Reliving Sachin Tendulkar's ODI centuries (36-40)
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar needs no introduction in India and his ability to create and break records helped him achieve a cult status in the country. With 49 ODI centuries, he had ensured that his ODI figures will go untouched for a while, till of course the genius Virat Kohli came along.
Unlike Tendulkar’s first ten years as a professional cricketer, where the hundreds were churned out at will, the last few years of his career, saw fewer runs and consequently, the centuries dried up for him. He scored his century numbers 36 to 40 in over two years, which is in stark contrast to the nineteen hundreds he had scored from 1998 to 2001.
In a continuation of our exclusive series, we take a detailed look at his ODI hundreds thirty-six to forty.
#5 ODI century number 36 – 102 against New Zealand, Hyderabad (2003)
In the 9th match of the TVS Cup between India and New Zealand – a series that also featured Australia – the hosts elected to bat first after winning the toss.
India got off to a flying start, with Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar putting on 182 for the first wicket in just 30 overs. While he Delhiite scored 130 in 134 deliveries, Tendulkar was the more aggressive player, going with a strike-rate of over 112. He made 102 in 91 deliveries, with 12 boundaries and a six, which helped India reach a mammoth score of 353 in their 50 overs.
In reply, New Zealand was wrapped up for 208, with only Scott Styris managing a fifty.