On this day in 1994: Sachin Tendulkar opens in ODIs for the first time

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The rest, the say, is history

27th March, 1994 will always be remembered as the start of an era among Indian cricket fans. India were playing New Zealand in the second ODI on their tour of the country.

Having lost the first ODI, India’s hopes of coming back into the series were dealt a blow when regular opener Navjot Singh Sidhu woke up with a stiff neck. Little known to the cricket world at the time, this would change the landscape of Indian cricket for years to come.

Rajesh Chauhan came into the side in place of Sidhu, and this move saw Sachin Tendulkar sent out to open the batting with Ajay Jadeja. While it may have been a move that captain Mohammed Azharuddin was forced to make given the circumstances, saying it worked would be an understatement.

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Having won the toss, New Zealand elected to bat on a soft and dampish Eden Park wicket. That decision backfired when the Indian bowling attack tore into the New Zealand batting line up. The Kiwis were bowled out for a paltry 142.

In what was likely to be a fairly straightforward chase, a young Sachin Tendulkar walked out alongside Ajay Jadeja. The then-young man from Mumbai seized the opportunity presented to him with both hands.

The Little Master, as he would come to be known, unleashed a barrage of attacking shots on the Kiwi bowling. The men from the island nation did not know what hit them as India chased down the target in under 24 overs. 

Tendulkar was the top-scorer with 82 off just 49 balls, and at one point seemed to be on course to score the fastest ODI century at the time. It was quite telling that he was named Man of the Match in spite of the brilliant bowling performance from India.

The innings helped Tendulkar establish himself as an opener as he went on to open for Indian in 340 ODI innings, scoring 45 centuries and over 15000 runs.

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