Sachin Tendulkar's quest for a maiden ODI century
21 years ago, on this day, a boy named Sachin Tendulkar scored his maiden ODI century against Australia at the Premadasa Stadium at Colombo. He was already a rising name in Test cricket, after having made seven Test centuries already.
He had proven that he could battle it out in the toughest conditions, with hundreds in Manchester, Sydney and Perth. He was a relatively experienced player, with five years of international cricket under his belt. There were slight whispers of a giant in the making, but there was still a slight problem. He didn’t have an ODI century after 78 matches.
Excellent in Tests, lacking in ODIs
Tendulkar’s first four Test centuries had all come away from home, and two of them were not-outs. There was no doubt about his talent or his temperament. Faults could not be pointed at his technique, nor did he play rash shots. But still, the cloud over his ODI century loomed.
Why did the boy who could dominate bowlers in the fastest track in the world with no problem at all, fail to get to the three-figure mark in the shorter form of the game?
Maybe it was a mind block, maybe it was nerves during pressure. But whatever it was, Tendulkar had to overcome it and quick. There were already waves in India’s domestic circuit, with certain youngsters named Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid who were itching to play in the national team, and Tendulkar had to prove that he deserved his spot in the team.
After two consecutive ducks in his first two ODI innings, Tendulkar had redeemed himself somewhat by scoring three half-centuries in five games. But if he didn’t get a century soon, all of it would be for naught.
Close chances and missed opportunities
Tendulkar certainly came close to scoring a century numerous times. He was dismissed for 77 against West Indies in Brisbane, holing out to Patrick Cummins. Two months later, he made 81 and 84 in the space of 5 days against Zimbabwe and New Zealand respectively.
In Jaipur against England, Tendulkar partnered with schoolmate Vinod Kambli to put up a big first innings score. While Kambli reached his century after eating up 149 deliveries, Tendulkar was left not out on 82. His teammates were scoring centuries left and right, but Tendulkar was being left out every time.
India toured New Zealand in March, and Tendulkar was fast approaching his five-year anniversary of playing international cricket. He was desperate to cross the ODI hurdle. Tendulkar, who usually batted low down the order, asked captain Azharrudin to promote him to the opener’s slot. Azharrudin agreed. New Zealand folded for just 142 runs, and Tendulkar had a race against the target to get a century.
He batted like a demon, dancing down the wicket and smacking the Kiwi bowlers all around the park. He was especially fierce on Danny Morrison, taking him for 46 off 6 overs. Finally, with the score on 117 - 25 needed for victory, 18 needed for his century - Tendulkar got out to left-arm spinner Matthew Hart on 82. Sachin didn’t get his century, but India had gotten its opener.
The desperation grows
A month later, India faced Pakistan in Sharjah - which would later be one of Tendulkar’s favourite grounds. 9 days shy of his twenty-first birthday, Tendulkar raced to 73 off 64 balls against the likes of Wasim Akram and Aaqib Javed, with 10 fours and three sixes.
The pitch was good, and he was in top form. Surely, it was time. But luck was against him once more. He got out to inner Akram Raza on the same score, and India promptly collapsed from 111-1 to 219 all out. Tendulkar walked back dejectedly, and his maiden ODI century seemed far away.
Tendulkar seemed to go into a rut after the failure at Sharjah, scoring only 47 runs in his next four innings. He had already played 78 matches without scoring a century. While his speed of scoring was undoubtedly good, it seemed he lacked the conviction to pass the final frontier.
India played mighty Australia at Colombo on September 9, 1994. It was a World Series tour - comprising of India, Sri Lanka, Australia and Pakistan. After losing to Sri Lanka in the first match, India needed to win to stay alive. The onus was on their openers and Sachin in particular.
Success at last
India batted first, and Tendulkar opened with Manoj Prabhakar. Tendulkar shook off his previous failures. He concentrated on his current target, and all doubts left him entirely. Tendulkar began his assault on Australia in the very first hour.
He started with slamming Craig McDermott over deep square leg and then took to Glenn McGrath, who went for 41 in 6 overs. He then deposited Shane Warne over long on for another maximum as he reached 50 in 43 balls.
Short balls were cut ferociously and deliveries on his pads were timed sweetly to the boundary. Warne kept varying his length, but to no avail - Tendulkar was on the rampage. Finally, just under the 3-hour mark, after 119 balls, a double taken after a cut to extra cover gave Tendulkar his maiden one-day International century. All the Australians applauded the diminutive batsman for his sheer skill and dominance.
After 5 long years, Tendulkar had finally taken that final step, and it was worth it. India went on to win the match by 31 runs, which helped them put one foot in the finals. A week later, India won the finals by beating Sri Lanka, and Tendulkar received his first ever Man-of-the-Series trophy for his 136 runs in 3 innings. Tendulkar had arrived on the world stage, and there would be no looking back for the next 19 years.