There are few innings that shape eras and define the game for a long time to come. Sachin Tendulkar’s desert storm masterclass in Sharjah is often rated as one of the greatest innings ever played in the history of ODI cricket. This notwithstanding the fact that it was in a losing cause. Even today, memories of the special century continue ringing through the minds of ardent cricket fans, more than two decades after that momentous innings.
To grasp the significance of that innings of 143, it is critical to put it in some context. India had been able to salvage only a solitary victory in the tri-series involving two cricketing powerhouses in New Zealand and Australia. Entering the sixth game of the competition, India was tied in points with New Zealand, and had to either win or lose by a certain margin to qualify for the finals against Australia.
However, a sandstorm interrupted the game in Sharjah, and when the game resumed, India was set a target of 276 by the Aussies. However, the one number that mattered to Indian teams and fans was 237, as that was the figure that had to be breached in order to pip New Zealand on net-run-rate and qualify for the finals.
When Ajay Jadeja was dismissed, at the score of 138, with 16 overs remaining, India was 140 runs adrift of a victory which was nowhere in sight as qualification itself seemed a challenging proposition.
VVS Laxman joined Sachin, and then the latter simply went berserk. He toyed with the world-class bowling attack of Australia, comprising the likes of Shane Warne, Damien Martyn, Mark Kasprovicz and Tom Moody. All bowlers were taken to the cleaners, and runs simply flowed out of Sachin’s bat. Gradually, the qualification target was hardly of any interest, as Sachin seemed to be batting on a different galaxy altogether. The world watched as he took India towards the target of 276.
Even though he got dismissed and could not take India over the line, the innings is cherished as it took India through to the finals, where another memorable century by the legend won India the Coca Cola Cup.
More than the trophy, the innings represented a change in mindset in the Indian team. Such a result-oriented thought-process might be commonplace today, but back in the late twentieth century, it was obsolete. Sachin, just 25 at the time, heralded the dawn of a new era through that innings. It was a stamp of authority on the world that the Indian team would never submit meekly.
On Sunday, VVS Laxman took to Twitter, and alongside a photo of the Sharjah cricket stadium, wrote, “Coming back to Sharjah after a long time. Whenever I walk on this field, memories of those two special 100s for @sachin_rt comes back to my mind, rushing like a @desert storm.
