India's batting genius' two-decade long international career was not always smooth. Mid day culls out what could have been...
India's batting genius' two-decade long international career was not always smooth. Mid day culls out what could have been...
1 Debut disaster
Sachin Tendulkar's first disappointment in international cricket came in his very first Test innings u2013 20 years ago to the date (November 16, 1989) against Pakistan in Karachi. He discovered Test cricket was too hard and he would be a misfit. Wasim Akram tested him with his pace and movement and ultimately Waqar Younis, also making his Test debut, castled him for 15. Tendulkar was then assured by his seniors that things would get better with experience.
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2 Missing a world record
In Napier, 1990, Tendulkar impressed with his powerful batting and looked all set to become the youngest ever Test centurion. Pakistan's Mushtaq Mohammed held the record as a 17-year-old centurion, but Tendulkar was yet to complete 17. Twelve runs short of the three-figure mark, Tendulkar lofted one in the air and John Wright caught him at deep mid-off to give Danny Morrison a famous wicket. That's probably the only disservice Wright, who coached India from 2000 to 2004, did to Indian cricket.
Succumbing to the Lankans
After beating Pakistan in the 1996 World Cup quarter-final in Bangalore, India faced up to the challenge of the Sri Lankans in the semi-finals at Calcutta. Tendulkar batted imperiously for his 65 but at a critical time, stepped out of his crease while facing Sanath Jayasuriya and was stumped by Romesh Kaluwitharana. India were 98 for two at that stage responding to Lanka's 251. Considering the spiteful Eden Garden track and Lanka's spin strength, Tendulkar took India's hopes with him.
952 and all that!
The selectors named him captain in 1996 after India's tour of England. While he won his first Test as skipper against Australia in New Delhi, Sri Lanka continued to be Tendulkar's bugbear. In 1997, in the opening Test at Colombo, the hosts totalled 952 for six declared. Spinners Anil Kumble and Rajesh Chauhan conceded more than 200 runs each as Sanath Jayasuriya scored a triple hundred. Roshan Mahanama got a double century in the evening of his career.
Durban deep and more!
After beating South Africa at home in 1996-97, the return series ended up being highly forgettable for captain Tendulkar. India lost the first two Tests in Durban and Cape Town while luck eluded India in the third Test at Johannesburg where Rahul Dravid scored a brilliant 148.
Apart from his strokeful 169 in Cape Town, Tendulkar's best score in the series was 35.
Down in the Caribbean
India had a great chance to win their first Test in the Caribbean since 1971. Needing to score 120 for victory, the Brian Lara-led West Indies bowled out India for just 81 in 35.5 overs. The 38-run loss caused Tendulkar's team much ridicule. Ian Bishop got rid of Tendulkar (four) with a beautiful late-moving delivery which the India captain edged to Lara at first slip.u00a0 Lara said this was the most important catch of his career, one that contributed to him experiencing a win as captain for the first time.
Sacked as captain
Before the home series against Australia, the selectors lost patience and sacked Tendulkar as captain after a 15-month stint. Tendulkar could lead India to only three wins out of a total of 17 Tests. All the three wins came on home turf. India should have got the better of the Sri Lankan tourists in 1997, but all three Tests ended in draws. To be fair, the weather contributed to India not winning the last Test in Mumbai.
That terrible Chennai loss
The MA Chidambaram in Chennai is Sachin Tendulkar's happiest hunting ground (five tons in 9 Tests) but this ground also gave him his most painful moment on a cricket field ten years ago when his 136 against Pakistan went in vain. India lost by 12 runs as Azhar's team lost their last 4 wickets for 4 runs. It was also the start of the career-threatening back problem for Tendulkar.
Daddy departs
India started the 1999 World Cup with a loss to South Africa. Then, Tendulkar suffered the biggest personal setback of his life when his father passed away in Mumbai. He returned to India for the funeral and thus missed India's match against Zimbabwe in Leicester. He returned to score a hundred in the next match against Kenya at Bristol.
Disaster Down Under
After being appointed captain for the second time following India's disappointing World Cup show, Tendulkar had to tackle Australia Down Under. He scored a brilliant hundred at the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, but India were beaten 0-3 in the Tests and did not qualify for the tri-series finals.
Captaincy gets too hot to handle
After the tour of Australia, Tendulkar had to lead India against South Africa, the second best side in the world. During the visitors' tour game against the Board President's XI, he decided to quit as captain. The captaincy was affecting him as a person, he said. However, he led in the two-Test series which Hansie Cronje's team won 2-0.
Toe and woe
A toe injury suffered during the one-day series in Zimbabwe kept him away from three Tests and seven ODIs against Sri Lanka in 2001. India missed Tendulkar's presence as the Lankans cashed in to win both the Test and one-day series
Denness, the menace!
In 2001, Tendulkar was handed a suspended one-match ban and a fine by match referee Mike Denness during the Port Elizabeth Test for not informing the umpires that he was removing grass from the seam of the ball. However, the ICC later clarified that he was not guilty since removing grass cannot be called
ball-tampering.
Ferrari fiasco
Tendulkar was criticised in some quarters for applying for an import duty exemption for a Ferrari car presented to him for equalling Sir Don Bradman's tally of 29 Test hundreds. Tendulkar achieved the milestone at Leeds in 2002. The matter ended up in the Delhi High Court which asked why the waiver was granted for a car he got as a gift.
Ultimately, Fiat India announced that it will pay the import duty of Rs 1.13 crore that was waived for the car. "The gift was meant to felicitate and honour our brand ambassador for his achievement. We believe that this gesture on our part of paying the import duty is in keeping with the spirit in which the gift was given," the Fiat spokesperson said. The Ferrari Modena is Tendulkar's prized possession.
Livid in Multan
Tendulkar shocked journalists at a press conference during the 2004 Multan Test against Pakistan when he said he was disappointed to have missed out on a double hundred by six runs. Rahul Dravid who was leading the team since Sourav Ganguly was injured, declared the India innings closed 55 minutes after tea on Day Two. The double ton would have been Tendulkar's second after his 241 in Sydney earlier that year. Team coach John Wright later wrote in his book that the batting master felt let-down by the declaration which expert Ian Chappell supported. "A declaration of independence," Chappell called it in his dispatch to MiD DAY.
Cruel tennis elbow
The tennis elbow injury Tendulkar suffered in 2004 pushed him to dejection. (See sports cover story)
Bangalore heartbreaker
Tendulkar experienced yet another heartbreaker of a loss in the third Test of the series. Set to score 383 to win on the fifth day, India were caught in a web on a difficult pitch which Pakistan took advantage of. The visitors bowled India out for 214 in the closing stages of the day. Tendulkar scored 16 off 98 balls before being gobbled up at short leg by Asim Kamal off Shahid Afridi.
Wicked Wankhede crowd
The unthinkable happened to the Mumbai batsman when he was booed by the Wankhede Stadium crowd after making only one run in the second innings of the third Test against England. Tendulkar was caught behind off James Anderson. Playing in his 132nd match, Tendulkar became the most capped Indian player. It was deplorable behaviour by the home crowd.
World Cup 2007 exit
Tendulkar had no qualms in admitting the other day that the exit from the 2007 World Cup was a big low. He told a TV channel that the batting order wasn't right. He was sent at No 4 when he was a successful opener in the previous three World Cups.
Sydneygate 2008
Despite Tendulkar and VVS Laxman scoring tons in this Test, India ended up losing. Poor umpiring by Steve Bucknor was surely a big factor in India's unbelievable loss.
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