Highest one-day international runs, most number of centuries and fifties — Sachin Tendulkar possibly has all the ODI records. But on Thursday morning, when he walks out onto the IPCL Stadium for his 400th match, it will be just another day for the maestro used to landmarks. “400 is just a number to me. It will be another day, another match. So I will have the same approach going into the match. I will try to do well and win it for India,” says Tendulkar. India’s comeback bowler Murali Kartik echoes Tendulkar, saying, “400 is just a dot in his illustrious career, where he has achieved so many milestones.” But strange as it may sound, for the legend, who has carved all the remarkable statistics of the game wielding the willow, the most memorable match happens to be the one where he thrived with the leather. “There are many memorable moments. But the Hero Cup semi-final in 1993 against South Africa where I bowled the final over is the strongest of them all,” recalls Tendulkar. South Africa needed 6 runs to win with one wicket in hand from the last over at the Eden Gardens. Skipper Mohammed Azharuddin was undecided who to ask to bowl after Kapil Dev backed out. Sachin, then only 20, took the ball from Azhar’s hand and bowled India to the final. Bowling slow medium pace, he conceded just three runs in the over. Incidentally that was the only over he bowled in the match. The 34-year-old also identifies a couple more matches as those he will remember forever. “In Sharjah against Australia, and against Pakistan at Centurion; those are also very memorable,” he says. At Centurion in the 2003 World Cup match against Pakistan, he had scored a blistering 98 to set the stage for India’s victory. And in April 1998 at Sharjah, he scored two hundreds against Australia to win India the Coca Cola Cup. And on Thursday, Australia will be the opponents again, the team that has conceded the maximum number of individual runs to the batsman. That apart, he will be batting at one of his lucky grounds. “It just happens to be Australia. It could have been any other team. But yes this ground has been good for me,” he says. Tendulkar has scored three centuries in his last five appearances at the ground, with the last being a 76-ball 100 against West Indies in January this year. The century also happens to be his last, the 41st one. And with the batsman showing glimpses of his class in his last outing in Chandigarh, it may not be too much to hope for a big one from him on Thursday.Tendulkar looked determined at the nets on Wednesday too, as he batted for about 50 minutes, with only bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad bowling to him. Prasad was mostly making him play off drives through the covers. Tendulkar was possibly trying to find his rhythm after having to fight for his 79 in the last match. Australian skipper Ricky Ponting said: “I would like to congratulate Sachin. It’s a fantastic achievement. Only a few players can achieve this. It speaks for his class.” However, he went on to add in a lighter vein: “But hopefully, he will not get a big one in his 400th game.”
