India faced a stiff target of 351 in the fifth of the seven-match ODI series against Australia. Leading from the front, Sachin stood tall at the crease while his teammates struggled to extend support. Apart from Sachin, only three other Indian batsmen reached double figures. After Sachin’s 175, the next highest score was 59. This glorious knock was brought up in just 141 balls with 19 fours and 4 sixes.