41) 100 not out (110 minutes, 76 balls, 10 fours, 1 six, strike rate 131.57) in the first innings v West Indies at Vadodara on January 31, 2007: Brief score (India 341-3/50 and West Indies 181/41.4), India won by 160 runs. Sachin Tendulkar's 76-ball century, a classic reminiscent of some of his gems from the past, led Windies rout. West Indies fell 160 short, their second-worst defeat by runs in one-day internationals behind a 209-run thrashing by South Africa at Cape Town in 2003-04. Tendulkar, who was dropped twice near the climax, reached an electric hundred off the final ball of the innings. He was batting at No 4 and came to the crease at 148 for two. He bagged both Man of the Match and Series awards.
42) 117 not out (235 minutes, 120 balls, 10 fours, strike rate 97.50) in the second innings v Australia at Sydney on March 2, 2008: Brief score (Australia 239-8/50 and India 242-4/45.5), India won by six wickets. This is Tendulkar's longest ODI innings in terms of minutes played. In 38 previous ODI innings in Australia, Sachin Tendulkar had never scored a hundred; in 11 previous ODIs against Australia in Sydney, India had never won. Both these jinxes were wiped out in a memorable evening at the SCG, as Tendulkar scripted a magnificent unbeaten 117 and shared a 123-run fourth-wicket stand with Rohit Sharma to take India to an emphatic six-wicket win and a 1-0 lead in the CB finals. Tendulkar was at his best as he plundered run-a-ball 117.
43) 163 not out (206 minutes, 133 balls, 16 fours, 5 sixes, strike rate 122.55) in the first innings v New Zealand at Christchurch on March 8, 2009: Brief score (India 392-4/50 and New Zealand 334/45.1), India won by 58 runs. A serene Sachin Tendulkar played a perfectly-paced innings to score his first ODI century in New Zealand. He retired hurt so as to get some attention on a possible muscle pull. He got a standing ovation as he walks off with the physio. The tiny AMI Stadium in Christchurch turned into a bowling slaughterhouse as the batsmen plundered 726 runs – the second highest aggregate in the ODI history, but India prevailed in the end by winning in vital moments in the game.
44) 138 (214 minutes, 133 balls, 10 fours, 1 six, strike rate 103.75) in the first innings v Sri Lanka at Colombo (RPS) on September 14, 2009: Brief score (India 319-5/50 and Sri Lanka 273/46.4), India won by 46 runs. The ghost of batting under R. Premadasa lights was almost buried on this day. Sachin Tendulkar's master class, an 86th international century close to his best, almost became a footnote on a night of punches and counter-punches. He was associated in three major part partnerships: 95 with Rahul Dravid for the first wicket, 110 with Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the second wicket and 71 with Yuvraj Singh for the third wicket. He won the Man of the Match and Man of the Series awards.
Image: INDIA, Vadodara : Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar celebrates after scoring his century during the fourth One Day International (ODI) match against the West Indies in Vadodara, 31 January 2007.Tendulkar's half-century of Test centuries |
Wish Sachin
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