A chase to remember

Ten days before his second decade ends,Tendulkar slams 141-ball 175,but India fall four short of 351-run target.

The final ball of the fifth over during Indias chase in Hyderabad may have had little significance to the eventual outcome of the match,but for the capacity crowd at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium,what had transpired before it and what was to follow were from two different worlds.

When Sachin Tendulkar flicked Ben Hilfenhaus through mid-wicket for three runs,he became the first batsman in the history of one-day cricket to reach 17,000 runs. It was the moment that the people of Hyderabad had waited for with fingers crossed,and when it arrived,the celebration was absolutely no-holds-barred.

After all,with India chasing an improbable 351 against a fired-up Aussie outfit,it seemed like the only real hurrah up for grabs as far as the 30,000 spectators at Uppal went. Little did they know that Tendulkar had a special surprise up his sleeve to celebrate the milestone.

Story continues below this ad

Australia,batting first after winning the toss on a good pitch that offered consistent bounce,showed that they were up for the challenge here. Shane Watson was the early aggressor,his 89-ball 93 setting the pace for Australia. Ricky Ponting scored a run-a-ball 45 while Michael Hussey and Cameron White came out all guns blazing. All this time,Shaun Marsh held one end up,starting slowly and opening up towards the end,as his 112 and the late charge took Australia to 350. The last time the two teams met on a pitch with even bounce was during the second one-dayer in Nagpur,and led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni,India went on to post a mammoth 354 for seven. Ponting & Co had returned the favour.

In Nagpur,Australias chase had almost crumbled before it began. In Hyderabad,even as wickets fell at one end,Tendulkar seemed determined to do it alone.

The much talked-about seven runs behind him,Tendulkar broke the shackles and began marshalling India towards their gargantuan task. The boundaries seemed to flow that much easier and his 92nd half-century came off 47 deliveries. The well-set Virender Sehwag had once again failed to convert his start,while Gautam Gambhir,Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh soon followed suit.

Memories from the 90s came floating back as Tendulkar fought a lone battle. The cover-drives,the slashes over point and the flicks through mid-wicket kept flowing from Tendulkars blade and he even danced down the track to deposit Nathan Hauritz over the sightscreen twice on the trot.

Story continues below this ad

Suresh Raina walked in and,after being dropped off the first ball he faced,decided to put his head down. For the hour or so he spent in the middle,he had the best view of a masterpiece being constructed. Tendulkar brought up his 45th century off 81 balls with 10 boundaries and three sixes. He wasnt finished though,and as the runs kept coming,it suddenly seemed as if the magical night would have a fairy-tale ending after all.

But with India needing 19 off their last three overs,the dream was over. Tendulkar,who had by then scored a scintillating 175,attempted an uncharacteristic scoop off Clint McKay and this time it ballooned to short fine-leg. The equation was still achievable,but the belief seemed to have walked off the field with Tendulkar. Some helter-skelter running,a few mindless heaves,three more wickets,and India had lost by three runs.

For years now,Tendulkar despite the unparalleled achievements has been forced to bear the criticism for not leading India to victory on enough occasions while chasing. But last night,even the harshest of cynics wouldve appreciated what was one of the greatest innings played in ODI history.