As the master blaster gets set to play his 200th and final Test, we pay a tribute to his glorious career by looking back at his top ten Test centuries
119 at Manchester, August 1990
The setting: This was the second Test of the three-match Test series between India and England in England. As usual, India lost the opening Test at Lord’s quite comprehensively owing to a superb triple hundred by Graham Gooch. To stay alive at Manchester it was imperative for them to win or at least draw the second Test. Considering the bashing they received at Lord’s, and their previous poor record overseas, the hopes weren’t too high.
Teams:
India: Ravi Shastri, Navjot Sidhu, Sanjay Manjrekar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohd Azharuddin (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Manoj Prabhakar, Kapil Dev, Kiran More (wk), Anil Kumble and Narendra Hirwani
England: Graham Gooch (captain), Mike Atherton, David Gower, Allan Lamb, Jack Russell (wk), Robin Smith, John Morris, Chris Lewis, Eddie Hemmings, Angus Fraser and Devon Malcolm
The Tendulkar factor: This will remain among Tendulkar’s most memorable hundreds, if for nothing else then for the simple reason that it was his maiden Test century. But, the innings was unforgettable for more than that simple reason. India were in serious danger of losing the Test, and with it the series, but a rookie like Tendulkar had the guts and gumption to take India to safety. India were chasing an improbable 408 to draw level in the series, but while a win was out of the question, India found themselves in a big hole at 183 for 6. A defeat loomed large for the Indians, and it would have been too much to expect a little man with hardly any international appearance to save the Test for India.
Tendulkar definitely had other plans. He had the confidence in himself even at such a raw age, that he could work wonders for the side.
Coming in at number six, having lost most of their big batsmen, Tendulkar played a flowing knock that even regaled the opposition. He remained unbeaten on a wonderfully composed 119, a knock which lasted 225 minutes during which the little boy faced 189 deliveries, and smacked 17 fours. The figures prove that even under the circumstances, Tendulkar was not willing to get bogged down in spite of the circumstances. At the same time, he was smart enough not to play a rash shot and throw his wicket away.
A first Test hundred means a lot for any player, no matter how many you get after that. In that sense, the Manchester knock will always remain special for Tendulkar. He proved to himself, and the world that he can bat, and how. A mention must be made of Manoj Prabhakar (67 not out) as well, without whose support Tendulkar would not have been able to rescue India. It was Tendulkar’s match all the way though since he had scored 68 in the first innings as well.
--By A Cricket Analyst
