It’s 2020 and the cricket crazy India can’t stop speculating about MS Dhoni’s cricketing future even in these extraordinary times when a human life is the most important thing. But back, in 2011 the entire nation had its eyes set on their favourite son Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar and that too in an anticipation of a happy moment.
The legendary cricketer was stranded on 99 international hundreds and every time Tendulkar walked on to the 22-yard, people would get glued to their TV screens and wait for the iconic moment when Sachin would raise his bat, look into the sky and thanks the almighty and his dad for 100 international hundreds.
Sachin after scoring his 99th hundred against South Africa in Nagpur has scored a string of low scores. Going into the 2011 Oval Test match, 85 runs against Pakistan in 2011 World Cup semifinal was Tendulkar’s highest score since his 99th century. As the the little master came in to bat in the second innings of the match billions people got stuck to the TV screens all over again. It was going to be Tendulkar’s 12th attempt for his historic 100th intenational hundred.
Everything was going as per the plan of the little master and his fans. The genius batsman was just 9 runs away from scripting history when the unimaginable happen. England pacer Tim Bresnan bowled a delivery which drifted from the off-stump and struck on Tendulkar’s pad just in front of the leg-stump.
Tim Bresnan appealed, Australian umpire Rod Tucker took the brave call and adjudged the master blaster out on 91 to break billion hearts at once. Rod Tucker never ever in his life would have thought of having this sort of power, just raising a finger and breaking billions of hearts. Bresnan also jumped in joy as he had delayed the inevitable history which should have been made on that day.
“He was on 99 international hundreds and there were no referrals in that series because the BCCI didn’t like them,” said Bresnan on the Yorkshire Cricket: Covers Off podcast. “It was at The Oval in the last Test of the series. This ball, it was probably missing leg anyway, and umpire Hill [Tucker], Aussie lad, shot him out. He was on 80-odd as well [91], definitely going to get it [his century]. We win the series and go to number one in the world.
