Sachin Tendulkar, in an unsparing assault, single-handedly took on the world’s top-ranked ODI side, scoring a 175 that nearly stunned them. Akshay Gopalakrishnan relives the knock, which is No.5 in Wisden’s ODI innings of the 2000s.
Sachin Tendulkar 175 (141 balls)
India v Australia, 5th ODI
Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
November 5, 2009
If ever there was an example of a player single-handedly trying to win a game for his team, this was it. No, seriously. This was something else. Bowl fast, bowl slow, turn the ball, pitch it up, drop it short, stray on the pads, tempt him outside off – it didn’t matter. Sachin Tendulkar simply could not be stopped. When he had a partner on song, he was brutal; when wickets fell at the other end, he was even more savage.
Three of Tendulkar’s top ODI innings came in the last five years of his career – this, the unbeaten 163 against New Zealand, where only cramps could stop him, forcing him to retire hurt, and of course, Mount 200, which no man before him had scaled. But it was this innings, in the face of a daunting 350-plus chase against Australia, which meant it came alongside past baggage that included a lost World Cup final, that was arguably the finest of all.
With Virender Sehwag cracking a series of boundaries to kickstart India’s chase at a high gear, Tendulkar was afforded the option to start cautiously against Ben Hilfenhaus and Doug Bollinger. In fact, the partnership with Sehwag was the only one Tendulkar didn’t dominate. Soon, he settled into some beautiful strokemaking.
Australia went wild in celebration. A few short hours later, they would still be celebrating, through the night. A despondent Tendulkar walked up to the dais to accept the Player of the Match award. This match had been all him. This was Tendulkar at his very best, with the combined forces of the opposition bowing down to his genius. But all of that wasn’t enough to halt the world’s No.1-ranked ODI side.
