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
126 at Chennai, March 2001
The setting: This was the third Test of the historic series between India and Australia, the tussle which reinvigorated the India-Australia rivalry. Australia had beaten India black and blue at Mumbai, but India fought back almost miraculously at the Eden Gardens to square the series. India were in all sorts of trouble following-on when VVS Laxman played that match turning innings of 281 with great support from Rahul Dravid, who made 180. Harbhajan Singh did the rest by running through the Aussie batting in the second innings. India had the momentum going into the deciding Test, but Australia, as always, were expected to come back strongly.
Teams:
India: SS Das, Sadagopan Ramesh, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly (captain), Sameer Dighe (wk), Sairaj Bahutule, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Nilesh Kulkarni
Australia: Matthew Hayden, Michael Slater, Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer, Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh (captain), Adam Gilchrist (wk), Colin Miller, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie and Glenn McGrath
The Tendulkar factor: After scoring half-centuries in both the innings during India’s loss at Mumbai, Tendulkar failed at Kolkata with the bat, but did contribute with the ball at an extremely crucial stage. At his favourite venue Chennai though he was unstoppable with the bat. Australia had posted a challenging 391 on the board, batting first, courtesy Matthew Hayden’s 203 and Mark Waugh’s 70. India needed to respond well to stay in the hunt to win the series, and Tendulkar took it upon himself to lead India’s challenge against the opponent he loves playing against the most.
Tendulkar looked in complete command during his superlative knock of 126, which contained 15 fours and 2 sixes. The knock lasted for 340 minutes during which he faced 230 balls. Unlike in the past, Tendulkar was aided by the fact that the openers gave the team a good start. SS Das and Sadagoppan Ramesh added 123 for the opening wicket, with Das making 84 and Ramesh contributing 61. VVS Laxman also came up with an elegant 65. But, it was Tendulkar’s century, and his partnership with Dravid (81) that made the difference. Tendulkar was dismissed with the score at 468 for 6, and India were on their way to a sizeable lead. They eventually ended up with 501.
India bowled out Australia for 264 the second time round, and chasing 155 were well-placed for victory at 101 for 2. It seemed Tendulkar’s ton won’t be in vain this time round, unlike the Test against Pakistan in 1999. Ironically, Tendulkar’s dismissal sparked an unimaginable collapse as India found themselves on the doorsteps of victory at 135 for 7. Dighe’s unbeaten 22 calmed their nerves, and Harbhajan fittingly hit the winning runs to ensure Tendulkar’s hundred was a match-winning one. A fitting end to a magnificent series.
--By A Cricket Analyst
