5 epic ODI innings by Tendulkar while chasing that went in vain
5 years ago, Sachin Tendulkar, bade adieu to his immensely successful 24-year long international career. In those 24 years, he made appearances in 664 international matches, scored more than 30,000 international runs and created hundreds of records. But more importantly, he touched millions of souls with his sheer work of an art, which he painted with his crafty bat.
Those, who took birth in 80s and early 90s would agree with a relatively higher degree that Tendulkar is not just a name but an emotion. The entire stadium used to enchant 'Sachin, Sachin' at his arrival. His centuries used to be a matter of national celebration.
Entire families would sit together, glued to their TV sets, watching him demolishing the opposition. And at his departure, the television sets across nation would have got switched off. Probably, he is one of the reasons for India's stupendous level of craziness about cricket. In limited overs particularly, his career is studded with loads of dazzling innings which helped India emerging as the victorious side.
However, there have been some heartbreaking moments as well, when despite his brave performances, he ended up on losing side. This article talks about 5 of Sachin' masterful ODI performances that came while chasing the target but were not enough to win the match.
#5 91(87) vs England at Sharjah - Akai Singer Champions Trophy (1997)
In this day-night encounter, Mohammad Azharuddin invited England to bat first. Alec Stewart scored a century and along with the support from Nick Knight and Graeme Hick, England built their inning well. But after Stewart's departure, India made a comeback and got England all out for 250.
Responding to England's total, Indian openers - Saba Karim & Sourav Ganguly began well and they added 60 runs for the first wicket. When Tendulkar arrived at the crease the team total was 64/2. And very soon India got reduced to 74/4. Sachin added 108 runs with Ajay Jadeja for the 5th wicket.
Tendulkar continued to play his flurry of shots and scored at more than run-a-ball but didn't get much support from the other end. And when Tendulkar fell as the 8th wicket, India still needed 19 more runs. India finally lost the game by 7 runs.